Tag Archives: theology

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – The Discipline of Prayer

Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Psalm 119:25

“Give me life according to your word!”

How can we grow in a conscious sense of dependence on Christ? Through the discipline of prayer. Prayer is the tangible expression of our dependence. We may think we’re dependent on Christ, but if our prayer life is meager or perfunctory, we thereby deny it. We’re in effect saying we can handle our spiritual life through self-discipline and our innate goodness. Or perhaps we’re not even committed to the pursuit of holiness.

The writer of Psalm 119 teaches us about the discipline of prayer in pursuing holiness. We usually think of it as the Psalm about the Word of God, but more accurately it’s an expression of the psalmist’s ardent desire and commitment in pursuing holiness. Twenty-two times the psalmist pleaded for God’s help in obeying his law, as in these words of prayer: “Teach me, o Lord, the way of your statutes. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments. Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!” (Psalm 119:33-36).

Continue reading The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – The Discipline of Prayer →

The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – A Picture of Faith

Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Numbers 34-36

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” – Matthew 21:22

If you were the commander of an army on the brink of war, wouldn’t you appoint some commanders and generals and get organized for the fight? That’s what’s happening in Numbers 34-36, but instead of organizing for war, Moses takes the list of names the Lord gives him and appoints those who will be involved in dividing the land that is still in the hands and under the control of the Canaanites.

This whole scene is a picture of faith. The Israelites knew they were going to possess the land–not by the skill of sword and bow, but by the power and favor of God. Their faith was not arrogance or presumption. This business of possessing the Promised Land was not their idea, but God’s. They were acting on God’s orders to accomplish His mission in the world.

That’s exactly the way we should respond to God’s commands in the Bible. God commands us to share the good news about Christ with other people; to be kind and compassionate to one another; to forgive each other; to live godly lives in a dark world. We have been called into a spiritual warfare whose battlefields are the ordinary, nitty-gritty situations of everyday life. If we wait until we think we’re well trained or skilled enough to accomplish all that, we’ll never do anything.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – A Picture of Faith →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – JESUS,THE HEALER

1 Comment

Read Luke 4:31-44

In her mid-thirties, author Theresa Brown left her career as a writing professor at Tufts University and became a trained nurse, first in oncology then in palliative care. She has written several books describing the difficult—though at times, blessed—task of preparing patients (and patients’ families) for death.

The good news of God’s kingdom is a proclamation of healing and deliverance from death—both physical and spiritual. Today’s reading marks the end of Luke’s long introduction to Jesus’ ministry: the angelic visits, birth narratives, ministry

of John the Baptist, and wilderness temptation. Now we begin to study Jesus’ life of ministry, and we see Jesus traveling throughout Galilee with crowds flocking to the Miracle Worker. The news was spreading quickly that Jesus of Nazareth was doing extraordinary things.

Continue reading Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – JESUS,THE HEALER →

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – FREE CHICK-FIL-A? SAVING MONEY AND FAMILIES

Leave a comment

I am traveling this week, and grateful to Nick Pitts for writing the Cultural Commentary in my absence. Nick is Director of Cultural Engagement for the Denison Forum. He has been writing daily for our website across the last year, and is the author of The Daily Briefing, a survey of each day’s news in biblical perspective. Nick is a Ph.D. candidate at Dallas Baptist University, finishing his dissertation. I encourage you to subscribe to the Daily Briefing, and know you will profit from his wisdom and insight in the Cultural Commentary this week.

________________________________________

Over 350 Chick-fil-A restaurants are now offering a “family challenge”: If you’ll lock your phone up in a “Cell Phone Coop” for the entire meal, you win a free ice cream cone. This coop, a cardboard box at the center of your table, holds your phone while your family keeps your attention. The average American spends four hours a day on the phone. But Chick-fil-A is hoping to entice their customers to reduce that time and increase their calorie count.

Research shows that dinnertime conversation boosts the vocabulary of young children more than being read aloud to does. Regular family meals have been shown to lower the risk of teenage smoking, binge drinking, marijuana use, eating disorders, and sexual activity. However, it does increase their chances of attaining a higher grade point average and better self-esteem.

Continue reading Denison Forum – FREE CHICK-FIL-A? SAVING MONEY AND FAMILIES →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Understanding Jesus’ Sacrifice

Leave a comment

 Matthew 26:36-46

Jesus journeyed into the deepest pit of despair hours before His crucifixion. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He repeatedly prayed for “the cup” to pass from Him (Matt. 26:39-44).

Christ was staring into a chalice of wrath and judgment that must have made His soul recoil (Isa. 51:17). Mankind had filled it with the most depraved deeds and thoughts that they could conceive. According to Scripture, Jesus Christ did not just die for our sin; He became our sin (2 Cor. 5:21). The holy, perfect Lamb of God took upon Himself all that was vile and dark.

Furthermore, Jesus knew the consequences of taking on mankind’s evil. God’s holiness prevented Him from being in the presence of sin. Therefore, the heavenly Father would have to separate Himself from the Son. Jesus had always enjoyed perfect oneness with God. To contemplate a wrenching rejection must have been terrifying and heartbreaking.

Continue reading Charles Stanley – Understanding Jesus’ Sacrifice →

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Power of God’s Music

Leave a comment

Read: Colossians 3:12-17

Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 1-2; Mark 10:1-31

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly . . . with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. —Colossians 3:16

The Sound of Music, one of the most successful musical films ever produced, was released as a motion picture in 1965. It won many accolades, including five Academy Awards, as it captured the hearts and voices of people around the world. More than half a century later, people still attend special showings of the film where viewers come dressed as their favorite character and sing along during the performance.

Music is deeply rooted in our souls. And for followers of Jesus, it is a powerful means of encouraging each other along the journey of faith. Paul urged the believers in Colossae, “Let Christ’s teaching live in your hearts, making you rich in the true wisdom. Teach and help one another along the right road with your psalms and hymns and Christian songs, singing God’s praises with joyful hearts” (Col. 3:16 Phillips).

Continue reading Our Daily Bread — The Power of God’s Music →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Cleansing Our Hands and Hearts

Leave a comment

“Cleanse your hands . . . and purify your hearts” (James 4:8).

Clean hands and a pure heart will always characterize the humble.

Hands represent our behavior, the pattern of our outward actions. Scripture uses that symbol when it encourages people to abandon their sinful behavior: “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you, yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of bloodshed” (Isa. 1:15).

Today’s verse uses “hands” in reference to the Jewish ceremonial requirements. The priests were required to wash their hands before they entered the presence of God in the tabernacle and temple (Ex. 30:19-21). Therefore, a call to have clean hands was not just a strange figure of speech for James’s audience. As Jews, they would know that a person needed to go through a cleansing process and have a clean life if he wanted to be close to the Lord.

Continue reading John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Cleansing Our Hands and Hearts →

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – God Interruption 

Leave a comment

The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”    Jonah 1:1-2

God may be interrupting your plans. He does this from time to time according to His will. You were going in one direction, and He stopped you in your tracks and led you in an about-face. It can be disconcerting and more than a little scary. But do not be surprised if this happens to you. Your current path may be the opposite of what He intended. Maybe you got in a hurry and ran ahead without Him or maybe you have been reluctant to move forward and missed Him. Either way, the Holy Spirit has now arrested your attention and is leading you into uncharted waters. Like Phillip, you are an agent of God (Acts 8:29). You may be uncomfortable with the assignment because of the novelty in its nuances.  God is moving you out of your comfort zone and into His arena of obedience. If you disobey and stay put, you jeopardize proclaiming Jesus to the fullest.

The consequences of disobedience are not isolated to you alone. They ripple throughout your relationships. Don’t wait for people to be hurt before you say yes to heaven’s directive. God interrupts for a reason and for a season. The reason may be to protect you from a convergence of bad decision-making. You don’t know what’s around the corner in your life, but He does. He is watching out for you, so this severe turn in His will may be to protect you from a pattern of bad behavior. Do not allow pride to keep you from changing your mind. Promptings from the Holy Spirit make pride uncomfortable because it means giving up control and submitting in humility. If you continue to drive forward in pride, you are destined for unnecessary pain (Ecclesiastes 2:23). Take this interruption as a sign from God to slow down, reevaluate, and recalibrate.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – God Interruption  →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Lay It on the Altar

Leave a comment

…God tested and proved Abraham and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Here I am. [God] said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I will tell you. —Genesis 22:1-2

Once the Lord said to me, “Joyce, do you love Me? If so, will you still love Me and serve Me even if I don’t do everything just the way you want or just when you think I should?” At the time of the Lord’s visitation, I had been asking God for a huge ministry. He also said, “Joyce, if I asked you to go down to the riverfront here in St. Louis and minister to fifty people for the rest of your life and never be known by anyone, would you do it?” My response was, “But, Lord, surely you can’t really be asking me to do that!”

We always have such grandiose plans for ourselves. If God asks us to do something that isn’t prominent, we aren’t always sure we are hearing Him correctly or that it is His will for us! When God asked me those questions about my ministry, I felt the way I imagined Abraham must have felt when the Lord asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac through whom He had promised to bless him and all nations of the earth (see Genesis 22).

Continue reading Joyce Meyer – Lay It on the Altar →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – No Longer Under Law

Leave a comment

“So there is now no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

What an exciting fact! We are no longer under the law. We have been liberated from the bondage of trying to please God through our self-effort.

What is our motivation under grace? Under law our motivation was fear, and desire for reward and blessing; under grace, our basic motivation is an expression of gratitude – an inward appreciation and response to God’s love and grace.

Why do we do what we do as Christians? We should respond because we, like the apostle Paul, are constrained by the love of Christ. We live for the glory of God. You will remember that the apostle Paul had been beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, starved, buffeted, criticized and condemned, yet he said, “The love of Christ constrains me.”

Continue reading Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – No Longer Under Law →

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – To Live or Die?

Leave a comment

Read: Philippians 1:19-26

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! Phil 1:21-22

The Christian view of death is given in just four words in this passage: with Christ, far better. That sums it up. But before we look closer at that, it’s important that we see what this man’s view of life is, because these are not the words of a man who is sighing after heaven but resigned to living on earth. This is not the utterance of someone who is fed up with living and couldn’t take life any longer so now the only hope is that heaven is close at hand. For Paul, to live is Christ, and that is exciting! Living, he says, means fruitful labor, in which I can take the greatest delight. The prospect of continuing to live is not an unwelcome prospect here, in fact he says I hardly know which to choose, both prospects are so enticing and inviting. The Christian is not so neurotically desirous of death that he no longer wants to live. We sometimes give the wrong impression. We sing these wonderful songs about the glory up there but sometimes, unfortunately, Christians leave the impression that this is really all they’re living for is what comes at the end.

The Christian does not live with some unutterable longing to escape, to evade life, to run from it. No! Paul is not at all saying that! He says, to live is Christ — I love it! And evidently the Spirit of God tips the scale here in favor of life, so he goes on to say, convinced of this I know that I shall remain, and continue with you all — because you need me and I will have the joy of coming to you again. But facing the possibility of death does not mean he is tired of life, but that death can only mean a more wonderful and deeper companionship with Christ. That is what makes life worth living. He says, to die is gain, and you can only say that if you are prepared to say, to live is Christ!

Continue reading Ray Stedman – To Live or Die? →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Do You Want To Be Healed?

Leave a comment

Read: John 5:1-9

He said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” (v. 6)

She never knew it, but behind her back people called her Boo-Hoo, because she was always talking about how badly she’d been treated in life. She’d been cheated, mistreated, shortchanged, passed by, unfairly dealt with. Other people always got the big break she deserved. Nobody gave her a chance. Nobody understood her. Nobody appreciated her. It’s like she had a tape player in her head, and whenever she opened her mouth out came this sad song. Boo-Hoo.

“Do you want to be healed?” Jesus asks. And immediately, out comes the tale of woe: “I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up . . . while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus doesn’t offer sympathy. He doesn’t commiserate. All Jesus wants to know is: “Do you want to be healed?”

Continue reading Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Do You Want To Be Healed? →

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; – First Person Testimony

Leave a comment

He is alive! He’s risen! Jesus lives! Up from the grave He arose! When Easter comes around, you hear many of these phrases from Christians. More than likely, you’ll see them posted on social media with images of the cross or an empty tomb. As powerful as those statements are, they are in third person. How much more powerful are they when spoken in the first person from the lips of Jesus Himself?

The living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore.

Revelation 1:17-18

Today’s passage is spoken by Jesus. It’s not one of the disciples saying, “He is alive!” It’s the Son of God Himself stating the truth – and that’s a powerful testimony! The apostle John heard this straight from His Lord – and you can, too! “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

Jesus is alive and sits at the right hand of God. Give thanks today for your risen Savior. You serve a God who lives in your life and in the lives of Christ-following Americans. Pray that your national leaders will hear the truth from the Almighty – in first person.

Recommended Reading: Romans 10:5-13

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

The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Never Again Remembered

Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Isaiah 43:25

“I will not remember your sins.”

Not only has God blotted out our sins, he has further promised never to remember our sins, never to bring them to his mind again.

What an overwhelming thought! What joy this should bring to our hearts. Think of one of your more recent sins, of which you’re now ashamed. It may have been an unkind word, a resentful attitude, or a lustful thought. Whatever it might be, God says he has put it out of his mind; he remembers it no more.

To remember no more is God’s way of expressing absolute forgiveness. In Hebrews 8:12 (which quotes Jeremiah 31:34), God said, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (NIV). And again in Hebrews 10:17-18, he said, “?heir sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.’ and where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin” (NIV). Note that in both passages “remembering no more” is equated with forgiveness.

Continue reading The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Never Again Remembered →

The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Killing Giants

Leave a comment

Today’s Scripture: Numbers 13-16

“I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.” – Matthew 21:21

In Numbers 13, we arrive at a memorable and melancholy moment in the life of the people of God. Just when they were about to set foot in the Promised Land, they turn back from the borders of Canaan and are sentenced to wander and perish in the wilderness for their sin of unbelief and their complaining spirits.

You remember the story. Twelve leaders were dispatched to spy out the land. They had been charged with the responsibility of finding out whether the inhabitants of the land were strong or weak; whether the land was good or bad; whether the cities were fortified or simply a cluster of tents; whether it was a bountiful land. After forty days, they returned.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Killing Giants →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – JESUS, SON OF JOSEPH

Leave a comment

Read Luke 4:1-30

For four years, Rob Ford was the scandal of the city of Toronto. Ford was caught texting while driving. He associated with people of ill repute, including drug dealers and convicted criminals. Ford often showed up drunk to public festivals and city events. What made Ford’s actions even more unconscionable was this: he was the city’s mayor.

Our key verse today reminds us why Scripture forbids drunkenness. We must be filled—not with wine but with the Holy Spirit. In his biographical record, Luke often emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in the unfolding good news of Jesus: the angel promises Zechariah that John will be filled with the Holy Spirit; Mary will conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit; Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit when she greets Mary and the holy baby in her womb (1:41); Zechariah, Simeon, Anna, and John the Baptist are all filled with the Spirit as part of the long line of prophetic heralds of good tidings.

Jesus, Son of Joseph, is no exception to the witness of the Holy Spirit’s role in the plan of salvation. Filled with the Holy Spirit, He was led into the wilderness. Forty days later, this seemingly ordinary carpenter’s son returned in the power of the Holy Spirit and preached to the gathered crowd at the Nazareth synagogue.

Continue reading Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – JESUS, SON OF JOSEPH →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Precious Blood of Jesus

Leave a comment

Read | 1 Peter 1:17-21

Many churches today have erased all mention of the blood of Jesus Christ from their worship services. But the shedding of blood is essential to the Christian faith—without a sacrifice, no one can have a relationship with the heavenly Father. For that reason, the Lord wove the story of death, renewal, and reconciliation like a red thread through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.

What do you have if you remove the blood from a body? You’re left with a lifeless corpse, right? The same is true of the Bible. Scripture would be no more than historical literature if we edited all the “unpleasant” parts regarding animal sacrifice, Jesus dying on the cross, or the power of His blood.

God designed the redemption system in such a way that anyone could understand the connection between shed blood and freedom from sin. The Lord gave detailed instructions for offering a perfect animal sacrifice so that His holiness would be satisfied. God also wanted His followers to understand that sin brought terrible consequences and resulted in death. The first fatality in Scripture was the animal whose skin was used to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness (Gen. 3:21). Every time an Israelite brought a lamb or a pair of doves to the priest, he recognized that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).

God chose a graphic solution to the world’s sin problem. Therefore, believers cannot be squeamish about explaining what truly happened at Golgotha. The words that we choose influence listeners. “Jesus shed His blood for you” is a powerful statement, which is also the message God repeats throughout His Word.

Bible in a Year: Joshua 1-3

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Forward to God

Leave a comment

Read: 2 Kings 19:9-20

Bible in a Year: Numbers 34-36; Mark 9:30-50

Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see. —2 Kings 19:16

In the days before telephones, email, and mobile phones, the telegram was usually the fastest means of communication. But only important news was sent by telegram, and such news was usually bad. Hence the saying, “The telegram boy always brings bad news.”

It was wartime in ancient Israel when Hezekiah was king of Judah. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, had invaded and captured the cities of Judah. He then sent a letter to Hezekiah, a bad-news “telegram” urging his surrender. Hezekiah described the moment as “a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace” (2 Kings 19:3).

Continue reading Our Daily Bread — Forward to God →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – The Nearness of God

Leave a comment

“He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

God will come near to the truly humble, who have by faith sought to be close to Him.

One of the greatest promises in the Bible is that God responds to the humble and draws near to them. Such people will yearn for a closeness to God by which they can know Him, love Him, learn His Word, praise Him, pray to Him, and fellowship with Him. In summary, the humble will be true worshipers, those who “worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23).

John 4:23 concludes with the statement, “for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.” This strongly implies that God wants to have a relationship with the humble, which means He will respond to us. This idea of the Lord reaching out to us and responding to our humble obedience is also found in the Old Testament, when David instructed Solomon: “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever” (1 Chron. 28:9).

Continue reading John MacArthur – Strength for Today – The Nearness of God →

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Bad to Worse 

Leave a comment

It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him.  Amos 5:19

Sometimes, things have to get worse before they get better. Your finances, relationships, job, and health may all have to get worse before they get better. This is not fun, but it is reality. The wheels of God’s will are in motion and this is part of the process, but a better day is coming. Adversity can be agonizing but it does not have to be forever. Indeed, it is hard to follow hard after God when times are hard. You want to take matters into your own hands and fix them, but you can’t do it alone. You need God and you need others. Use this time in the downward spiral to look up to your Savior, Jesus. Let go, and allow Him to love you. Search your character and see what needs to change for the better. It is during this time of crumbling circumstances that dependence on Christ needs to be front and center.

Yes, fear may be pursuing you like an uncaged lion. In your mind, there is a lion behind you and a bear in front of you. There is nowhere to turn; it seems you have used up all of your options. Your home was a sanctuary of peace, but now its serpents of insecurity attack you. People are more patient when things are going well, for they overlook indiscretions or idiosyncrasies during the good times. But now things are in the process of going from bad to worse. People’s patience is wearing thin, and they are looking for a scapegoat. So surrender to your Savior during this surreal time.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Bad to Worse  →