Tag Archives: theology

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – The Riddler

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Read: Judges 13:3-5, 14:1-19

Let me now put a riddle to you. (14:12)

The story of Samson not only contains riddles, it is a riddle. Although some think of him as a Hebrew folk hero, I prefer the words of one commentator who called Samson “an oversexed buffoon.” His story is the longest in the Book of Judges, and he is the final judge mentioned in the book. Rather than being the wonderful culmination of the story, he is more of a puzzling disappointment. Samson’s life was chaotic, and chaos follows for Israel throughout the rest of Judges.

Samson was consecrated by his mother to be a Nazirite, someone set apart to serve God. The rules for Nazirites are spelled out in Numbers 6, all of which have to do with ceremonial cleanliness. Usually someone kept a Nazirite vow for a short period of time. Samson was supposed to be a Nazirite for life.

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Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; H.L.M. – Rainbow Promise

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Tyler Perry, an American actor, producer and director, was spending time in prayer with the Lord on New Year’s Day. Then Perry looked up and saw a rainbow in the sky, reminding him of God’s promise to Noah in Genesis 9:13. He took a photo and posted it online. “I had just finished praying and thanking God for all that He had done for me over all these years. I was so full as I came out of the room,” Perry said. “I was thanking Him and praying for a great 2016, and then I saw this right off the balcony!”

To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!

Psalm 123:1

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Unforgiveness and Unanswered Prayer

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“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”—Mark 11:25–26

Prayer is a wonderful privilege. We can pray anytime or anywhere. Daniel prayed in a cave filled with hungry lions. The apostle Paul prayed when he was in a dungeon in chains. Peter prayed on the surface of the water. And Jonah prayed under the water. So wherever you are, you can pray.

I hope that you are praying for Harvest America. It has the potential to be the largest evangelistic outreach in American history! No matter where you are, you can be a part of this historic event through prayer.

But maybe you have you been praying about something for a long time, and nothing has happened. Maybe it is a legitimate request—you are asking God for His wisdom or provision—yet it seems your prayer is going unanswered.

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Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Omnipresent

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“Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I fell from thy presence?” (Psalm 139:7)

Did you ever want to be in two places at once? Well, it is actually possible to say you have been in two places at once. You could travel to Colorado and stop at the Colorado and Wyoming state line. You could put your left foot on the Colorado state side and your right foot on the Wyoming state side. Then you would be standing in two places at once!

OK, so technically that is cheating a little. Truly, it is impossible for us human beings to be in more than two places at once. We have only one body, and only two feet! Being everywhere at once would be even more difficult for us than being only two places at once. What truly is amazing is that God has no problem being two places at once, or five, or thirty, or thirty-five thousand places at once. Why? Because God is God, it is more than possible for Him to be present in every possible place at once. He is everywhere!

The dictionary defines “omnipresent” as “present everywhere simultaneously.” That means God is everywhere, all the time, at the same time. He is with you when you are sleeping, when you are at school, and when you are outside playing. How can that be? Because He is everywhere, all at once. At the same time that He is with you at your house, He is also present in your best friend’s home.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional –Work or Trust?

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Today’s Scripture: Psalm 62:8

“Trust in him at all times.”

We often speak of “letting the Lord live his life through me.” I’m personally uncomfortable with this expression because it suggests a passivity on our part. He doesn’t live his life through me. Rather, as I depend on him, he enables me to live a life pleasing to him.

Some years ago when I was following this more passive approach, which seemed more spiritual to me at the time, I was struggling to love a Christian brother. One evening God really dealt with me about my lack of love, and I sensed God saying to me, “If I love him, can you?” I responded, “Lord, I can’t, but I’m willing for you to love him through me.”

Continue reading The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional –Work or Trust? →

The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – A Heart After God

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Today’s Scripture: 1 Samuel 16-19

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. – 2 Corinthians 4:16

Most of us put a lot of stock in outward appearance. While there’s nothing wrong with combing our hair and smelling good, it says a lot about our basic orientation to life. We are most concerned with how other people see us.

Not so with God. When the Lord sent Samuel to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint one of his sons as king, Samuel was impressed with Eliab, but God said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Does that mean that a big, good-looking guy cannot be a spiritual leader? No, of course not. It just means that God looks for something deeper than that: a heart that is given to Him.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – A Heart After God →

BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  A New Kind of Apologist: Wholeness in a World of Brokenness

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If you’re even a semi-regular listener to BreakPoint, you know that John Stonestreet and I talk a lot about the sexual revolution and its consequences. Divorce rates up, marriage rates down. Fatherless homes, sexually transmitted diseases, the pervasiveness of pornography. A revolution that promised sexual liberation has instead brought slavery and left a trail of victims, not the least of which are the 50 plus million babies who lost their lives in their mothers’ wombs.

Trust me, it’s tough to talk about these kinds of things. Especially since the last thing John and I want to do is obscure another message that we try to articulate again and again: Yes, the cultural moment we live in is difficult. But the cultural moment is just that: a moment.

History, the story of creation and its redemption, belongs to God. As we read in 1 Peter, God has given us “a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade.”

And even though, as Peter writes, we may “for a little while” have to “suffer grief in all kinds of trials,” we must never say, “It’s over, we’ve lost.” The Truth is always, “It is finished. Jesus has won.”

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Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – ELIJAH’S MUCH-NEEDED REST

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Read 1 Kings 19:1-18

We are sleeping less than ever before. One study showed that over the past five decades average sleep duration on work nights has decreased by an hour and a half, down from eight and a half to just under seven. Thirty-one percent of us sleep fewer than six hours a night, and 69 percent report insufficient sleep.

The Bible has a theology of sleep. According to the psalms, sleep is God’s gift (Ps. 3:5; 4:8; 127:2). In today’s passage, sleep was part of God’s prescription for Elijah’s exhaustion and depression. After his confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, Jezebel swore to kill Elijah. The prophet fled for his life, running 120 miles to Beersheba. After leaving his servant behind, he traveled another day’s journey into the wilderness and asked God to let him die.

Instead of dealing with Elijah’s discouragement immediately, the Lord prescribed a regimen of rest and diet. Strengthened by this, Elijah traveled forty more days to Mount Sinai (referred to as Horeb in v. 8). After he was rested, refreshed, and relocated, he was ready to hear God’s perspective on his situation and receive instructions on what to do next.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – THE BACHELOR IS A STRONG CHRISTIAN—WHY NOT ON THE SHOW?

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Ben Higgins is the most famous software salesman in America. The six-foot-five graduate of Indiana University loves children and the Chicago Cubs. He also stars on this season’s The Bachelor. And he is a strong evangelical Christian.

You wouldn’t know the last fact from watching the show, however.

According to Slate’s Ruth Graham, Higgins makes his faith clear—he blogs about Jesus, quotes Christians on his Instagram, and wears a tattoo of Proverbs 16:3. But the show’s producers blur or minimize his commitment to Christ, so viewers get only a glimpse of generic religion as they follow his story. And they don’t know that Ben plans to abstain from sex until he is married.

Why is his faith so secret on the show? I could not find any information about the personal faith of Mike Fleiss, the show’s producer. But his goal for The Bachelor is clear: to attract as many viewers as possible. Fleiss says the average Bachelor sleeps with three women each season. This is clearly part of the show’s allure.

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Pursuit of Humility

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Read | Ephesians 4:1-3

To accomplish anything in life, we must set a goal and devote our energy and time to achieving it. When people don’t realize that God has objectives in mind for their lives, they just float aimlessly. Not only does God have specific aims for each of us individually, but He also has goals that apply universally to all believers, such as a relentless, lifelong pursuit of humility.

Humility is more than a healthy view of our merit; it is a servant’s attitude that acknowledges total dependence on God. Few people are excited about pursuing humility because it’s considered a weakness. But if we understand God’s view of it, we’ll realize that humility is an extremely significant quality. Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.” In order of priority, Jesus comes first, others are second, and we are last.

We speak emphatically about loving others, forgiving unconditionally, and acting with kindness. But the root of these actions is humility. To be able to love and forgive others, we must be willing to recognize their great worth in God’s eyes and the magnitude of His compassion and forgiveness toward mankind. Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

If we think only of how we feel, what’s convenient for us, or how we can profit from a situation, we won’t be demonstrating Jesus’ love. However, when humility is our goal, then love, forgiveness, and kindness will grow out of it.

Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 9-11

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Forward Look

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Read: Luke 2:21-35

Bible in a Year: Numbers 9-11; Mark 5:1-20

Simeon . . . was righteous and devout . . . and the Holy Spirit was on him. —Luke 2:25

When the great Dutch painter Rembrandt died unexpectedly at age 63, an unfinished painting was found on his easel. It focuses on Simeon’s emotion in holding the baby Jesus when He was brought to the temple in Jerusalem, 40 days after His birth. Yet the background and normal detail remain unfinished. Some art experts believe that Rembrandt knew the end of his life was near and—like Simeon—was ready to “be dismissed” (Luke 2:29).

The Holy Spirit was upon Simeon (v. 25), so it was no coincidence that he was in the temple when Mary and Joseph presented their firstborn son to God. Simeon, who had been looking for the promised Messiah, took the baby in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel” (vv. 29-32).

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – The Time Given

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In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Frodo, the young hobbit, has been given the burden of bearing the one ring of power. It is a ring that has the potential to put all of Middle Earth under terror and shadow, and the darkness is already spreading. With a fellowship of friends, Frodo determines he must start the long, dark journey to destroy the ring by throwing it into the volcano from which it was forged. It is a journey that will take him on fearful paths through enemy territory and overwhelming temptation to the ends of himself. Seeing the road ahead of him, he laments to Gandalf the Wise that the burden of the ring should have come to him in the first place.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.

“So do I,” said Gandalf “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”(1)

A fan of Tolkien’s epic fantasy once wrote the author to say that he preferred to read The Lord of the Rings particularly during the season of Lent. Though I don’t know all this reader had in mind with such a statement, Tolkien’s portrayal of a journey into darkness with the weight of a great burden and a motley fellowship of companions certainly holds similarities to the journey of the church toward the cross. The forty-day period that leads to Easter is both an invitation and a quest for any who would be willing, albeit a difficult one. The deliberate and wearisome journey with Christ to the cross is a crushing burden, even with the jarring recognition that we are not the one carrying it. On the path to Holy Week, the fellowship of the church far and wide is given time to focus in detail on what it means that Jesus came into this world that he might go the fearful way of the Cross. It is time set apart for pilgrimage and preparation, forty days with which we decide what to do with the time that is given us.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – God Is Truth

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“‘He who has received His witness has set his seal to this, that God is true’” (John 3:33).

Since God is true in everything He does, we can trust Him and His Word.

God’s truthfulness is taught often in Scripture. Balaam, though no righteous man, got this right: “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it?” (Num. 23:19). Samuel said to King Saul that God “will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind” (1 Sam. 15:29). Paul tells us, “God . . . cannot lie” (Titus 1:2), and “Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar” (Rom. 3:4). Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the “Spirit of truth” (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13).

Because God is true, and “all Scripture is inspired by God” (2 Tim. 3:16), it follows that His Word is completely true. The psalmist says, “The sum of Thy word is truth” (Ps. 119:160), and Jesus says, “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17).

The Bible, and therefore God Himself, is constantly under attack by critics. They say God doesn’t exist. But the Bible says, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Ps. 14:1; 53:1). They say the world came into being by itself. But Scripture says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). They say the miracles in the Bible never happened. But God’s Word says that Jesus came “with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him” (Acts 2:22).

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Motivation From Revelation 

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Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. Revelation 1:19

Sometimes I scratch my head while seeking to understand practical applications for my life from the prophetic Book of Revelation. The figurative imagery and symbolism can be confusing, even overwhelming. But the more I interpret Scripture with Scripture—and the more I pray over the futurist words in this last book of the Bible—the more I take to heart God’s promises for my life with Jesus. Just to reflect on the perseverance and love of the exiled and elderly disciple John challenges me to endure hardships and love radically. Revelation inspires a godly motivation!

Verse 19 of chapter one gives us a three part outline of the entire book of Revelation. The first section is defined as “what John has seen”, which is the exalted Christ described in chapter one. The second section is “what is now”, where John addresses the condition of the seven churches of Asia in chapters two and three. The third and last section of Revelation are chapters four to twenty-two which covers “what will take place later”—the second coming of Jesus and His millennial reign. Revelation is motivation to focus on Christ glorified and His bride the church.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, NKJV).

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Willing to Be Willing

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If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.

John 7:17

Recommended Reading

John 7:10-24

The book Revive Us Again includes the story of Ruth Sundquist, a Moody Bible Institute student in the 1940s who was attending a missionary conference at nearby Moody Memorial Church. The speaker challenged the students to come forward and offer themselves for missionary service, but Ruth didn’t feel willing to go forward. The speaker then said, “If you aren’t willing to go, ask the Lord to make you willing to go.” Still Ruth hesitated. Then he said, “If you aren’t willing to do that, ask Him to make you willing to be willing to pray that prayer.”

Ruth said, “That’s about where I had to start.”1

The Lord has a calling on our lives, and we’ll discover His will as we’re willing to obey Him without reservation. Sometimes it’s hard to say, “I’m willing.” But perhaps, like Ruth Sundquist, you can start by saying, “Lord, I’m willing for You to make me willing to be willing.”

Continue reading Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Willing to Be Willing →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Filled with His Light

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And this is the message [the message of promise] which we have heard from Him and now are reporting to you: God is Light, and there is no darkness in Him at all [no, not in any way]. [So] if we say we are partakers together and enjoy fellowship with Him when we live and move and are walking about in darkness, we are [both] speaking falsely and do not live and practice the Truth [which the Gospel presents].—1 John 1:5-6

So often the things we try to hide by burying them deep inside ourselves become darkness within us. But this passage tells us in God there is no darkness at all. So when we allow Him full entrance into our hearts and minds, there will be no darkness there. I am so glad that God fills every room in my heart, so that I am filled with His light. There are no places in my heart that I know of that are blocked off from Him and the light that comes with His presence. Often one of the signs that we are walking in the light of the Gospel is that we have good relationships with everyone with whom we come in contact in our daily lives—including our spouse and our children.

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Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – The Trust Adventure

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The LORD is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trust in Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.”

Psalm 28:7

Friend to Friend

I love the story of a tourist visiting the Grand Canyon. As he gazed in wonder at the sight before him, the tourist got too close to the edge, lost his footing, and fell over the side. Just before he went out of sight, the man grabbed a scrubby bush and held on for dear life. Filled with terror, he called out toward heaven, “Is anyone up there?” A calm powerful voice came out of the sky, “Yes, there is.” The tourist pleaded, “Can you help me?” The calm voice replied, “I’m sure I can. What seems to be the problem?” The man explained, “I fell over the edge of the canyon and am now dangling in space, holding onto a bush that’s about to come loose. Please help me!” The voice said, “I will. Do you have faith?” The terrified man replied, “Yes! I have strong faith!” The voice said, “Then just let go. Everything will be fine.” There was a tense pause. The tourist then yelled, “Is there anyone else up there?”

The first time I heard that story, I laughed and thought, “How ridiculous!” My next thought was that I have more in common with the tourist than I care to admit.

How often do I edge my way toward a dangerous cliff of disobedience and find myself giving in to temptation? How many times have I cried out to God to rescue me from some self-made pit into which I have fallen, but then dictated how I wanted to be rescued? I can’t begin to count the number of times I have foolishly chosen to follow my plan instead of God’s plan for my life. Now that’s ridiculous.

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Don’t Worry

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“So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time” (Matthew 6:34).

The taxi driver who drove me from the airport to the hotel in Virginia Beach stated several times that he was having difficulty making ends meet for his wife and 2-year-old son.

He had two jobs and worked seven days a week. Even so, he could hardly get by. The rent was high; the utility bills were extravagant, and he was trying to save enough money so that he could move to another city where the hourly wages were considerably higher. There, he would be able to achieve a better way of life.

I asked him if he went to church.

“No,” he said, “I don’t have time. I’m too busy.”

During the next 30 minutes we talked about the love of God, and God’s purpose and plan for men which was revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

“I once went to church as a young man,” he said,” and my mother is very religious. In fact, she used to preach to me all the time. But somehow I have gotten away from God and from the church.”

Continue reading Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Don’t Worry →

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Our God Reigns

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Read: Isaiah 52:1-12

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, Your God reigns! (Isaiah 52:7)

A few years ago I was in England, preaching in some churches in the London area. I spoke one night in a crowded Methodist chapel, where many were singing the chorus, Our God Reigns. I was amused to see in the song sheet from which the congregation was singing that the typist had made an error in the title of the hymn, and it read, Our God Resigns! Many Christians act as if God has resigned. But he has not. Our God reigns! This is what we must declare. We must show it on our faces, and let it be heard in our voices. God will come and the terrible times will end. We (and Israel) will one day hear the welcome summons: Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the articles of the Lord’s house. (Isaiah 52:11)

That is what is required of Christians today. We are not to go along with all the mistaken ways of the world, chasing illusions, and seeking things that will not satisfy. Rather, we should cleanse ourselves, for the promise is, But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard. (Isaiah 52:12)

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Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Jephthah’s Tragic Vow

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Read: Judges 11:29-40

Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. (v. 30)

This is disturbing. I wonder if Jesus had this story in mind when he said what he did about making vows in Matthew 5:33-37. “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matt. 5:37 NIV). The results of Jephthah’s tragic vow certainly look like the work of the evil one. The downward spiral of the judges continues.

Jephthah’s name in Hebrew means “he opens,” (there is a linguistic relationship to the Aramaic word “ephphatha” Jesus uses in Mark 7:34 to open the ears of a deaf man) and both Jephthah and his daughter agree he had to keep his vow after opening his mouth to the Lord. Besides the sad result for his daughter, the problem for Jephthah came from the way he made the vow in the first place. He was trying to control God through making a promise. People do this all the time—I wonder how many “if you get me out of this I will serve you forever” prayers God hears in a day. But God does not respond to human attempts to bribe or cajole him.

Although there are parallels to the story of Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22, what stands out are the differences between the two stories. God commanded Abraham and provided a substitute offering. God did not command Jephthah. The vow was Jephthah’s misguided attempt to control God, who stayed terribly silent through the whole ordeal.

Prayer:

Help us have a right relationship with you.

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