Tag Archives: theology

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Just To Forgive Us

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“…that He [God] might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26b)

Let’s pretend that your brother has done something to hurt you very badly. What if when your parents found out what happened, they said, “Oh, we’ll just let that go – it’s all right. Just forget about it.”

No, you say! You have been hurt. You have been sinned against. Your parents would not be just unless they punished your brother for that sin. Right?

But let’s pretend you stepped in and said, “Punish me for what my brother did. I’ll take the punishment, and he won’t have to.” Then your parents would be just to forgive your brother, right? Someone else would be taking the punishment in his place.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – More Love

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Today’s Scripture: Philippians 1:9

“It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more.”

How can we fulfill our responsibility to love “more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:9-10)? Recognizing that love is an inner disposition of the soul produced only by the Holy Spirit, what can we do to fulfill our responsibility? First, the Spirit of God uses his Word to transform us. If we want to grow in love, we must saturate our minds with Scriptures that describe love and show its importance. First Corinthians 13:1-3, for example, tells us of the emptiness of all knowledge, abilities, and zeal apart from love. First Corinthians 13:4-7 describes love in terms of specific attitudes and actions. Romans 13:8-10 describes love in terms of fulfilling the law of God in our lives.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Devoted to the Word

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Today’s Scripture: Numbers 9-12

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. – Revelation 2:4

Numbers chapter 9 begins with the concerns of certain men that they would not be able to partake in the celebration of the Passover. What a blessing it is in the life of the church when people are eager to be involved in the activities of the people of God! What a blessing to see people hungering and thirsting after God’s Word and concerned about those things that might hinder them from enjoying all that is available from the gracious hand of God.

During the years I was involved in a ministry with cadets at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, we had a team of about forty guys. They were all sharp, but a couple of those guys were especially eager learners. I remember waking up from a nap one Sunday afternoon to find the two of them sitting at the foot of my bed, notebooks and pens in hand, waiting to talk about some aspect of their Christian faith.

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint – Garrison Keillor Says Farewell: Lessons from Lake Wobegon

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For the past 40 years on National Public Radio, Garrison Keillor has served up a humorous slice of Americana through his Saturday night radio program, “A Prairie Home Companion.” Each episode features live music and amusing skits like “Guy Noir, Private Eye,” plus hysterical promotional spots like the one for Bebop-A-Reebop Rhubarb Pie.

But the highlight of each show comes near the end, when Keillor shares the news and latest gossip from his beloved Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, the men are good-looking, and the children above average.

Now if you know Prairie Home Companion, you also know that Keillor’s worldview doesn’t always line up with a Christian worldview. So it may surprise you that we’re talking about it today on BreakPoint. But I think there are a number of things we can learn from the success of this show.

First, in an age where much of what we call entertainment is all flash and no substance, Keillor has accomplished the extraordinary. His show has become “appointment listening” each week for four million people on almost 700 radio stations. The successful longevity of Prairie Home Companion testifies to the power of great art and storytelling, and it’s a lesson for all of us who are called to share “the greatest story ever told.” As we say often on BreakPoint, Christians should be champions of the arts, especially those that, through story, point to the deep truths about life and the world.

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Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – BEARING SHAME

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Read Hebrews 2:5-18; 13:11-16

Family members have profound power both to shame and to honor each other. Children make their parents feel embarrassed or proud, depending on how they choose to act. Older siblings often either defend or oppress their younger ones; little siblings usually either idolize or annoy their older brothers and sisters.

Hebrews gives us a breathtaking glimpse into the dynamics of the relationship between God the Father and God the Son (see Hebrews 1–2). The Father allowed His Son to be made “lower than the angels” and to suffer death (2:9–10). As the perfect Son, Jesus willingly subjected Himself to His Father’s discipline.

Jesus’ submission brought glory to the Father. And the Father’s carefully laid plans for the Son’s humiliation culminated in Jesus’ restoration to His glory.

But the divine circle of mutually honoring relationships doesn’t end there. God reaches out to draw us into His family too. Jesus lowered Himself to struggle and suffer like us so that He could raise us up to share the Father’s love the way He does. Like a good older brother, he proudly identifies with us, coaches us along the way, and intercedes to the Father on our behalf (2:11).

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – WHAT ‘YOU, ME AND THE APOCALYPSE’ SAYS ABOUT THE FUTURE

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I watched You, Me and the Apocalypse last night on NBC. The show is based on the premise that an eight-mile-wide comet will annihilate the world in thirty-four days. The greater fiction is not that a planet-destroying comet is coming, but that we have another thirty-four days to live.

The fact is, tomorrow is promised to no one.

Yesterday we observed the thirtieth anniversary of the Challenger disaster. The tragedy still reminds us that life is fragile. President Reagan concluded his tribute to the fallen astronauts: “We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.'”

Recognizing our mortality leads us to focus on immortality.

We know that we will stand before God one day (2 Corinthians 5:10). But it’s easy to think about that fact later. We’re busy people facing challenging times. Why is our accountability in heaven relevant to us on earth?

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Why We Need Spiritual Discernment

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Phil. 1:1-10

Things are not always what they seem is the mantra of many mystery novels and television shows, but it’s also a wise attitude for successful living. Too many people make decisions based on feelings or judge situations by what appears to be real. God has given every believer a spirit of discernment so we can determine what’s best.

Think about how many decisions a person must make on a daily basis—choices about family, finances, work, and more. Ideally, a decision would have a correct choice and an incorrect one. As a result, the choice would be easy. In reality, what seems right isn’t always what’s best. Some things, while neither wrong nor sinful, are nonetheless outside of God’s will for us.

Scripture doesn’t contain specific directives regarding every possible life scenario. Instead, it’s filled with principles laid down by direct teaching or, at times, through stories. Believers are able to grow in spiritual maturity so that biblical principles coupled with guidance from the Holy Spirit become tools for making godly judgments. The question isn’t whether a certain choice looks good or feels right, but whether it’s God’s will for that point in a person’s life.

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Before the Phone

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Read: Psalm 18:1-6

Bible in a Year: Exodus 19-20; Matthew 18:21-35

In my distress I called to the Lord. —Psalm 18:6

As a mom of young children I’m sometimes susceptible to panic. My first reaction is to call my mom on the phone and ask her what to do with my son’s allergy or my daughter’s sudden cough.

Mom is a great resource, but when I read the Psalms, I’m reminded of how often we need the kind of help that no mortal can give. In Psalm 18 David was in great danger. Afraid, close to death, and in anguish, he called on the Lord.

David could say, “I love you, Lord” because he understood God was a fortress, a rock, and a deliverer (vv. 1-2). God was his shield, his salvation, and his stronghold. Maybe we cannot understand David’s praise because we have not experienced God’s help. It may be that we reach for the phone before going to God for advice and help.

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Of Isms and Rabbit Trails

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Among my toughest audiences in apologetics are undoubtedly my two little boys. From the time words started forming on their lips, questions of various kinds have been a staple around our home—the most formidable one being, “Why, daddy?” More than any other of our appetites, I strongly suspect that thirst for knowledge and the occasional thrill of discovery have played the greatest role in shaping history. From the vast machinery of the news media to the intricate systems of the educational enterprise, from specialized research institutions to the multifaceted world of religious devotion, human hunger for knowledge is the oil that greases the mill of civilization.

So pervasive is this drive for knowledge that it can become an end in itself, opening up a rudderless detour along even the journey to God. This is true in religious systems that claim knowledge for a select few, with secretly guarded rituals forever hidden from the uninitiated. Gnosticism, from the Greek word gnosis, which means knowledge, was built upon the premise that there exists a category of knowledge privileged to a select few. Most Eastern religions insist that the problem with humanity is not sin but ignorance; hence, their solution to the human predicament is enlightenment, not forgiveness. Similarly, scientific naturalism stakes its fortunes on the bare, cold facts of particles and quarks; to know them is to know ultimate reality—never mind the minor detail that, logically, there is a gaping missing link between knowing how something works and the conclusion that it was not made.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Our Unity in the Spirit

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“There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

All Christians are part of the same Body, with the same Spirit, who is our pledge of eternal life.

Everything God ever designed for the church is based on the unity of believers. Paul emphasizes that by listing seven “ones” in these verses. One is the key; it is the cause of the worthy walk.

How many bodies of Christ are there? There isn’t a Presbyterian body, a Baptist body, and a Methodist body; nor is there a California body, a Utah body, and a Kansas body. There is just one Body, the church. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). Whatever your race, creed, nationality, or language, when you become a Christian, you become one with every other believer.

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Spiritual Health 

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For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8

Though it often feels like a losing battle, most weeks I do my best to spend a few hours at the gym. Whenever I’m there, I am always reminded of the value our culture places on health and beauty, and the time and effort we are willing to give to this pursuit. From exercise and diet to fitness trackers and health supplements, it can at times be all encompassing!

On one hand, this desire for bodily health is good and right. I’ve found the discipline needed to keep the body healthy actually aids and supports my spiritual health and growth. However, we can be so focused on our physical health that we neglect the care of our souls and growth in godliness. As St. Paul reminds us, physical health and beauty are fleeting, but godliness is an eternal investment! How then are we to grow in our spiritual health?

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Constant Communication

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Then the king said to [Nehemiah], “What do you request?” So [Nehemiah] prayed to the God of heaven. And [he] said to the king, “If it pleases the king . . . .”

Nehemiah 2:4-5

Recommended Reading

Philippians 4:6-7

Stewards are in constant touch with their masters regarding the master’s plans. When it comes to Christian leadership, the same stewardship principle applies—constant communication. Therefore, prayer is the foundational principle for Christian leaders. Prayer is how Christian stewards stay in touch with the Master about His plans.

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Keep Pressing On

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I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]; forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward. —Philippians 3:13-14

Our relationships with God are progressive and we all move from one level to another. No one ever “masters” communication with God because there is no limit to the depth of relationship we can have with Him; it just keeps growing, keeps going deeper, keeps getting stronger. Our ability to hear His voice develops and improves over time. Over time and with practice, we get better at sharing our hearts with God and we become more skilled and experienced at hearing His voice and understanding what He is saying to us. We never become certified experts in prayer and we never stop learning to communicate with God; our experiences just keep getting richer and better.

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – You Can Be Sure This Is God’s Will

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“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, KJV).

“Always give thanks for everything?” my friend Jim remarked with impatience bordering on anger. “How can I give thanks to God when my wife is dying of cancer? I would be a fool, and besides I don’t feel thankful. My heart is breaking. I can’t stand to see her suffer any more.”

Jim was a Christian, but he had not yet learned how to appropriate the supernatural resources of God by faith. He had not heard that the Holy Spirit produces the supernatural, spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. He did not know that the Holy Spirit was ready and eager to lift his load, fill his heart with peace and enable him to demonstrate a thankful attitude, even in times of heartache, sorrow and disappointment.

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – The God of the Here and Now

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Read: John 11:1-54

Lord, Martha said to Jesus, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask. Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again. Martha answered, I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:21-26)

Martha greets Jesus with a phrase that must have been frequently on all of their lips when Lazarus was sick: Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died. I do not believe this is a word of reproach. Martha is not saying, Lord, why didn’t you come sooner? We sent for you. If you had responded we wouldn’t be in this pickle. It is clear that she realizes the message did not reach him until Lazarus was dead. There was no way he could have responded and gotten there before Lazarus died. Martha’s word is not one of reproach, but rather one of regret: Lord, I wish you could have been here, because if you had, my brother would not have died.

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Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – The Way Back

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Read: Matthew 7:13-14

Enter through the narrow gate. (v. 13 NIV)

We can know that we know Christ by the fruit of obedience. But what if there is little fruit? I can hear someone say, “I felt like a failure before; now I feel afraid. What do I do with Jesus’ challenging words?” Listen to the good news before and after the frightening words of Matthew 7:23—there is a way back and a way forward.

If you are unsure that you know Christ and that he knows you, you can go back. Here’s how: “Enter through the narrow gate.” There’s a wide gate that anyone can go through. It is the way of the world, the way of the immoral majority. It’s easy and smooth, and it leads to destruction. But there is one narrow gate that leads to life. What is that gate? Listen to Jesus in John 10: “I am the gate for the sheep . . . . Whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture . . . . I lay down my life for the sheep” (vv. 7, 9, 15 NIV).

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Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; H.L.M. – The Father’s Voice

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Christian comedian Michael Jr. is used to commanding an audience’s attention. Yet he didn’t expect the reception he got from his newborn daughter. Shortly after her birth, the baby was wailing loudly. Suddenly, she stopped crying when she heard Michael’s voice. Then when she became upset later, he told her, “I love you.” In response, she not only stopped crying, but opened her beautiful eyes. “We’ll always have times when we’re not as comfortable…where life is just heavy,” Michael said. “The key thing to do in those moments is to be still and listen for the Father’s voice. Because He is trying to talk to you. And I can tell you what He wants you to know is that He loves you. All you got to do is open your eyes.”

Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always.

Proverbs 28:14

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – A Great Ending

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Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride. —Ecclesiastes 7:8

The Bible is filled with stories of people who started well but finished horribly, like King Saul and Samson. Then there are those who started poorly but finished well.

Think of Nicodemus, whom we read about in John 3. He was just a guy coming to Jesus at night with some questions. There is no indication that he was a believer at that point. But at the end of the Gospel narrative, after Christ had been crucified, who stepped forward publicly, along with Joseph of Arimathea, and asked for Jesus’ body to give Him a proper burial? It was Nicodemus the Pharisee. Maybe he didn’t start all that well, but he ended very well.

The same could be said of Esther. We can argue as to whether Esther should have been upfront from the beginning about being a Jew when she was chosen by King Xerxes to be the new queen. But if the king knew she was a Jew, maybe he never would have married her. And if he hadn’t married her, maybe she wouldn’t have been in a position to save a nation. But even if Esther made a mistake initially, even if she compromised, even if she may not have started all that well, she finished very well.

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Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God “Picks” Workers According to His Own Wisdom and Power

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“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” (1 Corinthians 1:27)

If you were picking players for a basketball team, you would probably not pick Evan. Evan is short, slow, and not very smart. He misses most of the shots he takes, and he sometimes actually just drops the basketball. Evan is usually the last person to be picked for any kinds of sports team – if he even gets picked at all.

The Bible tells us that God has chosen “foolish things” and “weak things” to accomplish His work. Evan is not very smart, and he is not very strong, but God has chosen Evan to be His child. If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, God has chosen you to shame those who are smart and strong in ways the world values.

God does great things through people who love Him. When He does those great things, He doesn’t want His people to say, “Look what I did because I am smart!” He wants them to say, “Look what God did.” God chooses people who are not necessarily smart or strong so that they will know that God is great, and they are not.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Justice Honored

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Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 9:27

“It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”

All of us will eventually face judgment before a holy and just God. As we think of that inevitable day, do we want to see justice done, or mercy? Except for the most arrogantly self-righteous among us, we would all hope for mercy. Here, however, is our dilemma: God’s justice is certain, and it is inflexible.

Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8, “God is just: he will pay back. he will punish those who do not know God” (NIV). And in Romans 12:19: “?t is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (NIV). Though often delayed, God’s justice is nonetheless certain. Justice may be defined as rendering to everyone according to one’s due.

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