Tag Archives: theology

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Ready to Join the Circus Parade?

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“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”—1 Peter 4:10

Every follower of Jesus has been given certain gifts and abilities.

Perhaps you have been blessed with musical or artistic talent. Then again, you may be good at crunching numbers or building things.

One person may be a great visionary, but not very good with the practical. Another may be a detail person who is not big on vision.

I encourage you to discover your talents and gifts, cultivate them to their fullest, and use them for God’s glory!

Scripture tells us to “not neglect the spiritual gift you received” (1 Timothy 4:14 NLT); we are to keep our gifts in use, not collecting dust.

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Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Delights To Answer Prayer [replace]

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“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.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Our Holy God

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Today’s Scripture: Exodus 15:11

“Who is like you, majestic in holiness?”

God has called every Christian to a holy life. There are no exceptions to this call. This call to a holy life is based on the fact that God himself is holy. Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God.

Holiness in Scripture describes both the majesty of God and the purity and moral perfection of his nature. Holiness is one of his attributes—an essential part of the nature of God. His holiness is as necessary as his existence—as necessary, for example, as his wisdom or omniscience. Just as he cannot but know what is right, so he cannot but do what is right.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Servanthood

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Today’s Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1

Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being. – 1 Corinthians 10:24 (KJV)

Most people would agree that the truly great people of this world are remembered not for what they took out of life but for what they gave. How do you acquire a servant’s heart or help others develop a servant’s heart? I believe the first step is to become sensitive to the needs of other people and then take the initiative to set the whole thing in motion.

The China Inland Mission used the dinner table to train people in servanthood. They had a rule that when the members of the mission gathered for the evening meal, no one was allowed to ask to have any food passed to them. Everyone learned to be alert to the needs of others and to watch for the empty plate.

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Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – REST WRECKERS: BUSYNESS

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Read Luke 10:38-42

In a New York Times opinion piece “The ‘Busy’ Trap,” Tim Kreider laments today’s culture of busyness. According to Kreider, we use busyness to make us feel better about ourselves: “Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness; obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or trivial or meaningless if you are so busy, completely booked, in demand every hour of the day.”

Today’s reading describes how Martha fell into the busy trap when Jesus came to town. Distracted from the Savior’s teaching by the details of hospitality, she complained to Jesus because her sister Mary was not helping. While Martha was making preparations, Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to Him teach. On the surface, Martha seems to make a strong case against her sister. Much work had to be done and Mary had left it all to Martha. Jesus was sympathetic to Martha’s distress, but He praised Mary for making the better choice.

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Call to Serve

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Read | Philippians 2:7-9

When it comes to serving in the church, people rarely volunteer for tasks where they’ll go unnoticed. They usually prefer a position of leadership. There’s nothing wrong with heading a committee or teaching a large class. But God calls us to have a servant’s heart—motivated to live a life that glorifies Him, not ourselves.

Over the years, I’ve had many conversations with young men studying at seminary. Countless times, they’ve shared the desire to lead a sizable church. And those called to serve at a small congregation frequently struggle with feelings of insignificance.

My encouragement to them is this: In His great love, God places us exactly where He wants us to serve, and every task we undertake should be given our all, whether there’s one person listening or a multitude. We ultimately serve Christ, and He is not concerned with recognition we receive. He desires our obedience and best effort. This is true not just for pastors but for all believers.

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Undigested Knowledge

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Read: John 8:39-47

Bible in a Year: Leviticus 13; Matthew 26:26-50

If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. —John 8:31

In his book on language, British diplomat Lancelot Oliphant (1881–1965) observed that many students give correct answers on tests but fail to put those lessons into practice. “Such undigested knowledge is of little use,” declared Oliphant.

Author Barnabas Piper noticed a parallel in his own life: “I thought I was close to God because I knew all the answers,” he said, “but I had fooled myself into thinking that was the same as relationship with Jesus.”

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Provision for Dust

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The sun bore down on my neck as I walked through neatly laid stones, each row like another line in a massive book. My eyes strained to take in all of the information—name, age, rank, country—and perhaps also death itself, the fragility of life, the harsh reality of war. In that field of graves, a war memorial for men lost as prisoners of war, slaves laboring to construct the Burma-Siam railway, I felt as the psalmist: “laid low in the dust.” Or like Job sitting among the dust and ashes of a great tragedy. Then one stone stopped my wandering and said what I could not. On an epitaph in the middle of the cemetery was written: “There shall be in that great earth, a richer dust concealed.”(1)

It is helpful, I think, to be reminded that we are dust. We are material; when we die, we  remain material. It is a reminder to hold as we move through life—through successes, disappointments, questions, and  answers. For the Christian, it is also a truth to help us approach the vast and terrible circumstances leading up to the crucifixion of God. Beginning with the ashes of Ash Wednesday, the journey through Lent into the light and darkness of Holy Week is for those made in dust who will return to dust, those willing to trace the breath that began all of life to the place where Christ breathed his last. It is a journey that expends everything within us.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – 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).

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – True Love Marries 

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On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. John 2:1-2

True love transitions from the thought of living together—to the commitment of living together forever in marriage. It is not a self-centered conditional love, but a Christ-centered unconditional love. There is fidelity of focus on faith in God and each other. Couples with true love see marriage as a reflection of their relationship with Jesus.

Marriage is much more than a contract between couples; it is a covenant before the Almighty. It is a solemn agreement between two God-fearing souls that honors heaven with vows of commitment on earth. Marriage is sacred to your Savior Jesus, because it communicates His love through the most intimate love between a husband and a wife.

“As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you” (Isaiah 62:5).

What’s holding you back from an unconditional commitment to marriage? Fear of it not working out—fear of losing control, freedom and finances—or is it selfish motivation to have sex and some security without any long-term obligation? Marriage modeled on your relationship with Christ purifies motives and brings joy to Jesus and your life.

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – The Yellow River

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For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

Matthew 15:19

Recommended Reading

Matthew 15:1-20

Last year the American Environmental Protection Agency allowed an ocean of sludge to pollute Colorado’s Animas River, turning the tributary to a sickening bright yellow. The accident occurred when a crew tried to pump out the polluted buildup of an abandoned mine. The waste overflowed, ruining a hundred-mile stretch of river.

According to Jesus, the human heart is a cesspool of evil, which overflows into our words and deeds. Our world is polluted by the toxic buildup of our hearts. The problem isn’t political, and it can’t be solved by political means. It’s not legal, and all the laws in the world can’t solve it. It’s not educational. If everyone had a doctorate, we’d still have a corrupted culture. It’s not financial; and if everyone were a millionaire, we’d still be in trouble.

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Stop Getting and Start Receiving

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And we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we [watchfully] obey His orders [observe His suggestions and injunctions, follow His plan for us] and [habitually] practice what is pleasing to Him. —1 John 3:22

We often ask people if they “got” something, particularly when we speak of spiritual matters. “Did you ‘get’ a breakthrough?” we want to know, or “Did you ‘get’ your blessing?” Is the idea of “getting” from God biblical? The Bible teaches us about receiving, not about getting. The difference between getting and receiving is significant. To “get” means “to obtain by struggle and effort.”

When everything in your life requires effort, life becomes frustrating and exhausting—and that’s not the kind of abundant life Jesus came to give us. No, God wants us to live with a holy ease, a grace that keeps us from striving and struggling through life. That doesn’t mean everything will be easy, but it means even difficult things can be done with a sense of God’s presence and help.

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Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – The Best Wife Ever

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And now I will show you the most excellent way.

1 Corinthians 12:31

Friend to Friend

Today’s devotion is mainly for the thousands of wives who read GiG each day, but if you’re not married, you’re not off the hook. Take this opportunity to reflect on the way you pray in general. Now, here we go!

Most married women would agree that they long to be the women of their husband’s dreams. But I have a question. Why? Is it so that we can get what we want in the long run? Is it so that when he sees how irresistible we are he’ll magically become the man of our dreams meeting our every need?

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Set Upon a Rock

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“For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5, KJV).

Doug and Judy stood at the graveside of their little Timothy – their only child – who had been run over by a drunken driver while riding his tricycle on the sidewalk. It was a senseless, one-in-a-million, freak kind of accident, but their little lad was gone forever from their loving embraces.

As they wept, I consoled them with the promises of God’s Word: “In the time of trouble, He shall hide us in His pavilion, in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide us. He shall set us upon a rock.”

In the words of Jesus, I shared with them His promise, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, KJV). “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27, KJV).

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – Mechanical Religion

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Read: Isaiah 29:1-22

The Lord says: These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. (Isaiah 29:13)

Israel’s problem was what we would call mechanical religion, meaningless, external conformity to a performance of religious things. This is a grave danger. When you feel yourself becoming spiritually dull, it is a warning sign that says, Watch out! You are headed for trouble. This happens to all of us on occasion. It is healthy to ask yourself at times, Have I lost my zest for God? Do I sing the hymns mechanically? Do the truths of Scripture appear to me dull and common place? Have I lost the sense of joy in my Christian experience? That is a danger sign. That is what this woe is referring to. God’s provision for this is found in the latter part of verse 5 and in verse 6:

Suddenly, in an instant, the Lord Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire. (Isaiah 29:5b-6)

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Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Blessed to Be a Blessing (Part 2)

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Read: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4

Your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one  of you for one another is increasing. (v. 3)

In Invitation to a Journey, M. Robert Mulholland Jr. points out the temptation to believe that our spiritual growth takes place merely in our personal relationship to God. Once it is sufficiently developed we can “export it into our relationships with others and ‘be Christian’ with them” (p. 43). But in his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul is clear that growth in faith is linked with growth in love for others. We are spiritually formed in the midst of our relationships; every relationship has the potential to be a transforming encounter with God.

I learned this a few years ago when I began supervising a young man who couldn’t have been more different from me. He is an extrovert; I am an introvert. He told his story to everyone he met; I chose my confidants carefully. He was scattered; I was organized. And yet here we were yoked together in ministry. One of the soul-training exercises I learned while teaching James Bryan Smith’s Apprentice Series was to “pray for those you don’t like.” So I chose to pray for this guy. The experiment went on for months and I began to see a change—in me. I saw his differences as gifts, his enthusiasm as Spirit-filled, and his high energy level as passion. I saw that Christ was dwelling and delighting in him as much as he was in me. I was being spiritually formed!

Prayer:

Help me grow for the sake of others.

https://woh.org/

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; C.H. – National Representation

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Since 1956, the official motto of the United States has been “In God We Trust.” This phrase is from the fourth verse of The Star Spangled Banner and has been printed on coins since 1864. While some claim the motto violates the First Amendment, the majority feels it represents the nation well.

In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

Psalm 56:4

In 2006, the Senate reaffirmed the motto, and the House did the same in 2011. Americans have spoken and they want to trust God. King David had a similar motto, “In God I trust.” He wrote today’s passage while the Philistines held him captive. Comparably, “In God We Trust” was also written during a time of adversity – The War of 1812. King David found relying on the Lord gave him courage.

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – It’s Time to Pray

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Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.—James 5:13

Have you ever been in what appeared to be an impossible situation with no way out? Have you ever desperately needed or wanted something, but it seemed as though there was no way you would ever have it? Or, have you ever thought there was no future for you? If so, you need to know about the power of God that can take place through prayer.

One thing that comes out very clearly in the pages of God’s Word is that prayer can dramatically change situations, people, and sometimes even the very course of nature.

But what prayer actually changes the most is you. You change when you pray. The objective of prayer is not to change God or to get Him to do something differently. The objective of prayer is to align yourself with the will and purposes of God.

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Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – 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.

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Wrath Revealed

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Today’s Scripture: Romans 1:18, NIV

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men.”

Some people like to think that although the wrath of God is a reality in the Old Testament era, it disappears in the teaching of Jesus, where God’s love and mercy become the only expressions of his attitude toward his creatures. Jesus clearly refuted that notion: “Whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36, NIV). And he frequently referred to hell as the ultimate, eternal expression of God’s wrath. (See, for example, Matthew 5:22; 18:9; Mark 9:47; Luke 12:5.)

In the inspired letters of Paul, we read of God’s wrath being “stored up” for the day of judgment (Romans 2:5) and that God’s wrath is coming because of sin (Colossians 3:6). And the whole tenor of Revelation warns us of the wrath to come.

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