Tag Archives: Truth

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — First Things First

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Read: 1 Timothy 4:12–16

Bible in a Year: Daniel 5–7; 2 John

Watch your life and doctrine closely.—1 Timothy 4:16

When you travel by air, before the flight takes off an airline employee presents a safety briefing, which explains what to do if there is a loss of cabin pressure. Passengers are told that oxygen masks will drop from the compartment above and they are to put one on themselves before helping others. Why? Because before you can help anyone else, you need to be physically alert yourself.

When Paul wrote to Timothy, he stressed the importance of maintaining his own spiritual health before helping and serving others. He reminded Timothy of his many responsibilities as a pastor: There were false teachings to contend with (1 Tim. 4:1-5) and wrong doctrines to correct (vv. 6-8). But to discharge his duties well, what was most important was to “watch [his] life and doctrine closely [and] persevere in them” (v. 16). He needed to take care of his own relationship with the Lord first before he could attend to others.

What Paul told Timothy applies to us too. Each day we encounter people who do not know the Lord. When we tank up on our spiritual oxygen first through time in God’s Word, prayer, and the enabling of the Holy Spirit, we keep our relationship right with God. Then we will be spiritually alert to help others. —C. P. Hia

Lord, open Your Word to me now. Let me breathe in its freshness before I go out to be Your light to the world.

A Christian’s life is the window through which others can see Jesus.

INSIGHT: The importance of our relationship with God is also a prominent theme in the Old Testament. As Moses passed the leadership of the Israelites over to Joshua, he reminded his protégé that he must keep a right relationship with God. Joshua was to study God’s Word, “to meditate on it day and night,” and “be careful to do everything written in it.” Only then would Joshua successfully lead his people into the Promised Land (Josh. 1:7-8). Four hundred years later, David gave similar advice to his son Solomon: “Learn to know [God] intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. . . . The LORD has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work” (1 Chron. 28:9-10 NLT). Heeding his father’s wise advice, Solomon humbly sought the Lord and succeeded in building the temple (1 Kings 3:3-15; 6:14, 38).

What steps can you take this week to strengthen your personal relationship with God?

 

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – When God Was Homeless

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One of the global issues that marked the twenty-first century thus far is the refugee crisis. Some estimates place the number of globally displaced people at close to sixty million. Refugees are men, women, and children compelled to move across political borders because of war, famine, natural disaster, ethnic cleansing, genocide, religious persecution, or the prospect of imprisonment or death at the hands of despotic regimes.

The latest refugee issue making headlines is the Rohingya crisis. According to United Nations estimates, about 146,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from violence in Myanmar since August 25, 2017. Issues surrounding the refugee crisis are more complex than the rhetoric on social media and news channels would have us believe. Governments of various countries responded to this crisis based on their political affiliations, economic conditions, and various other factors. Shiv Visvanathan, a noted sociologist, reacting to India’s stance towards Rohingya refugees writes: “Sadly, India missed the leadership and compassion of a Mother Teresa. She would have stepped out and offered some care and relief to them, stirring the Indian middle class into some acts of caring.”(1)

Surely the complexities of the refugee crisis are many and unique to each country. And yet, there are some things that might be considered regardless. In the Bible, God commands his people Israel to always remember who they were: a once-enslaved people set free by God. As such, they were to treat strangers and sojourners with kindness. “You shall love the strangers” exhorts Yahweh, “for you were once strangers in the land of Egypt.”(2) Vinoth Ramachandra writes, “It is Yahweh’s character to take delight in loving the ‘others,’ especially those who are economically and socially vulnerable. Israel was a nation of ‘others’ in Egypt, scapegoated in acts of xenophobic violence when national fortunes declined. So Yahweh, true to his character, loved them and rescued them from their oppression. Having experienced Yahweh’s love for the alien, they now reflect Yahweh’s character by loving the aliens among them.”(3)

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Taking Responsibility

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Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law, that You may give him power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity, until the [inevitable] pit of corruption is dug for the wicked.— Psalm 94:12-13

When life or people disappoint us, we have a responsibility to remain stable and continue with God’s purpose for our lives.

Consider Psalm 94:12-13. Notice that it does not say that God keeps us calm. It says He gives us power to keep ourselves calm. We are partners with God. His part is to give us ability and our part is to be responsible and exercise that ability.

Responsibility means, “to respond to the ability we have.” An irresponsible person wants God to do everything while he does nothing except follow his feelings. But don’t let your feelings run the show. Declare out loud right now, “I have attended my last pity party.” I can promise you, in the end you will feel much better about yourself if you take responsibility rather than if you avoid it.

God cares for you, but He won’t do your part. He enables you to do it, but let me emphasize that He won’t do it for you! I dare you to stand firm, take responsibility and begin working with God to have the blessed life He’s planned for you.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Entirely by Faith

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“And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him” (1 John 5:14,15, KJV).

A friend who had participated in one of our lay institutes a few years ago shared with me his experience when he first realized the practical benefits of the biblical concepts which I like to call “spiritual breathing” – exhale by confession and inhale by claiming the fullness of the Holy Spirit by faith in accordance with the promise of 1 John 5:14,15.

This friend had agreed to teach a Sunday school class of young students. But there was one problem: he was apprehensive about the assignment because he had never taught studies (of the age)?

My friend planned to arrive at church early in order to make proper preparation for the arrival of his new class. He had asked his family to be ready to leave the house early on that Sunday morning.

As sometimes happens, the family was late in getting ready and, as he sat in the car in the hot sun, he began to resent his family’s tardiness. He began to fume and fuss while waiting for them. The longer he waited, the more tense and irritated he became.

Finally, his family loaded into the car – and he was ready to explode with anger. Before he went very far, the Holy Spirit reminded him that his attitude and actions were not honoring to the Lord.

Furthermore, he knew that he would be sharing with the children in Sunday school about God’s love, forgiveness and patience. Applying the principle of “spiritual breathing,” he exhaled by confessing his sin and inhaled by appropriating the fullness of the Holy Spirit by faith. Filled with the Holy Spirit and overflowing with God’s love, he introduced several young men to Christ that morning.

Bible Reading: Romans 1:8-16

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Whenever the need arises, I will practice “spiritual breathing” to help me experience spiritual victory and live a supernatural life. I will tell other Christians about the concept of “spiritual breathing.”

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Christ Lives in His Children

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Listen to Today’s Devotion

Proliferating throughout Scripture is an enticing and inviting preposition —the preposition in.  Jesus lives in his children. From Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

God in us! Have we sounded the depth of this promise? With God in you, you have a million resources you didn’t have before. Can’t stop worrying? Christ can. And he lives within you. Can’t forget the past, forgive the jerk, or forsake your bad habits? Christ can! And he lives in you! Oh to be so full of him that we could say with the apostle Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me!” (Galatians 2:20).

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Should the US declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel?

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NOTE: Given the complexity and significance of today’s subject, this Daily Article is longer than usual.

“I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” President Trump announced yesterday. After his statement, Palestinian protesters burned photos of the president in Gaza City. By contrast, the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City were lit with the colors of the American and Israeli flags.

Why is this such a controversial and divisive issue?

I have been to the Holy Land more than twenty times. Each time, I am amazed again by the complexities surrounding Jerusalem, the religious capital of more than half the world’s population.

Rather than make a case for one position, I will survey the history of the Holy City and briefly outline the various arguments on this divisive issue. Then I will ask you to join me in a commitment to two principles that transcend controversy and advance God’s Kingdom.

An introduction to Jerusalem

Jerusalem has been continuously inhabited for almost six thousand years. Three millennia ago, it was captured by King David and made the capital of his kingdom (2 Samuel 5:6–10). His son Solomon built his palace and the first temple there (1 Kings 6–7).

Babylon destroyed the city and its temple in 586 BC; they were rebuilt after the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great liberated the Jews in 538 BC. King Herod enlarged the temple and city greatly, but both were destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. Emperor Hadrian rebuilt the city in AD 129–30, naming it Aelia Capitolina. When Constantine became emperor, he changed the name back to Jerusalem in AD 324.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Should the US declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel? →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Walking in the Light

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Ephesians 5:1-17

If you’ve ever lost power at night, you know how disorienting it can be to try and find your way to a flashlight or candle. You think you’re heading for a doorway but unexpectedly bump into a wall. This is what our life was like before we met the Light of the World. In fact, we didn’t even know what real light was and had become comfortable in the darkness because it kept us from seeing how sinful we truly were.

An amazing transaction occurred when we finally believed the gospel, repented of our sins, and confessed Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We were rescued from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of Light. And now Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, has come to dwell within us (Col. 1:13; Eph. 3:17). So how are Christ’s followers supposed to live? Today’s passage outlines three basic responsibilities:

  1. Walk in love (Ephesians 5:1-2). As the Savior sacrificially loved us, so we are to love others. If we are at odds with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we can’t claim to be walking in Light (1 John 1:7).
  2. Abstain from sin (Eph. 5:3-7). Believers aren’t sinless, but they don’t habitually practice deeds of darkness.
  3. Learn what pleases God (Eph. 5:8-17). The fruit of Light is goodness, righteousness, and truth. These are displayed in our character, conversation, and conduct when we are living out our faith.

Let’s make it our aim to move ever closer to the Light, letting Jesus expose and remove any areas of darkness so we can reflect His glory and goodness.

Bible in One Year: Galatians 4-6

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Read: Daniel 3:13–25

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Bible in a Year: Daniel 3–4; 1 John 5

The God we serve is able to deliver us.—Daniel 3:17

Due to an injury that occurred in 1992, I suffer from chronic pain in my upper back, shoulders, and neck. During the most excruciating and disheartening moments, it’s not always easy to trust or praise the Lord. But when my situation feels unbearable, God’s constant presence comforts me. He strengthens me and reassures me of His unchanging goodness, limitless power, and sustaining grace. And when I’m tempted to doubt my Lord, I’m encouraged by the determined faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They worshiped God and trusted He was with them, even when their situation seemed hopeless.

When King Nebuchadnezzar threatened to throw them into a blazing furnace if they didn’t turn away from the true God to worship his golden statue (Dan. 3:13–15), these three men displayed courageous and confident faith. They never doubted the Lord was worthy of their worship (v. 17), “even if” He didn’t rescue them from their current predicament (v. 18). And God didn’t leave them alone in their time of need; He joined and protected them in the furnace (vv. 24–25).

God doesn’t leave us alone either. He remains with us through trials that can feel as destructive as Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace. Even if our suffering doesn’t end on this side of eternity, God is and always will be mighty, trustworthy, and good. We can rely on His constant and loving presence. —Xochitl Dixon

Lord, thank You for being with us, no matter what we’re going through.

Faith relies on our Almighty God’s unchanging character, not on our circumstances.

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Gifts Regifted

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The ethics of regifting is always a hot discussion at Christmastime and the weeks that follow our various office parties and family exchanges. Apparently, there are those who insist that regifting is a tawdry practice, and there are those who have practiced it for years and see no harm. For those who might not be familiar with the concept, Webster’s New Millennium Dictionary offers a helpful definition: To regift is “to give an unwanted gift to someone else” or “to give as a gift something one previously received as a gift.” In any case, two out of three people say they have either regifted or are considering regifting. And while there are no doubt many successful regifters among us, there are also unfortunate stories to show for the less successful, which make the discussion entertaining. Imagine opening the very gift you had given your mother-in-law a year earlier.

The concept of regifting is similar to a word coined by J.R.R. Tolkien in The Hobbit. “Anything that Hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a mathom,” writes Tolkien. “Their dwellings were apt to become rather crowded with mathoms, and many of the presents that passed from hand to hand were of that sort.” Whether Hobbit or human, regifting is evidently nothing new.

Even so, when a colleague of mine referred to Christmas as the “season of regifting,” I was certain he had been the victim of too many unfortunate gift exchanges. Except he wasn’t talking about unwanted scarves or random gift-cards. He was talking about the mysterious gift that is resurrected each Christmas and presented again as if new. Year after year, we reopen the story of Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and the magi, and the star. “God is a regifter,” he said. The child is the gift.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Gifts Regifted →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – You’re Only Accountable to God

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And so each of us shall give an account of himself [give an answer in reference to judgment] to God.— Romans 14:12

Too many people never get around to fulfilling God’s purpose for their lives because they’re so busy keeping everyone else happy.

The world is filled with people who think they know what you should be doing with your life.

But the Bible says you will give an account to God, not anyone else, of how you’ve lived. That’s why we need to live by God’s grace each day, doing our part to live in a way that pleases Him.

Are you daring enough to follow your heart rather than the crowd? Are you focused on Christ even when many voices try to draw you away from your purpose?

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who wait for something to happen and those who make things happen. God has called you to do great things for His kingdom—and He’s given you everything you need in Christ to fulfill them.

So be intentional and live life on purpose. Don’t just wait around to see what everyone else is going to do and then follow the crowd. Stir yourself up, make a decision, and get going!

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Way to Wisdom

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“For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler for them that walk uprightly” (Proverbs 2:6,7, KJV).

One of my brothers and a sister and I recently stood at the bedside of our 93-year-old mother. The doctor and nurses had just left the room after informing her that she needed a pacemaker for her heart.

After the doctor left, she called us around her. “Now I want you to join with me in prayer,” she said. She began to pray, her countenance radiant from the joyful assurance that God was listening and would answer:

“Father in heaven, I need Your help. I do not know if I need a pacemaker, but You do. Tell me what to do, because You know what is best for me.”

“Mother,” I asked, when she had finished praying, “how will you know when God answers you?”

She replied, “God will tell me what to do as He always does.” Later in the day she informed the doctor that she would not need a pacemaker. The doctor was disappointed, and he encouraged her to reconsider.

After he left, I inquired, “Mother, how do you know that you’re not to have a pacemaker?”

“Well,” she replied, “before I prayed I had an impression that this was the right thing to do because the doctor and nurses felt so strongly, but as I prayed God seemed to take away the desire.” Months later we all agreed that she had made the right decision as her health was greatly improved.

For more than 75 years this beloved saint has known the faithfulness of this promise for wisdom. “He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous. He is a buckler for them that walk uprightly.”

Is Christ real? Does He give answers to practical problems of life? Inquire of one who has walked with Him for more than three-quarters of a century and you will have no doubts. To achieve this wisdom, you must seek it with all your heart. The world’s wisdom, great as it may be cannot begin to measure up to the divine wisdom available to one who faithfully reads, studies, and meditates upon God’s Word and who has a close intimate relationship with Him in prayer.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 2:1-5

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will seek God’s supernatural wisdom by diligently studying God’s Word, through prayer and through fellowship with others who walk with God.

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – It Happened in a Moment

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Listen to Today’s Devotion

It all happened in a moment, a most remarkable moment. God became a man! Heaven opened herself and placed her most precious one in a human womb. Jesus came, not as a flash of light or as an unapproachable conqueror, but as one whose first cries were heard by a peasant girl and a sleepy carpenter. The hands that first held him were un-manicured, calloused, and dirty. For thirty-three years he would feel everything you and I have ever felt…weak; weary; and afraid of failure. His feelings got hurt.

To think of Jesus in such a light seems almost irreverent. There’s something about keeping him divine that keeps him distant and predictable. But don’t do it! For heaven’s sake, don’t! Let him be as human as he intended to be. Let him into the mire and muck of our world. For only if we let him in can he pull us out!

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Denison Forum – Supreme Court hears landmark religious liberty case

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Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard what Eric Metaxas calls “perhaps the most important free speech and religious freedom case in our lifetime.”

Eric explains the case succinctly: Jack Phillips is an artist who designs cakes. His business, Masterpiece Cakeshop, is an expression of his faith. He has refused business in the past that conflicted with his faith—for instance, he won’t design Halloween cakes or cakes that celebrate divorce. The Satanic Temple recently asked him to create a cake for Satan’s birthday, but he refused.

When a same-sex couple asked him to design a cake for their same-sex wedding, he declined. He offered them any cake or other product in his store.

But the couple was infuriated and brought him before the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. It fined Phillips and ordered him and his employees to go through a “re-education” program. He has since stopped making custom wedding cakes, a decision that has cost him 40 percent of his business.

The Supreme Court has previously ruled that government cannot force citizens to make, say, or do something that carries a message they reject. For example, the Court has ruled that the government cannot compel Jehovah’s Witnesses to salute the flag. Now the Court is being asked to extend this religious freedom to the rest of us.

Can businesses “discriminate” against customers?

Writing for The Hill, Emilie Kao states, “At stake is whether the First Amendment to the Constitution protects all Americans at all times.” When Justice Anthony Kennedy authored the decision legalizing same-sex marriage in 2015, he stated, “It must be emphasized that religions, and those who adhere to religious doctrines, may continue to advocate with utmost, sincere conviction that, by divine precepts, same-sex marriage should not be condoned.”

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Praising the Lamb of God

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Revelation 5:1-12

In heaven, there is unceasing worship and praise of God. Revelation 4 and 5 describe John’s vision, in which four living creatures proclaimed God’s holiness day and night. The apostle then heard 24 elders respond with a declaration of God’s worthiness (Revelation 4:8-11). He listened as they sang a new song of praise, declaring that the Lamb of God had purchased men for God—and then witnessed multitudes of angels proclaiming Jesus’ worth (Revelation 5:9-12).

What was it about Jesus that motivated such heartfelt worship? It was who He is, what He has done, and what He will do. He is …

  • God the Son, who laid aside His divinity so that He might rescue us (Phil. 2:6-7).
  • The Savior who took on human form and died so that we might be saved (Phil. 2:8).
  • The only One who revealed God the Father to us (John 14:9).
  • The Son of Man, who chose to identify with us because of His great love (John 1:14, John 15:13).
  • The Lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
  • The Lion of Judah, who will return as the judge, the ruler, and the authority over all (Revelation 5:5).

These same attributes should motivate our praise and worship of Jesus. Ask the Lord to help you establish a pattern of praising Him and responding in adoration each time you think of Him. Heavenly music is to be sung by the redeemed on earth for all to hear.

Bible in One Year: Galatians 1-3

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Jesus Loves Maysel

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Read: 1 John 4:7–16

Bible in a Year: Daniel 1–2; 1 John 4

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us.—1 John 4:10

When my sister Maysel was little, she would sing a familiar song in her own way: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells Maysel.” This irritated me to no end! As one of her older, “wiser” sisters, I knew the words were “me so,” not “Maysel.” Yet she persisted in singing it her way.

Now I think my sister had it right all along. The Bible does indeed tell Maysel, and all of us, that Jesus loves us. Over and over again we read that truth. Take, for example, the writings of the apostle John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:7, 20). He tells us about God’s love in one of the best-known verses of the Bible: John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John reinforces that message of love in 1 John 4:10: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” Just as John knew Jesus loved him, we too can have that same assurance: Jesus does love us. The Bible tells us so. —Alyson Kieda

Dear Lord, thank You for the assurance that You love us. We are filled with gratitude that You love us so much that You died for us.

Jesus loves me! This I know.

INSIGHT: Do you wish you could believe God loves you? Or does the thought seem childish and self-centered?

John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23), must have heard his Teacher say that only those who become like a little child would enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 18:2-4). John took those words personally, but didn’t apply them just to himself. He wrote about the Father who loves all of us (John 3:16; 1 John 4:14-16). With great maturity and childlike certainty he reminds us that believing God is love and loves us personally is what gives us reason to love Him and one another. Mart DeHaan

 

http://www.odb.org

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Winter’s Hope

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Those of us who make our home in the Northern Hemisphere must welcome the encroaching darkness of the winter months. At the height of winter in Kotzebue, Alaska, for example, daylight is but a mere two hours. Where I live, the light begins to recede around 4:30 PM. When the winter sun is out, and that is not often where I live, it simply rides the southern horizon with a distant, hazy glow.

While I happen to love the darkening skies of winter, others find the darkness encroaches not just the natural world but their inner world as well. A longitudinal study conducted in Denmark from 1995-2012 of 185,419 people showed an 11% increase of depression diagnoses during the winter months.(1) One researcher notes that “light has a powerful effect on the brain. It can be helpful to those suffering from depression because it can boost serotonin and have an effect similar to antidepressants…”(2) For many, the darkening of the natural world is simply the reflection of their day-to-day reality.

Of course, darkness and night evoked ominous images in the ancient world. Early inhabitants of the Northern Hemisphere—who did not separate natural phenomenon from their religious and spiritual understanding—saw the departing sunlight as the fleeing away of what they believed was the Sun God. Darkness indicated a loss of hope, absence, and cessation of life.(3) Darkness created fear. It was the world of shadows, mystery, and all that could not be seen. Darkness has always been associated with chaos, evil, and death, and therefore was not often thought of in either romantic or nostalgic terms.

For many individuals—even those who live in sun-filled hemispheres—the darkness of life is a daily nightmare. Despair, chronic loneliness, doubt, and isolation conspire to prevent even the dimmest light. The darkness that comes only as a visitor during the night is for many a perpetual reality. And many wonder whether there is any reason to hope that light might be found even in these dark places.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Winter’s Hope →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Filled with All Peace and Joy

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May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.— Romans 15:13

I went through a particularly difficult time several years ago when there was absolutely no joy or peace in my life. Every time I made a mistake, I was quick to condemn myself, angry that I couldn’t be the “perfect Christian.”

Then one day, I came across Romans 15:13: May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing… That was it. I got it!

I realized that I had plunged into doubt and unbelief, allowing the devil to torment me with negativity, anger, and impatience. In the process, I had forgotten that believing in God and trusting His Word brings peace and hope and overcomes my weakness.

God’s Word gave me the answer. Jesus loved me so much that He not only forgave all my sins from the past, but also looked ahead and forgave me for those moments of weakness when I’d fail in the future. I don’t have to allow Satan to sneak in with questions or unbelief, and you don’t either.

Know today that peace, hope and joy are right in front of you. Go to God’s Word and let it stir up your faith.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Fishers of Men

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“And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19, KJV).

Each morning I kneel to acknowledge Christ’s lordship of my life and ask Him to have complete, unhindered control of my life for that day, to walk around in my body, to think with my mind, to love with my heart, to speak with my lips and to continue seeking and saving the lost through me.

Sometime ago I was at a conference in a midwestern city, anticipating an early adjournment so that I could catch a plane to Los Angeles and rejoin my waiting family.

When I arrived at the airport, I discovered that flight after flight had been cancelled because of poor weather conditions. Rushing from one airline ticket counter to another, I hoped to find one that was still flying its planes. Finally, to my disappointment, I had discovered that all the airlines had cancelled their flights.

On one hand I was discouraged, but on the other I was encouraged by the promise of the Bible, “And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into His plans” (Romans 8:28, LB).

Back at the hotel for the night, in the lobby I met a businessman who was hungry for God. As I shared Christ with him, I learned that he and his wife had been visiting a different church every Sunday for the past couple of years. They were looking for God but had not been able to find Him.

I explained to my new friend how to receive Christ. Together, we knelt and prayed, and he received Christ into his life as his personal Lord and Savior.

With great joy and enthusiasm my new brother in Christ announced, “I want to take these things to my wife because she too is eager to receive Christ.” It is our responsibility to follow Christ. It is His responsibility to make us fishers of men.

Bible Reading: Matthew 4:18-22

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: As I follow Christ today, I will recognize that even the delays, hindrances and closed doors may well be opportunities for me to share my faith in Jesus Christ. I shall remember, with God’s help, to share Him with others at every opportunity.

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Jesus is the Bridge Builder

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Listen to Today’s Devotion

God’s plan for humanity, crafted in the halls of heaven and carried out on the plains of earth. Only holiness could have imagined it. Only divinity could have enacted it. Only righteousness could have endured it.

When God chose to reveal himself, he did so through a human body. The hand that touched the leper had dirt under its nails. The feet upon which the women wept were calloused and dusty. And his tears—oh, don’t miss His tears. They came from a heart as broken as yours or mine has ever been. So people came to him! Not one person was reluctant to approach him for fear of being rejected.

Remember that the next time you find yourself amazed at your own failures! Or the next time you hear a lifeless liturgy. Remember… it’s man who creates the distance. It’s Jesus who builds the bridge!

Read more In the Manger

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Defender of the faith defends his integrity

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Ravi Zacharias is one of the leading defenders of Christianity in our generation.

Born and raised in India, he was an atheist until the age of seventeen, when he tried to commit suicide by swallowing poison. At the hospital, a Christian worker brought him a Bible and asked his mother to read to him from John 14. When he heard verse nineteen, “Because I live, you also will live,” he committed his life to Christ.

In 1966, he immigrated with his family to Canada, where he earned an undergraduate degree and a Masters of Divinity. He has been active in evangelism and apologetics for many decades, speaking in more than seventy countries and some of the world’s most prestigious universities.

His ministry now has fifteen offices around the world and a global team of speakers. He has authored or edited more than twenty-five books on theology, apologetics, comparative religion, and philosophy. He has been married to his wife, Margie, for forty-five years.

A surprising headline

I have read his books and appreciated his ministry for many years. That’s why this Christianity Today headline was such a shock: “Ravi Zacharias Responds to Sexting Allegations, Credentials Critique.”

The second accusation is that Zacharias has used the title “Dr.” even though he has no earned doctorate. He has received numerous honorary doctorates, a fact that has led publishers and ministries to refer to him as a “doctor.” One claimed that he “holds three doctorate degrees.”

His ministry explains that “neither Ravi nor his ministry has ever claimed he had an earned doctorate.” His team will work to clear up any confusion regarding his credentials in the future.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Defender of the faith defends his integrity →