Tag Archives: Truth

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Praying for Harmony

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Read: Romans 12:9-21

Be constant in prayer . . . Live in harmony with one another. (vv. 12, 16)

On average, pianos require being tuned two to three times a year. For centuries, the only surefire way to tell if a piano was in tune was by using a tuning fork. Simple to make and easy to use, tuning forks guaranteed pitch-perfect accuracy. Even in antique shops today, you can find 300-year-old tuning forks producing notes just as clear and crisp as the day they were made.

For the Christian, Jesus Christ is our tuning fork. He tells us if we are out of tune, but he also sets the standard to which we are to be tuned, over and over again. Pastor and author A. W. Tozer explains this phenomenon: “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship” (The Pursuit of God, pp. 87-88).

When was the last time you found life in harmony with Jesus and others? Harmonious living requires constant prayer. Are you in need of retuning your heart to him? —Nathan Prairie

Prayer: Dear Jesus, may we live in harmony through the tuning of our hearts to you. Amen.

 

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Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – WAITING FOR GOD’S JUST WRATH

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Zephaniah 3:1–8

The expression “Wait for it!” can be used to build suspense before a verbal climax. One expects that what is said next will be surprising, humorous, or unexpectedly significant. According to one source, its increased “colloquial usage as a dramatic interjection” can be attributed to its frequent appearances in the popular American TV show How I Met Your Mother.

To those who think they have escaped divine justice, God says, “Wait for it!” Whereas in yesterday’s reading the purpose of waiting was to experience God’s deliverance, in today’s reading the purpose of waiting is to see His just wrath against sin and evil. The poetic and prophetic books of Scripture resound with cries for this: “Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease”? (Jer. 12:1).

The context for Zephaniah 3 is Judah’s sinfulness and unwillingness to repent. The nation was being chronically rebellious, disobedient, and prideful (vv. 1–2). Leaders exploited others, prophets lied, and priests profaned worship (vv. 3–4). God, who is perfectly righteous, had been more than patient, waiting for the nation to accept correction. The fact that He hadn’t punished them yet did not mean they had gotten away with their wickedness, as they seemed to think. They should have already known this from His past judgments on other nations (vv. 5–7).

When God said, “Wait for me,” then, it was a severe and perhaps sarcastic warning (v. 8). They didn’t think He was actually coming. They didn’t want Him to show up and “testify” about their evil deeds. They disregarded and disrespected His righteous wrath and judgment. But His arrival and His justice are as certain for judgment as they are for the salvation of the faithful remnant who waits in hope (see vv. 9–20).

APPLY THE WORD

Can we really give “shouts of joy” when the wicked perish (Prov. 11:10)? That doesn’t seem very “nice.” But the answer is yes, if our desire is for God’s plan to be accomplished and His name to be honored. If, however, our feelings are fueled by hatred or revenge, that is not godly waiting. For a vital lesson on this topic, read Jonah 4.

 

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Three Ways to Think Right

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Philippians 4:4-9

We all want to experience joy and peace in difficult times—to have a sense of security and the confidence that the heavenly Father loves us. Yet we are oftentimes held back by worries and other pressures.

There are three ways we can govern our thoughts:

  1. Screen them. Imagine there’s a grid protecting your mind, and whatever you think about must first pass through it. If you have built your filter upon the Word of God, any unscriptural ideas that try to get through will set off a warning alarm. You can check each thought by asking yourself a series of questions: What’s the source? Where will it lead me? Is this scripturally sound? Is this going to build me up or tear me down? Can I share this with someone else? Does it make me feel guilty? Does it fit who I am as a follower of Jesus Christ?
  2. Select them. God has given you the right and the power to decide whether or not you will accept a thought. Every time an opinion or teaching hits your screen, you can choose to either let it through or discard it. Since the idea itself may not be wrong or right, those same screening questions can help you know what to do next.
  3. Cultivate them. Accepting godly thoughts (and rejecting evil ones) is not enough. You need to dwell on the ideas that align with God’s Word and then start practicing them.

Allow God to pour Himself into your life and to reign in your mind. In doing so, you will see awesome changes take place.

Bible in One Year: Acts 3-4

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Hand of Comfort

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Read: 2 Corinthians 1:3–7

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 48–49; Hebrews 7

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, . . . who comforts us in all our troubles.—2 Corinthians 1:3-4

“Patient is combative,” the nurse’s notes read.

What she didn’t realize until later was that I was having an allergic reaction as I awakened after a complicated open-heart surgery. I was a mess, with a tube down my throat. My body began shaking violently, straining against the straps on my arms, which were there to keep me from suddenly pulling out my breathing tube. It was a frightening and painful episode. At one point, a nurse’s assistant to the right side of my bed reached down and simply held my hand. It was an unexpected move, and it struck me as especially gentle. I began to relax, which caused my body to stop shaking so badly.

Having experienced this with other patients, the nurse’s assistant knew that a hand of comfort could minister to me as well. It was a vivid example of how God uses comfort when His children suffer.

Comfort is a powerful and memorable tool for any caregiver, and Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 it’s an important part of God’s toolbox. Not only that, but God also multiplies the impact of His comfort by calling us to use the memory of the comfort He gives us to comfort others in similar situations (vv. 4-7). It is but another sign of His great love; and one we can share with others—sometimes in the simplest of gestures. —Randy Kilgore

Thank You, Father, for the comfort You provide to us, either directly or through the acts of Your children. Help us to see where we can apply that same comfort to others in and for Your name.

Simple gestures can bring powerful comfort.

INSIGHT: This passage demonstrates how our personal pain can help others who suffer. Paul uses the word comfort both vertically and horizontally. God extends comfort to us, then we can offer comfort to others. In this way, our pain can become a conduit of care for those in distress and lead to gratitude in the midst of pain. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3).

Can you think of a time when God used others to encourage and comfort you? Dennis Fisher

 

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – A Mysterious Safety

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Someone told me recently that he wondered if humans only truly ever pray when we are in the midst of despair. Despite creed or confession, is it only when we have no other excuses to offer, no other comfort to hide behind, no more façades to uphold, that we are most likely to bow in exhaustion and be real with God and ourselves? “For most of us,” writes C.S. Lewis, “the prayer in Gethsemane is the only model.” In our distress, we stand before God as we truly are—creatures in need hope and mercy.

The words within the ancient Hebrew story of Jonah that are of most interest to me are words that in some ways seem not to fit in the story at all.(1) Interrupting a narrative that quickly draws in its hearers, a narrative about Jonah, the text very fleetingly pauses to bring us the voice of Jonah himself before returning again to the narrative. The eight lines come in the form of a distraught and despairing, though poetic prayer. And while it is true that the poem could be omitted without affecting the coherence of the story, the deliberate jaunt in the narrative text seems to provide a moment of significant commentary to the whole. The eight verses of poetry not only mark an abrupt shift in the tone of the text, but also in the attitude of its main character. The poetic words of the prophet, spoken as a cry of deliverance, arise from the belly of the great fish—a stirring image reminiscent of another despairing soul’s question: Where can I flee from your presence? If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me.

Jonah’s eloquent prayer for deliverance stands out in a book that is detailed with his egotistic mantras and glaring self-deceptions. By his own actions, Jonah finds himself in darkness, and yet it is in the dark that he speaks most honestly to God. The story is vaguely familiar to many hearers, and yet memory often seems to minimize the distress that broke Jonah’s silence with God. The popular notion that Jonah went straight from the side of the ship into the mouth of the fish is not supported by either the narrative as a whole or Jonah’s prayer. As one suggests, “[Jonah] was half drowned before he was swallowed. If he was still conscious, sheer dread would have caused him to faint—notice that there is no mention of the fish in his prayer. He can hardly have known what caused the change from wet darkness to an even greater dry darkness. When he did regain consciousness, it would have taken some time to realize that the all-enveloping darkness was not that of Sheol but of a mysterious safety.”(2)

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Face the Truth About Yourself

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And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.— Hebrews 4:13

Someone once asked how I live free from my oppressive past. My answer is very simple: God has given me the grace and the willingness to face the truth about myself.

I grew up in an angry, unstable atmosphere. Because of my quick temper, I was upset most of the time. Because of being upset, I grew up depressed, disappointed and discouraged. I wished I could have a better life, but my wishing didn’t solve anything. It wasted my time as I kept blaming my problems on my bad family background.

Finally, God helped me realize that while I wasn’t responsible for what had happened to me and I couldn’t change my past, I had to stop wishing and start taking responsibility for the way I lived moving forward. I had to stop blaming other people and my circumstances, and stop making excuses for myself. As I did this, and put my trust in God to heal and restore my life, I changed. Now I have peace and enjoy my life.

You might be in a similar situation. Facing the truth about yourself is scary, but you don’t have to do it alone. All your flaws are exposed to God, and if you ask Him for His perspective, He will help you pick yourself up, take responsibility, and live a peaceful life. Today, don’t be scared to face the truth about yourself, but let God guide you into a new tomorrow.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Before We Even Call

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“I will answer them before they even call to Me. While they are still talking to Me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” (Isaiah 65:24).

Allenby’s Bridge, which spans the Jordan River, was built to honor the man whom God used to lead the miraculous conquest of Jerusalem with the firing of a single gun.

Allenby recalled how, as a little boy when he use to lisp his evening prayers, he was taught to repeat after his mother the closing part of the prayer:

“And, O Lord, we will not forget They ancient people, Israel. Lord, hasten the day when Israel truly shall be thy people and shall be restored to They favor and to their land.”

“I never knew then,” Allenby said at a reception in London, “that God would give me the privilege of helping to answer my own childhood prayers.”

Even more wonderful than that kind of divine providence is the truth expressed in Isaiah 65:24 (KJV): “Before they call I will answer.” I have seen this promise fulfilled many times in the global program of Campus Crusade for Christ. Even during the time we have prayed for desperate needs – financial and otherwise – God was already laying it upon the hearts of His faithful people to respond.

What a great comfort to know that we serve that kind of God!

Bible Reading: Isaiah 65:18-25

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Even as I pray for the needs of others and myself today, I will remember the power and faithfulness of God who has already begun to answer even before I ask

 

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Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Where is God When I Hurt?

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The Bible says in Romans 8:28 that “in everything God works for the good of those who love Him.” Do this simple exercise. Remove the word “everything” and replace it with the symbol of your tragedy. How would Romans 8:28 read in your life? In hospital stays God works for the good. In divorce papers God works for the good.

As hard as it may be to believe, you could be only a Saturday away from a resurrection. Hours from that precious prayer of a changed heart…God, you did this for me?

Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, Paul said, The Scriptures give us patience and encouragement so that we can have hope. These are not somewhere-over-the-rainbow illusions. They are historic moments in which a real God met real pain so we could answer the question, “where is God when I hurt?”

From Lucado Inspirational Reader

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – NFL players urged to observe moment of silence

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The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) has unanimously passed a resolution calling on all players to honor the Veterans Day Moment of Silence Act during Sunday’s games.

What is this Act? Why is it so significant?

An Act with a noble history

The Act was passed unanimously by both houses of Congress and signed into law by President Obama on October 7, 2016. It calls on all Americans to observe a two-minute moment of silence on Veterans Day.

The Act follows a long tradition in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries in which a two-minute silence is observed each year on Armistice Day, November 11, at 11 a.m. The silence coincides with the time in 1918 when the First World War came to an end. A two-minute silence is also observed on Remembrance Sunday, the Sunday closest to November 11 each year.

This tradition originated in Cape Town, South Africa, where the mayor suggested one minute of thanksgiving for those who returned alive from the war, followed by another minute to remember the fallen.

A South African author named James Percy FitzPatrick proposed that this silence become an official part of the annual Armistice Day service. He explained his reasoning:

It is due to the women, who have lost and suffered and borne so much, with whom the thought is ever present.
It is due to the children that they know to whom they owe their dear fought freedom.
It is due to the men, and from them, as men.
But far and away, above all else, it is due to those who gave their all, sought no recompense, and with whom we can never repay—our Glorious and Immortal Dead.

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Our Thoughts: Who’s in Control?

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Colossians 3:1-3

Do you ever struggle with thoughts that you know you shouldn’t have? Perhaps you sometimes allow your mind to drift over into unforgiveness, pride, lust, or anger—attitudes and feelings that you know are not good. How do you tend to respond when this happens?

We live in a time and culture that continuously bombard our mind with information through radio and TV broadcasts, movies, newspapers, and the internet. Sometimes the message is good, but often it isn’t. And the truth is that our thinking affects us more than we may realize, shaping us into who we are becoming. Thoughts reap actions, actions reap habits, habits reap character, and our character reaps our destiny.

In today’s reading, the apostle Paul urges believers to “keep seeking.” In other words, we need to habitually seek Christ and continually set our mind on things above. Scripture reassures us that we can control our thoughts by relying on the Lord. (See 2 Corinthians 10:5.) If we continually look to God for help with how we think, He will mold our heart and shift our attention from materialistic, ungodly priorities to more wholesome, spiritual values (Phil. 4:8).

The moment we place our trust in Jesus, we become brand-new people. That is the basis for our capacity to think correctly (that is, to think more like Christ) and therefore make wise decisions in life. This doesn’t mean we will always think right thoughts, but we now have the responsibility—and power through the Holy Spirit—to steer our mind in a heavenly direction.

Bible in One Year: Acts 1-2

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — A Good Ending

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Read: Revelation 22:1–5

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 46–47; Hebrews 6

The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face.—Revelation 22:3–4

As the lights dimmed and we prepared to watch Apollo 13, my friend said under his breath, “Shame they all died.” I watched the movie about the 1970 spaceflight with apprehension, waiting for tragedy to strike, and only near the closing credits did I realize I’d been duped. I hadn’t known or remembered the end of the true story—that although the astronauts faced many hardships, they made it home alive.

In Christ, we can know the end of the story—that we too will make it home alive. By that I mean we will live forever with our heavenly Father, as we see in the book of Revelation. The Lord will create a “new heaven and a new earth” as He makes all things new (21:1, 5). In the new city, the Lord God will welcome His people to live with Him, without fear and without the night. We have hope in knowing the end of the story.

What difference does this make? It can transform times of extreme difficulty, such as when people face the loss of a loved one or even their own death. Though we recoil at the thought of dying, yet we can embrace the joy of the promise of eternity. We long for the city where no longer will there be any curse, where we’ll live forever by God’s light (22:5). —Amy Boucher Pye

Lord Jesus Christ, give me unfailing hope, that I might rest in Your promises and welcome Your life eternal.

God promises His people a good end to the story.

INSIGHT: In Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, he writes about Revelation 22:1-5: “The presence of God in heaven is the health and happiness of the saints. . . . The devil has no power there . . . . There will be no night; no affliction or dejection, no pause in service or enjoyment: no diversions or pleasures of man’s inventing will be desired there.” In this “new heaven and earth,” Jesus will wipe away our tears and “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (21:4). The promise of an end to our suffering can bring a glimmer of hope and joy to our life when we face difficulties, but the brightest hope comes in the knowledge that one day we as His followers will be in the presence of our Lord who loves us. Free from temptation, free from sin, and free from pain and sadness and death, we’ll have only joy in the service of the King!

How does the promise of this bright future help you today when you face troubles and trials? What about heaven do you most anticipate? Alyson Kieda

 

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Disappointment and God

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I struggled as a teenager growing up in Delhi. Failure was writ large on my life. My dad basically looked at me and said, “You know, you’re going to be a huge embarrassment to the family—one failure after another.” And he was right given the way I was headed. I wanted to get out of everything I was setting my hand to, and I lacked discipline.

During this time, India was at war and the defense academy was looking for general duties pilots to be trained. So I applied and I went to be interviewed, which involved an overnight train journey from the city of Delhi. It was wintertime and we were outside freezing for about five days as we went through physical endurance and other tests. There were three hundred applicants; they were going to select ten. On the last day they put their selection of names out on the board, and I was positioned number three.

I phoned my family and said, “You aren’t going to believe this. I’m going to make it. I’m number three. The only thing that’s left is the interview. The psychological testing is tomorrow, and I’ll be home.”

The next morning I began my interview with the chief commanding officer, who looked to me like Churchill sitting across the table. He asked me question after question. Then he said, “Son, I’m going to break your heart today.” He continued, “I’m going to reject you. I’m not going to pass you in this test.”

“May I ask you why, sir?” I replied.

“Yes. Psychologically, you’re not wired to kill. And this job is about killing.”

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – You Can’t Add One Inch to Your Height

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And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature or to the span of his life? — Matthew 6:27

Worrying does us absolutely no good. It doesn’t change one thing, and we waste time by being upset about stuff we can’t do anything about—things only God can change.

The Bible says we can’t add one inch to our height by worrying. Yet, we worry, worry, and worry some more, which gets us nowhere.

Every time we get really upset, it takes a lot of emotional energy, tires us out, messes with our health, steals our joy, and still doesn’t change one thing. We need to stop trying to fix things that only God can fix, because the only one who’s clapping is the devil, saying, “Ha, ha, ha! Got ‘em again!”

Jesus tells us to “calm down” in John 14:27 and “cheer up” in John 16:33. I think it’s a one-two knockout punch to the devil when we do. When you realize you can’t fix everything, that calms you down, and when You know that God can, it cheers you up!

So don’t worry. Instead, calm down, cheer up, and send the devil running!

 

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Chosen to be Glorified

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“And having chosen us, He called us to come to Him; and when we came, He declared us ‘not guilty,’ filled us with Christ’s goodness, gave us right standing with Himself, and promised us His glory” (Romans 8:30).

A famous Christian leader insisted to me that anyone could lose his salvation. I asked him if he felt that he would ever lose his. Quickly, he replied, “Absolutely not. I am sure I will not lose my salvation.”

Can we lose our salvation? Personally, I believe there is too much controversy over this issue. Some fear that the individual who has assurance of salvation and knows that he will spend eternity with God might have a tendency to compromise his conduct, which would result in disobedience to God and would be an insult to Christ and His church. Others think that the individual who does not live like a Christian – although he professes faith in Christ – has never experienced the new birth, does not have eternal life and will be forever separated from God.

It is quite likely that the person who insists on “doing his own thing” – going his own way while professing to be a Christian – is deceived and should be encouraged to look into the mirror of God’s Word. For if his salvation is real, the evidence should proclaim it.

The caterpillar which goes through a metamorphosis to become a butterfly, lives like a butterfly, not a caterpillar. In the same way, the man or woman who has experienced new life in Christ will witness to it in his life.

Our beginning Scripture deals with seven marvelous truths:

  1. He chose us.
  2. He called us.
  3. We came.
  4. He declared us not guilty.
  5. He filled us with Christ’s goodness.
  6. He gave us a right standing with Himself.
  7. He promised us His glory.

For centuries, man has been mystified by predestination and eternal security. One famous theologian put it this way: “How would it be a source of consolation to say…that whom God foreknew, He predestinated, and whom he predestinated, He called, and whom He called, He justified, and whom He justified might fall away and be lost forever?”

We should praise and worship God because of His promises to all who receive Him that He will never leave them nor forsake them (Hebrews 13:5).

Bible Reading: Ephesians 1:3-6

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will meditate upon the truths in this marvelous Word from God. And as an expression of my gratitude for the privilege of living a supernatural life, I will praise and thank God constantly for His goodness and will encourage other believers to do the same

 

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Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Just For You

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I’m about to tell you something you may find hard to believe. You don’t have to agree with me, but I’d like you to consider it with me. Here it is: If you were the only person on earth, the earth would look exactly the same. The Himalayas would still have their drama and the Caribbean its charm. The sun would still nestle behind the Rockies in the evenings and spray light on the desert in the mornings.

If you were the sole pilgrim on this globe, God would not diminish its beauty one degree. Because He did it all for you. And He’s waiting for you to discover His gift, for your eyes to pop, your heart to stop. He’s waiting for the moment between the dropping of the jaw and the leap of the heart. For in that silence He whispers… I did it just for you.

From Lucado Inspirational Reader

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Tweet about transgender legislator provokes anger

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Tuesday night, Danica Roem became the first openly transgender state legislator in US history. She is one of more than twenty transgender people running for public office this year.

I have written on the issue of transgender rights in a Daily Article and devoted a chapter to the subject in my recent book, 7 Critical Issues. My purpose today is not to address this topic per se, but to explore one particular response to Roem’s historic election.

A tweet that created a firestorm

Andrew T. Walker is Director of Policy Studies for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. After the election, he sent this tweet: “Christian parents, the nation’s first transgender elected official enters into American history tonight. What are you doing to prepare your children for this new world?”

Time magazine chose to make a story out of negative reactions to his question. A “Jewish parent” called Walker a “narrow-minded hate-filled bigot.” Another responder called him a “bigot” as well. Others categorized him with “fear mongers” and “hateful followers who twist everything Christ stood for.”

I have not met Andrew Walker, but everything I have read by and about him depicts a person who is the opposite of bigoted and hateful. He is brilliant and thoughtful, with a deep passion for Jesus and his kingdom.

His question is legitimate: the first openly transgender person to be elected to a state legislature is indeed indicative of a “new world.” Preparing our children to navigate this culture is the job of every Christian parent. In no sense was his tweet hateful or bigoted.

However, we live in a culture which brands anyone who does not champion its relativistic morality as intolerant and prejudiced. As I noted yesterday, the tide of antagonism against traditional morality is continuing to rise. More than ever, American Christians find ourselves on the defensive, seeking to serve Jesus in a world that rejects his message and rebels against his authority.

The question that prompted this article Continue reading Denison Forum – Tweet about transgender legislator provokes anger →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Loved but Lost

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John 3:16-19

Through faith in Jesus, we move from our lost condition to adoption into God’s family. Unless we trust in Christ, we face permanent alienation from the heavenly Father. On judgment day, each person’s eternal destiny will be determined, based on that individual’s spiritual state. Members of God’s family will live in heaven with Him. But those who remain blind to divine truth, which is found only in Jesus, will be sent away to live in eternal torment (Revelation 20:12-15).

Many people struggle to reconcile this teaching with the concept of a loving God. They reason that love would not condemn anyone to torment. The truth is, the Father desires reconciliation with man—not separation. His love for us motivated Him to provide all we need to receive forgiveness and thereby be reconciled to Him. It is man’s choice to refuse or accept God’s provision of Jesus as the remedy to the sin problem. An unsaved person can’t blame God for his eternal state; his suffering will be due to his own rebellion against the Lord.

A second common objection says, “Love would accept people on the basis of their moral lives and good deeds.” This argument assumes that God ignores sin and bases His decision about heaven on behavior. But since He is holy and just, He won’t allow sin to go unpunished. Because of His great love, however, He provided a way for our sin debt to be paid—through Jesus’ atoning death.

God shows no favoritism. He extends love toward the whole lost world and invites everyone to come to Him through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

Bible in One Year: John 20-21

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Think Before You Speak

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Read: Psalm 141

Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 43–45; Hebrews 5

Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.—Psalm 141:3

Cheung was upset with his wife for failing to check the directions to the famous restaurant where they hoped to dine. The family had planned to round out their holiday in Japan with a scrumptious meal before catching the flight home. Now they were running late and would have to miss that meal. Frustrated, Cheung criticized his wife for her poor planning.

Later Cheung regretted his words. He had been too harsh, plus he realized that he could have checked the directions himself and he had failed to thank his wife for the other seven days of great planning.

Many of us may identify with Cheung. We are tempted to blow up when angry and to let words fly without control. Oh, how we need to pray as the psalmist did: “Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Ps. 141:3).

But how can we do that? Here’s a helpful tip: Think before you speak. Are your words good and helpful, gracious and kind? (See Eph. 4:29–32.)

Setting a guard over our mouth requires that we keep our mouth shut when we’re irritated and that we seek the Lord’s help to say the right words with the right tone or, perhaps, not speak at all. When it comes to controlling our speech, it’s a lifelong work. Thankfully, God is working in us, giving us “the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Phil. 2:13 NLT). —Poh Fang Chia

Dear Lord, help us always to think before speaking. Give us the words to say and the wisdom to know when to keep silent.

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24

INSIGHT: Scripture has a great deal to say about the power of our words. One of the most familiar New Testament passages is James 3:1-12. According to James, keeping control of our tongue is one of the hardest things we can do. However, before we lose hope in being able to speak good words to one another, consider David’s words in Psalm 141.

Here, tucked in the middle of his other requests, David asks the Lord to set a guard over his mouth (v. 3). He desires to live a life that contrasts with the evildoers around him (v. 5). Spirit-controlled and God-honoring speech is one thing that separates the righteous from evildoers, and it is God who helps us control our speech. J.R. Hudberg

 

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Too Good to Be True?

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You may have heard it said that religion only survives because people desperately want it to be true, because they can’t come to terms with their own mortality (or that of loved ones). It was Sigmund Freud who helped to popularize this idea, as he suggested that the concept of a loving Creator was simply a psychological projection of a person’s innermost wishes:

“We tell ourselves that it would be very nice if there was a God who created the world and was a benevolent Providence and if there were a moral order in the universe and an after-life; but it is the very striking fact that all this is exactly as we are bound to wish it to be.”(1)

This kind of argument would seem to ring true, at least on a superficial level. You would expect it to be more likely for people to believe in something that they like than something that they don’t, and it is clear that Christianity is powerfully compelling. In fact, the argument itself is an admission of this, as it acknowledges the innate desire in us all that is fulfilled by God. Who wouldn’t want to be in a relationship with a loving deity who not only wants the best for those he has created, but who is offering eternity in a place that is more wonderful than can be imagined? Yet the Bible also contains some very hard-hitting passages, which would seem to contradict the notion that religious belief is simply a projection of our wishes. C. S. Lewis pointed out that scripture also teaches that believers should fear the Lord, but you would not then suggest that this meant faith was some kind of “fear fulfillment”!(2)

The problem with the argument is that it cuts both ways. If you suggest that people only believe because they want it to be true, then the counter-claim is that atheists are only non-believers because they don’t want it to be true. Some people have expressly stated this, such as Aldous Huxley who wrote:

“For myself, as, no doubt, for most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation. The liberation we desired was simultaneously liberation from a certain political and economic system and liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom; we objected to the political and economic system because it was unjust.”(3)

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Joyce Meyer

oyce Meyer – Be the One God Is Searching For

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JFor the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him. You have done foolishly in this; therefore, from now on you shall have wars.— 2 Chronicles 16:9

God is looking for people who are passionate about the things He is passionate about. He is looking for people who will wholeheartedly pursue Him. He is looking for people who will love the people at their jobs, in their neighborhoods and homes; those who are committed to loving the lost, the poor and the needy. He’s looking for those who are willing to start doing what the Bible tells us to do.

Second Chronicles 16:9 says that God is always searching to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him.

Are you one of those people? If not, I want to encourage you and let you know that you can be that person who God seeks.

Whether you have known the Lord for many years or you are just beginning your new life in Him, you can be that person who will passionately seek God and listen to the Holy Spirit. You can be that person who can actively make a difference in the lives of hurting people.

Today, rise up and be the person God is looking for.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org