June 30
“Now, you who are not Jewish are no longer foreigners and strangers but are citizens together with God’s holy people,” Ephesians 2:19.
There is much controversy in the U.S. regarding illegal aliens; a controversial bill has just been passed regarding them. These are people who have slipped over our borders (primarily our border with Mexico) or who have overstayed the time legally allotted to them when they came to this country as students or on other business.
There are two prevailing schools of thought as to how this problem should be dealt with. One is that they should all be given legal status. Our venerable Supreme Court has even ruled that citizenship need not be proven in order for an individual to vote. In some nations even citizens do not have this privilege/right.
The other, less popular idea, is that they all be deported to their country of origin and be required to get in line behind those who have applied to come here legally. These people support their position by saying we should not welcome into our national family a group of people whose first act in arriving here was theft—the theft of a country.
But God has no quibbling about citizenship status in His Heavenly Kingdom. His policy is firm. An individual is either a citizen of His Kingdom or he is not and each person’s status is determined by one single factor—what he has done with Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31).
If he has refused Christ's claim of being God in the flesh (John 8:58), crucified for man's sins, he shall be relegated to a hell apart from the Holy One eternally. If, however, he has accepted JESUS as Savior and Lord, he shall be forever embraced into the nation, the family, of God.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Dress Code
June 29
“You were all baptized unto Christ, so you were all clothed with Christ. This means that you are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ,” Galatians 3:26, 27.
What shall I wear? A commonly asked question. If we can’t find something we like hanging in our closet, we may travel across town to our favorite apparel shop in an effort to find something suitable—especially if we want to look nice for a specific occasion.
And we’ve all read about prominent people and the extravagance of their wardrobes. Sometimes it seems like these folks who live in the stratosphere and breathe rarefied air have forgotten that even they can wear only one pair of pants at a time, even they put one shoe on at a time.
But the reality is that if we are not “clothed with Christ,” we are “wretched and poor and blind and naked,” Revelation 3:17. The Word here refers to such folk as “pitiful.” In I Peter 5:5, the impulsive Apostle further admonishes that we be, “clothed with humility for God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.”
When we factor in the great promise that we who are clothed with Christ and have faith in His name are given--the privilege of being children of God--we are compelled to lay hold on this precious treasure and to claim our place in the family of the Highest. There is only one dress code when we appear at His table—that we be robed in the righteousness of our Savior, Isaiah 61:10.
“You were all baptized unto Christ, so you were all clothed with Christ. This means that you are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ,” Galatians 3:26, 27.
What shall I wear? A commonly asked question. If we can’t find something we like hanging in our closet, we may travel across town to our favorite apparel shop in an effort to find something suitable—especially if we want to look nice for a specific occasion.
And we’ve all read about prominent people and the extravagance of their wardrobes. Sometimes it seems like these folks who live in the stratosphere and breathe rarefied air have forgotten that even they can wear only one pair of pants at a time, even they put one shoe on at a time.
But the reality is that if we are not “clothed with Christ,” we are “wretched and poor and blind and naked,” Revelation 3:17. The Word here refers to such folk as “pitiful.” In I Peter 5:5, the impulsive Apostle further admonishes that we be, “clothed with humility for God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.”
When we factor in the great promise that we who are clothed with Christ and have faith in His name are given--the privilege of being children of God--we are compelled to lay hold on this precious treasure and to claim our place in the family of the Highest. There is only one dress code when we appear at His table—that we be robed in the righteousness of our Savior, Isaiah 61:10.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Hold Fast
June 28
The kingdom of God is not just that of talk, but of power.
I asked one man, since he thought there was no God, if I could pray with him. I told him that he would feel the presence of God when we prayed. I prayed a simple prayer with passion and he began to cry and shake.
He said, “I felt God! What did you do? I felt something! What is this? What did you do?”
I told him that God is real. After we prayed for his salvation, I said, “Now, I dare you to go to a Bible-believing church in your hometown and experience all that God has in store for you! It’s going to be awesome!”
People want someone with passion for what is truly real to reach out to them and share faith, hope and love. I have reached more people talking about the love of God and the peace that He brings than anything else. An admitted atheist accepted Jesus in the O’Hare International Airport when I prayed for his sister-in-law and the Lord healed her knee on the spot.
God, in His infinite wisdom, put His gospel in the hands of weak and feeble men and women. We are not to be strong for ourselves, but strong in the Lord and in His mighty power! Don’t be afraid to fail; be afraid to quit! If you fail, it is normal for man, but if you quit, you miss out on the glory of battle!
How can we go from “glory (glorious victory) to glory (glorious victory)” if there’s no battle? Fortune favors the bold. Lakita Garth-Wright
Hold fast to faith in the One in whom you have placed your trust for time and for eternity. Hold fast to faith in the One who died to set you free from sin and from the consequences of the fall. Hold fast to Jesus who loved you unto death and who promises to take you from life to life and to keep you in life with Him forever.
The kingdom of God is not just that of talk, but of power.
I asked one man, since he thought there was no God, if I could pray with him. I told him that he would feel the presence of God when we prayed. I prayed a simple prayer with passion and he began to cry and shake.
He said, “I felt God! What did you do? I felt something! What is this? What did you do?”
I told him that God is real. After we prayed for his salvation, I said, “Now, I dare you to go to a Bible-believing church in your hometown and experience all that God has in store for you! It’s going to be awesome!”
People want someone with passion for what is truly real to reach out to them and share faith, hope and love. I have reached more people talking about the love of God and the peace that He brings than anything else. An admitted atheist accepted Jesus in the O’Hare International Airport when I prayed for his sister-in-law and the Lord healed her knee on the spot.
God, in His infinite wisdom, put His gospel in the hands of weak and feeble men and women. We are not to be strong for ourselves, but strong in the Lord and in His mighty power! Don’t be afraid to fail; be afraid to quit! If you fail, it is normal for man, but if you quit, you miss out on the glory of battle!
How can we go from “glory (glorious victory) to glory (glorious victory)” if there’s no battle? Fortune favors the bold. Lakita Garth-Wright
Hold fast to faith in the One in whom you have placed your trust for time and for eternity. Hold fast to faith in the One who died to set you free from sin and from the consequences of the fall. Hold fast to Jesus who loved you unto death and who promises to take you from life to life and to keep you in life with Him forever.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Our Finger In God's Eye
Barack Obama's first act in the Oval Office was to assure that abortion would be more readily available--that the murder of unwanted babies would not be hindered by lack of funds, for tax payer dollars would be available to anyone who chose to kill the unwanted product of promiscuity.
And now, the Supreme Court of the United States has declared that marriage is not the unique union of one man and one woman for life as the Bible declares; the Supreme Court has endorsed same sex marriage.
Disregard for God's immutable law is nothing new. Man has been in rebellion against God's authority over him since the Garden of Eden, but the current 'leadership' of this nation has for the first time legislated into law that which God's law clearly condemns.
With a president who advocates the murder of children and a high court that elevates sin to the status of God's holy ordinance of marriage, we the people have poked our collective finger into the eye of the Holy One. May HE have mercy on us.
And now, the Supreme Court of the United States has declared that marriage is not the unique union of one man and one woman for life as the Bible declares; the Supreme Court has endorsed same sex marriage.
Disregard for God's immutable law is nothing new. Man has been in rebellion against God's authority over him since the Garden of Eden, but the current 'leadership' of this nation has for the first time legislated into law that which God's law clearly condemns.
With a president who advocates the murder of children and a high court that elevates sin to the status of God's holy ordinance of marriage, we the people have poked our collective finger into the eye of the Holy One. May HE have mercy on us.
Who Do You Say That I AM?
June 27
"He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'." Matthew 16:15, 16
BONO AND JESUS
The mega-star frontman of the great rock band, U2, was asked wasn't it far-fetched to believe Jesus Christ is God. Here's how he replied:
"No, it's not farfetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says:
No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: "I'm the Messiah." I'm saying: "I am God incarnate."
And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You're a bit eccentric. We've had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don't mention the "M" word! Because, you know, we're gonna have to crucify you.
And he goes: No, no. I know you're expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah.
...So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was--the Messiah--or a complete nutcase. I mean, we're talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. ... I'm not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that's farfetched... " From Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas (Riverhead Books)
Who do YOU say that I AM?
We’ve all taken tests with tough questions. Oh, sure, we studied (or maybe not) but we thought we could pull off a passing grade even if we didn’t hit the books too hard.
But life’s biggest test has just one question—WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM? The answer we give to that one defining question will determine whether we ‘pass’ or ‘fail.’ It will determine whether we enter Heaven to live with Jesus forever at the moment of our demise or be relegated to hell—eternally.
Some of us have lived like hooligans and thugs. Some of us have been blasphemers. Some of us have inflicted cruelty upon others. Some of us have stolen. Some of us have done murder. ALL of us have fallen short of perfect adherence to God’s immutable law.
Because NO SIN CAN DWELL IN HEAVEN, we are all worthy of hell.
The Beloved Apostle expounds upon the necessity for us to abstain from sin upon our conversion to Christ in 1 John 3:4-10:
Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that He appeared so that He might take away our sins. And in Him is no sin. No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him.
Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.
This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.
So if we claim Jesus as Savior and Lord, we will love. We will abstain from sin because we are His. Those who commit themselves to the One who is Love and Truth and Righteousness are the ones who will abide in Heaven.
"He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'." Matthew 16:15, 16
BONO AND JESUS
The mega-star frontman of the great rock band, U2, was asked wasn't it far-fetched to believe Jesus Christ is God. Here's how he replied:
"No, it's not farfetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says:
No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: "I'm the Messiah." I'm saying: "I am God incarnate."
And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You're a bit eccentric. We've had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don't mention the "M" word! Because, you know, we're gonna have to crucify you.
And he goes: No, no. I know you're expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah.
...So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was--the Messiah--or a complete nutcase. I mean, we're talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. ... I'm not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that's farfetched... " From Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas (Riverhead Books)
Who do YOU say that I AM?
We’ve all taken tests with tough questions. Oh, sure, we studied (or maybe not) but we thought we could pull off a passing grade even if we didn’t hit the books too hard.
But life’s biggest test has just one question—WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM? The answer we give to that one defining question will determine whether we ‘pass’ or ‘fail.’ It will determine whether we enter Heaven to live with Jesus forever at the moment of our demise or be relegated to hell—eternally.
Some of us have lived like hooligans and thugs. Some of us have been blasphemers. Some of us have inflicted cruelty upon others. Some of us have stolen. Some of us have done murder. ALL of us have fallen short of perfect adherence to God’s immutable law.
Because NO SIN CAN DWELL IN HEAVEN, we are all worthy of hell.
The Beloved Apostle expounds upon the necessity for us to abstain from sin upon our conversion to Christ in 1 John 3:4-10:
Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that He appeared so that He might take away our sins. And in Him is no sin. No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him.
Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.
This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.
So if we claim Jesus as Savior and Lord, we will love. We will abstain from sin because we are His. Those who commit themselves to the One who is Love and Truth and Righteousness are the ones who will abide in Heaven.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
A Father To You
June 26
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort." II Corinthians 1:3
A FATHER TO YOU
"Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord.... And I will welcome you. And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me," says the Lord Almighty. II Corinthians 6:17-18
At least two things are made clear to us through the above scriptural passages—that our God is the Father of mercy and all comfort and that if we want to enjoy the fullness of that reality in our day-to-day lives, we must separate ourselves from the quagmire of every-day life on this fallen planet.
We question the fact of God’s love when we are beset with trials, and indeed, life is fraught with challenges that most often hit us from the blind side. No matter how effectively we plan our careers or manage our relationships or tend to our health, eventually, something for which we did not plan will intrude itself into life.
When those things occur, when we are caught off guard, when we are at a loss as to a viable solution for our dilemma, it is then we must not give up. It is then we must trust the faithfulness of the One who has promised to love us with an “everlasting love,” Jeremiah 31:3.
He who loves us unfailingly tells us in the same verse that He has “…drawn us with unfailing kindness.” If that passage of scripture were the only truth of God we ever read, it would be sufficient to assure us that His heart is filled with good things for us. Let us receive that good with faith and thanksgiving.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort." II Corinthians 1:3
A FATHER TO YOU
"Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord.... And I will welcome you. And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me," says the Lord Almighty. II Corinthians 6:17-18
At least two things are made clear to us through the above scriptural passages—that our God is the Father of mercy and all comfort and that if we want to enjoy the fullness of that reality in our day-to-day lives, we must separate ourselves from the quagmire of every-day life on this fallen planet.
We question the fact of God’s love when we are beset with trials, and indeed, life is fraught with challenges that most often hit us from the blind side. No matter how effectively we plan our careers or manage our relationships or tend to our health, eventually, something for which we did not plan will intrude itself into life.
When those things occur, when we are caught off guard, when we are at a loss as to a viable solution for our dilemma, it is then we must not give up. It is then we must trust the faithfulness of the One who has promised to love us with an “everlasting love,” Jeremiah 31:3.
He who loves us unfailingly tells us in the same verse that He has “…drawn us with unfailing kindness.” If that passage of scripture were the only truth of God we ever read, it would be sufficient to assure us that His heart is filled with good things for us. Let us receive that good with faith and thanksgiving.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
What Do You Grasp?
June 25
"Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him." Psalm 103:13
LET GOD BE GOD
To believe in God is to "let God be God." This is the chief business of faith. As we believe we are allowing God to be in our lives what He already is in Himself. In trusting God, we are living out our assumptions, putting into practice all that we say He is in theory so that who God is and what He has done can make the difference in every part of our lives. Os Guinness
As it is a blessing to be with those we love, with whom we empathize and with whom we share like precious faith, so it is a challenge to be among those who disdain us for what we believe, for Whose we are.
Our hope is that we can be to all men the light of Christ (Matthew 5:15) shining into their darkness; and we know the glory of His love through us shines most profoundly in the deepest darkness of their souls. We live with the sum total of the investment of kindness and love and faith we interject into the situations we face with those who denigrate our faith and disdain our hope. Perhaps that is our mission field. Perhaps that is our calling.
Perhaps your life is as it is right now because you are an example to someone. It is true that the ones who hurt you most are the ones to whom you have the potential to be the greatest example of the veracity of the gospel message. Those who have known only pseudo religion, who are totally immersed in lies and hatred, who have no grounding in or knowledge of Biblical truth; who have no understanding of real love, are the ones who most need to see the beauty of Christ that resides in you.
As Paul witnessed the love of Christ to his Roman jailer, it may be that the Holy One is allowing you to fulfill that role in the life of those who understand you least, who hate you most, who persecute you relentlessly. If that is so, the time will come when your faithfulness to the Lord will fulfill its purpose and you will reap the reward of your commitment to be faithful to Jesus. The likeliest of outcomes when you endure severe persecution are either you will gain a new brother in Christ or you will perish in the effort—and thereby gain God’s eternal promise.
Because life in time is not what you grasp, you must say as did Paul, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain,” Philippians 1:21.
"Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him." Psalm 103:13
LET GOD BE GOD
To believe in God is to "let God be God." This is the chief business of faith. As we believe we are allowing God to be in our lives what He already is in Himself. In trusting God, we are living out our assumptions, putting into practice all that we say He is in theory so that who God is and what He has done can make the difference in every part of our lives. Os Guinness
As it is a blessing to be with those we love, with whom we empathize and with whom we share like precious faith, so it is a challenge to be among those who disdain us for what we believe, for Whose we are.
Our hope is that we can be to all men the light of Christ (Matthew 5:15) shining into their darkness; and we know the glory of His love through us shines most profoundly in the deepest darkness of their souls. We live with the sum total of the investment of kindness and love and faith we interject into the situations we face with those who denigrate our faith and disdain our hope. Perhaps that is our mission field. Perhaps that is our calling.
Perhaps your life is as it is right now because you are an example to someone. It is true that the ones who hurt you most are the ones to whom you have the potential to be the greatest example of the veracity of the gospel message. Those who have known only pseudo religion, who are totally immersed in lies and hatred, who have no grounding in or knowledge of Biblical truth; who have no understanding of real love, are the ones who most need to see the beauty of Christ that resides in you.
As Paul witnessed the love of Christ to his Roman jailer, it may be that the Holy One is allowing you to fulfill that role in the life of those who understand you least, who hate you most, who persecute you relentlessly. If that is so, the time will come when your faithfulness to the Lord will fulfill its purpose and you will reap the reward of your commitment to be faithful to Jesus. The likeliest of outcomes when you endure severe persecution are either you will gain a new brother in Christ or you will perish in the effort—and thereby gain God’s eternal promise.
Because life in time is not what you grasp, you must say as did Paul, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain,” Philippians 1:21.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Afresh Each Day
June 24
"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your loving-kindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night." Psalm 92:1-2
MARTIN LUTHER'S DAILY PRAYERS
This short prayer is taken from Martin Luther's Small Catechism. It is intended to be used to help you begin each day with the Lord.
LUTHER'S PRAYER:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
How many of us surrender ourselves so fully in prayer? Do we begin each day with thanksgiving to our great God and King that He has kept us through the night, or do we roll out of bed as though a new day were inevitable? Do we surrender the new day before us to His keeping or do we enter it in our own strength?
Do we enlist His aid in being kept from sin and temptation and evil or do we presume that we are capable of avoiding the pitfalls of the enemy in our own ability? If we do, we give ourselves far too much credit, for he “goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour,” I Peter 5:8.
Do we enlist the Lord’s aid in assuring that our activities will please Him or do we set about our day with the intent of pleasing our self? If we are focused on the busy-ness of the day apart from His helping hand, we relegate ourselves to disappointment, for it is only what is done for Christ that shall last (see II Corinthians 5:10).
Do we embrace the idea of holy heavenly helpers to watch over us and guide us through each day so all our ways may be ordered by the Lord? Do we determine within our own mind and spirit that we will be controlled by the power of the Lord rather than by the forces of the enemy of our soul?
If the great reformer felt the necessity to commit himself afresh each day to the Savior, perhaps we, too, need Jesus’ constant help to wend our way safely through the quagmire of today’s convoluted world.
"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your loving-kindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night." Psalm 92:1-2
MARTIN LUTHER'S DAILY PRAYERS
This short prayer is taken from Martin Luther's Small Catechism. It is intended to be used to help you begin each day with the Lord.
LUTHER'S PRAYER:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
How many of us surrender ourselves so fully in prayer? Do we begin each day with thanksgiving to our great God and King that He has kept us through the night, or do we roll out of bed as though a new day were inevitable? Do we surrender the new day before us to His keeping or do we enter it in our own strength?
Do we enlist His aid in being kept from sin and temptation and evil or do we presume that we are capable of avoiding the pitfalls of the enemy in our own ability? If we do, we give ourselves far too much credit, for he “goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour,” I Peter 5:8.
Do we enlist the Lord’s aid in assuring that our activities will please Him or do we set about our day with the intent of pleasing our self? If we are focused on the busy-ness of the day apart from His helping hand, we relegate ourselves to disappointment, for it is only what is done for Christ that shall last (see II Corinthians 5:10).
Do we embrace the idea of holy heavenly helpers to watch over us and guide us through each day so all our ways may be ordered by the Lord? Do we determine within our own mind and spirit that we will be controlled by the power of the Lord rather than by the forces of the enemy of our soul?
If the great reformer felt the necessity to commit himself afresh each day to the Savior, perhaps we, too, need Jesus’ constant help to wend our way safely through the quagmire of today’s convoluted world.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Subject to His Methodology
June 23
"For God w as in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:19
THE NINE AND A HALF TRIBES
In Joshua 22, the twelve tribes of Israel had finally inhabited the land promised them by God. Two and a half tribes had been granted the land east of the Jordan but had gone to the other side of the Jordan to help their familial tribes conquer their territories.
As the two and half tribes crossed the Jordan to return back to their new home, they began to consider the potential separation the Jordan River might present. As a memorial or reminder to remain connected to their tribes on the west side of the Jordan they built an altar. They said,
"It is to be a witness between us and you, and between the generations after us, so that we may carry out the worship of the Lord in His presence." (Joshua 22:27).
Now, the other nine and a half tribes saw the altar and thought the two and a half tribes were worshiping without them. They prepped to go to war and were basically willing to sever their relationship with a portion of their family because they assumed something about the motivation behind the altar.
The nine and a half tribes did not approach the situation with a spirit of reconciliation. Furthermore, instead of trying to understand and exercise some patience, they decided to go to war.
The war did not happen and it all got resolved, but how often do we assume, judge and act when really we should breathe, reflect Christ, and love. Isn't the latter behavior the ministry of reconciliation? -- Stacie Daniel
Do we at times find ourselves behaving like the nine and a half tribes—quick to presume, quick to judge, quick to believe the worst about those with whom we have the closest ties? Yes, unfortunately, we do.
The preferred course in the eventuality that a misunderstanding intrudes itself into our primary relationships is to pray first and to speak second. If we will do that, perhaps it will be totally unnecessary to engage in any action to attempt to resolve the matter.
If action does become necessary, it will not be engaged until we have heard from the Lord and receive His directive in the matter. We can be sure that before He tells us to engage in any action, He will have first clarified the matter for us so we will see it in reality rather than in confusion.
We know that He cautions us not to, “…think more highly of yourselves than ye ought,” Romans 12:3. If we have too lofty opinion of our own insights and our own wisdom, we will not allow the Holy Spirit the opportunity to, “teach us all things,” John 14:26, as Jesus Himself admonishes that we do.
Should we not do something as essential to our walk in Christ as is this in order to be subject to His methodology? Indeed, we should allow every aspect of our lives to be under the blood and subject to the profound wisdom of the Lord.
"For God w as in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:19
THE NINE AND A HALF TRIBES
In Joshua 22, the twelve tribes of Israel had finally inhabited the land promised them by God. Two and a half tribes had been granted the land east of the Jordan but had gone to the other side of the Jordan to help their familial tribes conquer their territories.
As the two and half tribes crossed the Jordan to return back to their new home, they began to consider the potential separation the Jordan River might present. As a memorial or reminder to remain connected to their tribes on the west side of the Jordan they built an altar. They said,
"It is to be a witness between us and you, and between the generations after us, so that we may carry out the worship of the Lord in His presence." (Joshua 22:27).
Now, the other nine and a half tribes saw the altar and thought the two and a half tribes were worshiping without them. They prepped to go to war and were basically willing to sever their relationship with a portion of their family because they assumed something about the motivation behind the altar.
The nine and a half tribes did not approach the situation with a spirit of reconciliation. Furthermore, instead of trying to understand and exercise some patience, they decided to go to war.
The war did not happen and it all got resolved, but how often do we assume, judge and act when really we should breathe, reflect Christ, and love. Isn't the latter behavior the ministry of reconciliation? -- Stacie Daniel
Do we at times find ourselves behaving like the nine and a half tribes—quick to presume, quick to judge, quick to believe the worst about those with whom we have the closest ties? Yes, unfortunately, we do.
The preferred course in the eventuality that a misunderstanding intrudes itself into our primary relationships is to pray first and to speak second. If we will do that, perhaps it will be totally unnecessary to engage in any action to attempt to resolve the matter.
If action does become necessary, it will not be engaged until we have heard from the Lord and receive His directive in the matter. We can be sure that before He tells us to engage in any action, He will have first clarified the matter for us so we will see it in reality rather than in confusion.
We know that He cautions us not to, “…think more highly of yourselves than ye ought,” Romans 12:3. If we have too lofty opinion of our own insights and our own wisdom, we will not allow the Holy Spirit the opportunity to, “teach us all things,” John 14:26, as Jesus Himself admonishes that we do.
Should we not do something as essential to our walk in Christ as is this in order to be subject to His methodology? Indeed, we should allow every aspect of our lives to be under the blood and subject to the profound wisdom of the Lord.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
The Superabundance of Grace
June 22
"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence." Ephesians 1:7-8
MARVELING AT THE SUPERABUNDANCE OF GRACE
Last year I visited Niagara Falls for the first time and was awed by the sight and sound and overpowering sense of it all. Every minute, about 200,000 tons of water plunge into the Niagara River Gorge in a thunderous ovation to the lavish, generous nature of God.
The Lord could have used a lot less water, but He didn't. He could have made the falls lower, but He built them 12 stories high. And because they are what they are from the creative hand of God, people come from all over the world to see Niagara Falls.
What a picture of God's grace in Jesus Christ! "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence" (Ephesians 1:7, 8).
The Greek word translated "abound" means "an exceeding measure, something above the ordinary." God's grace toward us is not squeezed out from an eye-dropper or carefully rationed like water during a drought. His grace is a Niagara of superabundance so lavish that we marvel at its display.
Today, as you approach God to "find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16), remember how much there is -- grace beyond measure. D. C. MacCasland
We marvel at the superabundance of grace because grace is something that doesn't come naturally to us. We are far more inclined to hold on to offenses, to cling to hurts, and to plot retribution than we are to extend grace, which results in forgiveness.
Perhaps we are justified in our unflinching resolve to keep fresh the memories of those slings and arrows of criticism or accusation or vilification of any sort that have been flung our way, simply because they have come in such a torrent that unless we put up a wall of defense against them, they would wash away our self-esteem and our ability to withstand the onslaught.
But, our ability to hold back the tide of offense is not our surest defense. The enemy of our soul would have us to believe that our only recourse is to maintain a posture of protection from and retaliation against offense if we are to be safe from it. Indeed, he would have us to abandon all thought of grace as being an absurdity. Indeed, he would have us to negate all heavenly counsel as being impractical for worldly application.
If we are to achieve the "peace of God that passes understanding to keep our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus," Philippians 4:7, when our integrity is challenged, however, we must first lay aside our temporal avenues of recourse. We must recognize that our own defense leaves us troubled by past assaults and vulnerable to further attacks. What the Lord offers in its stead is His defense, which shields us from the hurt of past, present, and future unkindnesses.
May He help us to choose His way over the world's way, His way over man's frail substitutes for Heaven's grace in every circumstance in which we find ourselves, for in so choosing, we will always discover that Jesus is more than enough to meet every need we have. As the Word assures, "His grace is sufficient, for His strength is made perfect in our weakness," II Corinthians 12:9.
Friday, June 21, 2013
With Purpose
June 21
"Because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan." Ephesians 1:11
NO ACCIDENTS
"You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people" (Genesis 50:20 NLT).
When a cowboy applied for an insurance policy, the agent asked, "Have you ever had any accidents?"
After a moment's reflection, the applicant responded, "Nope, but a bronc did kick in two of my ribs last summer, and a couple of years ago a rattlesnake bit me on the ankle."
"Wouldn't you call those accidents?" replied the puzzled agent.
"Naw," the cowboy said, "they did it on purpose!"
That story reminds me of the biblical truth that there are no accidents in the lives of God's children. Read how Joseph interpreted a difficult experience that had seemed like a great calamity. He had been thrown into a pit and then sold as a slave. This was a great test of his faith, and from the human standpoint it appeared to be a tragic case of injustice, not a providential means of blessing. But Joseph later learned that "God meant it for good."
Are you passing through the deep waters of trial and disappointment? Does everything seem to be going against you? These apparent misfortunes are not accidents. The Lord allows such things for a blessed purpose. So patiently trust Him. If you know the Lord, someday you will praise Him for it all! -- Richard De Haan
De Hann’s little vignette makes a profound point. For the most part, the events of life are done with purpose. We don’t accidentally choose a career or who to marry or where we’ll settle down; we don’t stumble into governmental policy or international treaties. We don’t accidentally get saved either.
That is not to acknowledge the occurrence of accidents. Most of us can attest to having been the victim of one of those unforeseen events that took a toll on how we lived as a result, but apart from those, we strive to give thoughtful planning and purpose to our lives. We try to first order our thoughts and then order our ways to facilitate our conclusions.
But, often, we put spiritual matters on a back burner. We know there is a possibility of life after death; we know that if indeed there is, we will spend eternity somewhere, but we don’t allow ourselves to be preoccupied with that prospective eventuality. We seem to think it will take care of itself when we should be like Joshua who said, “Choose you this day whom you will serve; as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” Joshua 24:15.
Although we cannot make the decision to accept Christ as Savior in the behalf of our children, we can, “Train up a child in the way he should go,” Proverbs 22:6. We can establish the groundwork for their eternity by the truth we invest into their lives when they are young. We can also sow these truths into the workplace, the marketplace, the gathering place with the faith that the Lord will bring to fruition the seeds we have scattered.
"Because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan." Ephesians 1:11
NO ACCIDENTS
"You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people" (Genesis 50:20 NLT).
When a cowboy applied for an insurance policy, the agent asked, "Have you ever had any accidents?"
After a moment's reflection, the applicant responded, "Nope, but a bronc did kick in two of my ribs last summer, and a couple of years ago a rattlesnake bit me on the ankle."
"Wouldn't you call those accidents?" replied the puzzled agent.
"Naw," the cowboy said, "they did it on purpose!"
That story reminds me of the biblical truth that there are no accidents in the lives of God's children. Read how Joseph interpreted a difficult experience that had seemed like a great calamity. He had been thrown into a pit and then sold as a slave. This was a great test of his faith, and from the human standpoint it appeared to be a tragic case of injustice, not a providential means of blessing. But Joseph later learned that "God meant it for good."
Are you passing through the deep waters of trial and disappointment? Does everything seem to be going against you? These apparent misfortunes are not accidents. The Lord allows such things for a blessed purpose. So patiently trust Him. If you know the Lord, someday you will praise Him for it all! -- Richard De Haan
De Hann’s little vignette makes a profound point. For the most part, the events of life are done with purpose. We don’t accidentally choose a career or who to marry or where we’ll settle down; we don’t stumble into governmental policy or international treaties. We don’t accidentally get saved either.
That is not to acknowledge the occurrence of accidents. Most of us can attest to having been the victim of one of those unforeseen events that took a toll on how we lived as a result, but apart from those, we strive to give thoughtful planning and purpose to our lives. We try to first order our thoughts and then order our ways to facilitate our conclusions.
But, often, we put spiritual matters on a back burner. We know there is a possibility of life after death; we know that if indeed there is, we will spend eternity somewhere, but we don’t allow ourselves to be preoccupied with that prospective eventuality. We seem to think it will take care of itself when we should be like Joshua who said, “Choose you this day whom you will serve; as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” Joshua 24:15.
Although we cannot make the decision to accept Christ as Savior in the behalf of our children, we can, “Train up a child in the way he should go,” Proverbs 22:6. We can establish the groundwork for their eternity by the truth we invest into their lives when they are young. We can also sow these truths into the workplace, the marketplace, the gathering place with the faith that the Lord will bring to fruition the seeds we have scattered.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Rich Forever
June 20
"For You make me glad by Your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at the work of Your hands." Psalm 92:4
IT'S YOUR MOVE
You're here and I'm here. God decided to have us intersect history, not at any time, but at this time. He made us to be good at a few things and bad at a couple others. He made us to love some things and not like others. Most of all, He made us to dream. We were meant to dream a lot.
We're not just a cosmic biology experiment that ended up working. We're part of God's much bigger plan for the whole world. Just like God's son arrived here, so did you. And after Jesus arrived, God whispered to all of humanity... "It's your move."
Heaven's been leaning over the rails in the same way ever since you got here, waiting to see what you'll do with your life.-- Bob Goff, from “Love Does”
Yes, indeed, the One True and Living God has high expectations for you. It is His intent that you use your gifts to accomplish great things. But even if you don’t turn out to be an Albert Einstein or a Jonas Salk, you will not have fallen short of His hope for you if you attain this one thing.
Your loving Heavenly Father wants you to receive the fullness of the “unspeakable Gift” (II Corinthians 9:15) He extends to you. The Master of all creation wants you to embrace His Holy Child Jesus, who was sacrificed for you at Calvary, as your Savior and Lord.
Apart from this single act on your part, nothing else you achieve or don’t achieve is of any consequence. Whether your name is written down in history as one of the greatest scientists, inventors, playwrights, doctors, teachers…of all time, when you slip this mortal coil, the only thing about you that will count is what you did with Jesus.
Only one thing matters for time and eternity—is Jesus your Savior? If He is, though you may be obscure and unaccomplished in time, you will be rich for eternity. If He is not, though the world may have heaped accolades upon you for your contributions to the betterment of mankind, you will be an eternal popper
Decide today to receive the unspeakable Gift that makes you rich forever.
"For You make me glad by Your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at the work of Your hands." Psalm 92:4
IT'S YOUR MOVE
You're here and I'm here. God decided to have us intersect history, not at any time, but at this time. He made us to be good at a few things and bad at a couple others. He made us to love some things and not like others. Most of all, He made us to dream. We were meant to dream a lot.
We're not just a cosmic biology experiment that ended up working. We're part of God's much bigger plan for the whole world. Just like God's son arrived here, so did you. And after Jesus arrived, God whispered to all of humanity... "It's your move."
Heaven's been leaning over the rails in the same way ever since you got here, waiting to see what you'll do with your life.-- Bob Goff, from “Love Does”
Yes, indeed, the One True and Living God has high expectations for you. It is His intent that you use your gifts to accomplish great things. But even if you don’t turn out to be an Albert Einstein or a Jonas Salk, you will not have fallen short of His hope for you if you attain this one thing.
Your loving Heavenly Father wants you to receive the fullness of the “unspeakable Gift” (II Corinthians 9:15) He extends to you. The Master of all creation wants you to embrace His Holy Child Jesus, who was sacrificed for you at Calvary, as your Savior and Lord.
Apart from this single act on your part, nothing else you achieve or don’t achieve is of any consequence. Whether your name is written down in history as one of the greatest scientists, inventors, playwrights, doctors, teachers…of all time, when you slip this mortal coil, the only thing about you that will count is what you did with Jesus.
Only one thing matters for time and eternity—is Jesus your Savior? If He is, though you may be obscure and unaccomplished in time, you will be rich for eternity. If He is not, though the world may have heaped accolades upon you for your contributions to the betterment of mankind, you will be an eternal popper
Decide today to receive the unspeakable Gift that makes you rich forever.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Refashioned in His Image
June 19
"We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory."
2 Corinthians 3:18
TRUE SUCCESS
All at once I realized that it was not my success God had used to enable me to help those in this prison, or in hundreds of others just like it. My life of success was not what made this morning so glorious -- all my achievements meant nothing in God's economy.
No, the real legacy of my life was my biggest failure -- that I was an ex-convict. My greatest humiliation -- being sent to prison -- was the beginning of God's greatest use of my life; He chose the one thing in which I could not glory for His glory. -- Charles Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship
This statement by Mr. Colson is particularly up-lifting because it points out Christ’s transformative power over our impotence and fallibility. We tend to shirk from the mistakes we have made, from the errors in judgment that we have arrived upon, from the thorny decisions that have pricked our sensibilities and wounded our perception of ourselves.
But Jesus has taken them, bathed them in His blood, and used them to form us into a people who are compassionate, who are understanding, who are forgiving...because we know how essential the gift of forgiveness has been to us. Because we know how precious has been our own transformation from our failure to Christ's success, we can graciously offer the precious gift of understanding and forgiveness to others who are flawed vessels like ourselves.
Because of Jesus, we who are wretched and frail become whole and strong; we who are steeped in trespasses become pure in the blood of the One who died to set us free from the worst aspects of our selfhood. May we walk in the freedom of who we are in Christ, for He has paid an incalculable price to set us free. May we be used of Him as He used Charles Colson--so fully that even the worst aspect of who we are becomes an exultant evidence of His glory.
May Jesus so fill you that there is no room within you for self-doubt or depression or despair or any negative thing. People may attempt to impose their negative perceptions upon you, but they don't see you as Jesus sees you—through the cleansing of His own shed blood in which you are bathed. Walk in victory today and all your days, for your Savior and Lord, in spite of your greatest failures, has made you into an image of Himself.
"We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory."
2 Corinthians 3:18
TRUE SUCCESS
All at once I realized that it was not my success God had used to enable me to help those in this prison, or in hundreds of others just like it. My life of success was not what made this morning so glorious -- all my achievements meant nothing in God's economy.
No, the real legacy of my life was my biggest failure -- that I was an ex-convict. My greatest humiliation -- being sent to prison -- was the beginning of God's greatest use of my life; He chose the one thing in which I could not glory for His glory. -- Charles Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship
This statement by Mr. Colson is particularly up-lifting because it points out Christ’s transformative power over our impotence and fallibility. We tend to shirk from the mistakes we have made, from the errors in judgment that we have arrived upon, from the thorny decisions that have pricked our sensibilities and wounded our perception of ourselves.
But Jesus has taken them, bathed them in His blood, and used them to form us into a people who are compassionate, who are understanding, who are forgiving...because we know how essential the gift of forgiveness has been to us. Because we know how precious has been our own transformation from our failure to Christ's success, we can graciously offer the precious gift of understanding and forgiveness to others who are flawed vessels like ourselves.
Because of Jesus, we who are wretched and frail become whole and strong; we who are steeped in trespasses become pure in the blood of the One who died to set us free from the worst aspects of our selfhood. May we walk in the freedom of who we are in Christ, for He has paid an incalculable price to set us free. May we be used of Him as He used Charles Colson--so fully that even the worst aspect of who we are becomes an exultant evidence of His glory.
May Jesus so fill you that there is no room within you for self-doubt or depression or despair or any negative thing. People may attempt to impose their negative perceptions upon you, but they don't see you as Jesus sees you—through the cleansing of His own shed blood in which you are bathed. Walk in victory today and all your days, for your Savior and Lord, in spite of your greatest failures, has made you into an image of Himself.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
No Dumbbells
June 18
"Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes." Ephesians 1:4
NO DUMBBELLS HERE
A drill sergeant barked out an order to a bunch of recruits: "All you dumbbells, get moving!" All but one obeyed. Angered by his seeming defiance, the sergeant marched up to him and growled, "Well?"
The young recruit replied, "There certainly were a lot of them, sir!"
It would be great if more of us as Christians felt that good about ourselves. It's not wrong to affirm our worth. The Bible does. We have been created to reflect the moral and personal nature of God (Genesis 1:26). Sin has marred that image, but because of love, God sent His Son to die for our sins. By trusting Jesus as our Savior, we are "accepted," just as the Father accepts Him (Ephesians 1:6).
We may feel unworthy of such love and grace, but we can still have a healthy sense of self-worth, belonging, and confidence. Because Christ has removed the guilt of our sin by paying its penalty on the cross, we know that we are fully accepted by Him. -- Dennis De Haan
As (Ephesians 1:.7-14) tells us, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.
“In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.
“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
When failure, frustration, false friends, or foes denigrate us and devalue us, we come back to the truth stated by De Hann, that we are “fully accepted by Him.” We come back to the veracity of God’s own word that assures our inheritance is the measure of all Christ has died to supply to us; and we glorify Him for His “unspeakable gift,” II Corinthians 9:15.
"Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes." Ephesians 1:4
NO DUMBBELLS HERE
A drill sergeant barked out an order to a bunch of recruits: "All you dumbbells, get moving!" All but one obeyed. Angered by his seeming defiance, the sergeant marched up to him and growled, "Well?"
The young recruit replied, "There certainly were a lot of them, sir!"
It would be great if more of us as Christians felt that good about ourselves. It's not wrong to affirm our worth. The Bible does. We have been created to reflect the moral and personal nature of God (Genesis 1:26). Sin has marred that image, but because of love, God sent His Son to die for our sins. By trusting Jesus as our Savior, we are "accepted," just as the Father accepts Him (Ephesians 1:6).
We may feel unworthy of such love and grace, but we can still have a healthy sense of self-worth, belonging, and confidence. Because Christ has removed the guilt of our sin by paying its penalty on the cross, we know that we are fully accepted by Him. -- Dennis De Haan
As (Ephesians 1:.7-14) tells us, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.
“In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.
“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
When failure, frustration, false friends, or foes denigrate us and devalue us, we come back to the truth stated by De Hann, that we are “fully accepted by Him.” We come back to the veracity of God’s own word that assures our inheritance is the measure of all Christ has died to supply to us; and we glorify Him for His “unspeakable gift,” II Corinthians 9:15.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Conquer Your Mountains
June 17
Have you ever faced a mountain of challenge and felt overwhelmed by its sheer magnitude? The mountain may regard your health or your financial security in a troubled economy or it may regard betrayal by someone you trusted. No matter its source or its nature, be mindful of the fact that the Lord wants you to not only face your mountain but to believe in the faithfulness of the One who has called you to conquer it.
Jesus wants you to stand firm knowing that the most formidable mountains that stand before you can be "brought down and cast into the sea," Mark 11:23. He also wants you to know that the things He has set before you to accomplish in the behalf of His Kingdom will be attained as you work in concert with Him and rely fully upon His strength!
Jesus promised you complete victory over mountains when He spoke in Matthew 17:20, “For surely, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there, and it will move; and for nothing will be impossible for you.” And He has promised you the help you need as you take the steps to conquer your mountains, including the word He spoke through David, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” (Psalm 37:23). He will hold your hand and keep you (Isaiah 42:6) as you scale the mountains life places before you.
You have a word directly from God that promises you can turn a mountain of disease, despair, doubt, financial impossibility, relational difficulty, professional challenge, personal short-coming or any other challenge that looms before you into a molehill! As this happens, you will see the impossible made possible, for His Word that cannot fail and cannot lie assures, ”Though it is impossible with men, with God, nothing is impossible," Matthew 19:26.
Have you ever faced a mountain of challenge and felt overwhelmed by its sheer magnitude? The mountain may regard your health or your financial security in a troubled economy or it may regard betrayal by someone you trusted. No matter its source or its nature, be mindful of the fact that the Lord wants you to not only face your mountain but to believe in the faithfulness of the One who has called you to conquer it.
Jesus wants you to stand firm knowing that the most formidable mountains that stand before you can be "brought down and cast into the sea," Mark 11:23. He also wants you to know that the things He has set before you to accomplish in the behalf of His Kingdom will be attained as you work in concert with Him and rely fully upon His strength!
Jesus promised you complete victory over mountains when He spoke in Matthew 17:20, “For surely, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there, and it will move; and for nothing will be impossible for you.” And He has promised you the help you need as you take the steps to conquer your mountains, including the word He spoke through David, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” (Psalm 37:23). He will hold your hand and keep you (Isaiah 42:6) as you scale the mountains life places before you.
You have a word directly from God that promises you can turn a mountain of disease, despair, doubt, financial impossibility, relational difficulty, professional challenge, personal short-coming or any other challenge that looms before you into a molehill! As this happens, you will see the impossible made possible, for His Word that cannot fail and cannot lie assures, ”Though it is impossible with men, with God, nothing is impossible," Matthew 19:26.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Happy Fathers' Day
Fathers, you have been entrusted with a great charge...you are to be God's prophet and priest over your home. Your role is an essential one to your wife and to your children.
As God's prophet, you declare, "Thus saith the Lord" before your family. You know His Word; you have it hidden in your heart. You expound His truth to your family in love.
As His priest, to are tasked with the privilege of carrying the needs of your family to the Throne of Mercy and Grace where you may seek and find help in a time of need.
Allow yourself to be God's man in your home. You and your family will be blessed if you will.
As God's prophet, you declare, "Thus saith the Lord" before your family. You know His Word; you have it hidden in your heart. You expound His truth to your family in love.
As His priest, to are tasked with the privilege of carrying the needs of your family to the Throne of Mercy and Grace where you may seek and find help in a time of need.
Allow yourself to be God's man in your home. You and your family will be blessed if you will.
Depend on Jesus
June 16
"Two are better than one ... If either of them falls down, one can help the other up." Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
INTERDEPENDENCE
Several years ago, two students graduated from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. The highest ranking student in the class was a blind man named Overton and, when he received his honor, he insisted that half the credit should go to his friend, Kaspryzak.
They had met one another in school when the armless Mr. Kaspryzak had guided the blind Mr. Overton down a flight of stairs. This acquaintance ripened into friendship and a beautiful example of interdependence. The blind man carried the books which the armless man read aloud in their common study, and thus the individual deficiency of each was compensated for by the other.
After their graduation, they planned to practice law together. – Unknown
Although it is wonderful to work side-by-side, in concert with another who is like-minded in his goals, the truth of the matter is that much can be accomplished through independent effort.
The labor of a Thomas Edison or an Albert Einstein or a Jonas Salk was accomplished without the help of another, without the vote of a committee. Much of what has transpired as the world’s loftiest achievements have been done through the sweat and dedication of a single man with a vision.
Another factor that cannot be dismissed is the presence and power of the Lord with a man who He calls to His purposes. As Gideon who felt inadequate to the task the Lord tapped him to perform (See Judges 6-8), men today are also empowered supernaturally to execute the assignments the Holy One gives them to do.
We must never consider ourselves to be alone when we face great challenges. We must always remember that One is with us who has assured us that we can do all things through Him, Philippians 4:13, for HE shall “teach us all things,” John 14:26, and give us the strength we need to perform all He calls us to do, whether with another or on our own.
"Two are better than one ... If either of them falls down, one can help the other up." Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
INTERDEPENDENCE
Several years ago, two students graduated from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. The highest ranking student in the class was a blind man named Overton and, when he received his honor, he insisted that half the credit should go to his friend, Kaspryzak.
They had met one another in school when the armless Mr. Kaspryzak had guided the blind Mr. Overton down a flight of stairs. This acquaintance ripened into friendship and a beautiful example of interdependence. The blind man carried the books which the armless man read aloud in their common study, and thus the individual deficiency of each was compensated for by the other.
After their graduation, they planned to practice law together. – Unknown
Although it is wonderful to work side-by-side, in concert with another who is like-minded in his goals, the truth of the matter is that much can be accomplished through independent effort.
The labor of a Thomas Edison or an Albert Einstein or a Jonas Salk was accomplished without the help of another, without the vote of a committee. Much of what has transpired as the world’s loftiest achievements have been done through the sweat and dedication of a single man with a vision.
Another factor that cannot be dismissed is the presence and power of the Lord with a man who He calls to His purposes. As Gideon who felt inadequate to the task the Lord tapped him to perform (See Judges 6-8), men today are also empowered supernaturally to execute the assignments the Holy One gives them to do.
We must never consider ourselves to be alone when we face great challenges. We must always remember that One is with us who has assured us that we can do all things through Him, Philippians 4:13, for HE shall “teach us all things,” John 14:26, and give us the strength we need to perform all He calls us to do, whether with another or on our own.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Take Inventory
June 15
"Hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Romans 8:24-25
ARTHUR ASHE: WHY NOT ME?
Tennis superstar Arthur Ashe died of AIDS, which he contracted from a blood transfusion during heart surgery. More than a great athlete, Ashe was a gentleman who inspired and encouraged many with his exemplary behavior on and off the court.
Ashe could have become embittered and self-pitying in the face of his disease, but he maintained a grateful attitude. He explained, "If I asked, 'Why me?' about my troubles, I would have to ask, 'Why me?' about my blessings. Why my winning Wimbledon? Why my marrying a beautiful, gifted woman and having a wonderful child?"
Ashe's attitude rebukes those of us who often grumble, "Why me? Why is God allowing this to happen?" Even if we're suffering acutely, we must not forget the mercies God pours into our lives--such things as food, shelter, and friends--blessings that many are deprived of.
And what about spiritual blessings? We can hold the very Word of God in our hands and read it. We have the knowledge of His saving grace, the comfort of His Spirit, and the joyful assurance of life everlasting with Jesus.
Think about God's blessings and ask, "Why me?" Then your grumbling will give way to praise. Vernon C Grounds
As believers in Christ, we have so much more than the trappings of life to represent the accrued blessings of our lives. We have so much more than the physical attractiveness, the mental acuity, the professional successes, the financial advantages that are ours to balance into the equation of our lives.
However, it is these temporal things that we are inclined to tally when we take inventory of who we are and what we possess. Our accounting system as believers often parallels that of the world. Like our unbelieving counterparts, we often neglect to factor into the equation of our lives, the true treasure that has been entrusted to us.
God’s “unspeakable gift to us,” (II Corinthians 9:15) the propitiatory life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ to save us from all sin and shame is often uncounted when the sum of our life is tallied. We factor in the trials we face, the challenges we must overcome, but we neglect to count the one thing that transcends time in our accounting.
That one thing, our acceptance of Christ (or our rejection of Him as Savior and Lord) carries over into Heaven’s Banking System. That one treasure, acquired while abiding on earth can be spent in Eternity. When we do the heavenly math we discover that we are not paupers!
We are spiritually wealthy beyond measure and that great treasure we possess should indeed bring us to the point of saying, “Why me? Why have I, frail, flawed steward that I am, been entrusted with this “pearl of great price” (Matthew 13:45, 46)?
The answer, because Jesus Christ loves us, should indeed turn our grumbling to praise and give us great faith to patiently wait for all the unseen things for which we hope.
"Hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Romans 8:24-25
ARTHUR ASHE: WHY NOT ME?
Tennis superstar Arthur Ashe died of AIDS, which he contracted from a blood transfusion during heart surgery. More than a great athlete, Ashe was a gentleman who inspired and encouraged many with his exemplary behavior on and off the court.
Ashe could have become embittered and self-pitying in the face of his disease, but he maintained a grateful attitude. He explained, "If I asked, 'Why me?' about my troubles, I would have to ask, 'Why me?' about my blessings. Why my winning Wimbledon? Why my marrying a beautiful, gifted woman and having a wonderful child?"
Ashe's attitude rebukes those of us who often grumble, "Why me? Why is God allowing this to happen?" Even if we're suffering acutely, we must not forget the mercies God pours into our lives--such things as food, shelter, and friends--blessings that many are deprived of.
And what about spiritual blessings? We can hold the very Word of God in our hands and read it. We have the knowledge of His saving grace, the comfort of His Spirit, and the joyful assurance of life everlasting with Jesus.
Think about God's blessings and ask, "Why me?" Then your grumbling will give way to praise. Vernon C Grounds
As believers in Christ, we have so much more than the trappings of life to represent the accrued blessings of our lives. We have so much more than the physical attractiveness, the mental acuity, the professional successes, the financial advantages that are ours to balance into the equation of our lives.
However, it is these temporal things that we are inclined to tally when we take inventory of who we are and what we possess. Our accounting system as believers often parallels that of the world. Like our unbelieving counterparts, we often neglect to factor into the equation of our lives, the true treasure that has been entrusted to us.
God’s “unspeakable gift to us,” (II Corinthians 9:15) the propitiatory life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ to save us from all sin and shame is often uncounted when the sum of our life is tallied. We factor in the trials we face, the challenges we must overcome, but we neglect to count the one thing that transcends time in our accounting.
That one thing, our acceptance of Christ (or our rejection of Him as Savior and Lord) carries over into Heaven’s Banking System. That one treasure, acquired while abiding on earth can be spent in Eternity. When we do the heavenly math we discover that we are not paupers!
We are spiritually wealthy beyond measure and that great treasure we possess should indeed bring us to the point of saying, “Why me? Why have I, frail, flawed steward that I am, been entrusted with this “pearl of great price” (Matthew 13:45, 46)?
The answer, because Jesus Christ loves us, should indeed turn our grumbling to praise and give us great faith to patiently wait for all the unseen things for which we hope.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Flag Day
June 14 FLAG DAY
“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:20
Some people have paid a great price for the freedom we so take for granted in the United States. Some people have paid a great price for embracing the salvation given freely by the Lord Jesus Christ. Today’s word is simply, UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO STAND FOR FREEDOM AND, IF NECESSARY, DEFEND IT UNTO DEATH, THE FORCES OF EVIL THAT WOULD DESTROY FREEDOM WILL STEAL IT FROM YOU.
To those who have paid a great price for freedom—political and spiritual—we salute you; we thank you. First, we thank our Savior for His “unspeakable gift,” II Corinthians 9:15, and we thank those brave ones who have given so much to preserve freedom.
Here are two examples of people enduring modern-day persecution:
A PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
United States Senator John S. McCain, a retired Navy captain and pilot, often refers to a fellow Vietnam War POW named Mike Christian. Here's a transcript of a speech in which he tells the story.
As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room. This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles from home.
One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian. Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School. Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967.
Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country -- and our military -- provide for people who want to work and want to succeed. As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing. Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt.
Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event.
One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it. That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up as well as we could.
The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room. As I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American flag.
He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to pledge allegiance to our flag and our country.
So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world. You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country.
Egypt's Coptic Christians Flee to Georgia for Safety - Eurasianet
Increasingly under pressure in Egypt, the Copts, one of the world's oldest Christian communities, are starting to migrate to Georgia, a bastion of Orthodox Christianity in the South Caucasus. But the transition is not entirely a smooth one.
In Egypt, violent clashes between Copts and Muslims have been on the rise since the 2011 ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak, with many Christians reportedly preferring to leave than experience continuing harassment and discrimination. Earlier this month, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom announced that Egypt "is failing to meet international religious-freedom standards."
Copts, who classify themselves as an Orthodox Christian denomination, say that Georgia's strong Orthodox Christian heritage - Eastern Christianity took root here in the 4th century - motivated them to make the move. The country's relative proximity (Tbilisi is roughly a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Cairo) and reputation for relatively lax business and visa regulations also played a role.
“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:20
Some people have paid a great price for the freedom we so take for granted in the United States. Some people have paid a great price for embracing the salvation given freely by the Lord Jesus Christ. Today’s word is simply, UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO STAND FOR FREEDOM AND, IF NECESSARY, DEFEND IT UNTO DEATH, THE FORCES OF EVIL THAT WOULD DESTROY FREEDOM WILL STEAL IT FROM YOU.
To those who have paid a great price for freedom—political and spiritual—we salute you; we thank you. First, we thank our Savior for His “unspeakable gift,” II Corinthians 9:15, and we thank those brave ones who have given so much to preserve freedom.
Here are two examples of people enduring modern-day persecution:
A PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
United States Senator John S. McCain, a retired Navy captain and pilot, often refers to a fellow Vietnam War POW named Mike Christian. Here's a transcript of a speech in which he tells the story.
As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room. This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles from home.
One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian. Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School. Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967.
Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country -- and our military -- provide for people who want to work and want to succeed. As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing. Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt.
Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event.
One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it. That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up as well as we could.
The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room. As I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American flag.
He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to pledge allegiance to our flag and our country.
So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world. You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country.
Egypt's Coptic Christians Flee to Georgia for Safety - Eurasianet
Increasingly under pressure in Egypt, the Copts, one of the world's oldest Christian communities, are starting to migrate to Georgia, a bastion of Orthodox Christianity in the South Caucasus. But the transition is not entirely a smooth one.
In Egypt, violent clashes between Copts and Muslims have been on the rise since the 2011 ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak, with many Christians reportedly preferring to leave than experience continuing harassment and discrimination. Earlier this month, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom announced that Egypt "is failing to meet international religious-freedom standards."
Copts, who classify themselves as an Orthodox Christian denomination, say that Georgia's strong Orthodox Christian heritage - Eastern Christianity took root here in the 4th century - motivated them to make the move. The country's relative proximity (Tbilisi is roughly a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Cairo) and reputation for relatively lax business and visa regulations also played a role.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Embrace Jesus and Guard the Truth
June 13
"Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life." Psalm 143:8
I think God speaks something meaningful into our lives and it filled us up and helps us change the world regardless of ourselves and our shortcomings. His name for us is His beloved. He hopes we'll start to see ourselves as His beloved rather than think of all the reasons that we aren't. -- Bob Goff
The Lord Jesus Christ loves us so much that He gave Himself for our deliverance from death to life. Many of us have come to take that great sacrifice for granted. Many of us have ceased to even regard the fact that there is a Great God in Heaven who woos us with His love and saves us by His own shed blood.
We have turned our eyes aside from Him. We look upon worldly pursuits. We yearn after temporal achievement and corruptible possessions rather than for Heaven’s eternal treasure. We have become so indifferent to Christ’s “unspeakable gift,” II Corinthians 9:15, that we have become willing to allow the encroachment of the deception of the enemy into the fabric of our own lives and into the life of our culture.
We needn’t look far to see the evidence of the false religion of the evil one within our midst in ever-increasing acceptance because, unfortunately, few people in our benighted society seem to have eyes to see or ears to hear the message of its encroaching threat to all we hold dear.
May the Lord Jesus send His Holy Spirit to revive us, to open our blind eyes, to unstop our deaf ears, and to renew within our hearts a right spirit that will cause us to first of all embrace Jesus with a full heart and lay our lives at His feet, and second to guard the TRUTH HE's GIVEN TO US AGAINST THE DECEPTION OF THE EVIL ONE WHO HAS MASKED HIS HIDEOUS, PERVERTED RELIGION WITH A THIN VEIL OF LIES.
"Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life." Psalm 143:8
I think God speaks something meaningful into our lives and it filled us up and helps us change the world regardless of ourselves and our shortcomings. His name for us is His beloved. He hopes we'll start to see ourselves as His beloved rather than think of all the reasons that we aren't. -- Bob Goff
The Lord Jesus Christ loves us so much that He gave Himself for our deliverance from death to life. Many of us have come to take that great sacrifice for granted. Many of us have ceased to even regard the fact that there is a Great God in Heaven who woos us with His love and saves us by His own shed blood.
We have turned our eyes aside from Him. We look upon worldly pursuits. We yearn after temporal achievement and corruptible possessions rather than for Heaven’s eternal treasure. We have become so indifferent to Christ’s “unspeakable gift,” II Corinthians 9:15, that we have become willing to allow the encroachment of the deception of the enemy into the fabric of our own lives and into the life of our culture.
We needn’t look far to see the evidence of the false religion of the evil one within our midst in ever-increasing acceptance because, unfortunately, few people in our benighted society seem to have eyes to see or ears to hear the message of its encroaching threat to all we hold dear.
May the Lord Jesus send His Holy Spirit to revive us, to open our blind eyes, to unstop our deaf ears, and to renew within our hearts a right spirit that will cause us to first of all embrace Jesus with a full heart and lay our lives at His feet, and second to guard the TRUTH HE's GIVEN TO US AGAINST THE DECEPTION OF THE EVIL ONE WHO HAS MASKED HIS HIDEOUS, PERVERTED RELIGION WITH A THIN VEIL OF LIES.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
The Key
June 12
How often we have trusted the wrong person. Whether we have succumbed to the high pressure tactics of a car salesman and purchased a vehicle we really couldn’t afford or whether we have allowed ourselves to be persuaded of the undying fidelity of one who professed to love us forever then let us down, we have felt the sting of betrayal and the anguish of self-recrimination at our foolishness in being deceived.
These kinds of mistakes tend to make us leery of ever trusting again. Of course, we can’t simply retreat into the shell of our lives and exclude contact with others. We can’t require ourselves to drive an antiquated vehicle because we’re afraid to buy a new one. We can’t deny ourselves the joy of loving because we fear being unloved in return.
How can we resolve our dilemma—that of yearning for the joy of fulfillment in the people and experiences that life brings our way but distaining the anxiety reaching out for it may produce in our lives? As with every quandary in which we find ourselves, this one has its resolution in the unfailing Word of the Living God if we will but appropriate it.
In Philippians 4:13 we are given the key that unlocks the door of our ability to love and to trust those whom we love as well as to overcome every challenge life may hurl our way. It says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
“All things work together for our good,” Romans 8:28. “…nothing is impossible with God,” Luke 1:37. “He who dwells within us is greater than he who is in the world,” I John 4:4. Jesus is greater than all that challenges us.
How often we have trusted the wrong person. Whether we have succumbed to the high pressure tactics of a car salesman and purchased a vehicle we really couldn’t afford or whether we have allowed ourselves to be persuaded of the undying fidelity of one who professed to love us forever then let us down, we have felt the sting of betrayal and the anguish of self-recrimination at our foolishness in being deceived.
These kinds of mistakes tend to make us leery of ever trusting again. Of course, we can’t simply retreat into the shell of our lives and exclude contact with others. We can’t require ourselves to drive an antiquated vehicle because we’re afraid to buy a new one. We can’t deny ourselves the joy of loving because we fear being unloved in return.
How can we resolve our dilemma—that of yearning for the joy of fulfillment in the people and experiences that life brings our way but distaining the anxiety reaching out for it may produce in our lives? As with every quandary in which we find ourselves, this one has its resolution in the unfailing Word of the Living God if we will but appropriate it.
In Philippians 4:13 we are given the key that unlocks the door of our ability to love and to trust those whom we love as well as to overcome every challenge life may hurl our way. It says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
“All things work together for our good,” Romans 8:28. “…nothing is impossible with God,” Luke 1:37. “He who dwells within us is greater than he who is in the world,” I John 4:4. Jesus is greater than all that challenges us.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Infusion
June 11
One thing people of faith often overlook is the fact that they need to be renewed regularly in the inner man. Even the great Apostle Paul recognized that his lapses into the patterns of thinking and acting that are characteristic of the “old,” unregenerate man were persistent. You do it, too. No matter how well-intentioned you or I may be, we succumb to this unless we allow His intervention.
In Psalm 51:10 we are afforded an insight into our need and into the provision the Lord has made for it. The Psalmist’s cry must be ours. Like him, we must turn to the Author and Finisher of our faith and say, “Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me.”
When we have allowed Jesus to give us a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone, when we have allowed Him to assume Lordship of our lives by allowing Him to reign within our heart, we have given Him the authority to transform our lives from the destructiveness of the flesh to the productivity of the spirit.
Yet when He has, when we have allowed Him access and control, we still must give Him the latitude to renew our spirit regularly, for the lure of our old habits and our old life will seduce us again if we neglect to subject ourselves to His mind and to His heart for a daily infusion of Himself into our inner man.
One thing people of faith often overlook is the fact that they need to be renewed regularly in the inner man. Even the great Apostle Paul recognized that his lapses into the patterns of thinking and acting that are characteristic of the “old,” unregenerate man were persistent. You do it, too. No matter how well-intentioned you or I may be, we succumb to this unless we allow His intervention.
In Psalm 51:10 we are afforded an insight into our need and into the provision the Lord has made for it. The Psalmist’s cry must be ours. Like him, we must turn to the Author and Finisher of our faith and say, “Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me.”
When we have allowed Jesus to give us a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone, when we have allowed Him to assume Lordship of our lives by allowing Him to reign within our heart, we have given Him the authority to transform our lives from the destructiveness of the flesh to the productivity of the spirit.
Yet when He has, when we have allowed Him access and control, we still must give Him the latitude to renew our spirit regularly, for the lure of our old habits and our old life will seduce us again if we neglect to subject ourselves to His mind and to His heart for a daily infusion of Himself into our inner man.
Monday, June 10, 2013
The Book of Books
June 10
"Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever." Psalm 112:6
BANNED, BURNED, BELOVED
The Bible -- banned, burned, beloved. More widely read, more frequently attacked than any other book in history. Generations of intellectuals have attempted to discredit it; dictators of every age have outlawed it and executed those who read it.
Yet soldiers carry it into battle believing it is more powerful than their weapons. Fragments of it smuggled into solitary prison cells have transformed ruthless killers into gentle saints. Pieced-together scraps of Scripture have converted whole communities to Christ. -- Charles Colson
The Bible. The unique book. The book of books. The Word of the Living God who is the Living Word.
It is a priceless treasure.
It is our 'go to' manual for unraveling the circumstances of life that entangle around us (Isaiah 34;16).
It is the comfort we seek when we are in the throes of life's dilemmas (Isaiah 40:1).
It is the word of faith we extend when others are in despair (Hebrews 11:1).
It is the fortress (Psalm 144:2) to which we run for shelter from the wind and rain.
It is the light that illumines our darkness (John 8:12).
It is the anchor (Hebrews 6:19) that holds our frail craft as we sail the Sea of Life.
It is priceless beyond measure, yet it is His free love letter to us.
May we peruse its pages in times of reflection and in times of yearning, for within them we will discover the faithful, unchanging Christ who laid down His life for us to be alive and vibrant and ready to help us at our point of need. May we never be too busy to relax within the comfort of its truth and may we never be too timorous to boldly shout its salvation message from the housetops. May we embrace to ourselves the One who came to free us from sin and shame. May we dwell in Him more fully because we probe more deeply into His glorious truth.
Stand on the Word today and always, and you shall never stumble or fall.
"Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever." Psalm 112:6
BANNED, BURNED, BELOVED
The Bible -- banned, burned, beloved. More widely read, more frequently attacked than any other book in history. Generations of intellectuals have attempted to discredit it; dictators of every age have outlawed it and executed those who read it.
Yet soldiers carry it into battle believing it is more powerful than their weapons. Fragments of it smuggled into solitary prison cells have transformed ruthless killers into gentle saints. Pieced-together scraps of Scripture have converted whole communities to Christ. -- Charles Colson
The Bible. The unique book. The book of books. The Word of the Living God who is the Living Word.
It is a priceless treasure.
It is our 'go to' manual for unraveling the circumstances of life that entangle around us (Isaiah 34;16).
It is the comfort we seek when we are in the throes of life's dilemmas (Isaiah 40:1).
It is the word of faith we extend when others are in despair (Hebrews 11:1).
It is the fortress (Psalm 144:2) to which we run for shelter from the wind and rain.
It is the light that illumines our darkness (John 8:12).
It is the anchor (Hebrews 6:19) that holds our frail craft as we sail the Sea of Life.
It is priceless beyond measure, yet it is His free love letter to us.
May we peruse its pages in times of reflection and in times of yearning, for within them we will discover the faithful, unchanging Christ who laid down His life for us to be alive and vibrant and ready to help us at our point of need. May we never be too busy to relax within the comfort of its truth and may we never be too timorous to boldly shout its salvation message from the housetops. May we embrace to ourselves the One who came to free us from sin and shame. May we dwell in Him more fully because we probe more deeply into His glorious truth.
Stand on the Word today and always, and you shall never stumble or fall.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
How to Reflect Heaven's King
June 9
"Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions." Mark 11:25
LET IT GO!
Resentment always hurts you more than it does the person you resent. While your offender has probably forgotten the offense and gone on with life, you continue to stew in your pain, perpetuating the past.
Listen: those who hurt you in the past cannot continue to hurt you now unless you hold on to the pain through resentment. Your past is past! Nothing will change it. You are only hurting yourself with your bitterness.
For your own sake, learn from it, and then let it go.-- Rick Warren from The Purpose Driven Life
Today's message of forgiveness is always a timely one, for it seems life on this fallen planet is overwhelmed with offenses. Whether the ultimate offense of robbing one of freedom and/or life, as is commonly done in some parts of the world where righteousness is turned inside out and zealots think they do their god a favor by abusing men of a different persuasion or whether the "little foxes that spoil the vine,” (Song of Solomon 2:15) of day-to-day relationships, people of faith in Christ are called upon to forgive much.
And we sometimes wonder why He requires so much of us along that line. Why can't He be content with the seven times of forgiveness we've already meted out rather than the seventy times seven that protracts the demand He puts upon us to infinitude? Perhaps it is because we are destined for eternity and forgiveness unto eternity is the least He can require of us to equip us for that place where so much has already been forgiven.
Indeed, Jesus is our example, and He has already forgiven all. Everything He calls upon us to forgive, He has already forgiven. If we forgive our seventy times seven, He has already accomplished it and our part is simply to reflect Him. Have we the grace to extend such magnanimity on our own? No, we do not; so in order to forgive as He has forgiven, we must first appropriate His love--His love that "covers a multitude of sins," (I Peter 4:8).
In other words, of ourselves, there is no good thing within us. We can accomplish nothing of value in time or for eternity, until we appropriate to ourselves all the gifts Jesus has given us. First, we take the gift of salvation, then we begin to appropriate the others--the love that cannot fail, (I Corinthians 13:8), the forgiveness that cleanses from all unrighteousness (I John i:9), the peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7) when confronted by those who disdain our good.
May each of us become more Christlike in all our endeavors and especially in the heart of who we are, for in so doing, we enable our small spot on the planet to become a microcosm of Heaven and a reflection of Heaven's King.
"Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions." Mark 11:25
LET IT GO!
Resentment always hurts you more than it does the person you resent. While your offender has probably forgotten the offense and gone on with life, you continue to stew in your pain, perpetuating the past.
Listen: those who hurt you in the past cannot continue to hurt you now unless you hold on to the pain through resentment. Your past is past! Nothing will change it. You are only hurting yourself with your bitterness.
For your own sake, learn from it, and then let it go.-- Rick Warren from The Purpose Driven Life
Today's message of forgiveness is always a timely one, for it seems life on this fallen planet is overwhelmed with offenses. Whether the ultimate offense of robbing one of freedom and/or life, as is commonly done in some parts of the world where righteousness is turned inside out and zealots think they do their god a favor by abusing men of a different persuasion or whether the "little foxes that spoil the vine,” (Song of Solomon 2:15) of day-to-day relationships, people of faith in Christ are called upon to forgive much.
And we sometimes wonder why He requires so much of us along that line. Why can't He be content with the seven times of forgiveness we've already meted out rather than the seventy times seven that protracts the demand He puts upon us to infinitude? Perhaps it is because we are destined for eternity and forgiveness unto eternity is the least He can require of us to equip us for that place where so much has already been forgiven.
Indeed, Jesus is our example, and He has already forgiven all. Everything He calls upon us to forgive, He has already forgiven. If we forgive our seventy times seven, He has already accomplished it and our part is simply to reflect Him. Have we the grace to extend such magnanimity on our own? No, we do not; so in order to forgive as He has forgiven, we must first appropriate His love--His love that "covers a multitude of sins," (I Peter 4:8).
In other words, of ourselves, there is no good thing within us. We can accomplish nothing of value in time or for eternity, until we appropriate to ourselves all the gifts Jesus has given us. First, we take the gift of salvation, then we begin to appropriate the others--the love that cannot fail, (I Corinthians 13:8), the forgiveness that cleanses from all unrighteousness (I John i:9), the peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7) when confronted by those who disdain our good.
May each of us become more Christlike in all our endeavors and especially in the heart of who we are, for in so doing, we enable our small spot on the planet to become a microcosm of Heaven and a reflection of Heaven's King.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Isaiah 54
The expounding of man becomes insignificant when compared to the eternal Word of the One True and Living God.
Today, I will simply share a lovely passage from His never-failing Word of Truth and Love.
Isaiah 54
1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, Gal. 4.27 saith the LORD.
2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
3 for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
4 ¶ Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
5 For thy Maker is thine husband; The LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
6 For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.
9 ¶ For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; Gen. 9.8-17 so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.
10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.
11 ¶ O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
12 And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. Rev. 21.18-21
13 And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; Joh. 6.45 and great shall be the peace of thy children.
14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.
15 Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
Today, I will simply share a lovely passage from His never-failing Word of Truth and Love.
Isaiah 54
1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, Gal. 4.27 saith the LORD.
2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
3 for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
4 ¶ Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
5 For thy Maker is thine husband; The LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
6 For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.
9 ¶ For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; Gen. 9.8-17 so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.
10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.
11 ¶ O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
12 And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. Rev. 21.18-21
13 And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; Joh. 6.45 and great shall be the peace of thy children.
14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.
15 Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Perfunctory Believers?
June 7
"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ." Ephesians 1:3
NO ONE IS MORE BLESSED
My daughter was playing basketball at a local sports facility when the manager asked her where she went to school. When she named her Christian school, the man expressed surprise. "But you seem so happy all the time. I thought Christians were supposed to walk around acting sad."
I don't think this man is alone in his view of Christians. Maybe it's because we have standards that warn us to avoid immoral activities that the world considers "fun." Perhaps it's because they think a somber, down-in-the-mouth lifestyle must accompany a serious faith. But I'm afraid the biggest reason could be that we as Christians too often let our list of problems overwhelm us and block our view of another list -- the Lord's blessings.
We have a Father who has given us "every spiritual blessing . . . in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). We have been chosen and adopted by Him (verses 4-5). And we are assured of eternal life (Titus 1:2). No one is more blessed, and no one can be as happy as we can be-- J. D. Branon
Apart from faith in the living Christ, modern day tales of the miraculous are beyond grasping; but when Jesus is factored into the equation, the unlikely becomes likely; the impossible becomes possible.
We know the Lord did some amazing things when He walked the earth. We know He claims to be, "the same yesterday, today, and forever," Hebrews 13:8, but often we don't expect or anticipate or even believe that He stands ready to do wondrous miracles in response to our prayers.
We have become perfunctory believers who give mental assent to the amazing faith that has been handed down to us by those who came before us. We know their stories of remarkable deliverances from assaults of the enemy; but we don't allow the message of their appropriation of the promises to translate to ours!
Re-read Hebrews 11, the 'faith chapter,' to reacquaint yourself with the mighty power of the Lord to deliver His people from every manner of trial--or to deliver them through the trial to perfect victory.
May we come before Jesus today with sincere hearts that say, "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief,” Mark 9:24. Lord, I KNOW that I KNOW that I KNOW You have given me power to pull down strongholds in my own life and in the lives of those round about me. Teach me to understand this amazing gift so I can employ it to Your glory.
God bless you, precious one, and give you everything you need to live in victory today and for all your tomorrows. I trust HE will withhold no good thing from you and that YOU will withhold no good thing from yourself through unbelief.
"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ." Ephesians 1:3
NO ONE IS MORE BLESSED
My daughter was playing basketball at a local sports facility when the manager asked her where she went to school. When she named her Christian school, the man expressed surprise. "But you seem so happy all the time. I thought Christians were supposed to walk around acting sad."
I don't think this man is alone in his view of Christians. Maybe it's because we have standards that warn us to avoid immoral activities that the world considers "fun." Perhaps it's because they think a somber, down-in-the-mouth lifestyle must accompany a serious faith. But I'm afraid the biggest reason could be that we as Christians too often let our list of problems overwhelm us and block our view of another list -- the Lord's blessings.
We have a Father who has given us "every spiritual blessing . . . in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). We have been chosen and adopted by Him (verses 4-5). And we are assured of eternal life (Titus 1:2). No one is more blessed, and no one can be as happy as we can be-- J. D. Branon
Apart from faith in the living Christ, modern day tales of the miraculous are beyond grasping; but when Jesus is factored into the equation, the unlikely becomes likely; the impossible becomes possible.
We know the Lord did some amazing things when He walked the earth. We know He claims to be, "the same yesterday, today, and forever," Hebrews 13:8, but often we don't expect or anticipate or even believe that He stands ready to do wondrous miracles in response to our prayers.
We have become perfunctory believers who give mental assent to the amazing faith that has been handed down to us by those who came before us. We know their stories of remarkable deliverances from assaults of the enemy; but we don't allow the message of their appropriation of the promises to translate to ours!
Re-read Hebrews 11, the 'faith chapter,' to reacquaint yourself with the mighty power of the Lord to deliver His people from every manner of trial--or to deliver them through the trial to perfect victory.
May we come before Jesus today with sincere hearts that say, "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief,” Mark 9:24. Lord, I KNOW that I KNOW that I KNOW You have given me power to pull down strongholds in my own life and in the lives of those round about me. Teach me to understand this amazing gift so I can employ it to Your glory.
God bless you, precious one, and give you everything you need to live in victory today and for all your tomorrows. I trust HE will withhold no good thing from you and that YOU will withhold no good thing from yourself through unbelief.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Fixed on Jesus
June 6
"Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody." Romans 12:18
CHOOSE PEACE TODAY
"The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest" (Exodus 14:14).
In life, you're always going to have critics. There will always be difficult people who try to upset you and steal your peace and joy. But, you don't have to respond to every critic. You can decide to take the high road and let God fight your battles for you.
Sometimes, no matter what you say or do, there are people who aren't going to accept you. They just don't want to be at peace with you. In fact, when Jesus sent out His disciples to certain homes, He told them to always speak peace over those homes. And then He said, in effect, "If they don't receive the peace that you're offering, then it will come back to you."
That tells me, if you will do your best to be at peace with people, even if they won't take your peace, the good news is that peace will just come back to you. You'll not only get your peace, but you'll get their share as well! That's double for your trouble! When you do the right thing no matter what is happening, God sees it and rewards it. So choose peace today and walk in the blessing He has for you! -- Dr. Timothy Emerick
Emerick’s observation is accurate—there are people who simply prefer contention and strife to peace, and they will refute our efforts to abide with them in harmony. Emerick’s outcome of this situation is one we may not see immediately, for the Lord indeed unfolds His rewards at His own pace, but, as the Word promises, “…they shall surely come,” Habakkuk 2:3.
At the same time, the Word promises that, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,” Isaiah 54:15-17.
Our part is to prefer the presence, the power, the love, the approval of the Lord Jesus Christ more than we desire the approval of men (see John 12:42, 43.) We must always have our sights set on the abiding things of heaven rather than on the fleeting things of earth.
If we do not maintain our eyes fixed on Jesus, we will be allured by temporal enticements. If we allow ourselves to be turned from the Lord and all He’s provided for us to the momentary treasures of earth we will disappoint ourselves, not only as we walk this Vale of Tears but also as we face eternity.
"Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody." Romans 12:18
CHOOSE PEACE TODAY
"The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest" (Exodus 14:14).
In life, you're always going to have critics. There will always be difficult people who try to upset you and steal your peace and joy. But, you don't have to respond to every critic. You can decide to take the high road and let God fight your battles for you.
Sometimes, no matter what you say or do, there are people who aren't going to accept you. They just don't want to be at peace with you. In fact, when Jesus sent out His disciples to certain homes, He told them to always speak peace over those homes. And then He said, in effect, "If they don't receive the peace that you're offering, then it will come back to you."
That tells me, if you will do your best to be at peace with people, even if they won't take your peace, the good news is that peace will just come back to you. You'll not only get your peace, but you'll get their share as well! That's double for your trouble! When you do the right thing no matter what is happening, God sees it and rewards it. So choose peace today and walk in the blessing He has for you! -- Dr. Timothy Emerick
Emerick’s observation is accurate—there are people who simply prefer contention and strife to peace, and they will refute our efforts to abide with them in harmony. Emerick’s outcome of this situation is one we may not see immediately, for the Lord indeed unfolds His rewards at His own pace, but, as the Word promises, “…they shall surely come,” Habakkuk 2:3.
At the same time, the Word promises that, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,” Isaiah 54:15-17.
Our part is to prefer the presence, the power, the love, the approval of the Lord Jesus Christ more than we desire the approval of men (see John 12:42, 43.) We must always have our sights set on the abiding things of heaven rather than on the fleeting things of earth.
If we do not maintain our eyes fixed on Jesus, we will be allured by temporal enticements. If we allow ourselves to be turned from the Lord and all He’s provided for us to the momentary treasures of earth we will disappoint ourselves, not only as we walk this Vale of Tears but also as we face eternity.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Regarding a Government Riddled with Scandal
The Lord Jesus Himself told us that He would send the Holy Spirit to "teach us all things," John 14:26. We must not keep the light He reveals to us "under a bushel," Matthew 5:15, but declare it boldly—we must let it shine forth into the darkness around us.
There is a direct correlation between how effectively we as believers in Christ proclaim the Word of Truth and demand our freedom to “shout it from the housetops,” Matthew 10:27 and what we will tolerate from our government. Many are unwilling or unable to connect the dots between what happens in the churches of America with what is unfolding in the highways and byways and enclaves of power in this country.
Although the scandals in D.C. are disheartening, I pray the fact of them causes our people, who have enjoyed freedom for so long that they cannot fathom being without it, even when it is being systematically stolen away from them, to open their ears and their eyes to what is going on in this government and declare to those who would be our dictators that they are our servants. It is their sworn duty to represent us, not to reign over us. America is meant to be "government of the people, by the people, for the people," and we the people must declare it again! The people must be willing to fight for it!
May true believers proclaim II Chronicles 7:14 (If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sin, and heal their land.”) over the United States until the Holy Spirit moves upon our people and revival sweeps the whole country—with men great and humble laying their lives at the feet of Jesus again.
There is a direct correlation between how effectively we as believers in Christ proclaim the Word of Truth and demand our freedom to “shout it from the housetops,” Matthew 10:27 and what we will tolerate from our government. Many are unwilling or unable to connect the dots between what happens in the churches of America with what is unfolding in the highways and byways and enclaves of power in this country.
Although the scandals in D.C. are disheartening, I pray the fact of them causes our people, who have enjoyed freedom for so long that they cannot fathom being without it, even when it is being systematically stolen away from them, to open their ears and their eyes to what is going on in this government and declare to those who would be our dictators that they are our servants. It is their sworn duty to represent us, not to reign over us. America is meant to be "government of the people, by the people, for the people," and we the people must declare it again! The people must be willing to fight for it!
May true believers proclaim II Chronicles 7:14 (If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sin, and heal their land.”) over the United States until the Holy Spirit moves upon our people and revival sweeps the whole country—with men great and humble laying their lives at the feet of Jesus again.
Our Wondrous Trek
June 5
"The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand." Psalm 37:23-24
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Does it make sense to pray for guidance about the future if we are not obeying in the thing that lies before us today? How many momentous events in Scripture depended on one person's seemingly small act of obedience! Rest assured: Do what God tells you to do now, and, depend upon it, you will be shown what to do next. -- Elisabeth Elliot (from Quest for Love: True Stories of Passion and Purity)
How wondrous is the thought expressed in Psalm 37—God is holding our hand. He calls us His children, and as a loving Father, He assures we will not fall because He Himself prevents our being hurled into the consequence of our stumbling.
None of us is free of sin, none of us has walked without disappointing God in our attitudes or our actions, but He keeps us from the logical outcome of them. His love covers us—and that covering was supplied at Calvary.
How we rejoice that we have a Savior who stumbled and fell along the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrows, in our behalf. How we rejoice that He bore the pain of that wretched road in our stead. How thankful we are that His journey of death has led to our journey of life!
Because of what Jesus has done for us, our part becomes, as Elizabeth Elliott says, to do what God tells us to do now and to trust Him for guidance as to what to do next. That becomes a wondrous trek when we walk hand-in-hand beside Jesus, our Savior.
"The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand." Psalm 37:23-24
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Does it make sense to pray for guidance about the future if we are not obeying in the thing that lies before us today? How many momentous events in Scripture depended on one person's seemingly small act of obedience! Rest assured: Do what God tells you to do now, and, depend upon it, you will be shown what to do next. -- Elisabeth Elliot (from Quest for Love: True Stories of Passion and Purity)
How wondrous is the thought expressed in Psalm 37—God is holding our hand. He calls us His children, and as a loving Father, He assures we will not fall because He Himself prevents our being hurled into the consequence of our stumbling.
None of us is free of sin, none of us has walked without disappointing God in our attitudes or our actions, but He keeps us from the logical outcome of them. His love covers us—and that covering was supplied at Calvary.
How we rejoice that we have a Savior who stumbled and fell along the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrows, in our behalf. How we rejoice that He bore the pain of that wretched road in our stead. How thankful we are that His journey of death has led to our journey of life!
Because of what Jesus has done for us, our part becomes, as Elizabeth Elliott says, to do what God tells us to do now and to trust Him for guidance as to what to do next. That becomes a wondrous trek when we walk hand-in-hand beside Jesus, our Savior.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
I Will Hear From Heaven
June 4
AMERICA -- GOOD AND GREAT
French writer Alexis de Tocqueville, after visiting America in 1831, wrote, "I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forests -- and it was not there.
I sought for it in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her institutions of higher learning--and it was not there.
I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution -- and it was not there.
Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!"
II Chronicles 7:14:
If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.”
America is suffering from the sickness of sin—abortion, immorality, corruption in government, proliferation of smut…
We are like the people prophesied in Isaiah 5:20 who, “…call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Of them the Lord says, “Woe unto them!”
The sickness of sin is killing America but she is not inclined to accept the diagnosis of the Great Physician or to ingest His prescription for its remedy.
May our churches proclaim righteousness over the land once again; may the Holy Spirit of the Living God move in power over our people; may we fall on our knees in repentance before our Holy God; may we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior once again—and may He heal our land.
AMERICA -- GOOD AND GREAT
French writer Alexis de Tocqueville, after visiting America in 1831, wrote, "I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forests -- and it was not there.
I sought for it in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her institutions of higher learning--and it was not there.
I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution -- and it was not there.
Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!"
II Chronicles 7:14:
If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.”
America is suffering from the sickness of sin—abortion, immorality, corruption in government, proliferation of smut…
We are like the people prophesied in Isaiah 5:20 who, “…call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Of them the Lord says, “Woe unto them!”
The sickness of sin is killing America but she is not inclined to accept the diagnosis of the Great Physician or to ingest His prescription for its remedy.
May our churches proclaim righteousness over the land once again; may the Holy Spirit of the Living God move in power over our people; may we fall on our knees in repentance before our Holy God; may we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior once again—and may He heal our land.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Blessed Are The Peacemakers
June 3
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Matthew 5:9
"And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace." (Jeremiah 29:7)
“The principle involved in Jeremiah 29:7 would suggest to all of us who are the Lord's strangers and foreigners that we should be desirous to promote the peace and prosperity of the people among whom we dwell.
“Specially should our nation and our city be blest by our constant intercession. An earnest prayer for your country and other countries is well becoming in the mouth of every believer.
“Eagerly let us pray for the great boon of peace, both at home and abroad, for if strife should cause bloodshed in out streets, or if foreign battle should slay our brave soldiers, we should all bewail the calamity." Charles Spurgeon
May we be among the peacemakers who pray for the serenity of our own homes and our own spirits as well as for the "peace of God that passes understanding to keep our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus," according to Philippians 4:6-9.
May we pray for that perfect peace to extend to every soul that receives Christ as Savior and Lord; may we pray that the message of salvation will permeate the hearts and minds of everyone who hears it so His peace can become their portion.
May we be like St. Francis of Assisi who prayed, "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
“O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen”.
Jesus loves you, dear reader, and He longs to receive you one day to glory. I pray that chiefest among His gifts to you—until that great halleluiah morning arises in your life—may be joy, strength, health, wholeness, light, truth, hope, understanding, love and absolute peace.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Matthew 5:9
"And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace." (Jeremiah 29:7)
“The principle involved in Jeremiah 29:7 would suggest to all of us who are the Lord's strangers and foreigners that we should be desirous to promote the peace and prosperity of the people among whom we dwell.
“Specially should our nation and our city be blest by our constant intercession. An earnest prayer for your country and other countries is well becoming in the mouth of every believer.
“Eagerly let us pray for the great boon of peace, both at home and abroad, for if strife should cause bloodshed in out streets, or if foreign battle should slay our brave soldiers, we should all bewail the calamity." Charles Spurgeon
May we be among the peacemakers who pray for the serenity of our own homes and our own spirits as well as for the "peace of God that passes understanding to keep our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus," according to Philippians 4:6-9.
May we pray for that perfect peace to extend to every soul that receives Christ as Savior and Lord; may we pray that the message of salvation will permeate the hearts and minds of everyone who hears it so His peace can become their portion.
May we be like St. Francis of Assisi who prayed, "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
“O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen”.
Jesus loves you, dear reader, and He longs to receive you one day to glory. I pray that chiefest among His gifts to you—until that great halleluiah morning arises in your life—may be joy, strength, health, wholeness, light, truth, hope, understanding, love and absolute peace.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Another Day Begins
June 2
"So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12
Another day begins. The challenges before you can be daunting. Life and its responsibilities can be formidable and your ability to achieve them can press you to the utmost of your mental and physical and spiritual acuity.
Sometimes life simply tasks you with too much on your to-do list. I pray that in spite of the busy-ness that awaits you when you awaken each morning, you will have enjoyment in every moment of time with which the Lord blesses you with life, and I pray the “unspeakable gift” II Corinthians 9:15 will so immerse the entirety of your life in His “peace that passes understanding,” Philippians 4:7, that nothing of time or of eternity can intimidate you or deter you from the accomplishments He has set before you to achieve.
I pray your life will be long and healthy and happy and that it will be shared abundantly with those you love and who love you. I pray every moment of your life will be rooted and grounded in faith in the Christ who loves you best of all; and I pray that His joy in you will be a source of strength so mighty (Nehemiah 8:10) that NOTHING can depress you or defeat you because the power within you conquers every problem about which you pray! (See Mark 11:24, 25.)
The Lord Jesus Christ has promised that "HE will NEVER leave or forsake you," Hebrews 13:5) so rest on His abiding presence with you and upon the assurance that you may, "Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you," I Peter 5:7. This, plus the assurance He's given that you can, "do all things through Christ who strengthens you," Philippians 4:13 reduces every challenge you will ever face to a potential for amazing achievement because the Lord makes a difference for good in every day that you turn over to Him.
"So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12
Another day begins. The challenges before you can be daunting. Life and its responsibilities can be formidable and your ability to achieve them can press you to the utmost of your mental and physical and spiritual acuity.
Sometimes life simply tasks you with too much on your to-do list. I pray that in spite of the busy-ness that awaits you when you awaken each morning, you will have enjoyment in every moment of time with which the Lord blesses you with life, and I pray the “unspeakable gift” II Corinthians 9:15 will so immerse the entirety of your life in His “peace that passes understanding,” Philippians 4:7, that nothing of time or of eternity can intimidate you or deter you from the accomplishments He has set before you to achieve.
I pray your life will be long and healthy and happy and that it will be shared abundantly with those you love and who love you. I pray every moment of your life will be rooted and grounded in faith in the Christ who loves you best of all; and I pray that His joy in you will be a source of strength so mighty (Nehemiah 8:10) that NOTHING can depress you or defeat you because the power within you conquers every problem about which you pray! (See Mark 11:24, 25.)
The Lord Jesus Christ has promised that "HE will NEVER leave or forsake you," Hebrews 13:5) so rest on His abiding presence with you and upon the assurance that you may, "Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you," I Peter 5:7. This, plus the assurance He's given that you can, "do all things through Christ who strengthens you," Philippians 4:13 reduces every challenge you will ever face to a potential for amazing achievement because the Lord makes a difference for good in every day that you turn over to Him.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Friendship
June 1
"Accept one another, then, for the glory of God, as Christ has accepted you." Romans 15:7
THE REAL REASON BEHIND FRIENDSHIP
In friendship ... we think we have chosen our peers. In reality a few years' difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another...the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting-any of these chances might have kept us apart.
But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret master of ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," can truly say to every group of Christian friends, "Ye have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another."
The friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others. -- C.S. Lewis
Today's message of acceptance is something every person on the planet wants to receive. Though we may reserve our 'right' to be selective about whom we choose as friends, we would prefer that the decisions of pleasant folk regarding their associations would not leave us out.
The Word says that "He who would have friends must show himself friendly," Proverbs 18:24, and this proves true again and again in our lives. Those to whom we reach out in kindness and understanding and compassion at the point of their need will usually be the ones with whom we have the closest associations.
Perhaps the words 'point of need' are key in this matter, for those who do not perceive themselves as having need of empathy from us may rebuff our efforts to extend a hand to them. According to the Word, our efforts should not be contingent upon their response; all we do must be based upon the truths of scripture, upon the example of our Savior.
We are told by the Lord Himself to "love your enemies, bless those who curse you, pray for those who despitefully use you," Matthew 5:44. In other words, our attitude, our action and our initiative are to be based upon the directive of the Lord, not on the natural inclination of man. Our own heart can deceive us (Jeremiah 17:9), so we rely only on the Word.
May your heart be so surrendered to the heart of Jesus that doing things His way will be second nature to you, and in being like Him, may you gather around you all the people He wants to abide in the center of your life.
"Accept one another, then, for the glory of God, as Christ has accepted you." Romans 15:7
THE REAL REASON BEHIND FRIENDSHIP
In friendship ... we think we have chosen our peers. In reality a few years' difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another...the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting-any of these chances might have kept us apart.
But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret master of ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," can truly say to every group of Christian friends, "Ye have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another."
The friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others. -- C.S. Lewis
Today's message of acceptance is something every person on the planet wants to receive. Though we may reserve our 'right' to be selective about whom we choose as friends, we would prefer that the decisions of pleasant folk regarding their associations would not leave us out.
The Word says that "He who would have friends must show himself friendly," Proverbs 18:24, and this proves true again and again in our lives. Those to whom we reach out in kindness and understanding and compassion at the point of their need will usually be the ones with whom we have the closest associations.
Perhaps the words 'point of need' are key in this matter, for those who do not perceive themselves as having need of empathy from us may rebuff our efforts to extend a hand to them. According to the Word, our efforts should not be contingent upon their response; all we do must be based upon the truths of scripture, upon the example of our Savior.
We are told by the Lord Himself to "love your enemies, bless those who curse you, pray for those who despitefully use you," Matthew 5:44. In other words, our attitude, our action and our initiative are to be based upon the directive of the Lord, not on the natural inclination of man. Our own heart can deceive us (Jeremiah 17:9), so we rely only on the Word.
May your heart be so surrendered to the heart of Jesus that doing things His way will be second nature to you, and in being like Him, may you gather around you all the people He wants to abide in the center of your life.
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