November 30
Isaiah 40:28-31
Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Sometimes we think we know the power, the genius, the endurance, the wisdom, the generosity of God; and in theory, we do, for we have studied His Word and employed our faith through decades of loving and serving Him. But until He actually meets us at the point of our need, until He increases might to us when we have no strength, until we are like the youth who faint and are weary and the young men who utterly fall, Isaiah 40:29, 30, we cannot begin to discern the reality of His promise to raise us up as we wait on Him.
I can speak only for myself, but I know that I have never enjoyed the sense of having power and being indefatigable as I have when I found power and strength at the point of my utter failure and weakness and weariness...when I knew that I knew that I knew the power and strength were there for me but they weren't from within me--they came from Jesus.
One of those times was when my doctor told me I had a deteriorating kidney and I'd require a kidney machine to stay alive but God broke through that dire prognosis because of the power of prayer; HE said I was whole and healthy and well. I have never needed a kidney machine in the forty years since that diagnosis was made.
Another time was when my doctor told me I had a tumor. I was devastated at the news as I sat in his office on a Friday afternoon. The diagnosis was to be confirmed the following Monday by having tests scheduled that could be done only at the hospital. That Sunday I sat heartbroken in church until there was a message in tongues and the Holy Spirit touched my abdomen. I recognized that touch because I'd felt Him before--and I knew God was now healing me. Monday's test confirmed God's promise.
Those wonderful times of visitation from the Lord Jesus Christ sometimes seem long ago and far away, but I know His revitalization power is as real today is it was then, for "He is the same yesterday, today, and forever," Hebrews 13:8.
You may be weary to the point of despair and defeat, but He wants you to know with every fiber of your being that HE IS YOUR STRENGTH WHEN YOU HAVE NO STRENGTH, Hebrews 40:29, for "God is no respecter of persons," Acts 10:34.
He has not done some wonderful miracle for me that He is will not do for you. The struggle may not be easy. The answer may not be in sight. The road to the joy He promises is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10) may not seem worth the climb--but it is.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Saturday, November 29, 2014
All Things to His Glory
November29
The teachings of the Lord are perfect; they give new strength. The rules of the Lord can be trusted; they make plain people wise. The orders of the Lord are right; they make people happy. The commands of the Lord are pure; they light up the way." Psalm 19:7, 8
A PORTRAIT PAINTED WITH WORDS
It was 1898. Ben had left the East eight years ago to head out West in hopes of making his fortune. Well, he wasn't rich, but he had accumulated over 300 acres of good land and built a comfortable farm house on it. He raised wheat, corn, and all of his vegetables. His cattle herd was more than 200 head. Having accomplished all of this, he decided that it was now time.
The ad that he placed in the New York newspaper said, "Wanted: A good woman willing to be a pen pal. Marriage is a possibility for the right woman."
Before long, he began receiving letters from Molly. Their correspondence turned into love. Now, here he stood in the Kansas City train station waiting to finally meet her.
When the train arrived, there were a lot of women getting off. Suddenly, he yelled, "Molly -- over here!"
She looked his way, walked over to him, smiled and held out her hand. "How did you know who I was?"
He then reached into the back pocket of his overalls and said, "From these here letters."
"But there are no pictures in them."
"Oh yes there are! There are lots of pictures in your words." You see, he had spent hours reading every word -- looking for every little clue that would tell him who Molly really was. He had fallen in love with her words -- words that had painted her portrait.
God's precious word paints a vivid portrait of who He is. We as His bride should fall in love with His Word so that we can then fall in love with its Author.
from Many A Tear Has To Fall by Wayne Hudson
There is an old saying that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words,’ but that is not always true. Sometimes words give a clearer insight into reality than any mere snapshot can. Here are a few words from the internet that give us a snippet of insight into God’s sense of order and balance:
The eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days; those of the canary in 14 days; those of the barnyard hen in 21 days; those of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days; those of the mallard in 35 days; those of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days. Notice, they are all divisible by seven, the number of days in a week!
God's wisdom is seen in the legs of an elephant, all of which bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to rise on two legs, so He gave it four that function in unison so it can rise from the ground easily.
The horse rises from the ground on its forelegs. A cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first. How wise the Lord is in all His works of creation!
God's wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and segments, as well as in the number of grains.
-Each watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind.
-Each orange has an even number of segments.
-Each ear of corn has an even number of rows.
-Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains.
-Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number.
-All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks, and the Lord specified that they would bear thirty fold, sixty fold, and a hundred fold--all even numbers.
God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day. Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed!
And His symmetry continues to non-animate aspects of His creation. For example, the waves of the sea roll onto shore at a count of twenty-six to the minute in all kinds of weather.
If our Father has the minutia of creation arranged to the tiniest detail, can we not suppose that the matters of life that concern and perplex us are also perfected as we simply allow Him to do what He does—manage all things to His glory!
The teachings of the Lord are perfect; they give new strength. The rules of the Lord can be trusted; they make plain people wise. The orders of the Lord are right; they make people happy. The commands of the Lord are pure; they light up the way." Psalm 19:7, 8
A PORTRAIT PAINTED WITH WORDS
It was 1898. Ben had left the East eight years ago to head out West in hopes of making his fortune. Well, he wasn't rich, but he had accumulated over 300 acres of good land and built a comfortable farm house on it. He raised wheat, corn, and all of his vegetables. His cattle herd was more than 200 head. Having accomplished all of this, he decided that it was now time.
The ad that he placed in the New York newspaper said, "Wanted: A good woman willing to be a pen pal. Marriage is a possibility for the right woman."
Before long, he began receiving letters from Molly. Their correspondence turned into love. Now, here he stood in the Kansas City train station waiting to finally meet her.
When the train arrived, there were a lot of women getting off. Suddenly, he yelled, "Molly -- over here!"
She looked his way, walked over to him, smiled and held out her hand. "How did you know who I was?"
He then reached into the back pocket of his overalls and said, "From these here letters."
"But there are no pictures in them."
"Oh yes there are! There are lots of pictures in your words." You see, he had spent hours reading every word -- looking for every little clue that would tell him who Molly really was. He had fallen in love with her words -- words that had painted her portrait.
God's precious word paints a vivid portrait of who He is. We as His bride should fall in love with His Word so that we can then fall in love with its Author.
from Many A Tear Has To Fall by Wayne Hudson
There is an old saying that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words,’ but that is not always true. Sometimes words give a clearer insight into reality than any mere snapshot can. Here are a few words from the internet that give us a snippet of insight into God’s sense of order and balance:
The eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days; those of the canary in 14 days; those of the barnyard hen in 21 days; those of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days; those of the mallard in 35 days; those of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days. Notice, they are all divisible by seven, the number of days in a week!
God's wisdom is seen in the legs of an elephant, all of which bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to rise on two legs, so He gave it four that function in unison so it can rise from the ground easily.
The horse rises from the ground on its forelegs. A cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first. How wise the Lord is in all His works of creation!
God's wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and segments, as well as in the number of grains.
-Each watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind.
-Each orange has an even number of segments.
-Each ear of corn has an even number of rows.
-Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains.
-Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number.
-All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks, and the Lord specified that they would bear thirty fold, sixty fold, and a hundred fold--all even numbers.
God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day. Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed!
And His symmetry continues to non-animate aspects of His creation. For example, the waves of the sea roll onto shore at a count of twenty-six to the minute in all kinds of weather.
If our Father has the minutia of creation arranged to the tiniest detail, can we not suppose that the matters of life that concern and perplex us are also perfected as we simply allow Him to do what He does—manage all things to His glory!
Friday, November 28, 2014
...to see the stars.
November 28
Reflecting upon the holiday we have just celebrated, may we consider the following:
Thanksgiving is the only American holiday commanded by Scripture: "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). "Give thanks" is a present tense imperative, a command to be obeyed continually, not just one day a year.
Why is Thanksgiving more a food-and-football holiday than a meaningful holy day for many? Here's one reason: it's difficult to be grateful to God when he disappoints us.
How is your life different from what you wish it were? When God disappoints us, it's human nature to punish him with our disregard. But such rejection of the Great Physician hurts the patient more than the Doctor. When I want to be thankful the least is usually when I need to be thankful the most.
Why? Because we "enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise" (Psalm 100:4). Worship connects us with the omnipotence of God. Gratitude positions us to receive all that grace intends to give. When we are thankful for all God has done for us, we can see all that he has not done in a different light. His grace illumines his silence. And we remember that his holy character can never make a mistake, so that he says "no" only when it is better for us than "yes."
George Matheson was born to privilege. At the University of Glasgow he graduated first in classics, logic, and philosophy. Then, in his twentieth year of life, he became totally blind. He followed God's call to ministry anyway. Matheson pastored some of Scotland's finest and largest churches, wrote books of philosophical theology which are still read and cited today, was theologian to Queen Victoria, received numerous honorary doctorates, filled the most prestigious lectureships in the land, and was a fellow of the Royal Society.
This prayer by George Matheson may help you to be thankful in spite of life’s disappointments; in spite of those times when we attribute our disappointments to God:
My God, I have never thanked thee for my thorn. I have thanked thee a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorn. Teach me the glory of my cross, teach me the value of my thorn. Show me that I have climbed to thee by the path of my pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbows.
Annie Dillard observed, "If you want to look at the stars, you will find that darkness is required."
Reflecting upon the holiday we have just celebrated, may we consider the following:
Thanksgiving is the only American holiday commanded by Scripture: "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). "Give thanks" is a present tense imperative, a command to be obeyed continually, not just one day a year.
Why is Thanksgiving more a food-and-football holiday than a meaningful holy day for many? Here's one reason: it's difficult to be grateful to God when he disappoints us.
How is your life different from what you wish it were? When God disappoints us, it's human nature to punish him with our disregard. But such rejection of the Great Physician hurts the patient more than the Doctor. When I want to be thankful the least is usually when I need to be thankful the most.
Why? Because we "enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise" (Psalm 100:4). Worship connects us with the omnipotence of God. Gratitude positions us to receive all that grace intends to give. When we are thankful for all God has done for us, we can see all that he has not done in a different light. His grace illumines his silence. And we remember that his holy character can never make a mistake, so that he says "no" only when it is better for us than "yes."
George Matheson was born to privilege. At the University of Glasgow he graduated first in classics, logic, and philosophy. Then, in his twentieth year of life, he became totally blind. He followed God's call to ministry anyway. Matheson pastored some of Scotland's finest and largest churches, wrote books of philosophical theology which are still read and cited today, was theologian to Queen Victoria, received numerous honorary doctorates, filled the most prestigious lectureships in the land, and was a fellow of the Royal Society.
This prayer by George Matheson may help you to be thankful in spite of life’s disappointments; in spite of those times when we attribute our disappointments to God:
My God, I have never thanked thee for my thorn. I have thanked thee a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorn. Teach me the glory of my cross, teach me the value of my thorn. Show me that I have climbed to thee by the path of my pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbows.
Annie Dillard observed, "If you want to look at the stars, you will find that darkness is required."
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 27 Happy Thanksgiving!
1 Chronicles 29:10-16
Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said:
“Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness,
The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O LORD,
And You are exalted as head over all.
Both riches and honor come from You,
And You reign over all.
In Your hand is power and might;
In Your hand it is to make great
And to give strength to all.
Now therefore, our God,
We thank You
And praise Your glorious name.
But who am I, and who are my people,
That we should be able to offer so willingly as this?
For all things come from You,
And of Your own we have given You.
For we are aliens and pilgrims before You,
As were all our fathers;
Our days on earth are as a shadow,
And without hope.
O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own.”
Spurgeon paraphrased these thoughts by saying, “There is no adorning Him but with His own gold.”
May we willingly lay Christ’s gold at His feet so we may partner with Him in the work He’s doing on earth. There is no other investment of our time or our energy or the resources He’s entrusted to us that will transcend time to be invested in eternity.
May we thank Him with hearts of praise and adoration on this day that is set aside to acknowledge His blessings, but may we not neglect to lift His name in thanksgiving every day that He gives us breath.
1 Chronicles 29:10-16
Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said:
“Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness,
The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O LORD,
And You are exalted as head over all.
Both riches and honor come from You,
And You reign over all.
In Your hand is power and might;
In Your hand it is to make great
And to give strength to all.
Now therefore, our God,
We thank You
And praise Your glorious name.
But who am I, and who are my people,
That we should be able to offer so willingly as this?
For all things come from You,
And of Your own we have given You.
For we are aliens and pilgrims before You,
As were all our fathers;
Our days on earth are as a shadow,
And without hope.
O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own.”
Spurgeon paraphrased these thoughts by saying, “There is no adorning Him but with His own gold.”
May we willingly lay Christ’s gold at His feet so we may partner with Him in the work He’s doing on earth. There is no other investment of our time or our energy or the resources He’s entrusted to us that will transcend time to be invested in eternity.
May we thank Him with hearts of praise and adoration on this day that is set aside to acknowledge His blessings, but may we not neglect to lift His name in thanksgiving every day that He gives us breath.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Give Thanks in All Things
November 26
Give Thanks in All Things by Dr. Jim Denison
Dobri Dobrev looks like a stereotypical homeless man. His grey hair and beard are long and matted. His clothes are old and threadbare. He is 100 years old and lost most of his hearing during World War II. Dobrev lives 15 miles outside of Sofia, Bulgaria, and rides the bus into town every day to beg from the people who live there. I'm sure those who pass him assume he is like any other beggar they have seen. But they would be wrong.
Dobrev lives off his monthly pension of 80 euros (about $100) and gives everything he receives to churches and orphanages. He once donated $24,000 to the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. He explains: "We must not lie, nor steal, nor commit adultery. We must love each other as God loves us."
Thursday is Thanksgiving, the only holiday in America that is required by Scripture. Nowhere are we commanded to observe Christmas or Easter (every Sunday is to be Resurrection Day), though both can obviously glorify our Father when celebrated for his glory. But the Bible mandates that we "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Note the little word "all." What circumstance makes thanksgiving difficult for you today? Does Scripture suggest that pain, grief, guilt or worry are good things? Obviously not. We are told to give thanks "in" all circumstances, not "for" them. Why?
Gratitude in hard places does not earn God's favor. It does not obligate him to do what we ask. Nor does it guarantee that our circumstances will turn out as we wish. God raised Joseph from the prison to the palace, but he did not remove Paul's "thorn in the flesh" despite the apostle's repeated pleas (2 Corinthians 12:7-8). Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were blessed with great financial resources, but Jesus' apostles were all martyred (excepting John, who was exiled and persecuted). Despite what we sometimes hear, Scripture nowhere promises that our faith will always be rewarded as we wish.
Rather, grateful expectancy positions us to receive what God's grace intends to give. We see this principle at work in other ways every day. For instance, you needed enough faith in me and our ministry to open and read today's Cultural Commentary. You believed that this essay would not waste your time, or transmit a virus, or contain ungodly language or images. Such faith did not earn this essay—it received it. In the same way, when we thank God for the ways he will redeem our challenges, trusting his "good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2), we are then able to receive his best for us.
So name the circumstance that makes thanksgiving hardest for you today. Ask God to redeem it for his glory and your good, and know that he will. The world may think you're a beggar, but God knows you're a child of the King. And he always gives his best to those who leave the choice with him.
Give Thanks in All Things by Dr. Jim Denison
Dobri Dobrev looks like a stereotypical homeless man. His grey hair and beard are long and matted. His clothes are old and threadbare. He is 100 years old and lost most of his hearing during World War II. Dobrev lives 15 miles outside of Sofia, Bulgaria, and rides the bus into town every day to beg from the people who live there. I'm sure those who pass him assume he is like any other beggar they have seen. But they would be wrong.
Dobrev lives off his monthly pension of 80 euros (about $100) and gives everything he receives to churches and orphanages. He once donated $24,000 to the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. He explains: "We must not lie, nor steal, nor commit adultery. We must love each other as God loves us."
Thursday is Thanksgiving, the only holiday in America that is required by Scripture. Nowhere are we commanded to observe Christmas or Easter (every Sunday is to be Resurrection Day), though both can obviously glorify our Father when celebrated for his glory. But the Bible mandates that we "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Note the little word "all." What circumstance makes thanksgiving difficult for you today? Does Scripture suggest that pain, grief, guilt or worry are good things? Obviously not. We are told to give thanks "in" all circumstances, not "for" them. Why?
Gratitude in hard places does not earn God's favor. It does not obligate him to do what we ask. Nor does it guarantee that our circumstances will turn out as we wish. God raised Joseph from the prison to the palace, but he did not remove Paul's "thorn in the flesh" despite the apostle's repeated pleas (2 Corinthians 12:7-8). Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were blessed with great financial resources, but Jesus' apostles were all martyred (excepting John, who was exiled and persecuted). Despite what we sometimes hear, Scripture nowhere promises that our faith will always be rewarded as we wish.
Rather, grateful expectancy positions us to receive what God's grace intends to give. We see this principle at work in other ways every day. For instance, you needed enough faith in me and our ministry to open and read today's Cultural Commentary. You believed that this essay would not waste your time, or transmit a virus, or contain ungodly language or images. Such faith did not earn this essay—it received it. In the same way, when we thank God for the ways he will redeem our challenges, trusting his "good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2), we are then able to receive his best for us.
So name the circumstance that makes thanksgiving hardest for you today. Ask God to redeem it for his glory and your good, and know that he will. The world may think you're a beggar, but God knows you're a child of the King. And he always gives his best to those who leave the choice with him.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Know Him As He Is
November 25
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” Genesis 1:1
Even before leaving the first verse of the Bible, a student of Biblical truth is confronted with a conundrum, for the translators of the Holy Word agree upon the fact that the meaning of the word for our Almighty Creator, ‘Elohim,’ as being plural in the original Hebrew.
To further affirm the plurality of the Godhead, He says of Himself in Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in our image and in our likeness.”
In John 1-4 the beloved disciple says of Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning and without Him there would have been nothing made that was made. In Him was life and that life was the light of all mankind.”
This concept confounds unbelievers who deny any possibility for the veracity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ due to their conviction that the affirmation of God Himself, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one God,” Deuteronomy 6:4, disavows our Savior as being part of the Triune Deity.
Professors of faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord rob themselves of the ability to identify with the richness of His person-hood when they deny the word of Philippians 2:6-8 which says, “Have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself of no reputation, emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Then, being found in the fashion of a man, He humbled Himself, even unto death on a cross.”
Whether the unbeliever who scoffs at the notion of a Triune Godhead or whether the believer who doubts the veracity of the repeated claims of the plurality of the Person of Almighty God, the man who denies who God is withholds himself from the temporal intimacy of friendship with the One who is the Triune Majesty on High, if not the eternal of assurance of residence with Him.
This is a high price to pay in either case, an unnecessary price for something that the Lord has already given to every man as a “free gift,” Romans 6:23. No matter what belief system our parents or our culture imposed upon us, no matter how our own reason has evaluated the subject of the plurality of the Eternal Godhead, may we relinquish our doubts long enough to objectively assess the claims of Jesus so we might receive the eternal advantage of knowing Him as He is.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” Genesis 1:1
Even before leaving the first verse of the Bible, a student of Biblical truth is confronted with a conundrum, for the translators of the Holy Word agree upon the fact that the meaning of the word for our Almighty Creator, ‘Elohim,’ as being plural in the original Hebrew.
To further affirm the plurality of the Godhead, He says of Himself in Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in our image and in our likeness.”
In John 1-4 the beloved disciple says of Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning and without Him there would have been nothing made that was made. In Him was life and that life was the light of all mankind.”
This concept confounds unbelievers who deny any possibility for the veracity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ due to their conviction that the affirmation of God Himself, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one God,” Deuteronomy 6:4, disavows our Savior as being part of the Triune Deity.
Professors of faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord rob themselves of the ability to identify with the richness of His person-hood when they deny the word of Philippians 2:6-8 which says, “Have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself of no reputation, emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Then, being found in the fashion of a man, He humbled Himself, even unto death on a cross.”
Whether the unbeliever who scoffs at the notion of a Triune Godhead or whether the believer who doubts the veracity of the repeated claims of the plurality of the Person of Almighty God, the man who denies who God is withholds himself from the temporal intimacy of friendship with the One who is the Triune Majesty on High, if not the eternal of assurance of residence with Him.
This is a high price to pay in either case, an unnecessary price for something that the Lord has already given to every man as a “free gift,” Romans 6:23. No matter what belief system our parents or our culture imposed upon us, no matter how our own reason has evaluated the subject of the plurality of the Eternal Godhead, may we relinquish our doubts long enough to objectively assess the claims of Jesus so we might receive the eternal advantage of knowing Him as He is.
Monday, November 24, 2014
John, Chapter Four
November 24
John, Chapter 4, King James Version
“When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, 2 Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples, 3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.4 And he must needs go through Samaria.
5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.8 For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. 40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his own word; 42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.
43 Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee. 44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country. 45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast. 46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.
48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. 52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. 54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judea into Galilee.
John, Chapter 4, King James Version
“When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, 2 Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples, 3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.4 And he must needs go through Samaria.
5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.8 For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. 40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his own word; 42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.
43 Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee. 44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country. 45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast. 46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.
48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. 52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. 54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judea into Galilee.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
A Question for Men:
November 22
Technical difficulties prevented yesterday's post so it is being submitted today:
Here is a question for the men:
What is the best thing you can do for your children?
Give them a nice house to live in? Give them lots of food on the table? Hug them often? Enrich their lives with cultural experiences? Play with them? Take them to sports events? Encourage them to get a good education and to pursue their dreams? Take them to church?
All these are wonderful and every father, to the best of his ability, should do all those things. But the number one, single most important thing a father can do for his children is:
TO LOVE THEIR MOTHER...
If he does that, the rest of the things on the list will most likely fall into place. If He loves JESUS, he will not only love their mother but love his children with a love that will transcend time and embrace eternity.
Technical difficulties prevented yesterday's post so it is being submitted today:
Here is a question for the men:
What is the best thing you can do for your children?
Give them a nice house to live in? Give them lots of food on the table? Hug them often? Enrich their lives with cultural experiences? Play with them? Take them to sports events? Encourage them to get a good education and to pursue their dreams? Take them to church?
All these are wonderful and every father, to the best of his ability, should do all those things. But the number one, single most important thing a father can do for his children is:
TO LOVE THEIR MOTHER...
If he does that, the rest of the things on the list will most likely fall into place. If He loves JESUS, he will not only love their mother but love his children with a love that will transcend time and embrace eternity.
When the Light Shines upon Him
November 23
“And now you know what is holding Him back, so that He may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the One who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works; he will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved.
11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie; 12 so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness,” II Thessalonians 2:6-12
The Holy Spirit of the Living God was present at creation. The second verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:2, tells us, “The earth was without form and void; darkness was on the face of the waters and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the deep.” His move upon the formless void of the earth was transformative.
God moved upon the darkness, causing the power of His presence to set in motion the amazing complexity of the universe and to introduce the loveliness of His handiwork throughout the earth.
The Spirit of God, moving upon the heart of a man, does much the same thing. The soul of unregenerate humankind is dark and void of goodness and capable of all manner of sin. The man without Christ as his Savior is “dead in trespasses and sin,” Ephesians 2:1, 5, 6, and incapable of godliness.
The Bible is quite clear in the matter, as we are told in Romans 3:10-18, “As it is written: there is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable;
there is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips, their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Man is capable of every vile deed that his reprobate imagination can conceive and his rush to do the work of the evil one, “to steal, kill, and destroy,” John 10:10 is pervasive throughout the earth. The moral void in which he wallows steeps him in oblivion, for he is unaware of the depth of his depravity and the magnitude of his sin and the lostness of his soul.
But when the Spirit of God moves upon the face of the deep of a man’s soul; when the power of the Holy One compels him to see himself as God sees him, he cries with the prophet, “Woe is me, for I am undone! I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell among a people of unclean lips; for I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!” Isaiah 6:5.
When the light of the King of kings and Lord of lords shines upon him, a man departs from the evil he has done in the darkness and becomes an instrument in the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ to guide other lost souls into His glorious light.
“And now you know what is holding Him back, so that He may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the One who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works; he will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved.
11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie; 12 so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness,” II Thessalonians 2:6-12
The Holy Spirit of the Living God was present at creation. The second verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:2, tells us, “The earth was without form and void; darkness was on the face of the waters and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the deep.” His move upon the formless void of the earth was transformative.
God moved upon the darkness, causing the power of His presence to set in motion the amazing complexity of the universe and to introduce the loveliness of His handiwork throughout the earth.
The Spirit of God, moving upon the heart of a man, does much the same thing. The soul of unregenerate humankind is dark and void of goodness and capable of all manner of sin. The man without Christ as his Savior is “dead in trespasses and sin,” Ephesians 2:1, 5, 6, and incapable of godliness.
The Bible is quite clear in the matter, as we are told in Romans 3:10-18, “As it is written: there is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable;
there is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips, their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Man is capable of every vile deed that his reprobate imagination can conceive and his rush to do the work of the evil one, “to steal, kill, and destroy,” John 10:10 is pervasive throughout the earth. The moral void in which he wallows steeps him in oblivion, for he is unaware of the depth of his depravity and the magnitude of his sin and the lostness of his soul.
But when the Spirit of God moves upon the face of the deep of a man’s soul; when the power of the Holy One compels him to see himself as God sees him, he cries with the prophet, “Woe is me, for I am undone! I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell among a people of unclean lips; for I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!” Isaiah 6:5.
When the light of the King of kings and Lord of lords shines upon him, a man departs from the evil he has done in the darkness and becomes an instrument in the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ to guide other lost souls into His glorious light.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Isaiah, Chapter Six
November 22
Isaiah, Chapter Six
Isaiah sees a vision of the holiness of our Almighty God and Savior and King. May He give us a glimpse of Himself, that we might better understand who He is and what an awesome God we serve:
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,
12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.
Isaiah, Chapter Six
Isaiah sees a vision of the holiness of our Almighty God and Savior and King. May He give us a glimpse of Himself, that we might better understand who He is and what an awesome God we serve:
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,
12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.
Mourning for the Pierced One
November 21
The Nations of the world will one day gather against Israel, and there are many indications that the day of prophesy is coming soon (see Zechariah 12). The nations will find themselves not to be merely fighting God’s ancient people, but they will have arrayed themselves against God Himself…and their actions will be to their own detriment.
Jeremiah, Chapter 12
“12 The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: 2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. 4 In that day, says the Lord, I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, the inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God. 6 In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a fire-pan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem.
7 The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. 8 In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. 9 It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Mourning for the Pierced One
10 And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
12 And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.
The Nations of the world will one day gather against Israel, and there are many indications that the day of prophesy is coming soon (see Zechariah 12). The nations will find themselves not to be merely fighting God’s ancient people, but they will have arrayed themselves against God Himself…and their actions will be to their own detriment.
Jeremiah, Chapter 12
“12 The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: 2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. 4 In that day, says the Lord, I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, the inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God. 6 In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a fire-pan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem.
7 The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. 8 In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. 9 It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Mourning for the Pierced One
10 And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
12 And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Given Over
November 20
“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness,”
II Thessalonians 2:9-12.
People who love God and who esteem the free gift of salvation that has been extended to them through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus will value truth highly for they will believe the Word which tells them, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free,” John 8:32.
The original settlers to the shores that became the United States of America were willing to leave home and country in order that they might have the freedom to pursue truth and to worship our Holy God after the truth they had discovered regarding Him. The founding fathers of this country were willing to stake their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor upon the truth that sets men free.
Yet in our day, truth has become a commodity that men easily sacrifice on the altar of self-gratification and the pursuit of pleasure and selfish gain. People today are not so much seekers of truth but espousers of the notion that ‘anything goes.’ Nobody, they conjecture, has the right to dictate morality or righteousness or to lay claim to truth.
Truth is whatever each individual finds it to be for himself. Because of the pervasiveness of this erroneous notion, tolerance has become the only viable commandment of the day. We will accept any doctrine, indulge any behavior in order that everyone may embrace his own truth; and in so doing, we hold only lies to our hearts.
Verses 11 and 12 of II Thessalonians 2 go on to say, "And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie so they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." This parallels Romans 1:28, where Paul says, "God gave them over to a reprobate mind."
If man does not value truth; if man prefers the lie and convinces himself of its veracity, God will not cajole or force him to forsake the lie he’s chosen. Rather, the Holy One will allow him to embrace the lie to his own detriment. And that is not to negate the power of the Holy Spirit which is ever present to give credence to God’s truth; that is simply to acknowledge that if a man prefers the lie, God will not deny him the pursuit of it.
So we see lawlessness in our courts and the evidence of reprobate minds in our elected officials because our citizenry is no longer pursuant of God’s truth. Many of our people no longer grace the Church with their presence; no longer lift their voices to sing the praises of the One who died to set them free from sin; no longer honor, let alone study, the Book that holds the TRUTH that is eternal within its covers.
As the Living Christ and His Bible have become passé, our society has coarsened, our power has become weakened, and our knowledge of truth has lessened. In our current state, we are reprobate and godless but oblivious to the precariousness of our condition. Can it be because as Paul said, God has given us over to a reprobate mind?
“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness,”
II Thessalonians 2:9-12.
People who love God and who esteem the free gift of salvation that has been extended to them through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus will value truth highly for they will believe the Word which tells them, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free,” John 8:32.
The original settlers to the shores that became the United States of America were willing to leave home and country in order that they might have the freedom to pursue truth and to worship our Holy God after the truth they had discovered regarding Him. The founding fathers of this country were willing to stake their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor upon the truth that sets men free.
Yet in our day, truth has become a commodity that men easily sacrifice on the altar of self-gratification and the pursuit of pleasure and selfish gain. People today are not so much seekers of truth but espousers of the notion that ‘anything goes.’ Nobody, they conjecture, has the right to dictate morality or righteousness or to lay claim to truth.
Truth is whatever each individual finds it to be for himself. Because of the pervasiveness of this erroneous notion, tolerance has become the only viable commandment of the day. We will accept any doctrine, indulge any behavior in order that everyone may embrace his own truth; and in so doing, we hold only lies to our hearts.
Verses 11 and 12 of II Thessalonians 2 go on to say, "And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie so they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." This parallels Romans 1:28, where Paul says, "God gave them over to a reprobate mind."
If man does not value truth; if man prefers the lie and convinces himself of its veracity, God will not cajole or force him to forsake the lie he’s chosen. Rather, the Holy One will allow him to embrace the lie to his own detriment. And that is not to negate the power of the Holy Spirit which is ever present to give credence to God’s truth; that is simply to acknowledge that if a man prefers the lie, God will not deny him the pursuit of it.
So we see lawlessness in our courts and the evidence of reprobate minds in our elected officials because our citizenry is no longer pursuant of God’s truth. Many of our people no longer grace the Church with their presence; no longer lift their voices to sing the praises of the One who died to set them free from sin; no longer honor, let alone study, the Book that holds the TRUTH that is eternal within its covers.
As the Living Christ and His Bible have become passé, our society has coarsened, our power has become weakened, and our knowledge of truth has lessened. In our current state, we are reprobate and godless but oblivious to the precariousness of our condition. Can it be because as Paul said, God has given us over to a reprobate mind?
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Spiritual Warfare
November 19
Spiritual Warfare by Jennifer LeClaire
When it comes to spiritual warfare—and intercession—many times we don't know how to pray as we ought. We sense spiritual oppression trying to discourage us, demons harassing people we love, or principalities settling over our city like a dark rain cloud—but we don't always have revelation about the enemy we're fighting.
When that happens, I always do one thing: pray in the Spirit—and I don't stop praying in the Spirit until that oppression lifts or until I have a Spirit-inspired strategy to wrestle against what's wrestling against me. I wrestle from a place of victory, but I don't wrestle presumptuously. I need the Holy Spirit to show me how to pray—and sometimes that prayer includes travail. This is scriptural:
"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Rom. 8:26-27).
What Are These Groanings?
Notice that Paul wrote about "groanings which cannot be uttered." Here he's talking about one manifestation of travailing prayer. The Greek word for "groanings" in that Scripture is "stenagmos," which simply means a groaning or a sigh.
Of course, the Holy Spirit is doing the groaning through us. We can't work up this type of prayer by our will. It's a spiritual response to a prayer burden. Travail has to be Spirit-led, or it's just soulish or fleshly. Nevertheless, travail is a genuine form of prayer that can break through when nothing else does. The Greek word "travail" is found several times in the New Testament (and many more times in the Old).
When Jesus talked about the pregnant woman who had sorrow in travail (see John 16:21), He was referring to "tikto," which means "to bring forth, bear, produce (fruit from the seed); of a woman giving birth; of the earth bringing forth its fruits." But when Paul was talking about interceding for the Thessalonians (see 1 Thess. 2:9), the Greek word for travail is "mochthos," which means a hard and difficult labor, toil, travail, hardship, distress.
Hebrew words for travail include "yalad," which also brings in the connotation of helping: "to cause or help to bring forth; to assist or tend to as a midwife" (See Gen. 38:27); "t@la'ah," which implies seeking deliverance from toil, hardship, distress, weariness (see Ex. 18:8); "'inyan," which refers to an occupation, task, job (see Eccl. 1:13); "'amal" which refers to toil, trouble, labor (see Is. 23:4); and "challah," which means to be or become grieved, be or become sorry (see Is. 53:11).
Travail That Brings Deliverance
Most of the time, travailing prayer is a birthing prayer—it births something you've been carrying in your heart that God wants to deliver. But it can also be a deliverance prayer. In this verse, travail is used in a deliverance context: "And Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them" (Ex. 18:8).
Sometimes, when the enemy gets an advantage on us (see 2 Cor. 2:11), another person, or even a region, the Spirit of God will lead you into travailing prayer. You'll serve as a midwife and toil in prayer to help bring forth God's purposes—to birth His will in the earth—which may also mean deliverance from the kingdom of darkness.
Many times before travailing prayer comes upon you, you'll feel grieved, heavy or otherwise burdened. Less experienced intercessors may believe they are under spiritual attack—and they may be—but it's often the Holy Spirit moving on your spirit to engage in travail with Him. Notice I say "with Him." Again, you can't stir up travail in your soul or your flesh. It is Spirit-inspired. The important thing to know is that when you sense this coming on you, you need to yield to the Holy Spirit to birth His purposes.
Travail is not prayer led by emotions, though you may appear emotional as you enter travail with weeping and wailing and groaning like a woman birthing a child. Because of its intensity, some churches have relegated intercession to a back room in the church and essentially thrown the baby out with the breakthrough bathwater. But it's vital that we cooperate with the Holy Spirit when He wants to use us as a midwife to birth or deliver, even if you have to excuse yourself from the prayer meeting to avoid confusing those who are not familiar with this type of intercession.
Letting the Holy Spirit Pray Through You
With all this in mind, let's look at Romans 8 again: "For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Rom. 8:22-27).
The will of God is to birth His purposes. The will of God is to deliver people from the bonds of Satan. The will of God is that we cooperate with His Holy Spirit, laboring in all manner of prayer to prevail in the wrestling match against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (see Eph. 6:12).
Sometimes all manner of prayer includes travail. Amen.
Jennifer LeClaire is news editor of Charisma
Spiritual Warfare by Jennifer LeClaire
When it comes to spiritual warfare—and intercession—many times we don't know how to pray as we ought. We sense spiritual oppression trying to discourage us, demons harassing people we love, or principalities settling over our city like a dark rain cloud—but we don't always have revelation about the enemy we're fighting.
When that happens, I always do one thing: pray in the Spirit—and I don't stop praying in the Spirit until that oppression lifts or until I have a Spirit-inspired strategy to wrestle against what's wrestling against me. I wrestle from a place of victory, but I don't wrestle presumptuously. I need the Holy Spirit to show me how to pray—and sometimes that prayer includes travail. This is scriptural:
"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Rom. 8:26-27).
What Are These Groanings?
Notice that Paul wrote about "groanings which cannot be uttered." Here he's talking about one manifestation of travailing prayer. The Greek word for "groanings" in that Scripture is "stenagmos," which simply means a groaning or a sigh.
Of course, the Holy Spirit is doing the groaning through us. We can't work up this type of prayer by our will. It's a spiritual response to a prayer burden. Travail has to be Spirit-led, or it's just soulish or fleshly. Nevertheless, travail is a genuine form of prayer that can break through when nothing else does. The Greek word "travail" is found several times in the New Testament (and many more times in the Old).
When Jesus talked about the pregnant woman who had sorrow in travail (see John 16:21), He was referring to "tikto," which means "to bring forth, bear, produce (fruit from the seed); of a woman giving birth; of the earth bringing forth its fruits." But when Paul was talking about interceding for the Thessalonians (see 1 Thess. 2:9), the Greek word for travail is "mochthos," which means a hard and difficult labor, toil, travail, hardship, distress.
Hebrew words for travail include "yalad," which also brings in the connotation of helping: "to cause or help to bring forth; to assist or tend to as a midwife" (See Gen. 38:27); "t@la'ah," which implies seeking deliverance from toil, hardship, distress, weariness (see Ex. 18:8); "'inyan," which refers to an occupation, task, job (see Eccl. 1:13); "'amal" which refers to toil, trouble, labor (see Is. 23:4); and "challah," which means to be or become grieved, be or become sorry (see Is. 53:11).
Travail That Brings Deliverance
Most of the time, travailing prayer is a birthing prayer—it births something you've been carrying in your heart that God wants to deliver. But it can also be a deliverance prayer. In this verse, travail is used in a deliverance context: "And Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them" (Ex. 18:8).
Sometimes, when the enemy gets an advantage on us (see 2 Cor. 2:11), another person, or even a region, the Spirit of God will lead you into travailing prayer. You'll serve as a midwife and toil in prayer to help bring forth God's purposes—to birth His will in the earth—which may also mean deliverance from the kingdom of darkness.
Many times before travailing prayer comes upon you, you'll feel grieved, heavy or otherwise burdened. Less experienced intercessors may believe they are under spiritual attack—and they may be—but it's often the Holy Spirit moving on your spirit to engage in travail with Him. Notice I say "with Him." Again, you can't stir up travail in your soul or your flesh. It is Spirit-inspired. The important thing to know is that when you sense this coming on you, you need to yield to the Holy Spirit to birth His purposes.
Travail is not prayer led by emotions, though you may appear emotional as you enter travail with weeping and wailing and groaning like a woman birthing a child. Because of its intensity, some churches have relegated intercession to a back room in the church and essentially thrown the baby out with the breakthrough bathwater. But it's vital that we cooperate with the Holy Spirit when He wants to use us as a midwife to birth or deliver, even if you have to excuse yourself from the prayer meeting to avoid confusing those who are not familiar with this type of intercession.
Letting the Holy Spirit Pray Through You
With all this in mind, let's look at Romans 8 again: "For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Rom. 8:22-27).
The will of God is to birth His purposes. The will of God is to deliver people from the bonds of Satan. The will of God is that we cooperate with His Holy Spirit, laboring in all manner of prayer to prevail in the wrestling match against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (see Eph. 6:12).
Sometimes all manner of prayer includes travail. Amen.
Jennifer LeClaire is news editor of Charisma
Monday, November 17, 2014
Junk?
My computer will be serviced tomorrow so I am posting tomorrow's message today:
November 18
Why would you consider yourself to be junk when Jesus paid a hefty price for your salvation? From Charisma Magazine
Someone once said, "One man's junk is another man's treasure." Or woman's in my wife's case. She loves yard sales. On Saturday mornings, when I should be allowed to sleep in, she wakes me up at dawn. She is already dressed and has the newspaper spread out on the counter. The classified section is open, and the page is covered with bright yellow circles.
Those circles lay out the destiny for my "morning off." They're all the yard sales that seem to show promise of a treasure. Beside each yellow circle is a red number. You guessed it; the numbers map out the order in which we are going to travel from yard sale to yard sale.
And so, with cup of coffee in hand, we head out. Not only do we stop and go from highlighted location to highlighted location, Tammi also has her eagle eye trained for cardboard signs stapled to telephone poles. We take detours. We search for that hidden treasure.
There are treasures lurking in the yards of people too cheap to even run an ad. But we will find them. They cannot hide. And there is no yard sale too small.
A blanket on the grass with two piles of clothes on it, a used tire and a broken treadmill, all in the front yard, constitutes a stop. Why? Because there could be a treasure buried under all of that junk.
And you know what? Quite often, people (mostly women) come into our house and ask, "Oh, where did you get this?" And more times than not, the proud answer is, "I found it at a yard sale; it was a hidden treasure."
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price." Matthew elaborates when he recorded the words of Jesus relating that the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, a hidden treasure. And when the merchant found even one pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned to go and purchase the land with the one hidden treasure.
This is just what Jesus does. He searches for that one pearl—you and me! He looks for the hidden treasure. And here is the amazing thing that should blow our minds: To everyone else, we just look like junk—but not to Him.
Romans 5:8 states that, "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." He literally purchased us with His very life. Why? He saw the hidden treasure. He saw way beyond what could be seen on the outside. We looked like junk at a yard sale. We had no value. We were worthless. We were actually filthy dirty, with no way to clean ourselves up. The more we tried, the more obvious it became that it was hopeless. It was hopeless except to Him. He saw the hidden pearls, and He spent all He had to purchase us.
This week in your life's journey, you may still feel like yard-sale junk. Life may have covered you with dirt, rust and mold. You may be wondering: Will things ever change? Does my life matter? Do I have any value to anyone?
Remember, to Him you are a pearl, a hidden treasure worth the purchase price—His life.
Change your mindset. See yourself as He sees you. You are valuable and necessary in His kingdom. You are not junk. You are His treasure. You are bought and paid for. And He purchased you for a reason. You matter. You are valuable. You are His hidden treasure, a pearl of great price.
November 18
Why would you consider yourself to be junk when Jesus paid a hefty price for your salvation? From Charisma Magazine
Someone once said, "One man's junk is another man's treasure." Or woman's in my wife's case. She loves yard sales. On Saturday mornings, when I should be allowed to sleep in, she wakes me up at dawn. She is already dressed and has the newspaper spread out on the counter. The classified section is open, and the page is covered with bright yellow circles.
Those circles lay out the destiny for my "morning off." They're all the yard sales that seem to show promise of a treasure. Beside each yellow circle is a red number. You guessed it; the numbers map out the order in which we are going to travel from yard sale to yard sale.
And so, with cup of coffee in hand, we head out. Not only do we stop and go from highlighted location to highlighted location, Tammi also has her eagle eye trained for cardboard signs stapled to telephone poles. We take detours. We search for that hidden treasure.
There are treasures lurking in the yards of people too cheap to even run an ad. But we will find them. They cannot hide. And there is no yard sale too small.
A blanket on the grass with two piles of clothes on it, a used tire and a broken treadmill, all in the front yard, constitutes a stop. Why? Because there could be a treasure buried under all of that junk.
And you know what? Quite often, people (mostly women) come into our house and ask, "Oh, where did you get this?" And more times than not, the proud answer is, "I found it at a yard sale; it was a hidden treasure."
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price." Matthew elaborates when he recorded the words of Jesus relating that the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, a hidden treasure. And when the merchant found even one pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned to go and purchase the land with the one hidden treasure.
This is just what Jesus does. He searches for that one pearl—you and me! He looks for the hidden treasure. And here is the amazing thing that should blow our minds: To everyone else, we just look like junk—but not to Him.
Romans 5:8 states that, "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." He literally purchased us with His very life. Why? He saw the hidden treasure. He saw way beyond what could be seen on the outside. We looked like junk at a yard sale. We had no value. We were worthless. We were actually filthy dirty, with no way to clean ourselves up. The more we tried, the more obvious it became that it was hopeless. It was hopeless except to Him. He saw the hidden pearls, and He spent all He had to purchase us.
This week in your life's journey, you may still feel like yard-sale junk. Life may have covered you with dirt, rust and mold. You may be wondering: Will things ever change? Does my life matter? Do I have any value to anyone?
Remember, to Him you are a pearl, a hidden treasure worth the purchase price—His life.
Change your mindset. See yourself as He sees you. You are valuable and necessary in His kingdom. You are not junk. You are His treasure. You are bought and paid for. And He purchased you for a reason. You matter. You are valuable. You are His hidden treasure, a pearl of great price.
While We Wait
November 17
"When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, "How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.
"You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. "Observe whatever I command you, you shall not add to it nor take away from it,” Deuteronomy 12:29-32.
Our God has gone to great lengths to make His will and His law plain before the face of mankind. He has written it in His holy Word the Bible and He has written it upon the tables of the hearts of men, according to II Corinthians 3:3 which says, “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
We who believe in the Living God, we who have received His “unspeakable gift” of eternal life through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the cross, II Corinthians 9:15, must not in any way diminish the preciousness of His sacrifice for our eternal well-being by flagrantly disobeying His law or distorting His truth.
The Word addresses the danger to His ancient people for He knows that as they entered the land He set aside for them, they would encounter people whose loyalty was not to Him. He knew they would be bombarded on every side with practices that are anathema to the Holy One.
He knew that although these modes of worship were abomination to Him, His people would be allured by them; He knew that they would have the proclivity to forsake the way of truth in order to pursue the way of wantonness and dubious pleasure. Therefore, He admonished them that they refrain from adopting the ways of the godless world around them.
These words of caution are applicable to the Christian world today. Believers look around them and see that they are primary targets of unbelievers. They see that although there is evidence of persecution among religions and belief systems that differ from one another, it is those who espouse Christ who are the object of most of the vitriolic venom of other world views.
The Word of the Lord comes to people of faith in the power of His name, “take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them,” take heed that we do not embrace to ourselves the godless and demonic practices of the world around us.
We live in an age when tolerance is the by-word of those who deny the holiness of Christ and disdain His claim to be Savior of the world according to II Timothy 4:10 which says, “We labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.”
May it be our joy to worship our Holy God after righteousness and truth, after the way established through the sacrifice of Jesus who forsook the glory of Heaven in order that we might taste of the heavenly promise while on Earth. May it be our joy to share our “blessed hope,” Titus 2:13, while we await “the glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
"When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, "How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.
"You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. "Observe whatever I command you, you shall not add to it nor take away from it,” Deuteronomy 12:29-32.
Our God has gone to great lengths to make His will and His law plain before the face of mankind. He has written it in His holy Word the Bible and He has written it upon the tables of the hearts of men, according to II Corinthians 3:3 which says, “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
We who believe in the Living God, we who have received His “unspeakable gift” of eternal life through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the cross, II Corinthians 9:15, must not in any way diminish the preciousness of His sacrifice for our eternal well-being by flagrantly disobeying His law or distorting His truth.
The Word addresses the danger to His ancient people for He knows that as they entered the land He set aside for them, they would encounter people whose loyalty was not to Him. He knew they would be bombarded on every side with practices that are anathema to the Holy One.
He knew that although these modes of worship were abomination to Him, His people would be allured by them; He knew that they would have the proclivity to forsake the way of truth in order to pursue the way of wantonness and dubious pleasure. Therefore, He admonished them that they refrain from adopting the ways of the godless world around them.
These words of caution are applicable to the Christian world today. Believers look around them and see that they are primary targets of unbelievers. They see that although there is evidence of persecution among religions and belief systems that differ from one another, it is those who espouse Christ who are the object of most of the vitriolic venom of other world views.
The Word of the Lord comes to people of faith in the power of His name, “take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them,” take heed that we do not embrace to ourselves the godless and demonic practices of the world around us.
We live in an age when tolerance is the by-word of those who deny the holiness of Christ and disdain His claim to be Savior of the world according to II Timothy 4:10 which says, “We labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.”
May it be our joy to worship our Holy God after righteousness and truth, after the way established through the sacrifice of Jesus who forsook the glory of Heaven in order that we might taste of the heavenly promise while on Earth. May it be our joy to share our “blessed hope,” Titus 2:13, while we await “the glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Arise, O Lord
November 16
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life,” Galatians 6:7, 8.
“You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit,” Matthew 7:16-18
There is much deception afoot today. Some people are deluded into believing that doctrines of demons are truth and that serving the tenets of evil is following the authority of heaven. These duped individuals are sacrificing honor and integrity and ultimately salvation to pursue the purveyors of the one who “comes to steal, kill and destroy,” John 10:10.
Anyone who is versed in the Bible knows the Ten Commandments and understands that to be guilty of even the smallest infraction of the holy law is to be guilty of all. No one stands innocent before Almighty God. Everyone stands in need of a Savior. But many who disdain the veracity of the doctrines of the Judeo/Christian Scriptures are steeped in a lawlessness that defies understanding by those who know “Vengeance is Mine, says the Lord,” Romans 12:19.
Those who mete out flagrant counterfeit justice are serving the purposes of the enemy of the Living God and they are bound by their bogus interpretation of who God is and what His purposes are and how He will achieve His righteous control of earth and man and all that exists.
A day is coming when each individual who sees life and truth and God from a skewed perspective will anguish for his failure to pursue truth, the truth the Word of God assures will be ours if we seek it, according to John 8:32 which says, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
Those who are bound by deception are trapped by their own unwillingness to search for truth; they are deluded by the pseudo power of the seductive doctrines and lies of the enemy.
Our Holy God has said, “You will seek Me and find Me when you shall search for Me with all your heart,” Jeremiah 29:13, but many are content to embrace the false gods of power and wealth and domination. Many are deceived by the seeming success of the purveyors of lies who appear to have the upper hand.
They fail to understand that the flourishing of the wicked is only for a season. In Jeremiah 12:1, the prophet asks, “Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?” Many of us have asked that same question.
Psalm 10:1-18 addresses the issue:
“Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor. Let them be taken in the devices they have imagined! The wicked boasts of attaining his heart’s desire and blesses the covetous, whom the Lord abhors!
“The wicked, through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God, for God is not in his thoughts. His ways are always grievous for Your judgments, O God, are far above him and out of his sight. The wicked one puffs at his enemies. “He has said in his heart, ‘I shall not be moved for I shall never have adversity.’
“His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud; under his tongue is mischief and vanity. He sits in the lurking places of the villages; in the secret places does he murder the innocent; his eyes are set against the poor. He lies in wait, secretly, as a lion in his den. He lies in wait to catch the poor; he catches the poor when he draws him into his net…that the poor may fall by his strong ones. He has said in his heart, ‘God has forgotten me; He hides His face; He will never see my sin.’
“Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up Your hand! Forget not the humble. Why does the wicked condemn God? Why has the wicked said in his heart that God will require no penalty for his sin?
“You have seen it, O God! You behold the evil and You will requite it with Your hand! The poor who has committed himself to You will find You to be his Helper. O, Lord, break the arm of the wicked, evil man! Seek out his wickedness until he is gone! You, Lord, are King forever; the heathen will perish out of the land! You have heard the cry of the humble and You will no longer allow the wicked to oppress them.”
There is a day coming when the Lord God will triumph and His godly people will “be more than conquerors through Christ who loves them,” Romans 8:37. God is not mocked; His righteousness will establish those who embrace Jesus as Savior and Lord in the glories of everlasting life.
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life,” Galatians 6:7, 8.
“You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit,” Matthew 7:16-18
There is much deception afoot today. Some people are deluded into believing that doctrines of demons are truth and that serving the tenets of evil is following the authority of heaven. These duped individuals are sacrificing honor and integrity and ultimately salvation to pursue the purveyors of the one who “comes to steal, kill and destroy,” John 10:10.
Anyone who is versed in the Bible knows the Ten Commandments and understands that to be guilty of even the smallest infraction of the holy law is to be guilty of all. No one stands innocent before Almighty God. Everyone stands in need of a Savior. But many who disdain the veracity of the doctrines of the Judeo/Christian Scriptures are steeped in a lawlessness that defies understanding by those who know “Vengeance is Mine, says the Lord,” Romans 12:19.
Those who mete out flagrant counterfeit justice are serving the purposes of the enemy of the Living God and they are bound by their bogus interpretation of who God is and what His purposes are and how He will achieve His righteous control of earth and man and all that exists.
A day is coming when each individual who sees life and truth and God from a skewed perspective will anguish for his failure to pursue truth, the truth the Word of God assures will be ours if we seek it, according to John 8:32 which says, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
Those who are bound by deception are trapped by their own unwillingness to search for truth; they are deluded by the pseudo power of the seductive doctrines and lies of the enemy.
Our Holy God has said, “You will seek Me and find Me when you shall search for Me with all your heart,” Jeremiah 29:13, but many are content to embrace the false gods of power and wealth and domination. Many are deceived by the seeming success of the purveyors of lies who appear to have the upper hand.
They fail to understand that the flourishing of the wicked is only for a season. In Jeremiah 12:1, the prophet asks, “Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?” Many of us have asked that same question.
Psalm 10:1-18 addresses the issue:
“Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor. Let them be taken in the devices they have imagined! The wicked boasts of attaining his heart’s desire and blesses the covetous, whom the Lord abhors!
“The wicked, through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God, for God is not in his thoughts. His ways are always grievous for Your judgments, O God, are far above him and out of his sight. The wicked one puffs at his enemies. “He has said in his heart, ‘I shall not be moved for I shall never have adversity.’
“His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud; under his tongue is mischief and vanity. He sits in the lurking places of the villages; in the secret places does he murder the innocent; his eyes are set against the poor. He lies in wait, secretly, as a lion in his den. He lies in wait to catch the poor; he catches the poor when he draws him into his net…that the poor may fall by his strong ones. He has said in his heart, ‘God has forgotten me; He hides His face; He will never see my sin.’
“Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up Your hand! Forget not the humble. Why does the wicked condemn God? Why has the wicked said in his heart that God will require no penalty for his sin?
“You have seen it, O God! You behold the evil and You will requite it with Your hand! The poor who has committed himself to You will find You to be his Helper. O, Lord, break the arm of the wicked, evil man! Seek out his wickedness until he is gone! You, Lord, are King forever; the heathen will perish out of the land! You have heard the cry of the humble and You will no longer allow the wicked to oppress them.”
There is a day coming when the Lord God will triumph and His godly people will “be more than conquerors through Christ who loves them,” Romans 8:37. God is not mocked; His righteousness will establish those who embrace Jesus as Savior and Lord in the glories of everlasting life.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
A Word from Rev. Billy Graham
"After World War II...we had the opportunity to rule the world...Something has happened since those days and there is much about America that is no longer good...We have confused liberty with license - and we are paying the awful price. We are a society poised on the brink of self-destruction...
"What is the problem? The real problem is within ourselves...We have lost sight of the moral and spiritual principles on which this nation was established - principles drawn largely from the Judeo-Christian tradition as found in the Bible...
What must be done? Let me briefly suggest three things.
First, we must repent. In the depths of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln called for special days of public repentance and prayer. Our need for repentance is no less today...
What does repentance mean?
Repentance means to change our thinking and our way of living. It means to turn from our sins and to commit ourselves to God and His will. Over 2700 years ago the Old Testament prophet Isaiah declared,
"Seek the Lord while he may be found, call on Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God,
for He will freely pardon"...
-Isaiah 55: 6-7 (NIV)
Second, we must commit our lives to God, and to the moral and spiritual truths that have made this nation great. Think how different our nation would be if we sought to follow the simple and yet profound injunctions of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount. But we must respond to God, Who is offering us forgiveness, mercy, supernatural help, and the power to change.
Third, our commitment must be translated into action - in our homes, in our neighborhoods, and in our society. Jesus taught there are only two roads in life. One in the broad road that is easy and well-traveled, but which leads to destruction. The other, He said, is the narrow road of truth and faith that at times is hard and lonely, but which leads to life and salvation...
What are YOU going to do?"
-Dr. Billy Graham, "The Hope for America," May 2, 1996
"What is the problem? The real problem is within ourselves...We have lost sight of the moral and spiritual principles on which this nation was established - principles drawn largely from the Judeo-Christian tradition as found in the Bible...
What must be done? Let me briefly suggest three things.
First, we must repent. In the depths of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln called for special days of public repentance and prayer. Our need for repentance is no less today...
What does repentance mean?
Repentance means to change our thinking and our way of living. It means to turn from our sins and to commit ourselves to God and His will. Over 2700 years ago the Old Testament prophet Isaiah declared,
"Seek the Lord while he may be found, call on Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God,
for He will freely pardon"...
-Isaiah 55: 6-7 (NIV)
Second, we must commit our lives to God, and to the moral and spiritual truths that have made this nation great. Think how different our nation would be if we sought to follow the simple and yet profound injunctions of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount. But we must respond to God, Who is offering us forgiveness, mercy, supernatural help, and the power to change.
Third, our commitment must be translated into action - in our homes, in our neighborhoods, and in our society. Jesus taught there are only two roads in life. One in the broad road that is easy and well-traveled, but which leads to destruction. The other, He said, is the narrow road of truth and faith that at times is hard and lonely, but which leads to life and salvation...
What are YOU going to do?"
-Dr. Billy Graham, "The Hope for America," May 2, 1996
Friday, November 14, 2014
Jesus Is So Much to Us
November 14
Philippians 2:1-13
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Jesus is so much to us. He is our High Priest, Hebrews 5:10, Hebrews 6:20; He is our Maker, John 1:1-3, Genesis 1:1; He is our Healer, Matthew 9:35; He is our Provider in answer to our prayers, Mark 11:22-24; He is our Savior, the One who sacrificed Himself to redeem us from our sin, Acts 4:12; and He is the One who has promised that we who believe shall have the power to set men free from all that besets them through the power of our prayers as promised in Acts 4:29-30 which says, “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth Your hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of Your holy child Jesus.”
May we never be undone—not by calamity, not by wars or rumors of war, not by persecution or famine or sword, Romans 8:35, but may we remain steadfast in faith and strong in our witness of the Christ who gave up His rightful place in Heaven in order that we may dwell there with Him. Nothing we are ever called upon to sacrifice can approximate all He has sacrificed for us, so let us be resolute in our determination to hold fast to Him forever.
Philippians 2:1-13
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Jesus is so much to us. He is our High Priest, Hebrews 5:10, Hebrews 6:20; He is our Maker, John 1:1-3, Genesis 1:1; He is our Healer, Matthew 9:35; He is our Provider in answer to our prayers, Mark 11:22-24; He is our Savior, the One who sacrificed Himself to redeem us from our sin, Acts 4:12; and He is the One who has promised that we who believe shall have the power to set men free from all that besets them through the power of our prayers as promised in Acts 4:29-30 which says, “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth Your hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of Your holy child Jesus.”
May we never be undone—not by calamity, not by wars or rumors of war, not by persecution or famine or sword, Romans 8:35, but may we remain steadfast in faith and strong in our witness of the Christ who gave up His rightful place in Heaven in order that we may dwell there with Him. Nothing we are ever called upon to sacrifice can approximate all He has sacrificed for us, so let us be resolute in our determination to hold fast to Him forever.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
When These Things Happen
November 13
“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." (4) These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. (5) And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner.
(6) These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.
(7) When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. (8) And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. (9) Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves.
(10) And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
(11) Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. (12) And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, Come up here. And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them,” Revelation 11:3-12.
There is much speculation as to exactly who these two witnesses might be. Some are sure they are prophets of old, such as Moses, Elijah, or Enoch, returning from the grave to fulfill the Lord’s bidding before His return to earth. The details of the deaths of these servants of God are sketchy and the speculation that they will return to do the Lord’s will one more time are predicated upon this ambiguity.
Other students of end-time prophecy are equally sure that the witnesses described in Revelation, Chapter 11 will be contemporaries of the events of the last days and that they will rise to the task before them as it unfolds. Without excluding the former possibility, the later seems more reasonable because the Bible states clearly that “it is appointed to men once to die and after that the judgment,” Hebrews 9:27.
Jesus has arisen from the grave and we are told that upon His return to earth the Rapture shall occur: “...the dead in Christ shall rise first then we who are alive and remain shall arise and meet Him in the air and be forever with the Lord,” I Thessalonians 4:14-17.
This is the ‘blessed hope’ as described in I Peter 1:3 and in Titus 2:13 where we are admonished to “Look for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”
As we continue to see evidence in the heavens and on the earth and in the evil machinations of men, we cannot help but believe that, as the Lord assures us in His unfailing Word, " When you see these things come to pass, look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near,” Luke 21:28.
“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." (4) These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. (5) And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner.
(6) These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.
(7) When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. (8) And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. (9) Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves.
(10) And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
(11) Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. (12) And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, Come up here. And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them,” Revelation 11:3-12.
There is much speculation as to exactly who these two witnesses might be. Some are sure they are prophets of old, such as Moses, Elijah, or Enoch, returning from the grave to fulfill the Lord’s bidding before His return to earth. The details of the deaths of these servants of God are sketchy and the speculation that they will return to do the Lord’s will one more time are predicated upon this ambiguity.
Other students of end-time prophecy are equally sure that the witnesses described in Revelation, Chapter 11 will be contemporaries of the events of the last days and that they will rise to the task before them as it unfolds. Without excluding the former possibility, the later seems more reasonable because the Bible states clearly that “it is appointed to men once to die and after that the judgment,” Hebrews 9:27.
Jesus has arisen from the grave and we are told that upon His return to earth the Rapture shall occur: “...the dead in Christ shall rise first then we who are alive and remain shall arise and meet Him in the air and be forever with the Lord,” I Thessalonians 4:14-17.
This is the ‘blessed hope’ as described in I Peter 1:3 and in Titus 2:13 where we are admonished to “Look for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”
As we continue to see evidence in the heavens and on the earth and in the evil machinations of men, we cannot help but believe that, as the Lord assures us in His unfailing Word, " When you see these things come to pass, look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near,” Luke 21:28.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Why I Agree...
November 12
Why I agree with religion-basher Bill Maher by Dr. Jim Denison
Comedian Bill Maher is no friend of religion. He has called God "a psychotic mass-murderer," claims that "faith means making a virtue out of not thinking," and believes that "religion must die for mankind to live."
And yet, when Maher was interviewed recently by Charlie Rose, he became a passionate defender of Christianity. Rose tried to claim that "a vast number of Christians" hold beliefs that are as radical as those of ISIS.
Maher countered: "No, that's not true. Not true. Vast numbers of Christians do not believe that if you leave the Christian religion you should be killed for it. Vast numbers of Christians do not treat women as second class citizens. Vast numbers of Christians …do not believe that if you draw a picture of Jesus Christ you should get killed for it."
Maher's right, of course. But it's hard to find such support for Christian faith in the news today.
For instance, this week the American Humanist Association announced a "Don't Say the Pledge" campaign, trying to get the phrase "under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance.
The National Freedom from Religion Foundation is working to get Gideon Bibles removed from university hotel rooms.
Atheists are protesting a cross on a war memorial in an Indiana state park, as well as a pizza restaurant in Wisconsin that gives a discount to people who bring in a church bulletin on Sundays.
In your opinion, is our culture's moral trajectory getting better or worse? Are we living more by biblical truth, or less? What can believers do to make a difference?
We often hear that "the truth will set you free," and that's true. But there's a caveat: Jesus told a group of followers, "If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples.” Then and only then, "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free," John 8:31-32.
To know the truth, we must know the One who is the Truth (see John 14:6). The best way to reverse the moral slide of our day is to help people meet Jesus. It is to pray, speak, and act in ways that lead others to Him. It is to define success by the question, Did I help people follow Jesus today?
Why I agree with religion-basher Bill Maher by Dr. Jim Denison
Comedian Bill Maher is no friend of religion. He has called God "a psychotic mass-murderer," claims that "faith means making a virtue out of not thinking," and believes that "religion must die for mankind to live."
And yet, when Maher was interviewed recently by Charlie Rose, he became a passionate defender of Christianity. Rose tried to claim that "a vast number of Christians" hold beliefs that are as radical as those of ISIS.
Maher countered: "No, that's not true. Not true. Vast numbers of Christians do not believe that if you leave the Christian religion you should be killed for it. Vast numbers of Christians do not treat women as second class citizens. Vast numbers of Christians …do not believe that if you draw a picture of Jesus Christ you should get killed for it."
Maher's right, of course. But it's hard to find such support for Christian faith in the news today.
For instance, this week the American Humanist Association announced a "Don't Say the Pledge" campaign, trying to get the phrase "under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance.
The National Freedom from Religion Foundation is working to get Gideon Bibles removed from university hotel rooms.
Atheists are protesting a cross on a war memorial in an Indiana state park, as well as a pizza restaurant in Wisconsin that gives a discount to people who bring in a church bulletin on Sundays.
In your opinion, is our culture's moral trajectory getting better or worse? Are we living more by biblical truth, or less? What can believers do to make a difference?
We often hear that "the truth will set you free," and that's true. But there's a caveat: Jesus told a group of followers, "If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples.” Then and only then, "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free," John 8:31-32.
To know the truth, we must know the One who is the Truth (see John 14:6). The best way to reverse the moral slide of our day is to help people meet Jesus. It is to pray, speak, and act in ways that lead others to Him. It is to define success by the question, Did I help people follow Jesus today?
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Stand!
November 11
Christians ‘Stand with Israel’ by Jennifer Rubin
On the day after Jews’ holiest day of the year (Yom Kippur), a throng of zealous pro-Zionist Christians held a “Stand with Israel” rally on Capitol Hill on October 5. For two hours plus, they sang, they prayed, they cheered and they spoke in defense of Israel.
The rally was co-sponsored by Concerned Women for America (over half-a-million religious women voters who adopted Israel as a core issue) and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. Both CWA president Penny Nance and Huckabee repeatedly delivered the message: America — and Christians in particular — must stand with Israel. Implicitly and sometimes explicitly mentioned was the argument that the administration is insufficiently supportive of Israel and clueless about the enormity of the jihadist threat.
In essence preaching to his flock, Huckabee made clear how central Israel and the defeat of radical Islam are to their faith. He declared, “There is no other nation that reflects the United States as Israel does.” Arguing that both nations value religious liberty he proclaimed that the United States can only be understood in the context of “God’s providence.” They fervently believe that if they break faith with Israel, God will break faith with them. “If America doesn’t stand with Israel God will remove his hand from us,” Huckabee told them.
This is the largest and most politically active “Israel Lobby” in the country. If the theology is not quite comprehensible to all Americans, then the geopolitical arguments the speakers made may sound familiar. These Zionists understand Israel and the U.S. are up against the same Islamist fundamentalists who want to cleanse Christians, Jews and non- fundamentalist Muslims from their midst.
Journalist Eric Stackelbeck, reviewing the persecution first of Jews in the Middle East and then of Christians, reminded the crowd of the mindset of radical Islamists who first go after Jews and then Christians. “First the Saturday people, then the Sunday people,” he explained is their outlook.
Huckabee and other speakers were emphatic that even if Americans don’t see this in theological terms, our shared enemies do. “Israel isn’t the ultimate target. We are,” Huckabee said.
When the deputy ambassador from Israel spoke to express his appreciation for the support, he reminded the crowd that in the Middle East it is only Israel which allows women full participation in all facets of society, has a free press and allows Christians to practice freely. But what brought a rousing cheer from the crowd was his declaration, “We are proud to be the Islamic Republic of Iran’s little Satan.”
Several aspects of the gathering are worthy highlighting.
First, the evangelical Zionists are acutely aware of the up-tick in anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric in Europe and on American campuses. Nance and Huckabee both spoke about it directly, warning of the danger of passivity.
Beyond support for the Jewish state, this group much more so than the administration or the MSM is following this development closely and sees the passivity of elites in the West as nothing less than a repeat of the 1930′s.
Second, Huckabee speaks to this kind of voters in a way that few other politicians do. It stems from his faith, not from a political agenda. He embodies their values and world view, and they know this. He speaks with the passion of a preacher, not with the anger of a politician bent on inflaming the crowd.
If he chooses to run in 2016, other candidates will have their work cut out for them if they want to poach voters from Huckabee’s base. The question is whether since his 2008 run and with the benefit of years of Fox News hosting he now has developed the range to appeal beyond this core group.
Third, this crowd sees themselves engaged in an existential threat against radical Islam. These people do not separate Israel from that fight; they are one and the same. A politician who labels himself as pro-Israel but is less than fully committed to the fight against jihadists is unlikely to find much support here.
In that sense, they are looking not merely for a pro-Israel leader but an anti-jihadist warrior who understands the stakes if jihadists are not defeated. And for many, this issue ranks right up there with abortion.
Christians ‘Stand with Israel’ by Jennifer Rubin
On the day after Jews’ holiest day of the year (Yom Kippur), a throng of zealous pro-Zionist Christians held a “Stand with Israel” rally on Capitol Hill on October 5. For two hours plus, they sang, they prayed, they cheered and they spoke in defense of Israel.
The rally was co-sponsored by Concerned Women for America (over half-a-million religious women voters who adopted Israel as a core issue) and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. Both CWA president Penny Nance and Huckabee repeatedly delivered the message: America — and Christians in particular — must stand with Israel. Implicitly and sometimes explicitly mentioned was the argument that the administration is insufficiently supportive of Israel and clueless about the enormity of the jihadist threat.
In essence preaching to his flock, Huckabee made clear how central Israel and the defeat of radical Islam are to their faith. He declared, “There is no other nation that reflects the United States as Israel does.” Arguing that both nations value religious liberty he proclaimed that the United States can only be understood in the context of “God’s providence.” They fervently believe that if they break faith with Israel, God will break faith with them. “If America doesn’t stand with Israel God will remove his hand from us,” Huckabee told them.
This is the largest and most politically active “Israel Lobby” in the country. If the theology is not quite comprehensible to all Americans, then the geopolitical arguments the speakers made may sound familiar. These Zionists understand Israel and the U.S. are up against the same Islamist fundamentalists who want to cleanse Christians, Jews and non- fundamentalist Muslims from their midst.
Journalist Eric Stackelbeck, reviewing the persecution first of Jews in the Middle East and then of Christians, reminded the crowd of the mindset of radical Islamists who first go after Jews and then Christians. “First the Saturday people, then the Sunday people,” he explained is their outlook.
Huckabee and other speakers were emphatic that even if Americans don’t see this in theological terms, our shared enemies do. “Israel isn’t the ultimate target. We are,” Huckabee said.
When the deputy ambassador from Israel spoke to express his appreciation for the support, he reminded the crowd that in the Middle East it is only Israel which allows women full participation in all facets of society, has a free press and allows Christians to practice freely. But what brought a rousing cheer from the crowd was his declaration, “We are proud to be the Islamic Republic of Iran’s little Satan.”
Several aspects of the gathering are worthy highlighting.
First, the evangelical Zionists are acutely aware of the up-tick in anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric in Europe and on American campuses. Nance and Huckabee both spoke about it directly, warning of the danger of passivity.
Beyond support for the Jewish state, this group much more so than the administration or the MSM is following this development closely and sees the passivity of elites in the West as nothing less than a repeat of the 1930′s.
Second, Huckabee speaks to this kind of voters in a way that few other politicians do. It stems from his faith, not from a political agenda. He embodies their values and world view, and they know this. He speaks with the passion of a preacher, not with the anger of a politician bent on inflaming the crowd.
If he chooses to run in 2016, other candidates will have their work cut out for them if they want to poach voters from Huckabee’s base. The question is whether since his 2008 run and with the benefit of years of Fox News hosting he now has developed the range to appeal beyond this core group.
Third, this crowd sees themselves engaged in an existential threat against radical Islam. These people do not separate Israel from that fight; they are one and the same. A politician who labels himself as pro-Israel but is less than fully committed to the fight against jihadists is unlikely to find much support here.
In that sense, they are looking not merely for a pro-Israel leader but an anti-jihadist warrior who understands the stakes if jihadists are not defeated. And for many, this issue ranks right up there with abortion.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Thus Far and No Farther
November 10
Thus Far and No Farther
Excerpt from SWEETER THAN HONEY by by Greg Hinnant,
Are you faithfully following and serving God, yet find yourself in the fight of your life, opposed and slandered by unreasonable believers or backslidden Christians?
Is your authority as a pastor, elder, husband, parent, teacher, employer, etc. being ruthlessly challenged by adamant rebels? Have they dealt you a stunning injustice? Left you defeated, overwhelmed and hopeless? Don't rebel or run away.
Long ago God gave a reassuring message of hope to believers facing uprisings. It came through Jeremiah and Job. In Jeremiah's day, the Judeans were in threefold rebellion to God: sinfully worshiping idols, stubbornly denying God's chastening (Babylonian siege), and wickedly persecuting His faithful messenger, Jeremiah. When they rose up against the Lord and those faithful to Him, He spoke.
God's message, addressed to the rebels, deeply comforted Jeremiah and the faithful remnant:
"Fear ye not me? Saith the Lord. Will ye not tremble at my presence, who hath placed the sand at the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it; and though its waves toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it? (Jeremiah 5:22)
Let's examine the symbols God uses in this metaphorical statement. The "sand" represents God's faithful ones, Abraham's loyal faith-children. God told Abraham his seed would be "as the sand" by the seashore. "I will multiply thy seed ... as the sand which is upon the seashore" (Genesis 22.17).
"Sea," which typically represents the unredeemed populace (Revelation 13:1), here symbolizes God's apostate people. Their unbelief and rebellion link them spiritually with the vast sea of unbelievers and its stormy uprisings against God: "This [My apostate] people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone [from Me]" (Jeremiah 5:23). These rebels have no peace: "The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest" (Isaiah 57.20).
The "waves" roaring and tossing themselves against the sandy shoreline represent these rebels' contentious words and actions against God's faithful ones.
The "bound" represents the boundary or time limit God sets on their uprising. It cannot endure but must one day end: "Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over" (Psalm 104:9).
The "perpetual decree" is God's command that the sea not pass the shoreline. Similarly, God's Word commands that surprising stressful insurrections won't destroy us but must one day yield a "way to escape" (1 Corinthians 10:13). This parallels nature.
Normally, the sea doesn't pass the sandy shoreline but, submitting to God's decree, stays in its divinely ordained place. During hurricanes or tsunamis, it seems to get away with rebellion! The shocking storm surge or massive tidal wave swamps the shoreline, causing great destruction. The sand appears totally overcome, defeated, and its future hopeless.
But, only for a time will this happen. When God's boundary—of minutes or hours—is reached, the rebellious surging waters humbly retreat. No matter how viciously they have roared and tossed themselves, in the end God's decree prevails and they return to their place. What message does this convey?
God is pledging that rebels can't oppose or overcome His faithful people forever. They didn't in Jeremiah's day—Jerusalem fell—and won't in ours either. They may roar, loudly and shamelessly arguing, accusing, threatening, slandering. They may toss themselves, opposing our every word and move in an attempt to ruin our family, church, ministry or reputation. And, shockingly, they may win—but only for a time. God has set a limit on their "hurricane."
Job describes it: "Thus far shalt thou come, but no farther: and here [God's appointed time and place] shall thy proud waves be stayed" (Job 38:11). "Thus far shalt thou come"—this describes God's surprising yet wise permissive will. He decrees the rebellion will continue, but only temporarily, and only to test the faithful.
When the defiant "sea" has its way against them, will they still trust Him? Wait patiently for His help? Endure their difficulties? Remain loyal to God's Word and will while other grains of "sand" compromise or desert? Will they reach faith's summit of total abandonment? Job reached it while viciously misjudged: "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in him" (Job 13:15). Abraham reached it on Moriah. Will we?
Spiritual hurricanes only serve God's higher purposes. Once they are accomplished, His decree takes hold: "No farther!" Suddenly, in His time, He subdues our adversaries: "Here [at God's limit] shall thy proud waves be stayed." So, like Jeremiah, Job assures the faithful we always triumph in the end.
Quietly remember God's decree. Your tsunami must go back in God's time. Wait patiently for Him to say to your overwhelming waters, "Thus far, no farther!"
Thus Far and No Farther
Excerpt from SWEETER THAN HONEY by by Greg Hinnant,
Are you faithfully following and serving God, yet find yourself in the fight of your life, opposed and slandered by unreasonable believers or backslidden Christians?
Is your authority as a pastor, elder, husband, parent, teacher, employer, etc. being ruthlessly challenged by adamant rebels? Have they dealt you a stunning injustice? Left you defeated, overwhelmed and hopeless? Don't rebel or run away.
Long ago God gave a reassuring message of hope to believers facing uprisings. It came through Jeremiah and Job. In Jeremiah's day, the Judeans were in threefold rebellion to God: sinfully worshiping idols, stubbornly denying God's chastening (Babylonian siege), and wickedly persecuting His faithful messenger, Jeremiah. When they rose up against the Lord and those faithful to Him, He spoke.
God's message, addressed to the rebels, deeply comforted Jeremiah and the faithful remnant:
"Fear ye not me? Saith the Lord. Will ye not tremble at my presence, who hath placed the sand at the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it; and though its waves toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it? (Jeremiah 5:22)
Let's examine the symbols God uses in this metaphorical statement. The "sand" represents God's faithful ones, Abraham's loyal faith-children. God told Abraham his seed would be "as the sand" by the seashore. "I will multiply thy seed ... as the sand which is upon the seashore" (Genesis 22.17).
"Sea," which typically represents the unredeemed populace (Revelation 13:1), here symbolizes God's apostate people. Their unbelief and rebellion link them spiritually with the vast sea of unbelievers and its stormy uprisings against God: "This [My apostate] people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone [from Me]" (Jeremiah 5:23). These rebels have no peace: "The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest" (Isaiah 57.20).
The "waves" roaring and tossing themselves against the sandy shoreline represent these rebels' contentious words and actions against God's faithful ones.
The "bound" represents the boundary or time limit God sets on their uprising. It cannot endure but must one day end: "Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over" (Psalm 104:9).
The "perpetual decree" is God's command that the sea not pass the shoreline. Similarly, God's Word commands that surprising stressful insurrections won't destroy us but must one day yield a "way to escape" (1 Corinthians 10:13). This parallels nature.
Normally, the sea doesn't pass the sandy shoreline but, submitting to God's decree, stays in its divinely ordained place. During hurricanes or tsunamis, it seems to get away with rebellion! The shocking storm surge or massive tidal wave swamps the shoreline, causing great destruction. The sand appears totally overcome, defeated, and its future hopeless.
But, only for a time will this happen. When God's boundary—of minutes or hours—is reached, the rebellious surging waters humbly retreat. No matter how viciously they have roared and tossed themselves, in the end God's decree prevails and they return to their place. What message does this convey?
God is pledging that rebels can't oppose or overcome His faithful people forever. They didn't in Jeremiah's day—Jerusalem fell—and won't in ours either. They may roar, loudly and shamelessly arguing, accusing, threatening, slandering. They may toss themselves, opposing our every word and move in an attempt to ruin our family, church, ministry or reputation. And, shockingly, they may win—but only for a time. God has set a limit on their "hurricane."
Job describes it: "Thus far shalt thou come, but no farther: and here [God's appointed time and place] shall thy proud waves be stayed" (Job 38:11). "Thus far shalt thou come"—this describes God's surprising yet wise permissive will. He decrees the rebellion will continue, but only temporarily, and only to test the faithful.
When the defiant "sea" has its way against them, will they still trust Him? Wait patiently for His help? Endure their difficulties? Remain loyal to God's Word and will while other grains of "sand" compromise or desert? Will they reach faith's summit of total abandonment? Job reached it while viciously misjudged: "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in him" (Job 13:15). Abraham reached it on Moriah. Will we?
Spiritual hurricanes only serve God's higher purposes. Once they are accomplished, His decree takes hold: "No farther!" Suddenly, in His time, He subdues our adversaries: "Here [at God's limit] shall thy proud waves be stayed." So, like Jeremiah, Job assures the faithful we always triumph in the end.
Quietly remember God's decree. Your tsunami must go back in God's time. Wait patiently for Him to say to your overwhelming waters, "Thus far, no farther!"
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Weep for Your City; for the World
November 9
Jesus Wept for the City
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
"As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, 'If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes,'" Luke 19:41-43.
Jesus was making His triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. The Pharisees were complaining about the exuberance of His disciples as He made His way into the city. They were celebrating a life that had blessed them and countless others: "When He came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 'Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!'" Luke 19:37-38.
Jesus was saddened by the response of the Pharisees. He knew what His presence could do for the city. But He also knew they would not change. The city would reject His presence and crucify Him. His presence would bring peace to the city if they embraced who He was - the Author of peace. Now it would be hidden from their eyes because of unbelief.
Every city can be blessed by the presence of Jesus in their midst. However, it requires city leaders to invite the presence of Jesus into their city in order for that city to experience peace. Jesus comes to bring peace in any situation. However, He also realizes He will divide city leaders because of unbelief and political correctness.
Does your city need the presence of Jesus? Do you desire to see peace in your city? Begin to pray for city leaders to understand how the presence of Jesus can impact your city in dramatic and positive ways.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. And your own city.
**********************************
Our Brother Hillman’s observation regarding the need for prayers to be lifted for cities should inspire all believers to pray for the areas in which they live, but not just for our own cities or our own countries, but for the world.
We who are citizens of the United States have a particular obligation to pray for our nation because our founding fathers placed this country at the feet of Jesus at its inception and we must not stand idly by without concerted prayer as we see it being wrest away from Him by current laws and the godless leaders who implement them and the godless voters who acquiesce to them.
Although the Word tells us that in the Last Days there shall be a “falling away,” as stated in II Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come except there be a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,” we should resist the incursion of evil wherever we find it, whether in our government or within our culture, or within ourselves.
Paul states the same thought again in I Timothy 4:1, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
Unfortunately, we have not held the truth of God in the esteem in which we should regard it; we have replaced it with the doctrines of men and we perish under the burden of our foolishness.
May we lift our voices in prayer for our cities and for our nations, according to II Chronicles 7:14 which says, “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.”
Then perhaps shall come to pass the word given to the prophet, “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
"But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it,” Micah 4:1-5.
Lord, help us to turn to You with a full heart that loves Your law and receives Your Savior Jesus Christ. Help us to bathe our lands, Your world, in prayer in order that Your Kingdom may come and Your will may be done in the life of everyone who walks Your earth. It is in Your own mighty, matchless name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Jesus Wept for the City
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
"As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, 'If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes,'" Luke 19:41-43.
Jesus was making His triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. The Pharisees were complaining about the exuberance of His disciples as He made His way into the city. They were celebrating a life that had blessed them and countless others: "When He came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 'Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!'" Luke 19:37-38.
Jesus was saddened by the response of the Pharisees. He knew what His presence could do for the city. But He also knew they would not change. The city would reject His presence and crucify Him. His presence would bring peace to the city if they embraced who He was - the Author of peace. Now it would be hidden from their eyes because of unbelief.
Every city can be blessed by the presence of Jesus in their midst. However, it requires city leaders to invite the presence of Jesus into their city in order for that city to experience peace. Jesus comes to bring peace in any situation. However, He also realizes He will divide city leaders because of unbelief and political correctness.
Does your city need the presence of Jesus? Do you desire to see peace in your city? Begin to pray for city leaders to understand how the presence of Jesus can impact your city in dramatic and positive ways.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. And your own city.
**********************************
Our Brother Hillman’s observation regarding the need for prayers to be lifted for cities should inspire all believers to pray for the areas in which they live, but not just for our own cities or our own countries, but for the world.
We who are citizens of the United States have a particular obligation to pray for our nation because our founding fathers placed this country at the feet of Jesus at its inception and we must not stand idly by without concerted prayer as we see it being wrest away from Him by current laws and the godless leaders who implement them and the godless voters who acquiesce to them.
Although the Word tells us that in the Last Days there shall be a “falling away,” as stated in II Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come except there be a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,” we should resist the incursion of evil wherever we find it, whether in our government or within our culture, or within ourselves.
Paul states the same thought again in I Timothy 4:1, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
Unfortunately, we have not held the truth of God in the esteem in which we should regard it; we have replaced it with the doctrines of men and we perish under the burden of our foolishness.
May we lift our voices in prayer for our cities and for our nations, according to II Chronicles 7:14 which says, “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.”
Then perhaps shall come to pass the word given to the prophet, “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
"But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it,” Micah 4:1-5.
Lord, help us to turn to You with a full heart that loves Your law and receives Your Savior Jesus Christ. Help us to bathe our lands, Your world, in prayer in order that Your Kingdom may come and Your will may be done in the life of everyone who walks Your earth. It is in Your own mighty, matchless name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Excerpt from MANNING
November 8
Excerpt from MANNING by Peyton Manning
Note: Peyton Manning is an American football player. He plays the position of quarterback and is considered to be one of the best to have ever played the game.
Like my dad, I make it a point when I speak to groups to talk about priorities, and when it’s school kids, I rank those priorities as: faith, family, and education, then football. For me generally it had always been the big four: faith, family, friends, and football. And I tell all of them that as important as football is to me, it can never be higher than fourth. My faith has been number one since I was thirteen years old and heard from the pulpit on a Sunday morning in New Orleans a simple question: “If you died today, are you one hundred percent sure you’d go to heaven?”
Cooper was there and Eli [Peyton's two brothers] but it didn’t hit them at the time the way it did me. It was a big church, and I felt very small, but my heart was pounding. The minister invited those who would like that assurance through Jesus Christ to raise their hands, and I did. Then he invited us to come forward, to take a stand, and my heart really started pounding. And from where we sat, it looked like a mile to the front.
But I got up and did it. And I committed my life to Christ, and that faith has been most important to me ever since. Some players get more vocal about it—the Reggie Whites, for example—and some point to Heaven after scoring a touchdown and praise God after games. I have no problem with that. But I don’t do it, and don’t think it makes me any less a Christian. I just want my actions to speak louder, and I don’t want to be more of a target for criticism than I already am. Somebody sees you drinking a beer, which I do, and they think, “Hmmmm, Peyton says he’s this, that, or the other, and there he is drinking alcohol. What’s that all about?”
Christians drink beer. So do non-Christians. Christians also make mistakes, just as non-Christians do. My faith doesn’t make me perfect, it makes me forgiven, and provides me the assurance I looked for half my life ago. I think God answered our prayers with Cooper, and that was a test of our faith. But I also think I’ve been blessed—having so little go wrong in my life, and being given so much. I pray every night, sometimes long prayers about a lot of things and a lot of people, but I don’t talk about it or brag about it because that’s between God and me, and I’m no better than anybody else in God’s sight.
But I consider myself fortunate to be able to go to Him for guidance, and I hope (and pray) I don’t do too many things that displease Him before I get to Heaven myself. I believe, too, that life is much better and freer when you’re committed to God in that way. I find being with others whose faith is the same has made me stronger. J.C. Watts and Steve Largent, for example. They’re both in Congress now. We had voluntary pregame chapel at Tennessee, and I attend chapel every Sunday with players on the team in Indianapolis. I have spoken to church youth groups, and at Christian high schools. And then simply as a Christian, and not as good a one as I’d like to be.
How do I justify football in the context of “love your enemy?” I say to kids, well, football is most definitely a “collision sport,” and I can’t deny it jars your teeth and at the extreme can break your bones. But I’ve never seen it as a “violent game,” there are rules to prevent that, and I know I don’t have to hate anybody on the other side to play as hard as I can within the rules. I think you’d have to get inside my head to appreciate it, but I do love football. And, yes, I’d play it for nothing if that was the only way, even now when I’m no longer a child. I find no contradiction in football and my faith.
Ah, but do I “pray for victory?” No, except as a generic thing. I pray to keep both teams injury free, and personally, that I use whatever talent I have to the best of my ability. But I don’t think God really cares about who wins football games, except as winning might influence the character of some person or group. Besides. If the Colts were playing the Cowboys and I prayed for the Colts and Troy Aikman prayed for the Cowboys, wouldn’t that make it a standoff?
I do feel this way about it. Dad says it can take twenty years to make a reputation, and five minutes to ruin it. I want my reputation to be able to make it through whatever five-minute crises I run into. And I’m a lot more comfortable knowing where my help is.
Excerpt from Pages 362-364 of MANNING.
Excerpt from MANNING by Peyton Manning
Note: Peyton Manning is an American football player. He plays the position of quarterback and is considered to be one of the best to have ever played the game.
Like my dad, I make it a point when I speak to groups to talk about priorities, and when it’s school kids, I rank those priorities as: faith, family, and education, then football. For me generally it had always been the big four: faith, family, friends, and football. And I tell all of them that as important as football is to me, it can never be higher than fourth. My faith has been number one since I was thirteen years old and heard from the pulpit on a Sunday morning in New Orleans a simple question: “If you died today, are you one hundred percent sure you’d go to heaven?”
Cooper was there and Eli [Peyton's two brothers] but it didn’t hit them at the time the way it did me. It was a big church, and I felt very small, but my heart was pounding. The minister invited those who would like that assurance through Jesus Christ to raise their hands, and I did. Then he invited us to come forward, to take a stand, and my heart really started pounding. And from where we sat, it looked like a mile to the front.
But I got up and did it. And I committed my life to Christ, and that faith has been most important to me ever since. Some players get more vocal about it—the Reggie Whites, for example—and some point to Heaven after scoring a touchdown and praise God after games. I have no problem with that. But I don’t do it, and don’t think it makes me any less a Christian. I just want my actions to speak louder, and I don’t want to be more of a target for criticism than I already am. Somebody sees you drinking a beer, which I do, and they think, “Hmmmm, Peyton says he’s this, that, or the other, and there he is drinking alcohol. What’s that all about?”
Christians drink beer. So do non-Christians. Christians also make mistakes, just as non-Christians do. My faith doesn’t make me perfect, it makes me forgiven, and provides me the assurance I looked for half my life ago. I think God answered our prayers with Cooper, and that was a test of our faith. But I also think I’ve been blessed—having so little go wrong in my life, and being given so much. I pray every night, sometimes long prayers about a lot of things and a lot of people, but I don’t talk about it or brag about it because that’s between God and me, and I’m no better than anybody else in God’s sight.
But I consider myself fortunate to be able to go to Him for guidance, and I hope (and pray) I don’t do too many things that displease Him before I get to Heaven myself. I believe, too, that life is much better and freer when you’re committed to God in that way. I find being with others whose faith is the same has made me stronger. J.C. Watts and Steve Largent, for example. They’re both in Congress now. We had voluntary pregame chapel at Tennessee, and I attend chapel every Sunday with players on the team in Indianapolis. I have spoken to church youth groups, and at Christian high schools. And then simply as a Christian, and not as good a one as I’d like to be.
How do I justify football in the context of “love your enemy?” I say to kids, well, football is most definitely a “collision sport,” and I can’t deny it jars your teeth and at the extreme can break your bones. But I’ve never seen it as a “violent game,” there are rules to prevent that, and I know I don’t have to hate anybody on the other side to play as hard as I can within the rules. I think you’d have to get inside my head to appreciate it, but I do love football. And, yes, I’d play it for nothing if that was the only way, even now when I’m no longer a child. I find no contradiction in football and my faith.
Ah, but do I “pray for victory?” No, except as a generic thing. I pray to keep both teams injury free, and personally, that I use whatever talent I have to the best of my ability. But I don’t think God really cares about who wins football games, except as winning might influence the character of some person or group. Besides. If the Colts were playing the Cowboys and I prayed for the Colts and Troy Aikman prayed for the Cowboys, wouldn’t that make it a standoff?
I do feel this way about it. Dad says it can take twenty years to make a reputation, and five minutes to ruin it. I want my reputation to be able to make it through whatever five-minute crises I run into. And I’m a lot more comfortable knowing where my help is.
Excerpt from Pages 362-364 of MANNING.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Earth, Earth, Earth
November 7
“O, earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord,” Jeremiah 22:29.
“Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel; for the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: ‘There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land,” Hosea 4:1.
“Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
“Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord.
”Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, says the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border,” Jeremiah 31:10-17.
“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And the Lord said unto me, son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, You know.
Again He said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O you dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live: and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.
"So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I looked, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
"Then said God to me, Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus says the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
"So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then He said to me, son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say to them, Thus says the Lord God; Behold, O My people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
"And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall you know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, says the Lord,” Ezekiel 37:1-14
These and many other exciting passages from the Word of God address two entities—the House of Israel and the whole earth. The message to God’s ancient people as well as to the rest of the world is that the Holy One has not abandoned His people.
Though they were dispersed around the world, they were restored to their homeland—to the land God had promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. He had promised them a small sliver of land amidst a sea of people who despise their existence, to a people who are awash in wealth because of the abundance the Lord has lavished upon them, yet who begrudge the Jews the tiny portion of territory from which they have hewn a productive land, “flowing with milk and honey,” Exodus 33:3.
The Bible assures that the Holy One has not and will not abandon His people. He has promised that not only will He preserve their lives in the midst of their enemies, even as Psalm 23 assures, but that He will revive them! Though they are spiritually dead in their indifference to Him, their God will breathe His Spirit into them and they shall flourish not only temporally, but also spiritually!
Would that the whole earth might receive the promise of His life-giving Spirit, for He is not far from any one of us. No matter our political or cultural or religious heritage, the God of all creation has promised life through Jesus Christ our Savior.
May all mankind bow before Him now, for we know that in eternity every knee shall bow before Him and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father —even of those whose disdain of Him relegate their eternal abode to be in hell (see Philippians 2:10).
“O, earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord,” Jeremiah 22:29.
“Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel; for the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: ‘There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land,” Hosea 4:1.
“Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
“Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord.
”Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, says the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border,” Jeremiah 31:10-17.
“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And the Lord said unto me, son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, You know.
Again He said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O you dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live: and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.
"So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I looked, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
"Then said God to me, Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus says the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
"So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then He said to me, son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say to them, Thus says the Lord God; Behold, O My people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
"And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall you know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, says the Lord,” Ezekiel 37:1-14
These and many other exciting passages from the Word of God address two entities—the House of Israel and the whole earth. The message to God’s ancient people as well as to the rest of the world is that the Holy One has not abandoned His people.
Though they were dispersed around the world, they were restored to their homeland—to the land God had promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. He had promised them a small sliver of land amidst a sea of people who despise their existence, to a people who are awash in wealth because of the abundance the Lord has lavished upon them, yet who begrudge the Jews the tiny portion of territory from which they have hewn a productive land, “flowing with milk and honey,” Exodus 33:3.
The Bible assures that the Holy One has not and will not abandon His people. He has promised that not only will He preserve their lives in the midst of their enemies, even as Psalm 23 assures, but that He will revive them! Though they are spiritually dead in their indifference to Him, their God will breathe His Spirit into them and they shall flourish not only temporally, but also spiritually!
Would that the whole earth might receive the promise of His life-giving Spirit, for He is not far from any one of us. No matter our political or cultural or religious heritage, the God of all creation has promised life through Jesus Christ our Savior.
May all mankind bow before Him now, for we know that in eternity every knee shall bow before Him and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father —even of those whose disdain of Him relegate their eternal abode to be in hell (see Philippians 2:10).
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Tongue Twisters
November 6
How to Avoid the Devastation Tongue Twisters Can Bring by Dawn Scott Jones
The tongue has the power to do irreparable damage to a relationship. The Bible tells us "when words are many, sin is not absent," Proverbs 10:19. That's because the tongue can cause quite a storm. Though only a small member of our bodies, it is very unruly and can create havoc in just moments.
Like a swirling tornado of ruinous words, a tongue twister can wipe out a relationship in seconds. One brief "touchdown" from this destructive verbal cyclone can instantly blow the roof off a peaceful household or tear down a bridge of trust that took years to construct. As dangerous and untamable as a rogue wind, the tongue, when unleashed, can create devastating—even irreparable—damage.
But what can we do about it? The Bible also declares "the human tongue can be tamed by no man. It is a restless (undisciplined, irreconcilable) evil, full of deadly poison," James 3:8.
Does that mean we are helpless to control it? No! Though the tongue may be as impossible to tame as the wind and waves, we do have a responsibility. In fact, the apostle James wrote, "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless," James 1:26.
We may not be able to "tame" the tongue so that it permanently obeys us, but we are instructed to "keep a rein on" or to "rein over" the tongue. Our religion is worthless and ineffective if we cannot measure our words and discipline our tongues to speak only those things that are edifying, gracious and truthful. Sometimes keeping silent is better than even good words. "He who holds his tongue is wise," Proverbs 10:19.
The Bible is full of Scriptures that teach us about the incredible force of the tongue and our obligation to reign over it. It is clear that God is concerned about the way we speak. But there's more. It is not just the actual choice of words God is interested in; it is the motive behind the words. The condition of the heart, which cultivates our speech, is His primary concern.
Jesus confirmed this truth in one of His dialogs with the Pharisees. He told them, "You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? You know it is out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks," Matthew 12:34.
Jesus didn't mince words. He let us know that if we store up evil things in our hearts, the poison will overflow into our mouths and be released through our conversations. Conversely, if we store up good things in our hearts, the flowing river of our words will be uncontaminated and full of life.
The Lord made it clear that it is not what enters into our mouths that defiles us, but what proceeds out of our mouths (see Matthew 15:11). In other words, we are not corrupt because we speak bad words; we speak bad words because of the corruption in our hearts. Our mouths and our hearts are linked together in an inseparable way. If we are un-surrendered in our hearts, we will be un-surrendered in our speech. God's solution is for us to submit both our heart and our tongue to Him.
That is why David wrote, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer," Psalm 19:14.
Solomon, too, acknowledged the connection between the head and the heart when he admonished, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips," Proverbs 4:23-24.
Since the real heart of the issue then, is the issue of the heart, it is important that we guard our hearts with all diligence and continue to submit to God's probing and testing. He alone knows our true condition. As long as we seek to please Him, as David did, and allow Him to purify our hearts, we can avoid the devastation tongue twisters bring.
Pray that the words of your mouth and the meditation of your heart be pleasing to the Lord according to Psalm 19:14. Ask Jesus to create a clean heart and renew a right spirit within you. Pray that your words would be sweet and used to bring healing and restoration to others.
As you pray with a pure heart, pray for God to move upon our nation, reveal His truth, and turn it back to Himself. Thank Him for His continued protection and ask Him to expose those who devise wicked plans in opposition to His will for our nation, for Israel and for the rest of the world, as He instructs in Psalm 19:14 and in Proverbs 4:23, 24, “Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from you an adverse mouth, and perverse lips put far from yourself.”
How to Avoid the Devastation Tongue Twisters Can Bring by Dawn Scott Jones
The tongue has the power to do irreparable damage to a relationship. The Bible tells us "when words are many, sin is not absent," Proverbs 10:19. That's because the tongue can cause quite a storm. Though only a small member of our bodies, it is very unruly and can create havoc in just moments.
Like a swirling tornado of ruinous words, a tongue twister can wipe out a relationship in seconds. One brief "touchdown" from this destructive verbal cyclone can instantly blow the roof off a peaceful household or tear down a bridge of trust that took years to construct. As dangerous and untamable as a rogue wind, the tongue, when unleashed, can create devastating—even irreparable—damage.
But what can we do about it? The Bible also declares "the human tongue can be tamed by no man. It is a restless (undisciplined, irreconcilable) evil, full of deadly poison," James 3:8.
Does that mean we are helpless to control it? No! Though the tongue may be as impossible to tame as the wind and waves, we do have a responsibility. In fact, the apostle James wrote, "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless," James 1:26.
We may not be able to "tame" the tongue so that it permanently obeys us, but we are instructed to "keep a rein on" or to "rein over" the tongue. Our religion is worthless and ineffective if we cannot measure our words and discipline our tongues to speak only those things that are edifying, gracious and truthful. Sometimes keeping silent is better than even good words. "He who holds his tongue is wise," Proverbs 10:19.
The Bible is full of Scriptures that teach us about the incredible force of the tongue and our obligation to reign over it. It is clear that God is concerned about the way we speak. But there's more. It is not just the actual choice of words God is interested in; it is the motive behind the words. The condition of the heart, which cultivates our speech, is His primary concern.
Jesus confirmed this truth in one of His dialogs with the Pharisees. He told them, "You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? You know it is out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks," Matthew 12:34.
Jesus didn't mince words. He let us know that if we store up evil things in our hearts, the poison will overflow into our mouths and be released through our conversations. Conversely, if we store up good things in our hearts, the flowing river of our words will be uncontaminated and full of life.
The Lord made it clear that it is not what enters into our mouths that defiles us, but what proceeds out of our mouths (see Matthew 15:11). In other words, we are not corrupt because we speak bad words; we speak bad words because of the corruption in our hearts. Our mouths and our hearts are linked together in an inseparable way. If we are un-surrendered in our hearts, we will be un-surrendered in our speech. God's solution is for us to submit both our heart and our tongue to Him.
That is why David wrote, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer," Psalm 19:14.
Solomon, too, acknowledged the connection between the head and the heart when he admonished, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips," Proverbs 4:23-24.
Since the real heart of the issue then, is the issue of the heart, it is important that we guard our hearts with all diligence and continue to submit to God's probing and testing. He alone knows our true condition. As long as we seek to please Him, as David did, and allow Him to purify our hearts, we can avoid the devastation tongue twisters bring.
Pray that the words of your mouth and the meditation of your heart be pleasing to the Lord according to Psalm 19:14. Ask Jesus to create a clean heart and renew a right spirit within you. Pray that your words would be sweet and used to bring healing and restoration to others.
As you pray with a pure heart, pray for God to move upon our nation, reveal His truth, and turn it back to Himself. Thank Him for His continued protection and ask Him to expose those who devise wicked plans in opposition to His will for our nation, for Israel and for the rest of the world, as He instructs in Psalm 19:14 and in Proverbs 4:23, 24, “Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from you an adverse mouth, and perverse lips put far from yourself.”
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Without Fear
November 5
“You are My servant. I have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed or anxious, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Behold, all those who are angered at you will be ashamed and dishonored; those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish. You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them.
Those who war with you will be as nothing ... nonexistent; for I am the Lord your God who upholds you by the right hand of My righteousness. Who says to you, ‘Do not fear I will help you,” Isaiah 41:9-13.
The God who loves you is here affirming to you that His presence and power are with you; that although you may have trials and tribulations, although enemies may rise against you, you need not fear them for He is your strong Helper, He is your tower of safety to which you may flee.
We live in a world that is awash in the blood of the saints. There has been more persecution of Christians in recent years than in all past generations combined. We live at a time when the arch-enemy of the One True God is furiously endeavoring to wreak his havoc on this fallen planet—because his time is short.
How can we trust in God’s protection when others have been destroyed by the vitriolic hatred of the evil one as manifested through his demonic human minions? The answer seems to lie in the reality that God’s ways are higher than man’s ways; that the security our Almighty Lord assures to us transcends mere temporal safety.
And that is not to say that we should not claim His protection around ourselves and all those we love. That is not to say we should not expect to dwell in security in time as well as in eternity, for HE is Lord over all. Yet we must not limit our focus to the realm of the temporal. As the Word says, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36.
As ‘the faith chapter,’ Hebrews 11, states in amazing and powerful words:
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”[a] For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she[b] considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[c] 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.
23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.[d]
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning;[e] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."
May believers today stand in faith—without fear—so we, too may have the acclaim of our Heavenly Father. May we trust fully in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to preserve us in life and allow us to abide with Him through eternity. No matter how the circumstances of this present age may unfold, may we be like the heroes of faith enumerated here—may we be found faithful. And may we be found without fear.
“You are My servant. I have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed or anxious, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Behold, all those who are angered at you will be ashamed and dishonored; those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish. You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them.
Those who war with you will be as nothing ... nonexistent; for I am the Lord your God who upholds you by the right hand of My righteousness. Who says to you, ‘Do not fear I will help you,” Isaiah 41:9-13.
The God who loves you is here affirming to you that His presence and power are with you; that although you may have trials and tribulations, although enemies may rise against you, you need not fear them for He is your strong Helper, He is your tower of safety to which you may flee.
We live in a world that is awash in the blood of the saints. There has been more persecution of Christians in recent years than in all past generations combined. We live at a time when the arch-enemy of the One True God is furiously endeavoring to wreak his havoc on this fallen planet—because his time is short.
How can we trust in God’s protection when others have been destroyed by the vitriolic hatred of the evil one as manifested through his demonic human minions? The answer seems to lie in the reality that God’s ways are higher than man’s ways; that the security our Almighty Lord assures to us transcends mere temporal safety.
And that is not to say that we should not claim His protection around ourselves and all those we love. That is not to say we should not expect to dwell in security in time as well as in eternity, for HE is Lord over all. Yet we must not limit our focus to the realm of the temporal. As the Word says, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36.
As ‘the faith chapter,’ Hebrews 11, states in amazing and powerful words:
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”[a] For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she[b] considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[c] 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.
23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.[d]
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning;[e] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."
May believers today stand in faith—without fear—so we, too may have the acclaim of our Heavenly Father. May we trust fully in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to preserve us in life and allow us to abide with Him through eternity. No matter how the circumstances of this present age may unfold, may we be like the heroes of faith enumerated here—may we be found faithful. And may we be found without fear.
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