May 28
What would Abraham Lincoln say about America? By Jim Denison
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation designating April 30 as "a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer." Why?
According to the president, "We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown.
“But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.
“Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!"
What would President Lincoln say about America today?
There was a time when religion was central to our society; then it became a marginalized hobby. Now Christianity is widely seen as detrimental and prejudiced, homophobic and irrelevant. You don't need me to chronicle the moral challenges of our day, or the growing irreligiosity of our culture.
Here's the good news: God still hears the prayers of the penitent.
Peter called the crowds who chose Barabbas over Jesus to, "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out," (Acts 3:19). If those who demanded Jesus' crucifixion could be forgiven, whose sin can God not pardon?
Consider this promise: "If a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all My statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?" (Ezekiel 18:21-23).
God would rather we repent and live than continue in sin and face His judgment. What He said to ancient Israel, He says to America today.
Why is repentance essential to God's forgiveness and favor? Not because we must earn His blessing, but because repentance positions us to receive what grace intends to give. A doctor cannot help a patient who will not admit that he is sick. But our Father will forgive every sin His children confess (1 John 1:9).
Let me urge you to make time today for personal repentance. Ask the Spirit to bring to your mind anything in your life that grieves your Father, and confess all that comes to your thoughts. Then I encourage you to fast from a meal today and use the time to confess the sins of our culture, specifically and honestly. Ask God to forgive our people and bring the moral and spiritual awakening we need so desperately. I will join you in such fasting and prayer.
President Lincoln warned that, "we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace."
Do you feel the necessity of God's grace in your life? Jesus paid a great price so you can be saved; so you can receive the grace of God. Please receive “His unspeakable GIFT,” II Corinthians 9:15.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
When God Seems Far Away
May 27
When God Seems Far Away From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
"Why, O Lord, do You stand far off? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?" - Psalm 10:1
One of the great mysteries of God is His ways. Some of His ways almost appear to bring us into the most difficult places, as if He were indifferent to our circumstances. It would appear that He is turning His head from our sorrows. These events in our lives have a particular objective to perform for us. That objective is to bring us to the end of ourselves that we might discover the treasure of darkness.
"Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness," Job 30:26.
When we are taken into these dark periods, we begin to see light that we never knew existed. Our sensitivities become heightened and our ability to see through spiritual eyes is illuminated. Unless we are taken into these times, our souls never develop any depth of character. We do not gain wisdom, only knowledge. Knowledge is gained through understanding; wisdom is gained through the experience of darkness.
After we go through these periods, we discover that God was, in fact, with us throughout the entire time. It does not feel or appear that He is there when we are in the midst of the dark periods. However, He is there walking with us. He has told us countless times that He will never leave us. However, when we are in those dark periods, it does not feel like He is there because He does not rescue us from the circumstances.
He does this for our benefit in order that we might become more like Jesus. Jesus learned obedience from the things He suffered (see Hebrews 5:8). What does that say about how you and I will learn obedience? Embrace the dark times and gain the wisdom that God intends for you from them.
When God Seems Far Away From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
"Why, O Lord, do You stand far off? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?" - Psalm 10:1
One of the great mysteries of God is His ways. Some of His ways almost appear to bring us into the most difficult places, as if He were indifferent to our circumstances. It would appear that He is turning His head from our sorrows. These events in our lives have a particular objective to perform for us. That objective is to bring us to the end of ourselves that we might discover the treasure of darkness.
"Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness," Job 30:26.
When we are taken into these dark periods, we begin to see light that we never knew existed. Our sensitivities become heightened and our ability to see through spiritual eyes is illuminated. Unless we are taken into these times, our souls never develop any depth of character. We do not gain wisdom, only knowledge. Knowledge is gained through understanding; wisdom is gained through the experience of darkness.
After we go through these periods, we discover that God was, in fact, with us throughout the entire time. It does not feel or appear that He is there when we are in the midst of the dark periods. However, He is there walking with us. He has told us countless times that He will never leave us. However, when we are in those dark periods, it does not feel like He is there because He does not rescue us from the circumstances.
He does this for our benefit in order that we might become more like Jesus. Jesus learned obedience from the things He suffered (see Hebrews 5:8). What does that say about how you and I will learn obedience? Embrace the dark times and gain the wisdom that God intends for you from them.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Jesus Christ Our Lord
May 26
Jesus Christ Our Lord
‘…learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart…’—Matthew 11:29
The four Gospels present four rather different pictures of Christ from different perspectives, from different backgrounds, and through different events.
As we read those Gospels, a character rises up from the pages, a character unique and altogether lovely. We begin to see a face and hear a voice, a voice that speaks with a music and a poetry never heard before.
His message? “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.”
Have you heard and responded to that message?
That voice has reverberated through the centuries. Ah, the skeptics have come with their scissors and their paste, cutting up the Gospels and pasting them back together anyway they’ve wanted. Still that character stands and speaks an everlasting message. The invitation still comes, the music still sounds. “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.”
Antagonists have attempted to refute Jesus’ claims. Nietzsche condemned Christ, mocking His humility and dubbing Him a slave. Nietzsche died in a madhouse, but the voice of Christ still resounds.
Hitler, following in Nietzsche’s footsteps, declared that he, as a pure pagan, would uproot Christianity from the earth. Hitler became a charred cinder, his name a byword for one who does evil. But the voice of Christ continues to resound throughout the world.
The Communists tried to kill just about every Christian they could get their hands on. But today in those lands more people follow Jesus than follow Karl Marx.
So it goes that Christ, whose message has outlasted all His detractors, criticizes His critics and becomes the final Judge of all His judges, and all the while His voice still exhorts, even today, “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Today let that lasting message reverberate through your heart, encouraging you in all you do.
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun does his successive journeys run. —Isaac Watts
Jesus Christ Our Lord
‘…learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart…’—Matthew 11:29
The four Gospels present four rather different pictures of Christ from different perspectives, from different backgrounds, and through different events.
As we read those Gospels, a character rises up from the pages, a character unique and altogether lovely. We begin to see a face and hear a voice, a voice that speaks with a music and a poetry never heard before.
His message? “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.”
Have you heard and responded to that message?
That voice has reverberated through the centuries. Ah, the skeptics have come with their scissors and their paste, cutting up the Gospels and pasting them back together anyway they’ve wanted. Still that character stands and speaks an everlasting message. The invitation still comes, the music still sounds. “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.”
Antagonists have attempted to refute Jesus’ claims. Nietzsche condemned Christ, mocking His humility and dubbing Him a slave. Nietzsche died in a madhouse, but the voice of Christ still resounds.
Hitler, following in Nietzsche’s footsteps, declared that he, as a pure pagan, would uproot Christianity from the earth. Hitler became a charred cinder, his name a byword for one who does evil. But the voice of Christ continues to resound throughout the world.
The Communists tried to kill just about every Christian they could get their hands on. But today in those lands more people follow Jesus than follow Karl Marx.
So it goes that Christ, whose message has outlasted all His detractors, criticizes His critics and becomes the final Judge of all His judges, and all the while His voice still exhorts, even today, “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Today let that lasting message reverberate through your heart, encouraging you in all you do.
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun does his successive journeys run. —Isaac Watts
Monday, May 25, 2015
Living God's Way
May 25
“And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted,” John 6:11
Our Opportunity to Serve by Martin G. Collins
Christ performs the miracle, but for both practical and spiritual reasons, His disciples present the food to the people. It was more organized and took less time to distribute the food this way than by doing it Himself.
More importantly, Jesus and His disciples were becoming a team, and it was essential that they share in His work to have firsthand experience. Their involvement in Christ's generous, compassionate, loving act of providence would be a lasting memory to fuel their faith and zeal in their future apostolic work.
Jesus' miracle provided them an opportunity to serve Him, while teaching us lessons in responsible service. Though God does not need us, He gives us the privilege and blessing to be involved in His service. Some people do not wish to be encumbered by a duty to act in His behalf, but this is a wrong perspective of service. God provides opportunities to serve so that we might experience great blessing.
The disciples had a responsibility to give to the people what Christ had given them. When God gives to us, we are to share faithfully with others, not hoard His gifts for ourselves.
Ministers are to preach the whole truth of God and not change the message or withhold parts of it (see Acts 20:27). Church members should look out for the welfare of others, sharing our blessings. If we are “wealthy with every spiritual blessing,” Ephesians 1:3, we should pass them on to others by living God's way of life as a witness.
“And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted,” John 6:11
Our Opportunity to Serve by Martin G. Collins
Christ performs the miracle, but for both practical and spiritual reasons, His disciples present the food to the people. It was more organized and took less time to distribute the food this way than by doing it Himself.
More importantly, Jesus and His disciples were becoming a team, and it was essential that they share in His work to have firsthand experience. Their involvement in Christ's generous, compassionate, loving act of providence would be a lasting memory to fuel their faith and zeal in their future apostolic work.
Jesus' miracle provided them an opportunity to serve Him, while teaching us lessons in responsible service. Though God does not need us, He gives us the privilege and blessing to be involved in His service. Some people do not wish to be encumbered by a duty to act in His behalf, but this is a wrong perspective of service. God provides opportunities to serve so that we might experience great blessing.
The disciples had a responsibility to give to the people what Christ had given them. When God gives to us, we are to share faithfully with others, not hoard His gifts for ourselves.
Ministers are to preach the whole truth of God and not change the message or withhold parts of it (see Acts 20:27). Church members should look out for the welfare of others, sharing our blessings. If we are “wealthy with every spiritual blessing,” Ephesians 1:3, we should pass them on to others by living God's way of life as a witness.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
REVIVAL!
May 24
Send A Great Revival! by Dr. D. James Kennedy
…O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!…Habakkuk 3:2
Today we’ll look at revival. Particularly, we’ll look at some great revivals of the past.
Perhaps the most notable revival of the twentieth century happened in 1904 and 1905 in the tiny land of Wales. This revival started with a few people fervently praying. The prayers of these people had powerful results.
Churches that had been one-fourth full of apathetic Christians began to come alive. The Spirit of God fell on various towns, moving everywhere. Within five months, over a hundred thousand people in that small land converted to Christianity! The bars in many towns had to shut down completely, and the jails were emptied and closed!
Another powerful revival happened years ago on the battleship North Carolina. While this battleship anchored in New York harbor, four young men out of a thousand got together. They could find no other Christians, but they asked for a room where they could meet and pray. They were assigned a little room way below the waterline, and day after day they faithfully met together to pray. They prayed that God would pour His blessing upon that ship.
Finally one day the Spirit of God descended, the sailors’ hearts burned within them, and they knew that God was present. They began to sing praises to God, and their hymns of praise wafted up through the ship. Hearing the singing, rough sailors came down to mock the four men, but when these rough men entered the room, the power of God’s Spirit gripped them.
These men fell to their knees. Eventually, hundreds converted to Christianity, and a great revival swept the entire ship. In fact, the revival carried from that ship to others.
The same God who changed these men, the same God who changed Saul of Tarsus into Paul the Apostle, can change anyone. Today pray that God will bring revival to our nation, especially to the people whom you’d least expect would give their lives to Christ. He can work through you as you faithfully pray.
Revival is a sovereign act of God, whereby He intervenes to lift the situation completely out of human hands and works in extraordinary power. —Jeffrey King
We are celebrating Memorial Day this weekend. It is the holiday wherein we honor those who have sacrificed their lives for the nation in which we live. Consider for a moment the foundation upon which that nation is built: truth, honor, opportunity, equality, freedom of expression, freedom of religion.
The only religion in the United States at its inception was Christianity in its various forms, and yes, there were a smattering of Jews--all the faiths represented were oriented around the sacred texts of Christians and Jews.
Today, there is a turning aside from the faith on which this nation was established, and there has been an erosion of the principles in which that faith anchored us as a people.
Today, as we honor the memory of those whose lives were laid down that our nation and its governing principles might live, let us supplicate Heaven that He who governs the affairs of men might revive us again! Let us pray that His Holy Spirit will wash over us as a people!
Let us pray that old and young, weak and strong, poor and rich, black and white, religious and irreligious might be washed over and cleansed through by the coursing power of the Holy Spirit of the Living God!
Let us pray that we will fall on our knees before the One who died to set men free from the chains of sin--the sins of hatred, adultery, murder, theft, deception, prejudice, mallace of any sort--that we might be free to worship the Christ in the beauty of holiness and reestablish our country on Him and the principles our founding fathers cherished.
Let us pray that this Memorial Day will find us reflecting upon not only those who gave themselves for this nation but also upon the principles upon which these United States were founded--that were and still are worth dying for!
JESUS, HELP US REMEMBER, AND REVIVE US AGAIN!
Send A Great Revival! by Dr. D. James Kennedy
…O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!…Habakkuk 3:2
Today we’ll look at revival. Particularly, we’ll look at some great revivals of the past.
Perhaps the most notable revival of the twentieth century happened in 1904 and 1905 in the tiny land of Wales. This revival started with a few people fervently praying. The prayers of these people had powerful results.
Churches that had been one-fourth full of apathetic Christians began to come alive. The Spirit of God fell on various towns, moving everywhere. Within five months, over a hundred thousand people in that small land converted to Christianity! The bars in many towns had to shut down completely, and the jails were emptied and closed!
Another powerful revival happened years ago on the battleship North Carolina. While this battleship anchored in New York harbor, four young men out of a thousand got together. They could find no other Christians, but they asked for a room where they could meet and pray. They were assigned a little room way below the waterline, and day after day they faithfully met together to pray. They prayed that God would pour His blessing upon that ship.
Finally one day the Spirit of God descended, the sailors’ hearts burned within them, and they knew that God was present. They began to sing praises to God, and their hymns of praise wafted up through the ship. Hearing the singing, rough sailors came down to mock the four men, but when these rough men entered the room, the power of God’s Spirit gripped them.
These men fell to their knees. Eventually, hundreds converted to Christianity, and a great revival swept the entire ship. In fact, the revival carried from that ship to others.
The same God who changed these men, the same God who changed Saul of Tarsus into Paul the Apostle, can change anyone. Today pray that God will bring revival to our nation, especially to the people whom you’d least expect would give their lives to Christ. He can work through you as you faithfully pray.
Revival is a sovereign act of God, whereby He intervenes to lift the situation completely out of human hands and works in extraordinary power. —Jeffrey King
We are celebrating Memorial Day this weekend. It is the holiday wherein we honor those who have sacrificed their lives for the nation in which we live. Consider for a moment the foundation upon which that nation is built: truth, honor, opportunity, equality, freedom of expression, freedom of religion.
The only religion in the United States at its inception was Christianity in its various forms, and yes, there were a smattering of Jews--all the faiths represented were oriented around the sacred texts of Christians and Jews.
Today, there is a turning aside from the faith on which this nation was established, and there has been an erosion of the principles in which that faith anchored us as a people.
Today, as we honor the memory of those whose lives were laid down that our nation and its governing principles might live, let us supplicate Heaven that He who governs the affairs of men might revive us again! Let us pray that His Holy Spirit will wash over us as a people!
Let us pray that old and young, weak and strong, poor and rich, black and white, religious and irreligious might be washed over and cleansed through by the coursing power of the Holy Spirit of the Living God!
Let us pray that we will fall on our knees before the One who died to set men free from the chains of sin--the sins of hatred, adultery, murder, theft, deception, prejudice, mallace of any sort--that we might be free to worship the Christ in the beauty of holiness and reestablish our country on Him and the principles our founding fathers cherished.
Let us pray that this Memorial Day will find us reflecting upon not only those who gave themselves for this nation but also upon the principles upon which these United States were founded--that were and still are worth dying for!
JESUS, HELP US REMEMBER, AND REVIVE US AGAIN!
Saturday, May 23, 2015
The Sovereignty of God
May 23
“And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls, 12 it was said to her, ‘The older shall serve the younger.’ As it is written, 'Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.’ What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.’ So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” Romans 9:10-16
Jacob had God's election, selection, or calling, thus giving him a very decided advantage that was withheld from Esau by God, who did not choose to call him.
God's election of Jacob and rejection of Esau had nothing to do with anything genetically inherent within them. It had nothing to do with what either of them had done. It had everything to do with what God chose to do and did: He gave Jacob the edge. Jacob eventually responded correctly, but the sovereign God exercised His right to make moves and use people as He designs. This is Paul's main point.
God's decisions—what He elects to do—are not matters of emotion but of will. Whether we think they are right or wrong, fair or unfair, means nothing. Isaiah 55 makes plain we do not think as He does. Our thinking on these issues does not matter because, first, God is Creator and can do as He pleases. Second, what He does is always right.
That we are not masters of our own destiny and that free moral agency has its limits are sometimes humbling and difficult to accept. God, of His own volition, can and does treat some with what we might deem as favoritism.
Notice John the Baptist's reaction to a situation in which something like this is involved:
And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!"
John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. . . . He must increase, but I must decrease," John 3:26-27, 30.
John had come to grips with this concept. He understood that his role in the vast scope of God's purpose was limited by the overruling wisdom of the Creator as He carried out His purpose.
This is a reason why salvation is spoken of as "free"—because God is not bound to show mercy to anybody since all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All too often, we forget that the invisible God is working things out according to His purpose, not ours. God is free to do as He pleases. He owes no one anything.
I Corinthians 4:6-7 adds: "Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?"
Do we have grounds for being puffed up or jealous? John the Baptist did not think so, and what he declared is truth. I Corinthians 12 makes clear that God places people in the church as it pleases Him, and He gives gifts to them so they can be responsible for a function. The gifts do not make them "better," just prepared by the Creator to serve in a specialized way.
At this juncture, we can draw a major lesson from the Parable of the Talents and fit it into this picture: "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. . . . So he who had received five talents, came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.' . . . He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.' . . . Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’" Matthew 25:14, 20, 22, 24.
Not all are expected to produce the same results, but all are expected to be equally faithful to the gifts God entrusted to them. Interestingly, the one who was unfaithful to what God gave him failed to produce based on his reasoning that God is unfair. Like so many people today, he felt victimized.
We see, then, that Jacob was not inherently a better person than Esau was. He was simply gifted in a way Esau was not. God probably chose to use twins to illustrate this vitally important lesson to draw attention to how He works and to His grace. In this way, God is never indebted to man.
What makes this so important to us? We have the same advantage over those not called as Jacob had over Esau. We also learn that those who judge themselves among themselves are not wise because not everyone is gifted in exactly the same way.
Finally, we learn that each bears his own responsibility to edify the body according the measure of what God has given him.— John W. Ritenbaugh
“And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls, 12 it was said to her, ‘The older shall serve the younger.’ As it is written, 'Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.’ What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.’ So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” Romans 9:10-16
Jacob had God's election, selection, or calling, thus giving him a very decided advantage that was withheld from Esau by God, who did not choose to call him.
God's election of Jacob and rejection of Esau had nothing to do with anything genetically inherent within them. It had nothing to do with what either of them had done. It had everything to do with what God chose to do and did: He gave Jacob the edge. Jacob eventually responded correctly, but the sovereign God exercised His right to make moves and use people as He designs. This is Paul's main point.
God's decisions—what He elects to do—are not matters of emotion but of will. Whether we think they are right or wrong, fair or unfair, means nothing. Isaiah 55 makes plain we do not think as He does. Our thinking on these issues does not matter because, first, God is Creator and can do as He pleases. Second, what He does is always right.
That we are not masters of our own destiny and that free moral agency has its limits are sometimes humbling and difficult to accept. God, of His own volition, can and does treat some with what we might deem as favoritism.
Notice John the Baptist's reaction to a situation in which something like this is involved:
And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!"
John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. . . . He must increase, but I must decrease," John 3:26-27, 30.
John had come to grips with this concept. He understood that his role in the vast scope of God's purpose was limited by the overruling wisdom of the Creator as He carried out His purpose.
This is a reason why salvation is spoken of as "free"—because God is not bound to show mercy to anybody since all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All too often, we forget that the invisible God is working things out according to His purpose, not ours. God is free to do as He pleases. He owes no one anything.
I Corinthians 4:6-7 adds: "Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?"
Do we have grounds for being puffed up or jealous? John the Baptist did not think so, and what he declared is truth. I Corinthians 12 makes clear that God places people in the church as it pleases Him, and He gives gifts to them so they can be responsible for a function. The gifts do not make them "better," just prepared by the Creator to serve in a specialized way.
At this juncture, we can draw a major lesson from the Parable of the Talents and fit it into this picture: "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. . . . So he who had received five talents, came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.' . . . He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.' . . . Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’" Matthew 25:14, 20, 22, 24.
Not all are expected to produce the same results, but all are expected to be equally faithful to the gifts God entrusted to them. Interestingly, the one who was unfaithful to what God gave him failed to produce based on his reasoning that God is unfair. Like so many people today, he felt victimized.
We see, then, that Jacob was not inherently a better person than Esau was. He was simply gifted in a way Esau was not. God probably chose to use twins to illustrate this vitally important lesson to draw attention to how He works and to His grace. In this way, God is never indebted to man.
What makes this so important to us? We have the same advantage over those not called as Jacob had over Esau. We also learn that those who judge themselves among themselves are not wise because not everyone is gifted in exactly the same way.
Finally, we learn that each bears his own responsibility to edify the body according the measure of what God has given him.— John W. Ritenbaugh
Friday, May 22, 2015
The Claims of Christ
May 22
The Claims of Christ
‘I and My Father are one.’—John 10:30
Have you ever really thought about some of the things Jesus Christ said about Himself? Have you ever pondered the fact that Jesus Christ made claims that today would put someone in a lockup?
Jesus said He was the “light of the world.” Talk about delusions of grandeur! (But only if the claim weren’t true.) Jesus also claimed an eternal origin—He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” His hearers, the Jewish leaders of His day, knew that those words were a claim to deity. (Recall that, in Exodus 3:14, God identified Himself to Moses as “I AM.”)
Jesus also claimed the power to forgive sins, something only God can do. As well, Jesus presented Himself as equal to God when He said, “I and My Father are one.”
The Jewish leaders knew the meaning behind Jesus’ words, and they didn’t like what they heard. They recognized Jesus’ claim to deity and almost stoned Him for blasphemy.
If you really think about it, either Jesus was crazy, he was a deceiver, or He was telling the truth.
C. S. Lewis, the great Christian writer, put it so well:
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell.
You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.
But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. —Mere Christianity (Macmillan, 1952)
Whenever you find yourself thinking about Jesus, take a moment to stop and consider Who He really is. He revealed His identity in His words, and He’ll back up His words by showing His power in your life.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten from the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through Him all things were made… —Nicene Creed
The Claims of Christ
‘I and My Father are one.’—John 10:30
Have you ever really thought about some of the things Jesus Christ said about Himself? Have you ever pondered the fact that Jesus Christ made claims that today would put someone in a lockup?
Jesus said He was the “light of the world.” Talk about delusions of grandeur! (But only if the claim weren’t true.) Jesus also claimed an eternal origin—He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” His hearers, the Jewish leaders of His day, knew that those words were a claim to deity. (Recall that, in Exodus 3:14, God identified Himself to Moses as “I AM.”)
Jesus also claimed the power to forgive sins, something only God can do. As well, Jesus presented Himself as equal to God when He said, “I and My Father are one.”
The Jewish leaders knew the meaning behind Jesus’ words, and they didn’t like what they heard. They recognized Jesus’ claim to deity and almost stoned Him for blasphemy.
If you really think about it, either Jesus was crazy, he was a deceiver, or He was telling the truth.
C. S. Lewis, the great Christian writer, put it so well:
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell.
You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.
But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. —Mere Christianity (Macmillan, 1952)
Whenever you find yourself thinking about Jesus, take a moment to stop and consider Who He really is. He revealed His identity in His words, and He’ll back up His words by showing His power in your life.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten from the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through Him all things were made… —Nicene Creed
Thursday, May 21, 2015
To See God
May 21
To See God by Dr. D. James Kennedy
‘Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.’—Matthew 5:8
Some have called the concept of seeing God “the brightest star in the Beatitudes’ constellation.” For ages, Christians have longed to see God. The mystics of the Middle Ages rejoiced in the concept of seeing God, calling it the “Beatific Vision.” This vision was the great quest of theology and even the quest of science as originally constructed—through the examination of the cosmos, humans hoped to more clearly see the Creator.
But Scripture explicitly states that no human can see God directly and live. Yet many still seek to do so.
Philip the Apostle said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
Even pagan princes have sought to see God. In the ancient Roman Empire, Trajan said to a believer in the true God, “I understand that you believe your God is everywhere…I should very much like to see Him.”
The believer responded, “I am afraid, sire, that no mortal eye can look upon His glory.”
Nonetheless, the king commanded the believer to show him God. The believer suggested to the king that he first look at God’s ambassadors before he look God in the face.
With that, the believer led Trajan outside on a bright, dazzling day and told the king to look at the sun. The king responded, “I cannot, for the light dazzles my eyes!” The believer then explained that if the king could not look at a mere ambassador that carries a message of God’s creation, how could he possibly look into the face of God Himself?
We cannot see God with our limited human eyes. But we can see Him with our souls, experiencing His joy, His peace, and His serenity. I hope that you have the blessing of seeing God this way as you foster a pure heart.
Jesus, the very thought of Thee, with sweetness fills my breast, but even more. Thy face to see and in Thy presence rest. —St. Bernard of Clairveoux
To See God by Dr. D. James Kennedy
‘Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.’—Matthew 5:8
Some have called the concept of seeing God “the brightest star in the Beatitudes’ constellation.” For ages, Christians have longed to see God. The mystics of the Middle Ages rejoiced in the concept of seeing God, calling it the “Beatific Vision.” This vision was the great quest of theology and even the quest of science as originally constructed—through the examination of the cosmos, humans hoped to more clearly see the Creator.
But Scripture explicitly states that no human can see God directly and live. Yet many still seek to do so.
Philip the Apostle said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
Even pagan princes have sought to see God. In the ancient Roman Empire, Trajan said to a believer in the true God, “I understand that you believe your God is everywhere…I should very much like to see Him.”
The believer responded, “I am afraid, sire, that no mortal eye can look upon His glory.”
Nonetheless, the king commanded the believer to show him God. The believer suggested to the king that he first look at God’s ambassadors before he look God in the face.
With that, the believer led Trajan outside on a bright, dazzling day and told the king to look at the sun. The king responded, “I cannot, for the light dazzles my eyes!” The believer then explained that if the king could not look at a mere ambassador that carries a message of God’s creation, how could he possibly look into the face of God Himself?
We cannot see God with our limited human eyes. But we can see Him with our souls, experiencing His joy, His peace, and His serenity. I hope that you have the blessing of seeing God this way as you foster a pure heart.
Jesus, the very thought of Thee, with sweetness fills my breast, but even more. Thy face to see and in Thy presence rest. —St. Bernard of Clairveoux
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Love
May 20
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us,” I John 4:7-14.
Love, not romantic love, not lust that is so much misrepresented as love in the movies, not self-
aggrandizement that is the exaggeration of the scriptural admonition to “love your neighbor as you love yourself,” (see Matthew 22:39 and Mark 12:31) but real, unadulterated, true love must be of God, for the WORD tells us that “God is love,” I John 4:8.
Good works is not necessarily love in action, for extending a helping hand to the needy may be motivated by something as unlike real love as the desire to have a tax break. Merely being touched by compassion when the plight of those who are not surrounded by the advantages of the technological age, is not necessarily indicative of love as much as the fact that our selfish heart has not become totally calloused.
Real love must reflect the compassion of Christ who suffered and died for the sins of mankind. Real love must be motivated by a desire to share His salvation with the lost, unlovely, thankless men of the world who care nothing for our crucified Lord.
Real love will compel us to lay down our desire for self-aggrandizement in all its forms in order to “take up our cross daily and follow Jesus,” Luke 9:23. Real love has a great cost as Jesus demonstrated when He allowed Himself to be crucified so we might live eternally.
Real love will enable us to lay down our lives if we must, in order that we never deny His name, for the Lord has said, “Whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I deny before My Father,” Matthew 10:33.
Do we love? Can those around us see God who is love reflected in our love? Lord, help us to fulfill Your command to, “Love one another as I have loved you,” John 13:34.
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us,” I John 4:7-14.
Love, not romantic love, not lust that is so much misrepresented as love in the movies, not self-
aggrandizement that is the exaggeration of the scriptural admonition to “love your neighbor as you love yourself,” (see Matthew 22:39 and Mark 12:31) but real, unadulterated, true love must be of God, for the WORD tells us that “God is love,” I John 4:8.
Good works is not necessarily love in action, for extending a helping hand to the needy may be motivated by something as unlike real love as the desire to have a tax break. Merely being touched by compassion when the plight of those who are not surrounded by the advantages of the technological age, is not necessarily indicative of love as much as the fact that our selfish heart has not become totally calloused.
Real love must reflect the compassion of Christ who suffered and died for the sins of mankind. Real love must be motivated by a desire to share His salvation with the lost, unlovely, thankless men of the world who care nothing for our crucified Lord.
Real love will compel us to lay down our desire for self-aggrandizement in all its forms in order to “take up our cross daily and follow Jesus,” Luke 9:23. Real love has a great cost as Jesus demonstrated when He allowed Himself to be crucified so we might live eternally.
Real love will enable us to lay down our lives if we must, in order that we never deny His name, for the Lord has said, “Whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I deny before My Father,” Matthew 10:33.
Do we love? Can those around us see God who is love reflected in our love? Lord, help us to fulfill Your command to, “Love one another as I have loved you,” John 13:34.
Sacrifice
May 19
Sacrifice
‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’—Mark 8:34
Have you ever noticed how virtually all of the people we call heroes have made great sacrifices in one way or another? To achieve the ends they deemed worthwhile, these people sacrificed their time, their finances, their health, even their lives. And because they willingly relinquished any claims to these things (which we take for granted), we view these people as heroes, worthy of honor and emulation.
Throughout the centuries, God has used sacrifice as the marble from which He carves greatness. Here are some people we call heroes for the sacrifices they made:
•the apostles who gave their lives at stakes, on crosses, and in other torturous ways
•the early Christians in the Colosseum of Rome, who watched iron grates rise and famished lions charge
•Christians who were tied to stakes and watched as torches ignited kindling beneath them
•the Pilgrims who, in the dead of winter, sailed across tumultuous seas to the inhospitable coasts of New England
•George Washington and his brave soldiers at Valley Forge, who left bloody footprints in the snow
•Jesus Christ, who made the ultimate sacrifice, His life, at Calvary
What sacrifice can you offer to God this day? What material will you give Him so that He can carve greatness from your life?
There has never yet been a man in our history who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering. —Theodore Roosevelt
Sacrifice
‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’—Mark 8:34
Have you ever noticed how virtually all of the people we call heroes have made great sacrifices in one way or another? To achieve the ends they deemed worthwhile, these people sacrificed their time, their finances, their health, even their lives. And because they willingly relinquished any claims to these things (which we take for granted), we view these people as heroes, worthy of honor and emulation.
Throughout the centuries, God has used sacrifice as the marble from which He carves greatness. Here are some people we call heroes for the sacrifices they made:
•the apostles who gave their lives at stakes, on crosses, and in other torturous ways
•the early Christians in the Colosseum of Rome, who watched iron grates rise and famished lions charge
•Christians who were tied to stakes and watched as torches ignited kindling beneath them
•the Pilgrims who, in the dead of winter, sailed across tumultuous seas to the inhospitable coasts of New England
•George Washington and his brave soldiers at Valley Forge, who left bloody footprints in the snow
•Jesus Christ, who made the ultimate sacrifice, His life, at Calvary
What sacrifice can you offer to God this day? What material will you give Him so that He can carve greatness from your life?
There has never yet been a man in our history who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering. —Theodore Roosevelt
Monday, May 18, 2015
All Things
May 18
All Things For Our Good by Dr. D. James Kennedy
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.—Romans 8:28
Have you ever looked back on a difficult time in your life and been amazed at how, in an entirely unforeseen way, it turned out positively? As we go through life, God operates behind the scenes, working everything for good on behalf of those who love Him. We may not recognize it in this lifetime, but when we get to heaven and God replays the pictures of our lives, we’ll discover the positive end to each trial we’ve endured.
I hope you’ll claim this truth today. I hope you know God has everything under His control, even the chaotic times in your life. He has a plan for everything you undergo. You may face an avalanche of trial, trouble, and tribulation. Maybe you face it even today. Anyone in that situation would feel discouraged.
I have often found myself in the deep, dark pit of despair and discouragement, wondering how I’d ever get out. But in those times God encourages me by reminding me of His promise: He works everything for good. We must view everything that comes our way, even the most difficult situations, through the filter of God’s love.
I invite you to do that today, whatever trial you face. Remember that God has a perspective on your problems that you can’t see as a limited human being here on earth. Be encouraged that God can see the big picture and that He’ll put the pieces of your life together to an end far beyond your wildest dreams.
God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform. William Cowper
All Things For Our Good by Dr. D. James Kennedy
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.—Romans 8:28
Have you ever looked back on a difficult time in your life and been amazed at how, in an entirely unforeseen way, it turned out positively? As we go through life, God operates behind the scenes, working everything for good on behalf of those who love Him. We may not recognize it in this lifetime, but when we get to heaven and God replays the pictures of our lives, we’ll discover the positive end to each trial we’ve endured.
I hope you’ll claim this truth today. I hope you know God has everything under His control, even the chaotic times in your life. He has a plan for everything you undergo. You may face an avalanche of trial, trouble, and tribulation. Maybe you face it even today. Anyone in that situation would feel discouraged.
I have often found myself in the deep, dark pit of despair and discouragement, wondering how I’d ever get out. But in those times God encourages me by reminding me of His promise: He works everything for good. We must view everything that comes our way, even the most difficult situations, through the filter of God’s love.
I invite you to do that today, whatever trial you face. Remember that God has a perspective on your problems that you can’t see as a limited human being here on earth. Be encouraged that God can see the big picture and that He’ll put the pieces of your life together to an end far beyond your wildest dreams.
God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform. William Cowper
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Goodness and Mercy
May 17
Years ago, a woman went to see the great Bible teacher, Harry Ironside. She was aged, and her mind was starting to go. She was frightened because she said two men were following her everywhere she went.
Ironside, realizing her condition, did something wonderful. He opened his Bible to the last verse of Psalm 23 and said, "I know who they are! Their names are Goodness and Mercy, and God has sent them to follow you all the way to Heaven."
Today, God's mercy and goodness are following you because He is your Shepherd!
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
3 He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for You are with me;
Your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely Your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Years ago, a woman went to see the great Bible teacher, Harry Ironside. She was aged, and her mind was starting to go. She was frightened because she said two men were following her everywhere she went.
Ironside, realizing her condition, did something wonderful. He opened his Bible to the last verse of Psalm 23 and said, "I know who they are! Their names are Goodness and Mercy, and God has sent them to follow you all the way to Heaven."
Today, God's mercy and goodness are following you because He is your Shepherd!
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
3 He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for You are with me;
Your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely Your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
He Who Judges Me Is the Lord
May 16
“Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God,” I Corinthians 4:1-5.
We live in a society where many of us are quite concerned about the image we project to others. We care very much about what people think of us. Much of what we do revolves around how our actions—at work, in our neighborhood, within our extended family, even at church—will be perceived by those around us, by those whom we are trying to impress.
But the verse we are considering today makes it quite clear that we are off base when we concern ourselves with anyone’s opinion of us—but God’s. Paul helps us to understand that it is not our evaluation of other people or their estimation of us that is of significance. In fact, in another place in scripture Paul tells us, “They who compare themselves among themselves are not wise,” II Corinthians 10:12.
Perhaps the reason for this very clear admonition is the fact that only God cans see hearts. Therefore, it is God alone who is capable of discerning the thoughts and intents of our hearts and the actions they govern.
Our part in any matter is to comport ourselves in a manner that reflects the heart of Christ to those around us. Although we cannot emulate Him perfectly, for the Word tells us we cannot until we “see Him face to face,” I John 3:2, we must endeavor to “die to ourselves daily,” Luke 9:23, so Jesus can be seen clearly in us.
When we have done this, when we have allowed ourselves to be “living epistles, read of all men,” II Corinthians 3:2, then all men will see Jesus in and through our surrendered lives. We will have made ourselves available to His purposes of being light and salt in our world; we will not be our own, we will be His.
And we will allow the righteous Judge to determine the value of our efforts to His Kingdom’s purposes, knowing our works, and those of others, will be evaluated according to the measure of our surrendered heart to His will.
“Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God,” I Corinthians 4:1-5.
We live in a society where many of us are quite concerned about the image we project to others. We care very much about what people think of us. Much of what we do revolves around how our actions—at work, in our neighborhood, within our extended family, even at church—will be perceived by those around us, by those whom we are trying to impress.
But the verse we are considering today makes it quite clear that we are off base when we concern ourselves with anyone’s opinion of us—but God’s. Paul helps us to understand that it is not our evaluation of other people or their estimation of us that is of significance. In fact, in another place in scripture Paul tells us, “They who compare themselves among themselves are not wise,” II Corinthians 10:12.
Perhaps the reason for this very clear admonition is the fact that only God cans see hearts. Therefore, it is God alone who is capable of discerning the thoughts and intents of our hearts and the actions they govern.
Our part in any matter is to comport ourselves in a manner that reflects the heart of Christ to those around us. Although we cannot emulate Him perfectly, for the Word tells us we cannot until we “see Him face to face,” I John 3:2, we must endeavor to “die to ourselves daily,” Luke 9:23, so Jesus can be seen clearly in us.
When we have done this, when we have allowed ourselves to be “living epistles, read of all men,” II Corinthians 3:2, then all men will see Jesus in and through our surrendered lives. We will have made ourselves available to His purposes of being light and salt in our world; we will not be our own, we will be His.
And we will allow the righteous Judge to determine the value of our efforts to His Kingdom’s purposes, knowing our works, and those of others, will be evaluated according to the measure of our surrendered heart to His will.
Friday, May 15, 2015
SHAVUOT
Mike Evans has been to Israel more than 70 times, but he reports that next week, for the first time, he will have the privilege of celebrating the Feast of Shavuot—Pentecost, which is Sunday, May 24th—in Jerusalem.
It was on the day of Pentecost that the Ruach Hakodesh—the Holy Spirit of God—came on the followers of Jesus in the Holy City of Jerusalem.
The Bible says:
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)
Following that, the disciples who previously had been in seclusion and hiding went out into the streets in power and fulfilled the final command that Jesus gave them—to be witnesses to Him beginning in Jerusalem. On that Pentecost, three thousand people who had come to Jerusalem from all around the world believed the message of redemption that Peter preached.
Our Brother Evans is blessed to be in Jerusalem for the celebration of this feast that empowered the terrified disciples of the crucified Christ to become the emboldened witnesses of the risen, glorified Lord; but the reality is that Pentecost is a blessed gift that every believer in Jesus may appropriate to himself today, wherever he may be; for the Word says, “And the promise is for you and to your children and to all those afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call,” Acts 2:39.
If YOU believe Jesus and have accepted Him as YOUR SAVIOR and LORD, the Holy Spirit and Pentecostal power are yours to claim and yours to use to the honor and glory of the name of Jesus.
It was on the day of Pentecost that the Ruach Hakodesh—the Holy Spirit of God—came on the followers of Jesus in the Holy City of Jerusalem.
The Bible says:
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)
Following that, the disciples who previously had been in seclusion and hiding went out into the streets in power and fulfilled the final command that Jesus gave them—to be witnesses to Him beginning in Jerusalem. On that Pentecost, three thousand people who had come to Jerusalem from all around the world believed the message of redemption that Peter preached.
Our Brother Evans is blessed to be in Jerusalem for the celebration of this feast that empowered the terrified disciples of the crucified Christ to become the emboldened witnesses of the risen, glorified Lord; but the reality is that Pentecost is a blessed gift that every believer in Jesus may appropriate to himself today, wherever he may be; for the Word says, “And the promise is for you and to your children and to all those afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call,” Acts 2:39.
If YOU believe Jesus and have accepted Him as YOUR SAVIOR and LORD, the Holy Spirit and Pentecostal power are yours to claim and yours to use to the honor and glory of the name of Jesus.
Christ in the Heart
May 15
Christ In The Heart by Dr. D. James Kennedy
…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…—Ephesians 3:17
A five-year-old Christian boy was very ill, so ill that he required open-heart surgery. After a successful operation, the doctor checked on the little boy in his hospital room.
With bright and eager eyes, the little boy asked, “Doctor, was He there?”
The doctor asked, “Was who where?”
The young lad replied, “Was He there? Did you see Jesus in my heart?”
At that, the doctor suppressed a smile and replied, “Yes, son, He is there.”
What does the Great Physician say about your heart today? Is Jesus there? For us to grow in grace, Christ must first dwell in our hearts. The apostle Paul prayed that Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith and that as we become rooted and grounded, we would know Christ’s love and be filled with God’s fullness. We must grasp the significance of that tremendous metaphor.
Theologians say that Christ comes into our hearts, and by the continual supply of His grace and love, we grow spiritually. When Christ comes to dwell in a person’s heart, He digs the tree of that person’s life out of the bitter soil of the old nature, and He transplants it into the new, rich soil of His love. As we allow Jesus to do this, we flourish and bring forth the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Have you invited Christ to take up residence in your heart? If not, allow Him to transplant your life from your old nature into His immeasurable love. As you do, He will cause you to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Christ In The Heart by Dr. D. James Kennedy
…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…—Ephesians 3:17
A five-year-old Christian boy was very ill, so ill that he required open-heart surgery. After a successful operation, the doctor checked on the little boy in his hospital room.
With bright and eager eyes, the little boy asked, “Doctor, was He there?”
The doctor asked, “Was who where?”
The young lad replied, “Was He there? Did you see Jesus in my heart?”
At that, the doctor suppressed a smile and replied, “Yes, son, He is there.”
What does the Great Physician say about your heart today? Is Jesus there? For us to grow in grace, Christ must first dwell in our hearts. The apostle Paul prayed that Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith and that as we become rooted and grounded, we would know Christ’s love and be filled with God’s fullness. We must grasp the significance of that tremendous metaphor.
Theologians say that Christ comes into our hearts, and by the continual supply of His grace and love, we grow spiritually. When Christ comes to dwell in a person’s heart, He digs the tree of that person’s life out of the bitter soil of the old nature, and He transplants it into the new, rich soil of His love. As we allow Jesus to do this, we flourish and bring forth the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Have you invited Christ to take up residence in your heart? If not, allow Him to transplant your life from your old nature into His immeasurable love. As you do, He will cause you to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
A New Kind of Army
May 14
A New Kind of Army by Oz Hillman
"Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears," Joel 3:9-10.
God is raising up a new kind of army in these last days. It is the remnant in the Body of Christ that has the greatest potential for societal transformation of any segment of society—men and women of faith who have been largely silent.
Plowshares and pruning hooks are agricultural instruments that farmers use in their work. The prophet Joel says these very instruments will be used in the last days as weapons of war. However, it won't be a war against man and an enemy, but a war against the Kingdom of darkness.
As we enter the last days, men and women will begin to see even their vocations as instruments to defeat the forces of evil and usher in the Kingdom of God. You will see Christ glorified in the marketplace as He has never been before. You will see hundreds and thousands become part of a new harvest of souls in the "9 to 5 window", where many have yet to experience the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
This will require holy boldness on the part of those who have largely maintained silence in matters of faith, not only in the workplace but in all the avenues of life. It will require that people of faith yearn more to see lives transformed by the power of Christ than they long for the tranquility of anonymity.
What has to happen for your plowshare or pruning hook to be transformed into a weapon of love, designed to cut through the strongholds of unbelief and corruption in your workplace? In your neighborhood? In your ladies’ group? In your family?
What must it take for you to become a spiritual warrior in your sphere of influence?
God has called you to transform your view of yourself and your role as regards His Kingdom’s purposes. He desires to use you, the entirety of your surrendered life, to impact your workplace, your city, your nation, your home for the glory of Jesus.
Are you ready to beat your plowshare into a sword and your pruning hook into a spear?
A New Kind of Army by Oz Hillman
"Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears," Joel 3:9-10.
God is raising up a new kind of army in these last days. It is the remnant in the Body of Christ that has the greatest potential for societal transformation of any segment of society—men and women of faith who have been largely silent.
Plowshares and pruning hooks are agricultural instruments that farmers use in their work. The prophet Joel says these very instruments will be used in the last days as weapons of war. However, it won't be a war against man and an enemy, but a war against the Kingdom of darkness.
As we enter the last days, men and women will begin to see even their vocations as instruments to defeat the forces of evil and usher in the Kingdom of God. You will see Christ glorified in the marketplace as He has never been before. You will see hundreds and thousands become part of a new harvest of souls in the "9 to 5 window", where many have yet to experience the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
This will require holy boldness on the part of those who have largely maintained silence in matters of faith, not only in the workplace but in all the avenues of life. It will require that people of faith yearn more to see lives transformed by the power of Christ than they long for the tranquility of anonymity.
What has to happen for your plowshare or pruning hook to be transformed into a weapon of love, designed to cut through the strongholds of unbelief and corruption in your workplace? In your neighborhood? In your ladies’ group? In your family?
What must it take for you to become a spiritual warrior in your sphere of influence?
God has called you to transform your view of yourself and your role as regards His Kingdom’s purposes. He desires to use you, the entirety of your surrendered life, to impact your workplace, your city, your nation, your home for the glory of Jesus.
Are you ready to beat your plowshare into a sword and your pruning hook into a spear?
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Total Surrender
May 13
Total Surrender by Dr. D. James Kennedy
I beseech you therefore…that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.—Romans 12:1
Many Christians live their whole lives without ever fully grasping some of the great spiritual truths of God. Foremost among these truths is that God wants to bless our lives. Anything other than that is alien to Him, for God acts out His true nature when He blesses His children.
He is a God of all grace who wants nothing more than to make His love known to us. He delights in opening the windows of Heaven and pouring blessings upon us, blessings far more wonderful than most of us have ever dreamed.
Isn’t that an incredible truth to hang onto?
But God has a basic condition for His blessings. The apostle James says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss.”
Many times when we seek God’s blessings, we ask amiss because we do not meet God’s condition for the full outpouring of those blessings: total surrender to Him! That is what God demands.
In numerous places, God says the same thing over and over: Yield yourselves to God; offer your bodies as living sacrifices; present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead; yield not your members as instruments of unrighteousness, but as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Is there anything in your life that holds you back from fully enjoying God’s blessings? anything you need to surrender to Him? God wants to bless our lives, but first He wants us to surrender. If we can do that, we’ll discover the blessings of heaven in a way that is far beyond our dreams.
…throughout the whole universe there is nothing good but that which Jesus works. —Andrew Murray
Total Surrender by Dr. D. James Kennedy
I beseech you therefore…that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.—Romans 12:1
Many Christians live their whole lives without ever fully grasping some of the great spiritual truths of God. Foremost among these truths is that God wants to bless our lives. Anything other than that is alien to Him, for God acts out His true nature when He blesses His children.
He is a God of all grace who wants nothing more than to make His love known to us. He delights in opening the windows of Heaven and pouring blessings upon us, blessings far more wonderful than most of us have ever dreamed.
Isn’t that an incredible truth to hang onto?
But God has a basic condition for His blessings. The apostle James says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss.”
Many times when we seek God’s blessings, we ask amiss because we do not meet God’s condition for the full outpouring of those blessings: total surrender to Him! That is what God demands.
In numerous places, God says the same thing over and over: Yield yourselves to God; offer your bodies as living sacrifices; present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead; yield not your members as instruments of unrighteousness, but as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Is there anything in your life that holds you back from fully enjoying God’s blessings? anything you need to surrender to Him? God wants to bless our lives, but first He wants us to surrender. If we can do that, we’ll discover the blessings of heaven in a way that is far beyond our dreams.
…throughout the whole universe there is nothing good but that which Jesus works. —Andrew Murray
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Sin's Impact
May 12
Sin’s Impact
“’Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.'
“Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun, for you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.'
"So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’
"And Nathan said to David, ‘The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme; the child also who is born to you shall surely die.’" II Samuel 12:9-14.
King David's excursion into adultery reveals that, regardless of one's state in life, one cannot commit sin without damaging relationships. II Samuel 12:9-14 describes the cause-and-effect process disobedience to the immutable law of God has over every relationship in life, including the most important one, the relationship with God.
Sin has two basic effects that sully every area of human existence:
First, because of the breach of trust, it creates division between us and God as established in Isaiah 59:1-2.
Second, it produces evil results in the world. Upon true repentance, God's merciful forgiveness cancels out the first. However, the second remains, and the sinner must bear it and, tragically, so must those caught within its web.
As a result of David's sin, five people, including four of David's sons, died directly or indirectly: Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, was the first to die. His death was followed by those of David and Bathsheba’s illegitimate baby, then those of David’s sons Absalom, Amnon, and Adonijah!
But the punishment did not end there. II Samuel 16:20-22 relates another step in the unfolding of this sin's effect:
"Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, 'Give counsel as to what we should do.'
"And Ahithophel said to Absalom, 'Go in to your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong.'
"So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel."
II Samuel 20:3 adds a final note on this event:
"Now David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten women, his concubines whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in seclusion and supported them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood."
God prophesied it, and Absalom and Ahithophel used it politically to discredit David and elevate Absalom. His godless action illustrates Absalom's disrespect for his father, which was at least partly rooted in his father's notorious sex life.
Did the adultery make the concubines' lives better? "Can a man take fire to his bosom and . . . not be burned?" Proverbs 6:27.
No, he cannot. Not only is he burned, but those close to him also suffer because this sin's penalty reaches out to destroy what should be very dear and cherished—precious relationships that are never the same once betrayal has undermined their foundation in trust and honor and love.
Sin’s Impact
“’Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.'
“Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun, for you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.'
"So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’
"And Nathan said to David, ‘The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme; the child also who is born to you shall surely die.’" II Samuel 12:9-14.
King David's excursion into adultery reveals that, regardless of one's state in life, one cannot commit sin without damaging relationships. II Samuel 12:9-14 describes the cause-and-effect process disobedience to the immutable law of God has over every relationship in life, including the most important one, the relationship with God.
Sin has two basic effects that sully every area of human existence:
First, because of the breach of trust, it creates division between us and God as established in Isaiah 59:1-2.
Second, it produces evil results in the world. Upon true repentance, God's merciful forgiveness cancels out the first. However, the second remains, and the sinner must bear it and, tragically, so must those caught within its web.
As a result of David's sin, five people, including four of David's sons, died directly or indirectly: Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, was the first to die. His death was followed by those of David and Bathsheba’s illegitimate baby, then those of David’s sons Absalom, Amnon, and Adonijah!
But the punishment did not end there. II Samuel 16:20-22 relates another step in the unfolding of this sin's effect:
"Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, 'Give counsel as to what we should do.'
"And Ahithophel said to Absalom, 'Go in to your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong.'
"So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel."
II Samuel 20:3 adds a final note on this event:
"Now David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten women, his concubines whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in seclusion and supported them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood."
God prophesied it, and Absalom and Ahithophel used it politically to discredit David and elevate Absalom. His godless action illustrates Absalom's disrespect for his father, which was at least partly rooted in his father's notorious sex life.
Did the adultery make the concubines' lives better? "Can a man take fire to his bosom and . . . not be burned?" Proverbs 6:27.
No, he cannot. Not only is he burned, but those close to him also suffer because this sin's penalty reaches out to destroy what should be very dear and cherished—precious relationships that are never the same once betrayal has undermined their foundation in trust and honor and love.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Entering the Promised Land
May 11
Entering The Promised Land by Dr. D. James Kennedy
…"So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest'"…—Hebrews 4:3
Have you ever had a relationship with someone who didn’t have faith in you? If so, how did you feel, knowing you would never fail that person yet that person failed to trust you?
God feels the same way when we don’t believe in His power or desire to bless us. God feels pleased when we have faith in Him, and He feels angry when we don’t. In fact, our unbelief often short-circuits the blessings He has in store for us.
Consider, if you will, this tremendous lesson from the Old Testament. God promised to deliver the Israelites into the Promised Land. To get them there, He gave them straightforward directions: Go directly to the mount, receive the Ten Commandments, proceed to Kadesh Barnea, enter the Promised Land, and occupy it.
Moses sent twelve spies to scope out the land in advance, to determine the obstacles that would have to be overcome before taking possession of the land. When the twelve spies returned, ten of them reported that the giants and walled cities were greater than the Israelites could conquer.
Because of the Israelites’ reliance upon themselves and unbelief in God, God condemned them to wander for forty years in the wilderness! God said, “So I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.'
The Israelites did not place their trust in God; instead, they trusted in their own plans. And because they did, they delayed their entrance into the Promised Land. Their unbelief kept them from experiencing God’s perfect will for their lives.
God’s plan is perfect, and we need to submit to it. Otherwise we may find our hearts and souls in the midst of a vast wilderness, wandering because of our inability to trust Him.
I encourage you to pray that God would give you the will to trust Him and His perfect plan. As you believe in His ability and desire to care for you, He will surely lead you to the Promised Land. He’ll lead you there even if you make the tiniest step of faith toward him by praying as the doubting man in Mark 9 did—“Lord, I do believe; help thou my unbelief!”
If you’ve missed God’s perfect will for you in the past because you’ve lacked faith, don’t be discouraged. You can still experience His will for you as you believe in Him. Trust in Him today, for He is faithful.
Entering The Promised Land by Dr. D. James Kennedy
…"So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest'"…—Hebrews 4:3
Have you ever had a relationship with someone who didn’t have faith in you? If so, how did you feel, knowing you would never fail that person yet that person failed to trust you?
God feels the same way when we don’t believe in His power or desire to bless us. God feels pleased when we have faith in Him, and He feels angry when we don’t. In fact, our unbelief often short-circuits the blessings He has in store for us.
Consider, if you will, this tremendous lesson from the Old Testament. God promised to deliver the Israelites into the Promised Land. To get them there, He gave them straightforward directions: Go directly to the mount, receive the Ten Commandments, proceed to Kadesh Barnea, enter the Promised Land, and occupy it.
Moses sent twelve spies to scope out the land in advance, to determine the obstacles that would have to be overcome before taking possession of the land. When the twelve spies returned, ten of them reported that the giants and walled cities were greater than the Israelites could conquer.
Because of the Israelites’ reliance upon themselves and unbelief in God, God condemned them to wander for forty years in the wilderness! God said, “So I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.'
The Israelites did not place their trust in God; instead, they trusted in their own plans. And because they did, they delayed their entrance into the Promised Land. Their unbelief kept them from experiencing God’s perfect will for their lives.
God’s plan is perfect, and we need to submit to it. Otherwise we may find our hearts and souls in the midst of a vast wilderness, wandering because of our inability to trust Him.
I encourage you to pray that God would give you the will to trust Him and His perfect plan. As you believe in His ability and desire to care for you, He will surely lead you to the Promised Land. He’ll lead you there even if you make the tiniest step of faith toward him by praying as the doubting man in Mark 9 did—“Lord, I do believe; help thou my unbelief!”
If you’ve missed God’s perfect will for you in the past because you’ve lacked faith, don’t be discouraged. You can still experience His will for you as you believe in Him. Trust in Him today, for He is faithful.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Three Ps of Power in a Mother's Prayers
Three Ps of Power in a Mother’s Prayers
A mother's love can be summed up by three “P”s, each one of which is an essential element that the Lord can use to establish the life of her child on the straight and narrow path that he must walk if he is to follow faithfully after Jesus. Those three Ps are: pleading, persistence, prayer. I am sure that many of you know Jesus as your Savior because of your mother's diligent employment of those three powerful Ps in her supplications before the Throne of Mercy and Grace in your behalf.
Here is a wonderful story from Matthew 15:21-28 that illustrates how a mother will plead for her child: “Jesus…went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord! Son of David, my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all.
“And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’
“He answered her, ‘I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’
“But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me.’
“He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.’
“She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.’
“Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’
“And her daughter was healed instantly.”
The distraught woman was seen running to Jesus where she supplicated for mercy for her daughter. This mother, in her hour of need, knew where to go for help and she was not ashamed to fervently plead for her daughter.
The second P—persistence--was another weapon in her arsenal to break down what seemed to be the Lord’s resistance to her request. She was not put off by the Jesus’ seeming reluctance to grant her plea. When He suggested she and her daughter were not those to whom He was sent, she affirmed that by the letter of the law she had no claim to His mercy; but she was not standing on the technicality of His having been sent to the House of Israel. Rather, she stood on the fact that He was the image of the Living and True God whose mercy is available to everyone.
When God delays His answer, much as He did in the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:2-5, we must stand fast as she did and as did the distraught woman in the account of the power of a believing mother. When we come before Him with our need, we must be resolute. We must be determined that we shall not give up; we shall persist until His clear answer comes.
Isaiah 65:24 gives us a precious reminder of God’s attention to our needs. The prophet says, "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear." God, who knows our need before it’s spoken, has promised to hear and answer our prayers.
If persistence defines this mother’s pleas, then prayer is her greatest weapon. In verse 25 of today's scripture we hear the simple prayer of faith, "Lord, help me!" This woman knew that prayer moves the hand of God. Though she was powerless in her own strength she knew the One who had all power would move in the behalf of her supplication if she would but plead before Him in believing persistent prayer.
May we learn the lesson of faith that this mother knew. May we ever plead for Christ’s mercy toward our children; may we persist in faith without wavering, may we be totally assured that the prayer of faith is effectual to the perfect outworking of the Lord’s good plan for those we love.
A mother's love can be summed up by three “P”s, each one of which is an essential element that the Lord can use to establish the life of her child on the straight and narrow path that he must walk if he is to follow faithfully after Jesus. Those three Ps are: pleading, persistence, prayer. I am sure that many of you know Jesus as your Savior because of your mother's diligent employment of those three powerful Ps in her supplications before the Throne of Mercy and Grace in your behalf.
Here is a wonderful story from Matthew 15:21-28 that illustrates how a mother will plead for her child: “Jesus…went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord! Son of David, my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all.
“And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’
“He answered her, ‘I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’
“But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me.’
“He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.’
“She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.’
“Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’
“And her daughter was healed instantly.”
The distraught woman was seen running to Jesus where she supplicated for mercy for her daughter. This mother, in her hour of need, knew where to go for help and she was not ashamed to fervently plead for her daughter.
The second P—persistence--was another weapon in her arsenal to break down what seemed to be the Lord’s resistance to her request. She was not put off by the Jesus’ seeming reluctance to grant her plea. When He suggested she and her daughter were not those to whom He was sent, she affirmed that by the letter of the law she had no claim to His mercy; but she was not standing on the technicality of His having been sent to the House of Israel. Rather, she stood on the fact that He was the image of the Living and True God whose mercy is available to everyone.
When God delays His answer, much as He did in the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:2-5, we must stand fast as she did and as did the distraught woman in the account of the power of a believing mother. When we come before Him with our need, we must be resolute. We must be determined that we shall not give up; we shall persist until His clear answer comes.
Isaiah 65:24 gives us a precious reminder of God’s attention to our needs. The prophet says, "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear." God, who knows our need before it’s spoken, has promised to hear and answer our prayers.
If persistence defines this mother’s pleas, then prayer is her greatest weapon. In verse 25 of today's scripture we hear the simple prayer of faith, "Lord, help me!" This woman knew that prayer moves the hand of God. Though she was powerless in her own strength she knew the One who had all power would move in the behalf of her supplication if she would but plead before Him in believing persistent prayer.
May we learn the lesson of faith that this mother knew. May we ever plead for Christ’s mercy toward our children; may we persist in faith without wavering, may we be totally assured that the prayer of faith is effectual to the perfect outworking of the Lord’s good plan for those we love.
Saturday, May 9, 2015
He Didn't Lift Us Up To Let Us Down
May 9
He Didn’t Lift Us Up To Let Us Down by Dr. D. James Kennedy
‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.’—Matthew 25:29
Does this text seem fair to you? After all, why would someone who has an abundance get more? And shouldn’t the person with nothing receive something?
Jesus described the principle of this passage on five separate occasions in different forms. This verse is the basis for the principle of use: “Use it or lose it.” We see this principle at work in a variety of contexts. For example, in the physical realm, the arm of the blacksmith or the body of the football player becomes more and more muscular through exercise.
In the work world, the person who has the ability and desire for a job usually finds more opportunities to work and improve his or her skills. As for moral conscience, our character develops in proportion to the Bible-based choices we make day after day.
And, of course, this principle applies to the spiritual realm. Charles Spurgeon spoke of two great principles of grace. The first one is that God gives grace to the empty, needy, poor, and humble. The second one is that to those to whom God has granted His grace, He continues to grant more. The more grace we need, the more grace He makes available to us.
To receive more grace from God, we must use the grace He has already given us. Some people are like the little boy riding the rocking horse—they exhibit a lot of motion but little progress. These people keep bustling with activity in hopes of earning salvation, but they haven’t taken advantage of the grace God has already freely given.
Others may resemble a grapevine that doesn’t grow because, instead of being planted in deep soil, its roots dangle into an empty well. Instead of growing in grace, some people wither spiritually because they haven’t planted themselves in God’s grace from the start.
And others are like a sailboat with sails full of wind yet unable to move because it is still anchored to the ocean floor. Instead of moving forward in God’s grace, people like this let sin weigh them down.
Have you received the grace God makes available to us all? Determine today that you will use to the fullest all the grace God has given you. Then watch as he gives you more!
He Didn’t Lift Us Up To Let Us Down by Dr. D. James Kennedy
‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.’—Matthew 25:29
Does this text seem fair to you? After all, why would someone who has an abundance get more? And shouldn’t the person with nothing receive something?
Jesus described the principle of this passage on five separate occasions in different forms. This verse is the basis for the principle of use: “Use it or lose it.” We see this principle at work in a variety of contexts. For example, in the physical realm, the arm of the blacksmith or the body of the football player becomes more and more muscular through exercise.
In the work world, the person who has the ability and desire for a job usually finds more opportunities to work and improve his or her skills. As for moral conscience, our character develops in proportion to the Bible-based choices we make day after day.
And, of course, this principle applies to the spiritual realm. Charles Spurgeon spoke of two great principles of grace. The first one is that God gives grace to the empty, needy, poor, and humble. The second one is that to those to whom God has granted His grace, He continues to grant more. The more grace we need, the more grace He makes available to us.
To receive more grace from God, we must use the grace He has already given us. Some people are like the little boy riding the rocking horse—they exhibit a lot of motion but little progress. These people keep bustling with activity in hopes of earning salvation, but they haven’t taken advantage of the grace God has already freely given.
Others may resemble a grapevine that doesn’t grow because, instead of being planted in deep soil, its roots dangle into an empty well. Instead of growing in grace, some people wither spiritually because they haven’t planted themselves in God’s grace from the start.
And others are like a sailboat with sails full of wind yet unable to move because it is still anchored to the ocean floor. Instead of moving forward in God’s grace, people like this let sin weigh them down.
Have you received the grace God makes available to us all? Determine today that you will use to the fullest all the grace God has given you. Then watch as he gives you more!
Friday, May 8, 2015
Where Was God?
May 8
Where Was God? by Dr. Jim Denison
April 14 marked 150 years since the assassination of Abraham Lincoln while attending "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Where was the Secret Service when the president was attacked? President Lincoln signed the bill creating the agency the night before he left for Ford's Theatre. Where was his bodyguard, a Washington policeman named John Parker? Historians aren't sure.
Here's a more relevant question:: “Where was God?”
Undoubtedly there were many praying for Mr. Lincoln on the night he was shot. God's word requires that "petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority" (1 Timothy 2:1-2). The Union numbered 18.5 million in 1865; surely many were praying for their president. Yet God did not answer their prayers by preventing his murder.
In addition, most historians believe the Reconstruction era following the Civil War would have been much more effective had the president lived to lead it. Yet God did not prevent his death.
Christians believe that God is all-knowing. If so, he knew what Booth was planning long before the attack. We also believe that God is all-loving. If true, he loved Abraham Lincoln and the nation he served. And we believe that God is all-powerful. Presumably he could have prevented the assassination. Why, then, was the president killed?
Let's be more personal: who has hurt you most deeply? Most recently? Why did God allow your suffering? One answer is that God created humans with free will so we could choose to worship him, and cannot prevent the consequences of misused freedom without ultimately denying freedom itself. While this assertion makes sense, it does not always apply.
In Acts 12, Herod imprisoned Simon Peter. But when the church prayed for Peter, angels released him, sparing his life (Acts 12:1-11). Clearly, God prevented the consequences of Herod's misused freedom. Why did he not do the same for President Lincoln? For you?
It seems to me that we have three options. One: we can decide that there is no God. However, the fact that we do not comprehend God's ways does not prove that he does not exist. If the world consisted only of entities we understood, how small would it be?
Two: we can decide that he is not the God we think he is. If you thought God guaranteed our happiness, you're right—he's not that God. Jesus assured us, "in this world you will have tribulation" (John 16:33). He never promised that we would be safe from harm, whatever our status in this world.
Three: we can decide that he is the same God he was before Abraham Lincoln was shot, or someone hurt you. When he chooses not to answer our prayer as we wish, an all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful Father must have better reasons than his children can understand. I choose the third option. The harder it is to trust God, the more I need to trust him.
His word tells us that "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Why do you need such conviction today? Will you allow the Lord to help you to have it?
Those of us living in the early 21st Century can apply Dr. Dennison's query to our own situation: "Why does God allow a group as demonically influenced as ISIS to vent its evil upon godly people?"
We have seen these misguided and ruthless perpetrators of evil butcher men of faith in Christ mercilessly, but they go unchallenged. They are reported to be within miles of the southern U.S. border, indeed within many states, but we seem to be inert, unable to hinder their intent.
We are a people who have forsaken the God of our fathers. We have leaned instead upon the arm of government to supply our needs, to be our god and we are rapidly discerning the total ineffectiveness of the latter.
Yesterday was our National Day of Prayer. Hopefully, many of us were on our faces before our Lord, beseeching Him for His renewed protection and guidance for our land, but as Dr. Denison observed, God cannot infringe on the free will of His people, lest He remove free will from them.
May we be on our knees, imploring Him for His mercy for our land, for His people around the world, not only on the National Day of Prayer, but every day, for we cannot overthrow the forces of the evil one with the resources of men and governments.
We must overcome the satanic hordes that are propelled by hate with the love of the living Christ! We must employ the same power that raised Jesus from the dead that dwells within us (see Romans 8:11) to crush evil under our feet and scatter it impotent to the wind! We must, "overcome evil with good," Romans 12:21.
Where Was God? by Dr. Jim Denison
April 14 marked 150 years since the assassination of Abraham Lincoln while attending "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Where was the Secret Service when the president was attacked? President Lincoln signed the bill creating the agency the night before he left for Ford's Theatre. Where was his bodyguard, a Washington policeman named John Parker? Historians aren't sure.
Here's a more relevant question:: “Where was God?”
Undoubtedly there were many praying for Mr. Lincoln on the night he was shot. God's word requires that "petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority" (1 Timothy 2:1-2). The Union numbered 18.5 million in 1865; surely many were praying for their president. Yet God did not answer their prayers by preventing his murder.
In addition, most historians believe the Reconstruction era following the Civil War would have been much more effective had the president lived to lead it. Yet God did not prevent his death.
Christians believe that God is all-knowing. If so, he knew what Booth was planning long before the attack. We also believe that God is all-loving. If true, he loved Abraham Lincoln and the nation he served. And we believe that God is all-powerful. Presumably he could have prevented the assassination. Why, then, was the president killed?
Let's be more personal: who has hurt you most deeply? Most recently? Why did God allow your suffering? One answer is that God created humans with free will so we could choose to worship him, and cannot prevent the consequences of misused freedom without ultimately denying freedom itself. While this assertion makes sense, it does not always apply.
In Acts 12, Herod imprisoned Simon Peter. But when the church prayed for Peter, angels released him, sparing his life (Acts 12:1-11). Clearly, God prevented the consequences of Herod's misused freedom. Why did he not do the same for President Lincoln? For you?
It seems to me that we have three options. One: we can decide that there is no God. However, the fact that we do not comprehend God's ways does not prove that he does not exist. If the world consisted only of entities we understood, how small would it be?
Two: we can decide that he is not the God we think he is. If you thought God guaranteed our happiness, you're right—he's not that God. Jesus assured us, "in this world you will have tribulation" (John 16:33). He never promised that we would be safe from harm, whatever our status in this world.
Three: we can decide that he is the same God he was before Abraham Lincoln was shot, or someone hurt you. When he chooses not to answer our prayer as we wish, an all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful Father must have better reasons than his children can understand. I choose the third option. The harder it is to trust God, the more I need to trust him.
His word tells us that "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Why do you need such conviction today? Will you allow the Lord to help you to have it?
Those of us living in the early 21st Century can apply Dr. Dennison's query to our own situation: "Why does God allow a group as demonically influenced as ISIS to vent its evil upon godly people?"
We have seen these misguided and ruthless perpetrators of evil butcher men of faith in Christ mercilessly, but they go unchallenged. They are reported to be within miles of the southern U.S. border, indeed within many states, but we seem to be inert, unable to hinder their intent.
We are a people who have forsaken the God of our fathers. We have leaned instead upon the arm of government to supply our needs, to be our god and we are rapidly discerning the total ineffectiveness of the latter.
Yesterday was our National Day of Prayer. Hopefully, many of us were on our faces before our Lord, beseeching Him for His renewed protection and guidance for our land, but as Dr. Denison observed, God cannot infringe on the free will of His people, lest He remove free will from them.
May we be on our knees, imploring Him for His mercy for our land, for His people around the world, not only on the National Day of Prayer, but every day, for we cannot overthrow the forces of the evil one with the resources of men and governments.
We must overcome the satanic hordes that are propelled by hate with the love of the living Christ! We must employ the same power that raised Jesus from the dead that dwells within us (see Romans 8:11) to crush evil under our feet and scatter it impotent to the wind! We must, "overcome evil with good," Romans 12:21.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Little Things
May 7
Little Things by Dr. D. James Kennedy
Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes. —Song of Solomon 2:15
In the Song of Solomon, we read of little foxes that ruin the vineyards. What are “little foxes”? I see them as the small things that don’t seem important but can spoil “tender grapes” such as a relationship, a career, or a life dedicated to Christ.
How many marriages have failed because spouses paid no attention to the little things?
How many athletes have lost competitions because of tiny missteps?
Many of us can see the big pictures of our lives and of our relationships with God but we neglect the details necessary for bringing the larger picture into focus. God neglects neither the great nor the small, and neither should we.
Have you attended to the “little foxes” in your life, the “minor” behaviors that can either draw you to or push you from the Lord?
Michelangelo, that marvelous genius and magnificent sculptor, was sculpting a figure from a block of marble while a friend looked on. After an absence of several months, the friend returned and said, “I see that you have not been working on your statue.”
Michelangelo answered, “Oh yes, I have been working on it each day.”
The friend asked, “Oh, how can that be?”
The great artist replied, “I have softened this line here—the hem of this garment. I have straightened the lip and brought out this muscle more clearly…polished this…sharpened that.”
“Well,” said his friend, “those are just trifles.”
To that Michelangelo responded, “Trifles they may be, but you will remember that trifles make perfection; that perfection is no trifle.”
We must attend to the “trifles” if we ever hope to succeed. Attention to detail will determine the ultimate outcome and success of our lives. And as we act faithfully in the little things, God will bless us with greater opportunities for service. We will develop the faithfulness and obedience needed to conquer the great issues in the battle of life.
What “little foxes” do you need to attend to? Commit yourself to addressing these “minor” issues, and watch how your conscientiousness affects the grander scheme of your life.
Little Things by Dr. D. James Kennedy
Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes. —Song of Solomon 2:15
In the Song of Solomon, we read of little foxes that ruin the vineyards. What are “little foxes”? I see them as the small things that don’t seem important but can spoil “tender grapes” such as a relationship, a career, or a life dedicated to Christ.
How many marriages have failed because spouses paid no attention to the little things?
How many athletes have lost competitions because of tiny missteps?
Many of us can see the big pictures of our lives and of our relationships with God but we neglect the details necessary for bringing the larger picture into focus. God neglects neither the great nor the small, and neither should we.
Have you attended to the “little foxes” in your life, the “minor” behaviors that can either draw you to or push you from the Lord?
Michelangelo, that marvelous genius and magnificent sculptor, was sculpting a figure from a block of marble while a friend looked on. After an absence of several months, the friend returned and said, “I see that you have not been working on your statue.”
Michelangelo answered, “Oh yes, I have been working on it each day.”
The friend asked, “Oh, how can that be?”
The great artist replied, “I have softened this line here—the hem of this garment. I have straightened the lip and brought out this muscle more clearly…polished this…sharpened that.”
“Well,” said his friend, “those are just trifles.”
To that Michelangelo responded, “Trifles they may be, but you will remember that trifles make perfection; that perfection is no trifle.”
We must attend to the “trifles” if we ever hope to succeed. Attention to detail will determine the ultimate outcome and success of our lives. And as we act faithfully in the little things, God will bless us with greater opportunities for service. We will develop the faithfulness and obedience needed to conquer the great issues in the battle of life.
What “little foxes” do you need to attend to? Commit yourself to addressing these “minor” issues, and watch how your conscientiousness affects the grander scheme of your life.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Alive to Christ
May 6
"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ," Philippians 3:7-8
Jesus tells us that it's not possible to serve both God and mammon (money, power, the world system), but many people try.
Jesus made it clear that there is a distinct choice that must be made; every believer must turn from the world and its allurements in order to fully embrace the salvation package of the Kingdom of Christ.
The Lord said: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." Matthew 6:19-24
Moses had to choose between the two masters. In Hebrews 11:24-25, Paul briefly reiterates the story told to us in the Old Testament, "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin."
And Jesus, Himself demonstrated for us that everyone must choose between the two masters who vie for a man’s loyalty and praise: God who is worthy of all our praise and devotion, and the enemy of our souls who would delude us into believing his lie that the treasures of earth hold value.
In Matthew 4:8-10 we see satan’s scheme to entice Jesus to avoid the cross yet secure men to Himself. Here the deceiver plots to undo God’s plan of salvation which was laid “from the foundation of the earth,” Revelation 13:8.
"The devil took Him (Jesus) to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, 'All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”
If Moses, and even Jesus Himself, among many other godly men, had to decide between serving God and serving self in all its humanly gratifying forms, how can we think that we might not have to face and overcome the same temptations in our own lives? How can we imagine that we may not also have to “die to ourselves daily, that we may be fully alive to Christ?” I Corinthians 15:31.
"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ," Philippians 3:7-8
Jesus tells us that it's not possible to serve both God and mammon (money, power, the world system), but many people try.
Jesus made it clear that there is a distinct choice that must be made; every believer must turn from the world and its allurements in order to fully embrace the salvation package of the Kingdom of Christ.
The Lord said: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." Matthew 6:19-24
Moses had to choose between the two masters. In Hebrews 11:24-25, Paul briefly reiterates the story told to us in the Old Testament, "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin."
And Jesus, Himself demonstrated for us that everyone must choose between the two masters who vie for a man’s loyalty and praise: God who is worthy of all our praise and devotion, and the enemy of our souls who would delude us into believing his lie that the treasures of earth hold value.
In Matthew 4:8-10 we see satan’s scheme to entice Jesus to avoid the cross yet secure men to Himself. Here the deceiver plots to undo God’s plan of salvation which was laid “from the foundation of the earth,” Revelation 13:8.
"The devil took Him (Jesus) to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, 'All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”
If Moses, and even Jesus Himself, among many other godly men, had to decide between serving God and serving self in all its humanly gratifying forms, how can we think that we might not have to face and overcome the same temptations in our own lives? How can we imagine that we may not also have to “die to ourselves daily, that we may be fully alive to Christ?” I Corinthians 15:31.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Mother Forgave
May 5
"I forgive the hands of the people who had a hand in my son's murder—either before or after—and I pray and hope that some day everybody out there will forgive them also." So said Ursula Ward less than an hour after a jury convicted former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez of killing her son.
She added, "I will never have a grandchild from my son or grandchildren. I will never get to dance at his wedding." She told the packed courtroom, "The day I laid my son Odin Lloyd to rest I felt my heart stop beating for a moment. I felt like I wanted to go into that hole with my son." Nonetheless, the grieving mother has chosen to forgive the man convicted of his murder.
From the other side of the world, we hear the story of Nouman Masih was a 15-year-old Christian living in Pakistan. According to a prominent Pakistani human rights attorney, Nouman was walking to work when he was approached by two Muslim men. They asked if he was a Muslim or a Christian. He told them he was a Christian. They beat him, chased him down, doused him in kerosene, and set him on fire. He died last week.
British Pakistani Christian Association Chairman Wilson Chowdhry told reporters that Nouman forgave his killers, but also wanted them caught: "He just said that he forgave them. . . . but he didn't want his attackers to prevail and enact their crimes on anybody else. He was just being very magnanimous in a Christian way saying, 'I have forgiven them but I want them to go through the justice system.'"
Who has hurt you most recently? Most deeply? What can Nouman Masih and Ursula Ward teach us about forgiveness? Consider three facts.
One: forgiveness is complicated. Ursula Ward could extend unconditional forgiveness to Aaron Hernandez because he had already been sentenced to life in prison without parole, and would never again threaten her fellow citizens. By contrast, Nouman Masih wisely knew that his murderers would likely kill again. While he forgave them personally, he wanted the justice system to keep them from attacking more Christians.
Forgiveness is not excusing the person who hurt you or pretending your pain does not exist. To forgive is to choose not to punish personally. But there are times when those who hurt you must face the consequences of their actions, lest they hurt others as well.
Two: forgiveness frees the one who forgives. Researchers have linked forgiveness to higher functioning cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems. When we forgive, we make ourselves, not the person who hurt us, responsible for our happiness.
Three: when we forgive, the world takes note. Nouman Masih and Ursula Ward would probably not have generated headlines if they had not forgiven murderers. There is no more powerful witness to a culture that is steeped in darkness than to imitate the light of Jesus when He forgave those who crucified Him.
C. S. Lewis notes, "Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive."
"I forgive the hands of the people who had a hand in my son's murder—either before or after—and I pray and hope that some day everybody out there will forgive them also." So said Ursula Ward less than an hour after a jury convicted former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez of killing her son.
She added, "I will never have a grandchild from my son or grandchildren. I will never get to dance at his wedding." She told the packed courtroom, "The day I laid my son Odin Lloyd to rest I felt my heart stop beating for a moment. I felt like I wanted to go into that hole with my son." Nonetheless, the grieving mother has chosen to forgive the man convicted of his murder.
From the other side of the world, we hear the story of Nouman Masih was a 15-year-old Christian living in Pakistan. According to a prominent Pakistani human rights attorney, Nouman was walking to work when he was approached by two Muslim men. They asked if he was a Muslim or a Christian. He told them he was a Christian. They beat him, chased him down, doused him in kerosene, and set him on fire. He died last week.
British Pakistani Christian Association Chairman Wilson Chowdhry told reporters that Nouman forgave his killers, but also wanted them caught: "He just said that he forgave them. . . . but he didn't want his attackers to prevail and enact their crimes on anybody else. He was just being very magnanimous in a Christian way saying, 'I have forgiven them but I want them to go through the justice system.'"
Who has hurt you most recently? Most deeply? What can Nouman Masih and Ursula Ward teach us about forgiveness? Consider three facts.
One: forgiveness is complicated. Ursula Ward could extend unconditional forgiveness to Aaron Hernandez because he had already been sentenced to life in prison without parole, and would never again threaten her fellow citizens. By contrast, Nouman Masih wisely knew that his murderers would likely kill again. While he forgave them personally, he wanted the justice system to keep them from attacking more Christians.
Forgiveness is not excusing the person who hurt you or pretending your pain does not exist. To forgive is to choose not to punish personally. But there are times when those who hurt you must face the consequences of their actions, lest they hurt others as well.
Two: forgiveness frees the one who forgives. Researchers have linked forgiveness to higher functioning cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems. When we forgive, we make ourselves, not the person who hurt us, responsible for our happiness.
Three: when we forgive, the world takes note. Nouman Masih and Ursula Ward would probably not have generated headlines if they had not forgiven murderers. There is no more powerful witness to a culture that is steeped in darkness than to imitate the light of Jesus when He forgave those who crucified Him.
C. S. Lewis notes, "Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive."
Monday, May 4, 2015
Happy in the Holy Spirit
May 4
Happy In The Holy Spirit by Dr. D. James Kennedy
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! —Philippians 4:4
Have you ever noticed that people who are constantly morose and miserable just don’t seem to get along with others? Everywhere the gloomy person goes, he or she runs into interpersonal problems such as rejection and poor treatment.
On the other hand, have you ever noticed that happy people don’t seem to have many enemies? A joyful person finds very few relational problems. This type of person doesn’t quickly take offense and doesn’t offend people very often; rather, this person brings gladness into any situation.
How does a person maintain such a consistently joyful attitude? Does God want us pretending to be happy when we’re not? Not at all! God wants us to have true joy. So how do we cultivate this attitude? The Scripture says, “In your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
This is the wonderful secret God would have us know: We find fullness of joy in God’s presence. By spending time with the Lord we will have joy infused into our souls. We’ll discover the truth that Christ is indeed no killjoy but is in fact the great King and source of all joy.
Often, we don’t feel joyful because we haven’t spent enough time with God. But if we wait in the Lord’s presence, He’ll fill us with His joy. If we seek the fullness of His Holy Spirit, we’ll receive the fruit of joy. If we confess any sin that hinders us from rejoicing in the Lord, we’ll experience the joy of our salvation.
If you’re running a bit low on joy today, spend some quality time with God. Allow Him to saturate your soul with His joy. Then, as you go through the day, rejoice at every opportunity you have! Again I will say, rejoice!
Happy In The Holy Spirit by Dr. D. James Kennedy
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! —Philippians 4:4
Have you ever noticed that people who are constantly morose and miserable just don’t seem to get along with others? Everywhere the gloomy person goes, he or she runs into interpersonal problems such as rejection and poor treatment.
On the other hand, have you ever noticed that happy people don’t seem to have many enemies? A joyful person finds very few relational problems. This type of person doesn’t quickly take offense and doesn’t offend people very often; rather, this person brings gladness into any situation.
How does a person maintain such a consistently joyful attitude? Does God want us pretending to be happy when we’re not? Not at all! God wants us to have true joy. So how do we cultivate this attitude? The Scripture says, “In your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
This is the wonderful secret God would have us know: We find fullness of joy in God’s presence. By spending time with the Lord we will have joy infused into our souls. We’ll discover the truth that Christ is indeed no killjoy but is in fact the great King and source of all joy.
Often, we don’t feel joyful because we haven’t spent enough time with God. But if we wait in the Lord’s presence, He’ll fill us with His joy. If we seek the fullness of His Holy Spirit, we’ll receive the fruit of joy. If we confess any sin that hinders us from rejoicing in the Lord, we’ll experience the joy of our salvation.
If you’re running a bit low on joy today, spend some quality time with God. Allow Him to saturate your soul with His joy. Then, as you go through the day, rejoice at every opportunity you have! Again I will say, rejoice!
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Never Give Up!
During the most bleak days of WW II, the great British statesman Winston Churchill said, "Never! Never! NEVER! NEVER GIVE UP!" That is excellent advice for us as Christians to appropriate to our lives and to our prayers.
Jesus said pretty much the same thing in His parable of the unjust judge. He told the story of a woman who had a legitimate grievance. She beseeched the judge in the behalf of her case, but he ignored her. The woman, however, was relentless in her pursuit of justice...she implored the judge continually to assess her case and to make a determination in her behalf.
The Lord continued His parable to say that ultimately, because of her persistence, the unjust judge capitulated in her behalf. His point was that if a judge who was neither concerned for her nor concerned for upholding the law righteously was moved because of her persistence, how much more would our loving and powerful God be moved in our behalf if we will but persist in reaching out to Him in prayer and in faith! (See Luke 18:1-8.)
The word further admonishes that we be not double minded or unbelieving in our prayers, James 1:8, for if we "are driven like the waves of the sea and tossed," James 1:6, we "need not think we shall receive anything from the Lord."
His point seems to be that if we don't trust Him to hear and answer, in spite of how things may look, of how un-attuned to our supplication He may seem to be, that He has no obligation to reward us. But if we believe, if we are "steadfast in faith, nothing wavering," I Corinthians 15:58, He will answer our prayers in due time.
Can we then "walk by faith, not by sight" II Corinthians 5:7, when we pray? Can we hold fast to His promises even if we don't see the promise? Can we trust Him BEFORE the answer comes--so we can be sure to see it come?
YES! We can!
Jesus said pretty much the same thing in His parable of the unjust judge. He told the story of a woman who had a legitimate grievance. She beseeched the judge in the behalf of her case, but he ignored her. The woman, however, was relentless in her pursuit of justice...she implored the judge continually to assess her case and to make a determination in her behalf.
The Lord continued His parable to say that ultimately, because of her persistence, the unjust judge capitulated in her behalf. His point was that if a judge who was neither concerned for her nor concerned for upholding the law righteously was moved because of her persistence, how much more would our loving and powerful God be moved in our behalf if we will but persist in reaching out to Him in prayer and in faith! (See Luke 18:1-8.)
The word further admonishes that we be not double minded or unbelieving in our prayers, James 1:8, for if we "are driven like the waves of the sea and tossed," James 1:6, we "need not think we shall receive anything from the Lord."
His point seems to be that if we don't trust Him to hear and answer, in spite of how things may look, of how un-attuned to our supplication He may seem to be, that He has no obligation to reward us. But if we believe, if we are "steadfast in faith, nothing wavering," I Corinthians 15:58, He will answer our prayers in due time.
Can we then "walk by faith, not by sight" II Corinthians 5:7, when we pray? Can we hold fast to His promises even if we don't see the promise? Can we trust Him BEFORE the answer comes--so we can be sure to see it come?
YES! We can!
Thoughts from Psalm 23
May 3
Thoughts from Psalm 23 by Roy Lessin
The Lord has promised us shepherding, not perfect understanding of where He is leading or why He is taking us there.
The Lord has promised us what we need, not what might be on our wish list.
The Lord has promised us green meadows where we can find rest, not a life that doesn’t require labor in His fields.
The Lord has promised us peaceful streams where we can quiet our hearts, not the absence of deep waters to overcome in our walk of faith.
The Lord has promised restoration to our souls, not a life without tests and trials.
The Lord has promised to lead us to the places that will honor Him the most, not to the places that will make us look good.
The Lord has promised to walk with us through the valley, not take us on paths that only lead to the mountain tops.
The Lord has promised us victory in the face of the enemy, not the absence of spiritual warfare.
The Lord has promised us His presence, His anointing, His blessing, His fullness, His power, His unfailing goodness, and His love throughout our earthly journey…with the guarantee that the most glorious things are still to come…
I will live in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6
Thoughts from Psalm 23 by Roy Lessin
The Lord has promised us shepherding, not perfect understanding of where He is leading or why He is taking us there.
The Lord has promised us what we need, not what might be on our wish list.
The Lord has promised us green meadows where we can find rest, not a life that doesn’t require labor in His fields.
The Lord has promised us peaceful streams where we can quiet our hearts, not the absence of deep waters to overcome in our walk of faith.
The Lord has promised restoration to our souls, not a life without tests and trials.
The Lord has promised to lead us to the places that will honor Him the most, not to the places that will make us look good.
The Lord has promised to walk with us through the valley, not take us on paths that only lead to the mountain tops.
The Lord has promised us victory in the face of the enemy, not the absence of spiritual warfare.
The Lord has promised us His presence, His anointing, His blessing, His fullness, His power, His unfailing goodness, and His love throughout our earthly journey…with the guarantee that the most glorious things are still to come…
I will live in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6
Saturday, May 2, 2015
...Shall Not Prevail...
May 2
The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail Against It by Dr. D. James Kennedy
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?—Romans 8:31
We cannot possibly fail with Christ’s love in our corner. Paul says, in what I call the “Golden Shield” of faith, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Who can fight against us and succeed? No one! God’s love shields us from all attacks of the evil one and his followers. Despite such attacks, we are safe and secure for eternity. Who can be against us? The world, the flesh, and the devil may try to defeat us, but all will fail.
To grasp the truth of Paul’s statement, think of the persecution the early Church endured. In the first few centuries of Christianity, Christ’s followers went through the most difficult persecution ever seen on this planet. For nearly three hundred years, in ten great waves of persecution, the Christian Church was under attack.
The Roman pagan state used all of the hatred it possessed to try to destroy the Church. Everything the depraved and demonic mind could conceive of, the Romans did. They crucified Christians right side up and upside down; they burned Christians alive; they put Christians in sacks with vipers; they gave Christians to bulls to gore; they fed Christians to the lions. Yet nothing could break the Christian will.
The Roman Empire eventually perished, but the Church remains to this day. The greatest persecution the world has ever seen (rivaled, perhaps, only by that of the Communists in our century) was unable to break the Herculean might of Christians armed with nothing but faith, prayer, and the Word of God.
This applies to us today as well. With such a Golden Shield, we may deflect all of the attacks against us (from without and from within) because of what Christ has done for us. Come what may, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. If God is for us, who can possibly be against us?
Caesar and Christ had met in the arena [Coliseum], and Christ had won. —WILL DURANT
The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail Against It by Dr. D. James Kennedy
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?—Romans 8:31
We cannot possibly fail with Christ’s love in our corner. Paul says, in what I call the “Golden Shield” of faith, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Who can fight against us and succeed? No one! God’s love shields us from all attacks of the evil one and his followers. Despite such attacks, we are safe and secure for eternity. Who can be against us? The world, the flesh, and the devil may try to defeat us, but all will fail.
To grasp the truth of Paul’s statement, think of the persecution the early Church endured. In the first few centuries of Christianity, Christ’s followers went through the most difficult persecution ever seen on this planet. For nearly three hundred years, in ten great waves of persecution, the Christian Church was under attack.
The Roman pagan state used all of the hatred it possessed to try to destroy the Church. Everything the depraved and demonic mind could conceive of, the Romans did. They crucified Christians right side up and upside down; they burned Christians alive; they put Christians in sacks with vipers; they gave Christians to bulls to gore; they fed Christians to the lions. Yet nothing could break the Christian will.
The Roman Empire eventually perished, but the Church remains to this day. The greatest persecution the world has ever seen (rivaled, perhaps, only by that of the Communists in our century) was unable to break the Herculean might of Christians armed with nothing but faith, prayer, and the Word of God.
This applies to us today as well. With such a Golden Shield, we may deflect all of the attacks against us (from without and from within) because of what Christ has done for us. Come what may, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. If God is for us, who can possibly be against us?
Caesar and Christ had met in the arena [Coliseum], and Christ had won. —WILL DURANT
Friday, May 1, 2015
Under His Feet
Everything is under the feet of Christ. Everything.
It's not necessarily evident that all things are submitted to Him. If we walk by sight rather than by faith, we can easily conclude that our lives, the entire realm of humanity, are swirling in a free-fall toward oblivion.
But what we see isn't what is. What we see, what we perceive, what we understand--all things--pass through the filter of our human vision and our spiritual sight is quite myopic.
Because of that, our vision requires correction, and only Jesus has the 'eye salve' Revelation 3:18, that enables us to see things as they really are. It is only when we "walk by faith, not by sight," II Corinthians 5:7, that we get a true picture.
May we allow Him to open the eyes of our understanding so we may see who holds the future. May we trust Him with our lives for time and eternity. May we lift up our prayers to Him in the behalf of those we love--indeed in the behalf of the whole world--and rest in the confidence that "everything is under His feet," Ephesians 1:22.
It's not necessarily evident that all things are submitted to Him. If we walk by sight rather than by faith, we can easily conclude that our lives, the entire realm of humanity, are swirling in a free-fall toward oblivion.
But what we see isn't what is. What we see, what we perceive, what we understand--all things--pass through the filter of our human vision and our spiritual sight is quite myopic.
Because of that, our vision requires correction, and only Jesus has the 'eye salve' Revelation 3:18, that enables us to see things as they really are. It is only when we "walk by faith, not by sight," II Corinthians 5:7, that we get a true picture.
May we allow Him to open the eyes of our understanding so we may see who holds the future. May we trust Him with our lives for time and eternity. May we lift up our prayers to Him in the behalf of those we love--indeed in the behalf of the whole world--and rest in the confidence that "everything is under His feet," Ephesians 1:22.
Who Holds the Future?
May 1
Who Holds The Future? By Dr. D. James Kennedy
…I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.—2 Timothy 1:12
The year was 1943. Halfway around the world, a young pilot was flying his Corsair above the scattered islands of the Pacific, scanning his radar for the enemy. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he saw enemy planes. Before the young pilot knew it, one of them was on his tail. He rolled his plane over and dove down, back up again, turning, twisting, diving, doing everything he could to escape. But he had an expert fighter pilot on his tail. In the end, a burst of machine-gun fire pierced not only his plane but his body as well.
Mortally wounded, the young pilot somehow managed to land his disabled plane on one of the jungle islands of the South Pacific. He struggled to crawl clear of the plane in case it exploded. Five days later his body was found. He had, clutched in his hand, a scrap of paper on which he had written his last words: “When peace like a river…” That was all. His final words were the beginning of that wonderful hymn that goes like this: “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.”
Here was a young man who had learned somewhere—whether in his home or at church—Who held his future. When we recognize and acknowledge that God holds the future, we can be assured that whatever comes our way, even if it’s the worst scenario we can imagine, God can transform it into a blessing. Only when we place our entire trust in Him will we have the kind of assurance in our future that this young man had.
Are you going through a peaceful river or through rolling sea billows today? Whatever your lot, place your full trust in the Lord. Only when we trust the One who holds the future will it be well with our souls!
I have no fear…Christ is the Captain of my soul. —Dorothea Day
Who Holds The Future? By Dr. D. James Kennedy
…I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.—2 Timothy 1:12
The year was 1943. Halfway around the world, a young pilot was flying his Corsair above the scattered islands of the Pacific, scanning his radar for the enemy. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he saw enemy planes. Before the young pilot knew it, one of them was on his tail. He rolled his plane over and dove down, back up again, turning, twisting, diving, doing everything he could to escape. But he had an expert fighter pilot on his tail. In the end, a burst of machine-gun fire pierced not only his plane but his body as well.
Mortally wounded, the young pilot somehow managed to land his disabled plane on one of the jungle islands of the South Pacific. He struggled to crawl clear of the plane in case it exploded. Five days later his body was found. He had, clutched in his hand, a scrap of paper on which he had written his last words: “When peace like a river…” That was all. His final words were the beginning of that wonderful hymn that goes like this: “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.”
Here was a young man who had learned somewhere—whether in his home or at church—Who held his future. When we recognize and acknowledge that God holds the future, we can be assured that whatever comes our way, even if it’s the worst scenario we can imagine, God can transform it into a blessing. Only when we place our entire trust in Him will we have the kind of assurance in our future that this young man had.
Are you going through a peaceful river or through rolling sea billows today? Whatever your lot, place your full trust in the Lord. Only when we trust the One who holds the future will it be well with our souls!
I have no fear…Christ is the Captain of my soul. —Dorothea Day
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