Faithful and True

August 7

Faithful and True  by Dr. D. James Kennedy

And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken…—Hebrews 3:5 Have you ever struggled to remain faithful to God in certain areas of your life? To be faithful literally means to be “full of faith.” The practical outworking of faithfulness is remaining true to God and His Word regardless of the cost or adverse circumstances. Consider one man of faith, General William Booth, who founded the Salvation Army. In his later years, he lost his eyesight. He visited the doctor for help, but the doctor could not do much for him. His son, Bramwell Booth, had to give his father the final report: “I am afraid that there is little that they can do for you.” General Booth said, “You mean that I will never again see your face?” His son replied, “I am afraid the likelihood is that you will never again see my face in this world.” To this, General Booth declared, “Well, I have served God and the people with my eyes, and now I will serve God and the people without my eyes.” What an incredible example of faith in the midst of a tremendously adverse circumstance! If we want to faithfully seek and serve God, we must remain true to God even in the face of possible loss, as Abraham remained true to God even when he faced losing his son, as Daniel remained true to God even as he faced the horrors of the lions’ den. To be faithful to Christ means to forsake this world with all its trappings and temptations. But even when we lapse in our faithfulness to God, He remains steady in His faithfulness to us. If you have trouble being faithful to God’s call, then ask the Lord for His strength and help. Bolster your faithfulness by studying His Word and obeying its commands. I do not want merely to possess a faith, I want a faith that possesses me. —Charles Kingsley

Loving Christ

August 6

Loving Christ by Dr. D. James Kennedy

“…love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.…’—Mark 12:30 Have you had the wonderful experience of falling in love with someone? If you have, then you know how it changes your whole outlook on life. The grass looks greener. Music sounds more beautiful. Everything becomes more positive. If this is true for human love, how much more for divine love? Christ loves us intimately, and He is more than worthy of our affections in return. Since the Son of God came to earth, we have the great privilege of knowing Him personally, walking humbly with Him each day, and loving Him intimately. How can we tell if we love Jesus? Of course, we know we love Him when we obey His Word. But we can also tell whether we love Jesus in the same way we know whether we love a fellow human being. When we truly love someone, we love to talk with that person. We desire to pour out our hearts and souls to them. We feel confident that our beloved understands us and likes to listen to us. But we also love nothing more than to hear from our beloved. If he or she is away, we eagerly anticipate phone calls and letters from that person. And each time we interact with our beloved, we want to discover more and more of that person’s character, thoughts, likes, and dislikes. We’re not satisfied until we know that person well, knowing what he or she thinks about everything. And when we really love someone, we want to become the type of person he or she wants us to be. Such things are second nature when true love is present. And they are the same thoughts and desires we should have for our relationship with God. Do you desire to love God with all of your heart, mind, and soul? If you feel that your relationship with Him could use some improvement, then look to the Cross. Look to that great source of love, and ask Christ to bring a coal from the altar of His love and set a flame in your heart—one that will never be extinguished so you may love Him with all your being. Pray that this day you will fall in love with Jesus afresh.

What If?

August 5

Pastor Pyle says, "My 46+ years of Bible study and Gospel ministry cause me to speak out about world conditions and mankind’s behavior.  This message points out Biblical prophecy that is as current as today’s news.  If you share my concerns, please read the following..."

WHAT IF? By -Pastor Larry Pyle, Russellville Arkansas

What if the events unfolding around our world today were prophesied by men named Zachariah, Ezekiel, Daniel and others, 3000 years ago and written in a book called the Holy Bible?  (See Zachariah 12:2, Zachariah 14, Ezekiel 37-38; and Daniel 11 and 12.)

What if Almighty God allowed nations to rise and fall based on their recognition of and right-standing with Him?  (See Psalm 33:12)

What if the Holy Bible foretold the destruction of and rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the regathering of Jews to their homeland in 1948? (See Isaiah 66:8 and Ezekiel 20:34.)

What if a nation called America turned her back on God, denied His existence, forbid prayer and reading the Holy Bible in public schools, while propagating false religions and promoting behavior forbidden in God’s Word, the Bible?

What if mankind repeated the actions of those recorded in Romans 1:18-32 and God again gave man over to a “depraved” mind. (Depraved=Greek “adokimas”=unable to see clearly, undiscerning, void of judgment; reprobate, abominable mind.)

If God permitted this again, good and bad would be confused; society would become so confused and wicked that killing human babies would be legalized and applauded (“God bless Planned Parenthood”–Barack Obama) and those who attempt to prevent it would be punished. If God once again allowed man to become “adokimas” human society would become so corrupt that the lives of animals would be valued over the lives of human beings.

What if ancient prophets foretold that “in the last days” world leaders would turn their backs on Israel and eventually form an alliance to attack and attempt to destroy Israel? And, what if those same ancient prophets identified the nations that will surround and attack Israel, and recorded God’s promise to completely annihilate the attackers? (Ezekiel 38)

Finally, what if God permitted leaders to come to power in America, who would deny and twist the Holy Scriptures, turn their backs on Israel, strengthen and subsidize Israel’s enemies and work to build the coalition that will ultimately surround and attack Israel in the prophesied final battle between good and evil, called Armageddon?

If God really allowed all this to transpire in our time, we might truly be living in “the last days” and would need to ask God to forgive us, give us understanding and discernment (dokimas) and prepare us for His return to Earth to rescue His people.

Their God Is My God

August 4

After the Storm Is Over by Holly Gerth

Raindrops scatter across my windshield as I drive home from a speaking engagement and the thoughts within my mind feel much the same.

Questions haphazardly come:

Should I have said that?

Was I helpful?

How did it really go?

I pull into my garage and the sound of the storm lessens.  Stillness begins to settle within me, too. I picture the corner of my room where I curl up to spend time praying. And these words come to my heart: “When all is said and done I get to go home to Jesus.”

In the moment I mean that in the most literal way.  I’m thinking of a cup of tea, a warm blanket and time for Him to bring my still-racing heart back to its usual rhythm. But I smile as I realize the words are true for eternity, too. No matter what happens in this life, when all is said and done we get to go home to Jesus.

That reality gives us the strength and courage to serve:

Jesus knew that all things were under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the last meal He would have on earth, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist.  After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet. John 13:3-5

We, too, are called to be foot-washers and holy risk takers.  We are called to step outside our comfort zones, face the storms, even walk on water if that’s what He tells us to do.  We can do that only if we are sure of where we’re ultimately headed and Who will be waiting for us. If you’re not yet, you can be today.

I open the door of my house and it seems to invite me in like an old friend. I find my quiet spot in the corner. I close my eyes and all the questioning stops. I remember again that I am loved not because of what I do but because of Who I belong to. Home is where my heart is and I’m not in heaven yet. But I’m learning this: Home is also Who’s within my heart.

And as I whisper a prayer while the storm subsides, I know Jesus is there.

Our sister, Holly Gerth, speaks of the anxiety we sometimes feel in our day-to-day walk with Jesus.  We wonder if we’re pleasing to Him in our effort to convey His truth, His power, His love to others.

The following is the tale of 21 Christian men who were brutalized because they love Jesus.  May we reflect upon them and the sacrifice they made when we find ourselves disconcerted by the ups and downs of our lives of ease.

“Truly I say to you, today
you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
-Luke 23:43

Their God Is My God by Brad Reiches

"Following the martyrdom of Coptic Christian men by Libyan Islamic State (IS) militants in February 2015, the names of 21 of the martyrs were widely shared. The martyrs were kidnapped from Sirte, Libya, where they were working.

Initially, it was believed that all of the men killed for their faith were from small villages in Egypt. However, the name and background of one of those killed, a black man, was unknown. Mathew Ayairga was soon identified by friends after being recognized in video footage of the killings released by IS.

According to Ahram-Canadian News, Mathew was from Chad. Mathew had gone missing in January 2015, captured by one of the radical groups in Libya who have kidnapped hundreds, both Muslim and Christian.

The video made public on Feb. 15 shows each of the men dressed in orange jumpsuits, kneeling on a beach, with their black-clothed attackers standing behind them. Each one is systematically beheaded and the video clearly shows many of the men praying “Lord Jesus Christ” in their final moments.

According to reports, Mathew Ayairga was not a Christian. However, when moments before his death the IS extremists demanded that he follow Islam, Mathew turned them down. After reportedly witnessing the “immense faith” of the Egyptian believers, and he decided to become a follower of Christ.

On camera, one of the terrorists asked Matthew, “Do you reject Christ?”

“Their God is my God,” he responded, and he became one of the 21 men laying down their lives for their faith in Christ."

George Whitefield

August 3

George Whitefield by Dr. D. James Kennedy

‘Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’—John 3:3 Do you ever think about our nation and wonder whether God will renew a land that has sunk to the moral depths that ours has? Is there any hope for the society in which we live? Perhaps we can take a cue from another time, another society. The period in which we live is not unlike that of the opening half of the eighteenth century, especially in England. At that time, adultery, fornication, gambling, drunkenness, and the breaking of the Sabbath were commonplace. Crime was rampant, and sin was the norm. Sounds rather contemporary, doesn’t it? But then John Wesley and George Whitefield came on the scene, and revival began. It came as an electric shock and galvanized the people of England. As revolution took place in England, the morality and religion of the country changed completely. (In fact, historians say that the Victorian period was in many ways a byproduct of the Wesley-Whitefield revivals.) God used George Whitefield not only in England but also in America. Whitefield preached in various colonies and helped found the University of Pennsylvania. So great was the change Whitefield sparked that it became known as the Great Awakening. Whitefield had made England and America his parish. Tens of thousands would come from miles around to hear him preach. What was his life-changing, culture-changing message? The same text that had pulled him into the kingdom of God: “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Near the end of Whitefield’s life, one of his friends asked him, “Why is it that you preach so often from that text, ‘Ye must be born again’?” Whitefield answered, “Because ye must be born again.” With this simple message, Whitefield helped transform the core of two countries. To save our great nation, we, too, must declare throughout the land, “You must be born again!” Perhaps today you can share this message with someone you know. Take care of your life, and God will take care of your death. —George Whitefield

Prayers for Parents

Sunday, August 2

What is God’s will for 21st century parents toward their children? What a difficult time for the parents of today! We have a nation that continually gets further from God, we have a degraded outlook as to what a family is, and we have laws that encourage abuse of God’s will for the family unit. Broken marriages are rampant, and dysfunctional homes are an evident part of society, resulting in children who are deprived of ever seeing the nature of God in the home.

Mankind as a majority tends to travel away from God, but for the minority, for the Christian, we seek to get closer to Him. The battle for parents today is to have homes that God intended and not as the world has fashioned them to be. Truth is, the will of God for the parents toward their children is the same today as it was in the 1st century, as God’s nature does not change with each century.

Here are 31 Biblical virtues to pray for your children:

1. Salvation. “Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with external glory” (Isaiah 45:8, II Timothy 2:10) .

2. Growth in grace. “I pray that my children may grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18).

3. Love. “Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them” (Galatians 5:25. Ephesians 5:2).

4. Honesty and integrity. “May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection” (Psalm 25:21).

5. Self-control. “Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do” (I Thessalonians 5:6)

6. Love for God’s Word. “May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb” (Psalm 19:10)

7. Justice. “God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do” (Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8)

8. Mercy. “May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful: (Luke 6:36).

9. Respect (for self, others, authority). “Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as your Word commands” (I Peter 2:17).

10. Biblical self-esteem. “Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:10).

11. Faithfulness. “Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts” (Proverbs 3:3).

12. Courage. “May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

13. Purity. “Create in them a pure heart. O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions” (Psalm 51:10).

14. Kindness. “Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else” (I Thessalonians 5:15).

15. Generosity. “Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age” (I Timothy 6:18-19)

16. Peace-loving. “Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace” (Romans 14:19).

17. Joy. ” May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit” ( I Thessalonians 1:16)

18. Perseverance. “Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them” (Hebrews 12:1)

19. Humility. “God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all” (Titus 3:2).

20. Compassion. “Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion” (Colosians  3:12)

21. Responsibility. “Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for each one should carry his own load” (Galatians 6:5)

22. Contentment. Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength” (Philippians 4:12-13)

23. Faith. “I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children’s  hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them” (Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40).

24. A servant’s heart. “God, please help my children develop servant’s hearts, that they may serve You wholeheartedly, always serving the Lord, not men” (Ephesians 6:7)

25. Hope. “May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15: 13)

26. Willingness and ability to work. “Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work at it with all their heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23)

27. Passion for God. “Lord, please instill in my children a soul that ‘followeth hard after thee’ (Psalm 63:8), one that clings passionately to You.”

28. Self-discipline. “Father, I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just fair” (Proverbs 1:3).

29. Prayerfulness. “Grant, Lord, that my children’s lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with power in their prayers with all  kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18)

30. Gratitude. “Help my children to live lives that are always overfilling with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20, Colossians 2:7).

31. A heart of missions. “Lord, please help my children develop a desire to see Your glory declared among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:3).

None of us are perfect parents, so how can we be perfect parents? It’s being a praying parent that makes the difference.

Vanity

August 1

Vanity by John W. Ritenbaugh

" Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher;  Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?”  Ecclesiastes 1:2, 3.

To a Christian, the book of Ecclesiastes may appear to have a forbidding beginning. It is part of God's Word, but is it true that life is nothing but meaningless trouble and without purpose and value? Does our Creator intend life to be an unremitting stream of frustrations broken only by the blessed relief of death? One may wonder why such a message is even in the Bible. Such thoughts, however, are far from the truth.

The book indicates in a number of places that it was written by Solomon, a man especially gifted by God with understanding and wisdom. In its first verse, the author identifies himself as the son of David and king in Jerusalem. Most commentators believe Solomon wrote it late in his life, following an eventful forty-year reign.

Upon reading Ecclesiastes, many believe that Solomon's outlook on life was decidedly pessimistic despite living in regal glory and with every amenity to make life appealing. Such readers have misjudged him. Once a person understands the reason for his palpable pessimism, then he also understands that it is clearly justified by the record of history.
Ecclesiastes presents the Christian with a unique perspective on life. Though the term "God" is used 41 times, Jesus Christ as Messiah and Savior never appears within its twelve chapters. Nor does it focus on the wondrous miraculous works of God, such as healing, raising the dead to life, or dividing the sea for His people.

Every reference to God within it uses the Hebrew word elohim. The Bible uses this term most frequently in a rather distant sense of "powerful Creator" rather than "One with whom a close, personal relationship exists." Yet, Ecclesiastes reveals Him as deeply involved in the constant operations of His purpose, not only in terms of the oversight of His creation, but in the reality of His unseen hand personally involved in the daily life of His children.

Some commentators have described Ecclesiastes as "gritty," probably because it deals with life's realities and pulls no punches. Life is difficult. The book deals, not with minor issues, but with major goals and events that come up as an individual works out the purposes and challenges of life. Such events, which can be either blessings or curses, fill and change the course of a person's life. They are the kind of happenings that may make one wonder, "Where is God in what I am going through?"

Life can be thought of as being similar to a person trying to navigate toward the exit of a labyrinth. A labyrinth has many possible paths to follow, and thus a person is forced to make many choices that either open or close the way toward his goal. Will his choices yield growth and profit in living, or will they block him, causing mystification and frustration?

For a Christian, this means that a reality of life is that everything matters. Not every event and choice matters to the same extent, but whether serious or passing, it does matter to some degree. The record of Solomon's experiences reminds us that our calling is too precious to waste on meaningless vanity. Though some choices are more consequential than others are, none of our choices is totally inconsequential. God gives us the wisdom in Ecclesiastes to help us grasp what the major paths and choices must be so that life is not meaningless.

The major teaching of the book is that, despite the wide diversity of choices available to us in life, in reality only two ways of life exist: God's and man's. Solomon shows us that, if life is to be filled with profitable purpose, then God and His way must not be merely considered occasionally but deliberately chosen with foresight in every matter. Otherwise, life may be filled with a great deal of activity yet prove to be a futile pursuit of time-wasting and profitless vanity.

Thus, Ecclesiastes is not truly about the meaninglessness of life. Rather, it is about the meaninglessness of living life without God, or as Solomon wrote, living life entirely "under the sun."