Spontaneous Love by Oswald Chambers

Spontaneous Love

April 30, 2017

Love suffers long and is kind… —1 Corinthians 13:4

 
 
 

Love is not premeditated– it is spontaneous; that is, it bursts forth in extraordinary ways. There is nothing of precise certainty in Paul’s description of love. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by saying, “Now I will never think any evil thoughts, and I will believe everything that Jesus would have me to believe.” No, the characteristic of love is spontaneity. We don’t deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standard, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live according to His standard without even realizing it. And when we look back, we are amazed at how unconcerned we have been over our emotions, which is the very evidence that real spontaneous love was there. The nature of everything involved in the life of God in us is only discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past.

The fountains from which love flows are in God, not in us. It is absurd to think that the love of God is naturally in our hearts, as a result of our own nature. His love is there only because it “has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit…” (Romans 5:5).

If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don’t love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us. And when we look back, we will not be able to determine why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us. The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The Bible does not thrill; the Bible nourishes. Give time to the reading of the Bible and the recreating effect is as real as that of fresh air physically.  Disciples Indeed, 387 R

When We Face Accusation by Charles Stanley

Matthew 26:7-13

From time to time, undeserved criticism is the lot of every Christian. On occasion, it comes when we offer our best to the Lord and our good intentions are misunderstood or even ridiculed by those who should know better. Such an event is described in today’s Scripture reading.

The passage describes a woman who took a bottle of precious perfume and poured it on Jesus’ head as He reclined at the table. There is no record of any great results coming from this loving gesture. No lives were saved, no converts were made, and nothing measurable was obtained. Worse still, the woman was scolded for her actions. Her efforts were viewed as extravagant, unreasonable, and irresponsible. Jesus, however, thought otherwise. The Lord’s commendation for this woman’s loving sacrifice was astonishing. In His mind, it deserved to be memorialized—He said, “What she has done will also be told, in memory of her” (Matt. 26:13 NIV).

We sometimes wonder how much God is noticing our efforts to please Him. At times some of our greatest sacrifices seem to bring nothing but misunderstanding or even criticism from our family members and friends. Voices from others—and even from within our own heart—rise up to condemn us for godly choices that now seem to be incapacitating us. 

But Jesus Christ, who knows the depths of our soul, sees and understands the torment we face. He hears the condemning voices of our accusers. When our sacrifices for the heavenly Father make little sense to the inhospitable world around us, it is His voice that will prevail on our behalf.

The Jesus Bible Reading Plan / GOD'S FOOTSTOOL

The Jesus Bible Reading Plan

Day 119 of 365 GOD'S FOOTSTOOL David realized that a mere building could never house the eternal, all-powerful God of the universe. He planned to construct the temple as the Lord's footstool - a metaphor describing the earthly base of activity for God, who sits enthroned in heaven, high above all things. Elsewhere in Scripture, the whole earth is depicted as God's footstool (Isa 66:1). No physical place of worship - even Solomon's temple - could capture the grandeur and glory of God. He cannot be contained (Ac 7:48 - 50). In kindness to the people of the earth, God sent Jesus to disclose his character and power (Jn 1:18). God came down to us from on high - to dwell in hearts, not religious buildings (Eph 3:16 - 17). God's people do not need to go into a church to be with God - he is Spirit, simultaneously inhabiting all places. Jesus, in whom the fullness of God dwells, is ever-present in the life of the believer (Col 1:19 - 27). Jesus, thank you for showing me God's character and power, and for being present in my life. I am honored to serve the One for whom the earth is a footstool. Amen. 1 Chronicles 28:2 NASB 2 Then King David rose to his feet and said, "Listen to me, my brethren and my people; I had intended to build a permanent home for the ark of the covenant of the L ord and for the footstool of our God. So I had made preparations to build it. Isaiah 66:1 NASB 1 Thus says the L ord , "Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?

NKJV 365 / Children and Parenting

NKJV 365 Day Reading Plan

Day 120 of 365 Children and Parenting Luke 15 records an encounter between Jesus and some Pharisees and scribes who grumbled that He was hanging out with "tax collectors" and "sinners" (Luke 15:1), the losers of ancient Jewish society. . . .This time He confronted the Philistines' hard hearts with not one, not two, but three parables: the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son. . . . In the Lost Sheep, a shepherd leaves behind ninety-nine sheep to find the one sheep that had wandered off. When the sheep is found, the shepherd carries the sheep home on his shoulders and joyfully calls his friends and neighbors to celebrate with him, "for I have found my sheep which was lost!" (verse 6). In the Lost Coin, a woman who had ten silver coins, but lost one of them, searches every nook and cranny until she finds it. Like the shepherd, this woman gathers her friends and neighbors, saying "Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!" (verse 9). Finally, Jesus tells the story of the Lost Son, perhaps the most moving of this trio of parables. In this story about two sons, the younger son goes to his dad to demand his share of his inheritance. . . . So the father in Jesus' story agrees to the son's request, and, sure enough, the son takes off to party like there's no tomorrow. But not too long after living the high life with the wrong crowd, spending everything he had on wild living, the prodigal son fell on hard times. . . . Coming to his senses, the son humbled himself and headed home with a prepared speech, hoping to patch things up with his father enough that he would be allowed to live as one of his servants. He was probably anticipating the dreaded "I told you so" speech, but he was just that desperate. Yet to his astonishment, his father . . . ran to embrace him and welcome him back as his beloved child. Instead of a lecture, the son receives mercy, and grace, and a party to celebrate his homecoming! These three parables demonstrate that our heavenly Father seeks us when we are lost, and He rejoices when we are found and restored to fellowship. . . . So when we know someone who is living apart from God, how should we respond when they return to the fold? The Bible makes it clear that imitating the Father, not the judgmental Pharisees, is the way to go. Let's greet the prodigals in our lives by welcoming them into our fellowship with unconditional love, not an "I told you so." Taken from The Duck Commander Faith and Family Bible Luke 15:20 NASB 20 So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

Questioning by Billy Graham

Day By Day With Billy Graham

Day 120 of 366 Questioning It is not unusual for persons in their early twenties to defect from their early teaching. The reasons are many. Perhaps their exposure to unbelief "took" better than their exposure to belief. This is often the case, for the Bible says, "The heart of man is deceitful above all things."The human heart is as prepared by sin to accept unbelief as faith. Some person they regard highly has undoubtedly influenced their thinking; and for the time being they look on their early training as "bunk." As someone has said, "A little learning may take a man away from God, but full understanding will bring him back." Some of the staunchest Christians I know are people who had periods in their life when they questioned the Bible, Christ, and God. But as they continued to examine the matter, there was overwhelming evidence that only "the fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." Daily Prayer I pray for all the questioning people today, Lord, remembering times in my own life when unbelief reigned. Psalms 51:12 NASB 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.

April 30 / Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning and Evening

Day 120 of 366 Morning - Day 120 "Thou art my hope in the day of evil." The path of the Christian is not always bright with sunshine; he has his seasons of darkness and of storm. True, it is written in God's Word, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace;" and it is a great truth, that religion is calculated to give a man happiness below as well as bliss above; but experience tells us that if the course of the just be "As the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day," yet sometimes that light is eclipsed. At certain periods clouds cover the believer's sun, and he walks in darkness and sees no light. There are many who have rejoiced in the presence of God for a season; they have basked in the sunshine in the earlier stages of their Christian career; they have walked along the "green pastures" by the side of the "still waters," but suddenly they find the glorious sky is clouded; instead of the Land of Goshen they have to tread the sandy desert; in the place of sweet waters, they find troubled streams, bitter to their taste, and they say, "Surely, if I were a child of God, this would not happen." Oh! say not so, thou who art walking in darkness. The best of God's saints must drink the wormwood; the dearest of his children must bear the cross. No Christian has enjoyed perpetual prosperity; no believer can always keep his harp from the willows. Perhaps the Lord allotted you at first a smooth and unclouded path, because you were weak and timid. He tempered the wind to the shorn lamb, but now that you are stronger in the spiritual life, you must enter upon the riper and rougher experience of God's full-grown children. We need winds and tempests to exercise our faith, to tear off the rotten bough of self-dependence, and to root us more firmly in Christ. The day of evil reveals to us the value of our glorious hope. Evening - Day 120 "The Lord taketh pleasure in his people." How comprehensive is the love of Jesus! There is no part of his people's interests which he does not consider, and there is nothing which concerns their welfare which is not important to him. Not merely does he think of you, believer, as an immortal being, but as a mortal being too. Do not deny it or doubt it: "The very hairs of your head are all numbered." "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way." It were a sad thing for us if this mantle of love did not cover all our concerns, for what mischief might be wrought to us in that part of our business which did not come under our gracious Lord's inspection! Believer, rest assured that the heart of Jesus cares about your meaner affairs. The breadth of his tender love is such that you may resort to him in all matters; for in all your afflictions he is afflicted, and like as a father pitieth his children, so doth he pity you. The meanest interests of all his saints are all borne upon the broad bosom of the Son of God. Oh, what a heart is his, that doth not merely comprehend the persons of his people, but comprehends also the diverse and innumerable concerns of all those persons! Dost thou think, O Christian, that thou canst measure the love of Christ? Think of what his love has brought thee--justification, adoption, sanctification, eternal life! The riches of his goodness are unsearchable; thou shalt never be able to tell them out or even conceive them. Oh, the breadth of the love of Christ! Shall such a love as this have half our hearts? Shall it have a cold love in return? Shall Jesus' marvellous lovingkindness and tender care meet with but faint response and tardy acknowledgment? O my soul, tune thy harp to a glad song of thanksgiving! Go to thy rest rejoicing, for thou art no desolate wanderer, but a beloved child, watched over, cared for, supplied, and defended by thy Lord. Jeremiah 17:17 NASB 17 Do not be a terror to me; You are my refuge in the day of disaster. Psalms 149:4 NASB 4 For the L ord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.

The Only One Who Conquered Death by Adrian Rogers

APRIL 30

The Only One Who Conquered Death

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” - 1 Corinthians 15:55

Harry Houdini was an escape artist. They tried all kinds of ways to keep Harry Houdini locked up. They would bury him in a coffin, but he would get out. They would sew him up in canvas bags and throw him in the river, but he would come out. His biographer said he could escape from anything, except your memory.

Yet there came a day when Harry Houdini died and he did not escape. No trickery there. Harry Houdini did not escape the iron-clad clutches of death. But I want to tell you there was another who died. His name was Jesus, and He made the great escape. Jesus came out of the grave and He arose. Praise God, Jesus is alive!

Who in your circle of friends doesn’t know Jesus? Pray for them right now, that they would hear the Good News, repent and believe upon Jesus as Lord and Savior.

The Victory of the Resurrection by John MacArthur

The Victory of the Resurrection

“‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ . . . but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55, 57).

The Resurrection seals what we could not: victory over death.

Death is the great enemy of mankind. It comes to everyone without exception. It violates our dominion of God’s creation, breaks apart relationships, disrupts families, and causes us to grieve the loss of loved ones. However, Christ’s resurrection has broken the power of death for Christians because “death no longer is master over Him” (Rom. 6:9).

In today’s passage the apostle Paul reminds us of the final victory over death that results once we have been transformed into our resurrection bodies. To make his point, Paul quotes from the Old Testament prophets Isaiah and Hosea. In using Hosea’s sting of death metaphor, Paul implies that death left its sting in Christ, as a bee leaves its stinger in its victim. On the cross Jesus bore all of death’s sting (sin), so we wouldn’t have to bear any of it. When sin’s penalty has been removed, death merely interrupts our earthly life and ushers us into the heavenly realm, where we will worship and praise God forever.

Paul concludes (v. 57) by thanking God, who provided us the triumph over sin and death. We also should be thankful to God who, through Christ’s redeeming work, gave us what we could never have obtained by ourselves. God promises to all believers the heavenly in exchange for the earthly, and the immortal in exchange for the mortal.

With Jesus Christ’s triumph over death, we have no reason to fear what death can do to us. Instead, we should rejoice concerning the Lord’s promise to us about the next life: “Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire . . . and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain” (Rev. 20:14; 21:4).

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank God that in His sovereign wisdom and power He has defeated death and removed all reasons for the believer to be afraid of it.

For Further Study

Read 2 Kings 2:9-14 and 4:18-37.

• What do these passages preview about Jesus’ control over death, His own and ours?
• Do they remind you of any particular New Testament stories?

From Strength for Today by John MacArthur Copyright © 1997. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

Forever Loved / Our Daily Bread

Forever Loved April 30, 2017

Read: Psalm 4:1–8 Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 8–9; Luke 21:1–19 Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself.—Psalm 4:3 It’s almost impossible for us to get through a day without being snubbed, ignored, or put down in some way. Sometimes we even do it to ourselves. David’s enemies were talking smack—bullying, threatening, pummeling him with insults. His sense of self-worth and well-being had plummeted (Ps. 4:1-2). He asked for relief “from my distress.” Then David remembered, “Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself” (v. 3). Various English versions try to capture the full essence of David’s bold statement by translating “faithful servant” as “godly.” The Hebrew word here, hesed, literally refers to God’s covenant love and might well be rendered “those whom God will love forever and ever and ever.” Here’s what we too must remember: We are loved forever, set apart in a special way, as dear to God as His own Son. He has called us to be His children for all eternity. Instead of despairing, we can remind ourselves of the love we freely receive from our Father. We are His dearly beloved children. The end is not despair but peace and joy (vv. 7-8). He never gives up on us, and He never ever stops loving us. —David Roper Father in heaven, the words of others can wound us deeply. Your words to us heal and comfort, and You assure us that we are loved forever. The true measure of God’s love is that He loves without measure. Bernard of Clairvaux INSIGHT: How could we not care what others think or say about us? So much in life seems to depend on how others regard us. Maybe David wrote his fourth psalm after hearing rumors that he still thought he had gotten away with murder and with his scandalous affair with Bathsheba. Maybe he was told how others accused him of using his false humility and self-centered spirituality as a cover for his lust for power. As if knowing our own weak points he wrote, “How long will you people ruin my reputation? . . . How long will you continue your lies?” (v. 2 nlt).The answer doesn’t seem to be what we might have expected. Without explanation, the songwriter seems to be like a television viewer changing channels. Suddenly the issue is no longer how long others are going to say thoughtless things about him, but rather how long his God is going to love him unconditionally—forever. The thought is better than warm milk and a soft pillow. With the love of God filling his heart, the words of enemies fade into silence. How does God’s unconditional love comfort you? To read more about God’s love go to God Is Love at discoveryseries.org/q0612. Mart DeHaan

Our Hope for New Bodies by David Jeremiah

Creativity / Daily in Your Presence

...my Redeemer liveth...

Gracious Uncertainty by Oswald Chambers

Gracious Uncertainty

April 29, 2017

…it has not yet been revealed what we shall be… —1 John 3:2

 
 
 
 

Our natural inclination is to be so precise– trying always to forecast accurately what will happen next– that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We think that we must reach some predetermined goal, but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty. Consequently, we do not put down roots. Our common sense says, “Well, what if I were in that circumstance?” We cannot presume to see ourselves in any circumstance in which we have never been.

Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life– gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring. This is generally expressed with a sigh of sadness, but it should be an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and do the task He has placed closest to us, He begins to fill our lives with surprises. When we become simply a promoter or a defender of a particular belief, something within us dies. That is not believing God– it is only believing our belief about Him. Jesus said, “…unless you…become as little children…” (Matthew 18:3). The spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, just uncertain of what He is going to do next. If our certainty is only in our beliefs, we develop a sense of self-righteousness, become overly critical, and are limited by the view that our beliefs are complete and settled. But when we have the right relationship with God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy. Jesus said, “…believe also in Me” (John 14:1), not, “Believe certain things about Me”. Leave everything to Him and it will be gloriously and graciously uncertain how He will come in– but you can be certain that He will come. Remain faithful to Him.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The Christian Church should not be a secret society of specialists, but a public manifestation of believers in Jesus.  Facing Reality, 34 R

True Freedom by Charles Stanley

John 8:31-36

At the time when Jesus was born, the Israelites were experiencing great oppression. They looked forward to the promised Messiah, who would bring freedom and victory.

But instead of overthrowing the Romans, Jesus spoke about respecting authority and showing love to enemies. Rather than win victory for the Jews alone, He brought blessing even to despised Gentiles (John 4:4-30; Luke 7:6-10). The people expected Him to overpower the domineering nation through battle, but He allowed those in authority to crucify Him.

So, thinking Jesus surely was not the promised Savior who would liberate God’s chosen people, the Jews rejected Him. They failed to understand that Christ was most concerned about the freedom of our hearts. He came to release us from the bondage of sin in our life, but He does not always free us from our current circumstance.

A letter I received illustrates this beautifully. After 15 years in prison for habitual criminal acts and drug involvement, the writer shared that everyone had given up on him. He felt hopeless until he was saved and began following Jesus. Now, the bitterness and anger are gone, and he is filled with joy and peace. He has been liberated. He still faces temptations and he still is in jail, but he has experienced true freedom.

Jesus came for you—He died to pay your sin debt. Have you accepted His free gift of salvation? His power can tackle sin in your life, and His truth can overcome harmful, faulty thinking. Walking with Him is truly walking in freedom, so lean on His strength, and choose the right path. 

NKJV 365 / Marriage: Physical Intimacy

NKJV 365 Day Reading Plan

Day 119 of 365 Marriage Physical Intimacy Man and woman are radically different physically, emotionally, and spiritually; yet they are designed by God to complement each other. "Become one flesh" combines all aspects of life. It is presented first in the Old Testament (Gen. 2:24) and repeated four times in the New Testament, with the idea not only of procreation but of mutuality in meeting needs and as an illustration of the relationship between Christ and His Bride, the church (Matt. 19:5; Mark 10:8; 1 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 5:31). Only in monogamy does the idea of becoming one flesh have any significance. From this broader perspective of union, intercourse includes the exchange of thoughts and feelings. The act of marriage is the highest form of the communication of love for one another and the ultimate expression of intimacy. It provides a language that can express love without words. Indeed, there are no words to express all that is felt. Faith in God is the bond of the marriage covenant; sexual intimacy is the Holy Spirit's seal. The quality of the celebration of sexual intimacy depends on the quality of the total marriage relationship. There can be very little fulfillment in the realm of physical intimacy if there is little closeness in the overall union. Since God designed male and female to fit together and instilled within each a desire for the other, no problems are exclusively sexual in nature. Difficulties in physical intimacy are nearly always a symptom of problems in other areas of the relationship. The attitude of the wife about herself, her husband, and about lovemaking will determine her response in physical intimacy. If expectations are unmet or if negative emotions of jealousy, rejection, or bitterness exist, physical intimacy will be hampered. Sexual union is not to be used as a weapon or a reward but is nonetheless a rightful need and expectation of each marriage partner (1 Cor. 7:3-5). Taken from The Woman's Study Bible 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 NASB 3 The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.  5Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

The Jesus Bible Reading Plan / The Spirit's Power

The Jesus Bible Reading Plan

Day 118 of 365 THE SPIRIT'S POWER The Holy Spirit played an active role in the Old Testament. In the book of Judges, the Holy Spirit empowered numerous individuals. The Holy Spirit "came on Gideon" when Gideon fought against the Midianites and Amalekites (Jdg 6:34); the Spirit "came on Jephthah" (11:29) when he went to fight against the Ammonites; the Spirit also "came powerfully upon" Samson and enabled him to defeat his adversary (14:6). When the Holy Spirit moved, amazing things happened. While the Holy Spirit used people in the Old Testament to perform mighty deeds, the Spirit is still doing great things today. Jesus told his disciples that it was to their benefit that he would leave them, for after he left, "the Advocate" would come (Jn 16:5 - 15). Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin and guide the disciples into all truth. Though Christians today may not have the physical strength to tear apart a lion like Samson did, they have an even greater power to stand against sin and take the gospel to the nations. Jesus, thank you for the Holy Spirit. Give me the courage and humility to submit to him in all that I do, so he might do mighty things through me. Amen. Judges 14:6 NASB 6 The Spirit of the L ord came upon him mightily, so that he tore him as one tears a young goat though he had nothing in his hand; but he did not tell his father or mother what he had done. Judges 6:34 NASB 34 So the Spirit of the L ord came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him. Judges 11:29 NASB 29 Now the Spirit of the L ord came upon Jephthah, so that he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon.

The Unpayable Debt by Billy Graham

Day By Day With Billy Graham

Day 119 of 366 The Unpayable Debt Years ago King Charles V was loaned a large sum of money by a merchant in Antwerp. The note came due, but the king was bankrupt and unable to pay. The merchant gave a great banquet for the King. When all the guests were seated and before the food was brought in, the merchant had a large platter placed on the table and a fire lighted on it. Then, taking the note out of his pocket, he held it in the flames until it was burned to ashes. The king threw his arms around his benefactor and wept. Just so, we have been mortgaged to God. The debt was due, but we were unable to pay. Two thousand years ago God invited the world to the Gospel feast, and in the agonies of the cross, God held your sins and mine until every last vestige of our guilt was consumed. Daily Prayer In gratitude I kneel before You, Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:4 NASB 4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

April 29 / Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning and Evening

Day 119 of 366 Morning - Day 119 "Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope." Whatever your especial need may be, you may readily find some promise in the Bible suited to it. Are you faint and feeble because your way is rough and you are weary? Here is the promise--"He giveth power to the faint." When you read such a promise, take it back to the great Promiser, and ask him to fulfil his own word. Are you seeking after Christ, and thirsting for closer communion with him? This promise shines like a star upon you--"Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." Take that promise to the throne continually; do not plead anything else, but go to God over and over again with this--"Lord, thou hast said it, do as thou hast said." Are you distressed because of sin, and burdened with the heavy load of your iniquities? Listen to these words--"I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions, and will no more remember thy sins." You have no merit of your own to plead why he should pardon you, but plead his written engagements and he will perform them. Are you afraid lest you should not be able to hold on to the end, lest, after having thought yourself a child of God, you should prove a castaway? If that is your state, take this word of grace to the throne and plead it: "The mountains may depart, and the hills may be removed, but the covenant of my love shall not depart from thee." If you have lost the sweet sense of the Saviour's presence, and are seeking him with a sorrowful heart, remember the promises: "Return unto me, and I will return unto you;" "For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee." Banquet your faith upon God's own word, and whatever your fears or wants, repair to the Bank of Faith with your Father's note of hand, saying, "Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope." Evening - Day 119 "All the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted." Are there no exceptions? No, not one. Even the favoured race are thus described. Are the best so bad?--then what must the worst be? Come, my heart, consider how far thou hast a share in this universal accusation, and while considering, be ready to take shame unto thyself wherein thou mayst have been guilty. The first charge is impudence, or hardness of forehead, a want of holy shame, an unhallowed boldness in evil. Before my conversion, I could sin and feel no compunction, hear of my guilt and yet remain unhumbled, and even confess my iniquity and manifest no inward humiliation on account of it. For a sinner to go to God's house and pretend to pray to him and praise him argues a brazen-facedness of the worst kind! Alas! since the day of my new birth I have doubted my Lord to his face, murmured unblushingly in his presence, worshipped before him in a slovenly manner, and sinned without bewailing myself concerning it. If my forehead were not as an adamant, harder than flint, I should have far more holy fear, and a far deeper contrition of spirit. Woe is me, I am one of the impudent house of Israel. The second charge is hardheartedness, and I must not venture to plead innocent here. Once I had nothing but a heart of stone, and although through grace I now have a new and fleshy heart, much of my former obduracy remains. I am not affected by the death of Jesus as I ought to be; neither am I moved by the ruin of my fellow men, the wickedness of the times, the chastisement of my heavenly Father, and my own failures, as I should be. O that my heart would melt at the recital of my Saviour's sufferings and death. Would to God I were rid of this nether millstone within me, this hateful body of death. Blessed be the name of the Lord, the disease is not incurable, the Saviour's precious blood is the universal solvent, and me, even me, it will effectually soften, till my heart melts as wax before the fire. Psalms 119:49 NASB 49 Remember the word to Your servant, In which You have made me hope. Ezekiel 3:7 NASB 7 yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel is stubborn and obstinate.

April 29 / Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman

Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are (James 5:17).

Thank God for that! He got under a juniper tree, as you and I have often done; he complained and murmured, as we have often done; was unbelieving, as we have often been. But that was not the case when he really got into touch with God. Though "a man subject to like passions as we are," "he prayed praying."  It is sublime in the original--not "earnestly," but "he prayed in prayer." He kept on praying. What is the lesson here? You must keep praying.

Come up on the top of Carmel, and see that remarkable parable of Faith and Sight. It was not the descent of the fire that now was necessary, but the descent of the flood; and the man that can command the fire can command the flood by the same means and methods. We are told that he bowed himself to the ground with his face between his knees; that is, shutting out all sights and sounds. He was putting himself in a position where, beneath his mantle, he could neither see nor hear what was going forward.

He said to his servant, "Go and take an observation." He went and came back, and said--how sublimely brief! one  word--"Nothing!"

What do we do under such circumstances?

We say, "It is just as I expected!" and we give up praying. Did Elijah? No, he said, "Go again." His servant again came back and said, "Nothing!" "Go again." "Nothing!"

By and by he came back, and said, "There is a little cloud like a man's hand." A man's hand had been raised in supplication, and presently down came the rain; and Ahab had not time to get back to the gate of Samaria with all his fast steeds. This is a parable of Faith and Sight--faith shutting itself up with God; sight taking observations and seeing nothing; faith going right on, and "praying in prayer," with utterly hopeless reports from sight.

Do you know how to pray that way, how to pray prevailingly? Let sight give as discouraging reports as it may, but pay no attention to these. The living God is still in the heavens and even to delay is part of His goodness.
--Arthur T. Pierson

Each of three boys gave a definition of faith which is an illustration of the tenacity of faith. The first boy said, "It is taking hold of Christ"; the second, "Keeping hold"; and the third, "Not letting go."

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When Delays Are a Blessing by Adrian Rogers

APRIL 29

When Delays Are a Blessing

“And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you.” - Isaiah 30:18

Many times the Lord will deliberately delay that He may be gracious to us. When Lazarus fell sick, his family sent for Jesus. Instead of coming immediately, Jesus waited (see John 11:1-46). He held back until Lazarus was dead. And if you read John 11:15, you'll see that He said, “I’m glad,” because He had something greater in mind.

God waited four thousand years to send the Lord Jesus Christ after He made that promise. But Galatians 4:4 says He came in the fullness of time. Never late, never ahead of time, never in a hurry.

Are you in a waiting game...praying days, weeks, months, even years, for something...and God hasn’t answered? Be still and know that in the fullness of time your request will be answered.

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Our New Bodies by John MacArthur

Our New Bodies

“Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (1 Corinthians 15:49).

All believers can look forward to one day receiving new bodies and new images.

Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances present a glimpse of the greatness, power, and wonder that our own resurrection bodies will have. Our Lord appeared and disappeared at will and always reappeared in other places. He was able to go through walls and doors, but He could also eat, drink, sit, talk, and be seen by others. Jesus was remarkably the same as before His death, yet He was even more remarkably changed. The body the disciples and other followers saw after the Resurrection was the same one we’ll see when we go to be with Him. Christ will also appear in the same form when He returns to earth (Acts 1:11).

As it was with Jesus, our perishable, natural, and weak bodies will be raised imperishable, spiritual, and powerful. No longer will they limit us in our service to God. In Heaven we’ll blaze forth the magnificent glory that God so graciously gives to His own (Matt. 13:43). Christ promises to “transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:21).

The future resurrection of believers to the glories of Heaven has always been a blessed hope and motivation for the church through the centuries— and it should be for you and me. No matter what our present bodies are like— healthy or unhealthy, beautiful or plain, short-lived or long-lived, pampered or abused—they are not our permanent bodies. One day these natural, created bodies will be re-created as supernatural. Even though the Bible gives us just a glance at what those new bodies will be like, it is a precious assurance to know that “we shall be like Him” (1 John 3:2).

Suggestions for Prayer

Pray for an opportunity to share insights from this study with a Christian friend, especially if he or she has been discouraged recently.

For Further Study

Read Luke 24:33-53.

• What do verses 37-43 verify about Jesus’ new body?
• Write down other things from the entire passage that describe how Jesus had changed from the way He was prior to the cross. How had He remained the same?

From Strength for Today by John MacArthur Copyright © 1997. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.