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Saturday, November 30, 2019
“By the Grace of God I Am What I Am” by Oswald Chambers
Clinging to God’s Promises by Charles Stanley
The Bible is a gold mine of promises for believers. During any season, but especially in hard times, God’s promises provide an anchor for our soul. They give us hope and enable us to be courageous and bold when facing challenges.
But many individuals do not rely on God’s assurances. There are two reasons for this. First, some people are unaware of His promises. Second, others simply do not believe them to be true. A lot of believers can quote Scripture, but when they face a daunting trial—like a job loss or frightening diagnosis—their confidence wavers and doubt prevails.
If we are unaware of all that Scripture promises, we can’t make ourselves believe. But the more we learn and pray and talk with God, the stronger our faith grows, and this is a gift from almighty God. Luke 24 documents two times that people came face to face with Jesus Christ but failed to recognize Him. He had to open their spiritual eyes before they could truly see. The same is true of us: Faith is impossible without the Holy Spirit.
Jesus gives believers assurance of protection, hope, eternal security, counsel, and guidance in the Scriptures. Do you trust Him?
As you read Scripture, ask the Holy Spirit to point out applicable promises for your life. Study, memorize, meditate on, and claim these truths. Then, when trials arise, you’ll have an anchor to keep you steady. Divine promises won’t necessarily take away the pain of difficult circumstances, but the God who has promised to be with you can be trusted to do all He says He’ll do.
Carefully Crafted by Linda Washington
Carefully Crafted
Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people. Ephesians 4:11–12
In a YouTube video, Alan Glustoff, a cheese farmer in Goshen, New York, described his process for aging cheese, a process that adds to a cheese’s flavor and texture. Before it can be sent out to a market, each block of cheese remains on a shelf in an underground cave for six to twelve months. In this humid environment the cheese is carefully tended. “We do our best to give it the right environment to thrive . . . [and] to develop to its truest potential,” Glustoff explained.
Glustoff’s passion for developing the potential of the cheese he produces reminded me of God’s passion for developing the “truest potential” of His children so they will become fruitful and mature. In Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul describes the people involved in this process: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (v. 11). People with these gifts help to stimulate the growth of each believer as well as to encourage acts of service (the “works” mentioned in verse 12). The goal is that we “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (v. 13).
Spiritual growth comes about through the power of the Holy Spirit as we submit to His maturing process. As we follow the guidance of the people He places in our lives, we become more effective as He sends us out to serve.
Glustoff’s passion for developing the potential of the cheese he produces reminded me of God’s passion for developing the “truest potential” of His children so they will become fruitful and mature. In Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul describes the people involved in this process: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (v. 11). People with these gifts help to stimulate the growth of each believer as well as to encourage acts of service (the “works” mentioned in verse 12). The goal is that we “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (v. 13).
Spiritual growth comes about through the power of the Holy Spirit as we submit to His maturing process. As we follow the guidance of the people He places in our lives, we become more effective as He sends us out to serve.
Who has been most influential to your spiritual growth? In what ways have you been challenged to grow? How can you encourage the growth of someone else?
Loving God, I’m grateful for the tender way You help me to grow.
Satan at Work by Billy Graham
Satan at Work
Satan is at work in our world. The Bible is my authority. He exists and he has control over thousands of young people, whose hearts have never been captured by Jesus Christ. He has hundreds of agents writing pornographic literature and producing sex movies to pollute young minds. He has intellectuals in high positions teaching a hedonistic and permissive philosophy.
Daily I come in contact with mixed-up people who are caught in the anguish of their own unpreparedness, intellectuals who have been seduced by false science, and rich men who are held in the grip of insecurity. They have no commitment to any goal. They lack an anchor for their real selves. And I long to take every one of them by the hand and lead them into the presence of the One who said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Daily I come in contact with mixed-up people who are caught in the anguish of their own unpreparedness, intellectuals who have been seduced by false science, and rich men who are held in the grip of insecurity. They have no commitment to any goal. They lack an anchor for their real selves. And I long to take every one of them by the hand and lead them into the presence of the One who said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Daily Prayer
So many are without You, Lord! Use me to lead others from a destructive course to the one which will give them the satisfaction that only You can give.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,”
Ephesians 1:7 ESV
The conspiracy that wars against your soul by Adrian Rogers
The conspiracy that wars against your soul
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. Having your conversation [behavior] honest among the Gentiles [unsaved]: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:11-12
The unsaved love to bad-mouth the church, and if you're a Bible believer, they especially love to lampoon and ridicule you. You must live a clean life—a righteous, godly life. Root out what 1st Peter 2:11 calls “fleshly lust.” Renounce and abstain from what is wrong. Embrace all that’s right.
Certain things war against the soul. The word “war” here is not the idea of hand-to-hand combat, but of a strategy, a conspiracy. There is a conspiracy born in hell, my dear friend, that wars against your soul, the soul of your family, the soul of your church, the soul of this nation. We are at war with unseen forces from the very pit of hell. To be prepared for the battle, first you must be absolutely and totally clean. A child of God ought to be pure and clean as the driven snow.
Be mindful every day to live such a pure, godly, clean, righteous, honest, forthright life, that even those who hate you will grudgingly have to admit there is a difference.
November 30 / Streams in the Desert
And seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest (Jeremiah 45:5).
A promise given for hard places, and a promise of safety and life in the midst of tremendous pressure, a life "for a prey." It may well adjust itself to our own times, which are growing harder as we near the end of the age, and the Tribulation times.
What is the meaning of "a life for a prey"? It means a life snatched out of the jaws of the destroyer, as David snatched the lamb from the lion. It means not removal from the noise of the battle and the presence of our foes; but it means a table in the midst of our enemies, a shelter from the storm, a fortress amid the foe, a life preserved in the face of continual pressure: Paul's healing when pressed out of measure so that he despaired of life; Paul's Divine help when the thorn remained, but the power of Christ rested upon him and the grace of Christ was sufficient.
Lord, give me my life for a prey, and in the hardest places help me today to be victorious.
--Days of Heaven upon Earth
--Days of Heaven upon Earth
We often pray to be delivered from calamities; we even trust that we shall be; but we do not pray to be made what we should be, in the very presence of the calamities; to live amid them, as long as they last, in the consciousness that we are, held and sheltered by the Lord, and can therefore remain in the midst of them, so long as they continue, without any hurt.
For forty days and nights, the Saviour was kept in the presence of Satan in the wilderness, and that, under circumstances of special trial, His human nature being weakened by want of food and rest. The furnace was heated seven times more than it was wont to be heated, but the three Hebrew children were kept a season amid its flames as calm and composed in the presence of the tyrant's last appliances of torture, as they were in the presence of himself before their time of deliverance came. And the livelong night did Daniel sit among the lions, and when he was taken up out of the den, "no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God."
They dwelt in the presence of the enemy, because they dwelt in the presence of God.
November 30 / Wisdom from the Psalms
God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.
Larry had to face the fact: His surgery was less than three days away, and he was scared. He'd hardly been sick a day in his life, and now he was preparing to go under the knife for heart surgery. Nothing had ever prepared him for something like this. He lay back and closed his eyes and began to pray. As he did, an image came into his mind. He was dressed as a soldier, and the surgery ahead was a foe to defeat. But, Larry didn't stand alone. God was with him, and beside the awesome image of God, the foe didn't look large at all. When Larry ended his prayer, he opened his eyes with a renewed sense of hope and a heart that was strangely calm. The Lord had prepared him for battle, and Larry felt that it was already won.
Prayer: Lord, I put my trust in You. As I face the challenges of everyday life, help me to remember that You stand with me, supplying my strength and my courage. Amen.
Known for Your Faith by Greg Laurie
Known for Your Faith
Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world. (Romans 1:8 nlt)
It wasn’t easy being a Christian in Rome. As the capital of the Roman Empire, the city had a population of around one million. Caesar Nero was in power, and toward the end of his reign, he went out of his way to destroy Christians.
For sport, he sent Christians covered in animal skins into the arena for wild animals to kill. He covered Christians with pitch and lit them on fire, using them to light his garden as he rode around in his chariot.
Yet the church in Rome not only survived, but it flourished. And not only did it flourish, but it also impacted the Roman Empire. In fact, it impacted the entire world.
The apostle Paul told the believers in Rome, “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world” (Romans 1:8 NLT).
Do people know you for your faith? If someone polled people you work with and live near and asked them if you were a Christian, would they say yes? Would there be no question about it?
It’s a good reputation to have. If someone arrested you for being a Christian, would they find enough evidence to convict you? If you want to be a believer like those of the first century, then others should know you for your faith.
Jesus did not say, “Go into all the world and be a good example.” Rather, He said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15 NKJV).
Being a good example will not bring people to Christ. But it can open the door for you to articulate your faith, because you’ve earned the right to be heard. Be a good example, but use it as a springboard to share your faith.
Rejoice in the Lord's Sovereignty by Max Lucado
Rejoice in the Lord's Sovereignty
by Max Lucado
by Max Lucado
The next time you fear the future, rejoice in the Lord’s sovereignty. Rejoice in what he has accomplished. Rejoice that he is able to do what you cannot do. Fill your mind with thoughts of God.
“He is the Creator, who is blessed forever” (Romans 1:25).
“He is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
“His years will never end” (Psalm 102:27 NIV).
“He is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
“His years will never end” (Psalm 102:27 NIV).
He is king, supreme ruler, absolute monarch, and overlord of all history. An arch of his eyebrow and a million angels will pivot and salute! Every throne is a footstool to his. Every crown is papier-mache next to his. He consults no advisers. He needs no congress. He reports to no one. He is in charge.
Sovereignty gives the saint the inside track to peace. Others see the problems of the world and wring their hands. We see the problems of the world and bend our knees!
From Anxious for Nothing
Much More Than This by Alistair Begg
Much More Than This
And Amaziah said to the man of God, 'But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?' The man of God answered, 'The Lord is able to give you much more than this.'2 Chronicles 25:9
This seemed to be a very important question for the king of Judah, and possibly it is of even more significance for the tried and tested Christian. To lose money is never pleasant, and when it involves principle, we are not always ready to make the sacrifice. "Why lose what could be put to good use? Is it not possible to pay too much for truth? Remember the children and our small income!"
All these things and a thousand more would tempt the Christian to participate in dishonest gain or prevent him from carrying out his conscientious convictions when they involve serious loss. Not everyone views these matters in the light of faith; and even with the followers of Jesus, the idea that "we all have to live" carries quite a bit of weight.
"The LORD is able to give you much more than this" is a very satisfactory answer to the anxious question. Our Father holds the funds, and what we lose for His sake He can repay a thousandfold.
Our part is to obey His will, and we may rest assured that He will provide for us. The Lord will be no man's debtor in the end.
Christians know that an ounce of contentment is more valuable than a ton of gold. The person wearing a threadbare coat over a good conscience has found a spiritual treasure far more desirable than any he may have lost.
God's smile and a dungeon are enough for a true heart; His frown and a palace would be hell to the trusting soul.
Let the worst become worse still, let all the talents go, we have not lost our treasure, for that is above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. In the meantime, even now the Lord makes the meek to inherit the earth, and He keeps back nothing that is good from those whose walk is blameless.
Unexpected Blessings—Unexpected Joy by David Jeremiah
Unexpected Blessings—Unexpected Joy
NOVEMBER 30, 2019
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.
James 1:2
James 1:2
Recommended Reading: James 1:1-8
Football Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins has been open about his mental health struggles, including bouts with depression. He sought medical help, but he also turned to Christ. “That is my No. 1 pillar,” Dawkins said. “That’s just the pinnacle of me, my faith, my belief in the Lord…. Everything else may move. My emotions may go up and down. People around me disappoint me. But that’s something that will never disappoint me.” Among Dawkins’ favorite verses is James 1:2. “When I began to view things from that perspective, even when I fall, that’s an opportunity for me to get stronger,” he said.1
When trouble comes into our life, the most unexpected attitude that follows along is joy. The apostle Paul spoke of being sorrowful, but always rejoicing (2 Corinthians 6:10). Joy is the attitude we choose to maintain as we encounter the troubles of life. It’s knowing that Easter follows Good Friday. It’s grounded in the resurrection of the Crucified One.
Make the decision today to look for joy—it is found most often through counting your blessings for all God has done!
Faith is your jewel, your joy, your glory!/ And the thieves who haunt the pilgrim way are all in league to tear it from you. Hold fast, therefore, to this, your choice treasure!
Charles Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon
Knowing God's Will by John MacArthur
Knowing God's Will
“Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17).
God’s will is revealed in His Word.
How can a Christian walk wisely and know the will of God for his life? The will of God is explicitly revealed to us in the pages of Scripture. God’s will is that we be:
Saved—“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3-4; compare 2 Peter 3:9).
Spirit-filled—“Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:17-18).
Sanctified—“This is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:3). Submissive—“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God” (1 Peter 2:13-15).
Suffering for His sake—“It is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong” (1 Peter 3:17).
Saying thanks—“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18).
You may say, “Those are good principles, but they don’t tell me where I ought to go to school or whom I should marry.” But if you’re saved, sanctified, submissive, suffering, and saying thanks, you can do whatever you want! That’s what the psalmist meant when he said, “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). Does that mean He fulfills the desire? Yes, but before He fulfills it, He puts it in your heart. If you are living a godly life, He will give you the right desires and then fulfill them.
Suggestions for Prayer
Give thanks to God for revealing His will in His Word so that you can live wisely, not foolishly.
For Further Study
Christ acted only in accordance with His Father’s will. Read the following verses, and note how that was so: Matthew 26:42; John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38.
Friday, November 29, 2019
The Supremacy of Jesus Christ by Oswald Chambers
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The Wages of Sin by Charles Stanley
God sent His Son to take our punishment by dying in our place. Unless believers understand this provision, they will doubt their salvation. We can’t be good enough to earn heaven. All are born with a corrupted nature; therefore, we will at times sin, no matter how hard we try not to. The Bible compares our attempts at righteous deeds to filthy rags (Isa. 64:6).
On its own, mankind has but one option with regard to sin: to die in it and spend eternity separated from God. But the Father so loved the world that He chose to punish His Son in our place (John 3:16). It was a severe price to pay. Holy God cannot look upon the squalor of sin, so when Jesus became sin for all mankind, the Father had to turn away (2 Cor. 5:21). The physical suffering of crucifixion was terrible, but nothing compared to Jesus’ wrenching horror when the Father left Him. The devastated Messiah cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34).
Jesus accepted separation from the Father so we wouldn’t have to. When Paul said that the wages of sin was death, he was referring to eternal separation from God (Rom. 6:23). As believers, we are saved and forever reconciled with the Lord because of what Jesus has done.
The Savior took our place and accepted humanity’s punishment for sin. He and the Father have done the hard work of salvation so that you and I can live a life of peace, freedom, and hope and never be separated from our Creator. If you believe that Jesus Christ—the Son of God— died for your sins, then you too are saved.
Where is your joy? by Adrian Rogers
Where is your joy?
NOVEMBER 29—BLACK FRIDAY, DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING, 2018
Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18
In Habakkuk’s day, there was an economic recession. There were no cows in the barn, no harvest in the fields. “Yet…” he writes. Oh, how I love that “yet” in verse 18. “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
Where was his joy? In the Lord, not circumstances.
If circumstances are what give you your joy, you can’t say “rejoice always,” because circumstances change. You might lose your job, your health, your friends, or your prestige. But Habakkuk said, “Yet will I joy in the God of my salvation.”
There’s one way to find out where you’re getting your joy. If it’s from your job, if you lose your job, see if you still have joy. If it’s from your health, if your health fails, see if you still have joy.
It’s not wrong to joy in your health, your job, your friends. But that kind of joy can be threatened. The only eternal joy anyone can have is in the Lord, because He never changes. “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever” Hebrews 13:8. If you get your joy anywhere else, it could be lost.. You need a joy which supersedes that. “Thou will show me the path of life; in Thy presence is fullness of joy” Psalm 16:11.
Hazardous Materials by Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Hazardous Materials
See, this [live coal] has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. Isaiah 6:7
The sound of a siren increased to an ear-piercing level as an emergency vehicle sped by my car. Its flashing lights glared through my windshield, illuminating the words “hazardous materials” printed on the side of the truck. Later, I learned it had been racing to a science laboratory where a 400-gallon container of sulfuric acid had begun to leak. Emergency workers had to contain the substance immediately because of its ability to damage whatever it came in contact with.
As I thought about this news story, I wondered what would happen if sirens blared every time a harsh or critical word “leaked” out of my mouth? Sadly, it might become rather noisy around our house.
The prophet Isaiah shared this sense of awareness about his sin. When he saw God’s glory in a vision, he was overcome by his unworthiness. He recognized that he was “a man of unclean lips” living with people who shared the same problem (Isaiah 6:5). What happened next gives me hope. An angel touched his lips with a red-hot coal, explaining, “your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (v. 7).
We have moment-by-moment choices to make with our words—both written and spoken. Will they be “hazardous” material, or will we allow God’s glory to convict us and His grace to heal us so we can honor Him with everything we express?
As I thought about this news story, I wondered what would happen if sirens blared every time a harsh or critical word “leaked” out of my mouth? Sadly, it might become rather noisy around our house.
The prophet Isaiah shared this sense of awareness about his sin. When he saw God’s glory in a vision, he was overcome by his unworthiness. He recognized that he was “a man of unclean lips” living with people who shared the same problem (Isaiah 6:5). What happened next gives me hope. An angel touched his lips with a red-hot coal, explaining, “your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (v. 7).
We have moment-by-moment choices to make with our words—both written and spoken. Will they be “hazardous” material, or will we allow God’s glory to convict us and His grace to heal us so we can honor Him with everything we express?
Why do our words have such a powerful effect on others? How might God want to change your speech?
Dear God, help me to see how my words affect other people. Show me how to encourage them.
Thanksgiving With Meaning by Billy Graham
Thanksgiving With Meaning
It is the custom of many Christians to bow their heads in public places and give thanks for the food that has been placed before them. I have had scores of waiters and waitresses tell me that when we bowed our heads, it was the first time they had ever seen that happen in their restaurant.
Millions never pause to give a word of thanks to God for the food provided. Few homes have a moment of thanksgiving at the beginning of the meal or at any other time of the day. Even at Thanksgiving time only a minority will pause and give thanks to God.
Thanksgiving is recognition of a debt that cannot be paid. We express thanks, whether or not we are able otherwise to reimburse the giver. When thanksgiving is filled with true meaning and is not just the formality of a polite “thank you,” it is the recognition of dependence.
Millions never pause to give a word of thanks to God for the food provided. Few homes have a moment of thanksgiving at the beginning of the meal or at any other time of the day. Even at Thanksgiving time only a minority will pause and give thanks to God.
Thanksgiving is recognition of a debt that cannot be paid. We express thanks, whether or not we are able otherwise to reimburse the giver. When thanksgiving is filled with true meaning and is not just the formality of a polite “thank you,” it is the recognition of dependence.
Daily Prayer
Almighty God, You have given me real life through Jesus Christ. My soul praises You.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
John 10:10 ESV
Set Up for a Fall by Greg Laurie
Set Up for a Fall
Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia. (2 Timothy 4:10 nlt)
Some things are best left unfinished, like your Thanksgiving meal, perhaps. But then other things are best left finished, like a workout or a trip to the gym the day after Thanksgiving.
We all know what it’s like to start a project and not finish it. But in some areas of life, this becomes more significant.
For example, a couple starts a marriage and it gets hard, so they give up. Or someone starts a ministry, and it isn’t as easy as they hoped it would be. So they give up. Maybe someone started a career that didn’t go as they hoped it would or started school but didn’t complete it. The list goes on and on.
Sadly, there are even people who make a profession of faith but then turn away. The apostle Paul had this happen with Demas. Paul mentions him in Colossians, 2 Timothy, and Philemon. How amazing it would be to have your name mentioned in Scripture. If it had been me, I would have dropped that into every conversation: “Maybe you’ve heard of me from the book of Philemon?”
However, in 2 Timothy 4:10 Paul wrote, “Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica” (NLT). Basically Paul was saying, “Remember Demas? Well, he bailed on me. He has even walked away from the faith, loving this present world more than the Lord.”
That isn’t a good way for people to remember you. Demas didn’t finish what he started. It isn’t always the sinful things that break our focus. Sometimes it’s choosing the urgent over the important, the good over what’s best, or the short term over the long term. So be careful.
The moment you kick back a little could be the setup for a fall. Be constantly moving forward, growing, learning, and becoming more like Jesus.
November 29 / Streams in the Desert
Nevertheless afterward (Heb. 12:11).
There is a legend that tells of a German baron who, at his castle on the Rhine, stretched wires from tower to tower, that the winds might convert them into an Aeolian harp. And the soft breezes played about the castle, but no music was born.
But one night there arose a great tempest, and hill and castle were smitten by the fury of the mighty winds. The baron went to the threshold to look out upon the terror of the storm, and the Aeolian harp was filling the air with strains that rang out even above the clamor of the tempest. It needed the tempest to bring out the music!
And have we not known men whose lives have not given out any entrancing music in the day of a calm prosperity, but who, when the tempest drove against them have astonished their fellows by the power and strength of their music?
"Rain, rain
Beating against the pane!
How endlessly it pours
Out of doors
From the blackened sky
I wonder why!
Flowers, flowers,
Upspringing after showers,
Blossoming fresh and fair,
Everywhere!
Ah, God has explained
Why it rained!"
Beating against the pane!
How endlessly it pours
Out of doors
From the blackened sky
I wonder why!
Flowers, flowers,
Upspringing after showers,
Blossoming fresh and fair,
Everywhere!
Ah, God has explained
Why it rained!"
You can always count on God to make the "afterward" of difficulties, if rightly overcome, a thousand times richer and fairer than the forward. "No chastening... seemeth joyous, nevertheless afterward..." What a yield!
Dressed for War by Stephen Davey
| Dressed for War |
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Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. In World War II, as Germany prepared to invade Poland, the Poles readied themselves for battle. They were experienced warriors with a long history of repelling enemy attacks from barbarian neighbors. The Polish army was renowned for its skilled horsemanship—the Cavalry was well-trained and their horses were among Europe's finest steeds. When it was learned that German forces were advancing, twelve brigades of their finest Cavalry were prepared. With swords flashing in the sunlight, the officers sounded the charge and their horses surged forward with powerful strides. Remember the time frame—World War II. In his biography of Winston Churchill, Manchester wrote that the Cavalry galloped into oncoming, newly-designed German panzer tanks. The outcome was predictable—total annihilation! Horsemen with swords battled iron tanks. I'm convinced that we, as believers, often expect to take on the enemy of our soul with methods similar to that of galloping on horseback at full speed, heading into the path of an oncoming tank division. Even worse, we enter our daily activity without so much as a thought that we have an enemy who is on a search-and-destroy mission. Satan seeks to deceive, to distract, and to defeat any attempt by Christians who desire to advance the kingdom of light and the glory of the Prince of Heaven. Paul warned us that the battle would be fierce. But in Ephesians 6, he tells us how to dress for war: Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. So . . . are you properly prepared for battle? You can't go against tanks on horseback! In the same way, you can't resist the enemy of your soul armed with an hour of church, a blessing before meals, and a prayer at bedtime. You are to clothe yourself in a warrior's armor which has been designed by God for the dangers of daily, state-of-the-art battle. Get dressed for combat . . . today! |
| Prayer Point:Pray through this passage, mentally putting on each piece of armor and asking the Lord for His strength to wage war with the temptations of life. |
| Extra Refreshment:Read Ephesians 6:19-24. |
I Love Christmas by Max Lucado
I Love Christmas
by Max Lucado
by Max Lucado
Let the sleigh bells ring! I love Christmas. Let the carolers sing. The more Santas the merrier. I don’t complain about the crowded shops. I don’t grumble at the jam-packed grocery store. Well—it’s Christmas.
I love it because someone will ask the Christmas questions. What’s the big deal about the baby in the manger? Who was he? What does his birth have to do with me? The questioner may be a soldier stationed far from home. She may be a young mom who, for the first time, holds a child on Christmas Eve. The Christmas season prompts Christmas questions…and answers.
Because of Bethlehem, God is always near us. Always for us. Always in us. We may forget Him, but God will never forget us. He called Himself “Immanuel”—God with us!
From Because of Bethlehem
Approaching Rebuke by Alistair Begg
Approaching Rebuke
You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people. . . . You shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.Leviticus 19:16-17
Slander emits a threefold poison, for it injures the teller, the hearer, and the person who is being slandered. Whether the report is true or false, we are by this precept of God's Word forbidden to spread it.
The reputations of the Lord's people should be very precious in our sight, and we should regard it as shameful to help the devil dishonor the church and the name of the Lord. Some tongues need a bridle rather than a spur.
Many rejoice in putting down their brothers and sisters, as if in doing so they raised themselves. Noah's wise sons cast a covering over their father, and the one who exposed him earned a fearful curse.
We may ourselves one of these dark days need leniency and silence from our family; let us offer it cheerfully to those who require it now. Let this be our family motto, and our personal bond: Speak evil of no man.
The Holy Spirit, however, permits us to censure sin and prescribes the way in which we are to do it. It must be done by rebuking our brother to his face, not by talking behind his back.
This approach is manly, brotherly, Christlike, and under God's blessing will be useful.
Do we shy away from it? Then we must lay the greater stress upon our conscience and commit ourselves to the responsibility, in case by tolerating sin in our friend we become partakers of it.
Hundreds have been saved from gross sins by the timely, wise, affectionate warnings of faithful friends and family. Our Lord Jesus has set us a gracious example of how to deal with erring friends in His warning given to Peter, the prayer with which He preceded it, and the gentle way in which He endured Peter's boastful denial that he needed such a caution.
How to Deal with Anger Graciously by Senior Living
How to Deal with Anger Graciously
A hot-tempered man stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel. - Proverbs 15:18
Many years ago, a senior executive of the then Standard Oil Company made a wrong decision that cost the company more than $2 million. Everyone at the company knew the executive’s career was likely over. And most of the executives were finding various ways of avoiding the company’s president, John D. Rockefeller, lest his wrath descend on their heads.
There was one exception, however. He was Edward T. Bedford, a partner in the company who kept his appointment with Mr. Rockefeller. When he entered the office, he saw Rockefeller at his desk busily writing with a pencil on a pad of paper.
Across the top of the page was written “Points in favor of Mr. _______.” There followed a long list of the guilty executive’s virtues, including a brief description of how he had helped the company make the right decision on three separate occasions that had earned many times the cost of his recent error.
It can sometimes be easy to lose your temper. That’s because so often, reactions to events tend to be just that—reactions—instead of responses. But if you take how you want to react, think it through, and consider the perspectives of others, you’ll be much more inclined to respond biblically than react angrily.
Prayer Challenge:
Ask God to reveal to you in times of anger how you can respond rather than react. Pray that He would help you see others with a biblical perspective and that you would have a forgiving spirit when dealing with conflict.
Always Thankful by David Jeremiah
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November 29 / Wisdom from the Psalms
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
Luke was considered by many to be one of the most influential men in American business. He controlled millions of dollars, was responsible for employing millions of workers, and made decisions that affected millions of people's lives. He spent time with most of the truly important people in the world; but no one more important, in Luke's mind, than the Lord. Schedules were always packed full, but never so full that Luke didn't take some time with God. No decision was made without consulting the Lord. When so much depended on the integrity of Luke's decisions, he wanted to make sure he took into consideration the Word of the Lord. To do less would be absurd.
The counsel of the Lord should be precious to us all. God holds the sum of all wisdom and knowledge. He is the ground of all common sense. Why wouldn't we want to consult the Lord when we make the important decisions in our lives? Doing less is absurd.
Prayer: Fill my mind with Your own thoughts, O God. Help me to see problems through Your eyes and meet them with Your solutions. Teach me to use the gifts of reason, logic, and wisdom that You have given me. Amen.
Living Unselfishly by John MacArthur
Living Unselfishly
“Making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).
Time will tell whether you’re unselfish or selfish.
In 1842 Robert Murray M’Cheyne, pastor of St. Peter’s Church in Dundee, Scotland, wrote a pastoral letter to an individual who was an unbeliever. The following is an excerpt from his letter:
I was reading this morning (Luke ii. 29), what old Simeon said when he got the child Jesus into his arms: “Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.” If you get a firm hold of the Lord Jesus, you will be able to say the same. . . . God is leading you to the very spot where the Redeemer is,—a lowly, despised, spit-upon, crucified Saviour. Can this be the Saviour of the world? Yes, dear soul; kneel down and call Him your Redeemer. He died for such as you and me.
M’Cheyne lived unselfishly, caring for the spiritual welfare of both believers and unbelievers. Because of poor health, he died at age twenty-nine after ministering but a short seven and a half years. His spiritual legacy of passionate love for the Lord and pastoral love for people continues to serve as an inspiring example for believers today.
M’Cheyne’s life illustrates what the apostle Paul was saying to the Ephesian believers: make the most of your time. In Ephesians 5:16 the Greek term translated “making the most of” means “buy up for yourself.” That doesn’t mean you’re to hoard your time for your own use; rather, you’re to buy up for yourself time that will give God glory. Every day brings new opportunities to be seized for God—opportunities for good, for righteousness, for holiness.
Like M’Cheyne, buy up opportunities daily for God’s glory and the good of others. Be committed to minister to the spiritual needs of believers and unbelievers. By doing so, you will make your time count for eternity.
Suggestions for Prayer
Ask God to help you be unselfish and serve others effectively by His grace.
For Further Study
Read the following verses: Galatians 6:10; 1 Corinthians 10:24; Philippians 2:3-4. How do they say you are to live?
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