Bible in One Year: 2 Chronicles 13-14; John 12:1-26
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Put God First / Oswald Chambers
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God’s Compass for the Heart and Mind / Charles Stanley
God’s Compass for the Heart and Mind
Yesterday we discussed the importance of depending on the Word of God as our compass throughout life. Following the Lord’s directions will change behavior and challenge our thinking, attitudes, and desires. He leads us to think differently about ourselves, our values, and and even the difficulties facing us.
We naturally want to determine our own course in life. It seems like the only logical way to get where we want to go. But being wise in our own eyes is pride. To combat this tendency, the Lord instructs us to fear Him and turn away from evil (v. 7). This “fear” is not a horrified dread of the Father, but an attitude of respect that motivates us to obey Him for both our good and His glory.
We naturally want to keep our money for ourselves. A desire for a better lifestyle or fear of not having enough leads us to hang onto everything we get. But our compass directs us to honor God by giving Him the first part of all we have, trusting Him to provide for our needs (vv. 9-10).
We naturally hate God’s discipline. His painful reproofs seem to prove that He doesn’t care about us. But our heavenly Father says His discipline is the evidence that confirms His love and delight in us as His children (vv. 11-12).
Sometimes in our desire to follow the Lord, we focus on obedient actions—doing what He says—but miss His directions concerning our attitudes and thought patterns. To stay on God’s path for our lives, we must make course corrections not only in our behavior but also in our hearts and minds.
You are Purposefully Broken / Adrian Rogers
You are Purposefully Broken
Sermon: 1642 – How God Develops Christian Character
Pray Over This
“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulationproduces perseverance.”
Ponder This
For several centuries, a village was known for its exquisite and fragile porcelain. Especially striking were its urns, that were as high as tables and as wide as chairs. They were admired around the globe for their strong form and delicate beauty. Legend has it that when each urn was finished, there was one final step. The artist broke it and then put it back together with gold filigree. An ordinary urn was then transformed into a priceless work of art. What seemed finished wasn’t complete until it was broken.
Men throw broken things away. But God never uses anything until He first breaks it: “A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). God is trying to break your life for eternal good.
- How has God used the broken things in your life to build godly character?
- How has your faith grown stronger through hardship you have faced?
Practice This
Journal today about some of the ways God has used the broken things in your life to build stronger character and faith in Him.
Hope Cuts through Storms / ODB
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Divine Protection / David Jeremiah
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Daily Blessings / May 31
Daily Blessings
“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh—and these are contrary the one to the other—so that you cannot do the things that you would.” - Gal 5:17
The Holy Spirit is especially tender of his own work upon the soul. He originally formed it—it is his own spiritual offspring; and as a mother watches over her babe, so the blessed Spirit watches over the spirit of his own creating. It is the counterpart of himself, for it is the spirit that he has raised up in the soul by his own almighty power. He, therefore, acts upon it, breathes into it fresh life and power, and communicates grace out of the inexhaustible fullness of the Son of God, thus enabling the spirit to breathe and act, struggle and fight against the flesh, so that the latter cannot have all its own way, but must submit and yield. For the spirit can fight as well as the flesh; can act as well as the flesh; and can desire good as well as the flesh can desire evil.
What a mercy for us it is that there are those heavenly breathings in our soul, of the spirit against the flesh, cryings out to God against it; and that the spirit within us thus takes hold of the arm of Omnipotence outside us, seeks help from the Lord God Almighty, and by strength thus communicated fights against the flesh, and gains at times a most blessed victory over it. For what can the flesh do against the spirit when animated by divine power? What are sin, Satan, and the world when they have to oppose a Triune God in arms? This makes the victory sure, that our friends are stronger than our foes, and the work of God upon our soul greater than anything sin, Satan, or the world can bring against it. This made the Apostle say, after he had been describing the inward conflict, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 7:25). And when he had enumerated the opposition that the Christian has to endure on every side, he cries out, as if in holy triumph, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37).
Why We Don’t Pray / Greg Laurie
Why We Don’t Pray
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6 NKJV).
Why don’t we pray more often? Why do we put off prayer, sometimes even avoid it?
Maybe we don’t pray more because we think we don’t have the time. But is that true? How much time do we spend on social media every day? The latest research says that people in the United States check their social media accounts seventeen times per day. That’s once every waking hour.
We waste so much time on our phones. Imagine if we prayed seventeen times a day instead of checking our social media? Then factor in all the hours we spend binge-watching television shows. We say we don’t have time to pray, but the fact is that we make time for what matters to us.
Perhaps another reason we don’t pray is because we don’t think prayer is all that important. Of course, we would never admit that outright, but do we really think so?
Prayer is very important.
For instance, when God led the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt and promised to bring them to a new land, there was an obstacle in their path. The mighty city of Jericho was a huge fortress, and there was no way they could bring it down militarily.
So, they prayed, and God gave them an unorthodox battle plan. And it worked. The walls of the fortress came down and the Israelites took control. After that, they needed to conquer Ai, a city much smaller than Jericho. But they didn’t pray about it, and when they went in, they were soundly defeated.
The Bible says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6 NKJV). It doesn’t say that we should only pray about some things or the big, scary things, but about everything.
Of Parrots and Eagles, Part Two / Chuck Swindoll
Of Parrots and Eagles, Part Two
Eagle thinkers ask the hard questions, take strategic risks, search hard for the whole truth, and soar high above mediocrity. Parrot people enjoy the predictable, routine, rehearsed words of others.
As we discussed yesterday, the church is overrun with parrots and virtually devoid of eagles. Too harsh? You decide. Who are the eagles today who offer fresh-from-the-mountain insights about world missions, biblical doctrines, evangelism, Christian education, apologetics, and the disciplines of the faith? Who are those who forge out creative ways of communicating the truths of Scripture so that it's more than a hodge-podge of borrowed thoughts and rehearsals of the obvious which tend to paralyze the critical faculties of active minds?
Eagles are independent thinkers.
It's not that they abandon the orthodox faith or question the authority of God's inerrant Word . . . it's simply that they are weary of being told, "Stay on the perch and repeat after me." Eagles have built-in perspective, a sensitivity that leaves room for fresh input that hasn't been glazed by overuse.
The church today is in desperate need of eagles—people who come to their tasks with the abandonment of that keen-minded Jew from Tarsus. If you need an illustration, read Romans. Like a careful midwife, Paul assists in the birth of doctrine, allowing it to breathe and scream, stretch and grow, as God the Creator designed it to do. And he isn't afraid to say it for the first time, using a whole new vocabulary and style that is as original as it is accurate. There's not as much as a parrot feather on one page of that one-of-a-kind letter.
So then, which will it be? If you like being a parrot, stay put. But if you're an eagle at heart, what are you doing on that perch? Do you have any idea how greatly you're needed to soar and explore? Do you realize how out of place you are inside that cage? Even though others may not tell you, eagles look pretty silly stuck on a perch picking over a tasteless pile of dried seeds.
I've never heard anybody ask, "Eagle want a cracker?"
May 31 / Wisdom from the Psalms
Psalms 69:4
They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of min head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.
Being king isn't easy. Either people love you or they hate you. The same is true of every position of power and authority. Presidents, deans, prime ministers-the list can go on and on-all these people have to face the passions of the people they lead. Even God, Himself, has to face such problems. God is not loved by everyone. There are those who, for whatever reason, have chosen to reject God. There are those who curse Him as regularly as we praise Him. We are the subjects of the greatest sovereign in creation. Our Lord rules us with justice and love. We might not agree with everything He does or everything He calls us to do, but we owe Him our allegiance and loyalty. Be loyal to the Lord, and He will rule over you justly and with compassion.
Prayer: It is easy to bow down befo re a ruler of such love and grace, Lord. In every age, You have ruled fairly. I pray for all those who do not know Your greatness and Your goodness. Break through with Your light into their lives. Amen.
How to look past spiritual distractions / Senior Living
How to look past spiritual distractions
It was the final hole of the 1961 Masters Golf Tournament. Arnold Palmer had a one-stroke lead and had just hit a very satisfying tee shot. He looked to be in good shape. As he approached his ball for the second shot, a friend stuck out his hand and said, “Congratulations!”
Palmer says, “As soon as I (shook his hand), I knew I had lost my focus.” Over the next two shots, he hit one in the sand trap, then again over the edge of the green. Finally, he missed a putt and lost the Masters.
Arnold Palmer learned a very hard lesson that day: Never take your eye off the goal. This is as true in golf as it is in the spiritual life. Satan will try to pat you on the back and tell you you’re good enough without Jesus or you’ve done enough to earn salvation. But it’s then we must keep our eyes on the prize and not allow ourselves to be distracted from following Jesus!
Don’t believe the lie that you can live the spiritual life on your own. You need Jesus. He is the prize. Keep your eyes on Him and don’t let anyone or anything distract you from the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith!
Prayer Challenge
Ask God to help you maintain your focus on Jesus when Satan tempts you to think you can do it all by yourself!
Questions for Thought
Why do you think it can be tempting to believe we can attain salvation without Jesus?
How can keeping Jesus the focus of your faith help you when Satan tries to tempt you?
We Never Move On / Alistair Begg
We Never Move On
You, who once were alienated and hostile in mind,
doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled
in his body of flesh by his death,
in order to present you holy and blameless
and above reproach before him,
if indeed you continue in the faith,
stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope
of the gospel that you heard,
which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven.
Most 21st-century Western people would say that human beings are, overall, good.
One day’s worth of news, however, will quickly call such a notion into question. And one day in our own company should also undermine the claim. For, if we’re completely honest, we must admit that our own hearts are unruly and out of control—and popular solutions to this problem, such as greater education or changes to social circumstances, never seem to fix things. Humanity continues to be a mess.
When we turn to the Bible, we discover an ugly truth about ourselves: the reason we feel alienated from the people around us—the reason I sometimes feel alienated from myself—is because we’re alienated from God. Our horizontal alienation is indicative of a far more serious vertical alienation. God made us so that we might have a relationship with Him, yet our minds are turned away from Him. We don’t think of Him. We don’t love Him. We don’t even look for Him.
There is, however, good news. As followers of Christ, while we were once wasting away, we’ve now been renewed. We were alienated, but now we’ve been reconciled. We lived in a dark place, and now we’ve been brought into the light. We were trapped, and now we’ve been set free. We were dead, and now we’ve been made alive with Christ. That’s the experience of those who know God as He has revealed Himself through His word.
This transformation isn’t simply the result of a decision to revamp life. At some point, most of us have thought, “I’m turning over a new leaf and making a change. I’m going to be more thankful this year than I was last year.” And good! There’s nothing wrong with that at all. Our friends and family would probably be thrilled to hear it. That alone is not the end goal for a Christian though. Rather, change in the Christian’s life is motivated and initiated by the saving grace of God. We go on as we began: by grace.
The good news of the gospel is the fact that Jesus of Nazareth came on our behalf to bring an end to our alienation. He, and He alone, has done what we most need but could not do for ourselves. So the call to us is very simple: to “continue in the faith … not shifting from … the gospel.” We never need to move on from the simple gospel of Christ crucified, risen, and reigning; in fact, we dare not. And yet how easy it is for us to grow cold to these truths; for familiarity to breed if not contempt, then complacency. So consider your heart honestly. Acknowledge your sin. And come back to the gospel once more, in awe “that thou, my God, shouldst die for me.”[1]
Psalm 32
Keep Moving Forward / Billy Graham
Keep Moving Forward
When I was seven years old, my father bought me my first bicycle. I had never ridden one. Patiently, my family and friends tried to teach me the art of cycling. I soon found out there was one thing I must do if I was to stay on the bicycle—keep moving forward. If I ceased to go forward, I would fall and hurt myself. So it is in the Christian life. We can never live this life on the highest plane unless we are continually growing and moving forward. You should be closer to God today in heart, soul, and body, than at any other time so far in your life.
Daily Prayer
Lord, I have progressed far too slowly in my pilgrim walk with You. Might I be drawn closer to the light of Your love and grace.
“for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’”
Acts 17:28
Healing of a Divine Physician / Spurgeon
Healing of a Divine Physician
. . . Who heals all your diseases.
Humbling as this statement is, yet the fact is certain that we are all more or less suffering under the disease of sin. What a comfort to know that we have a great Physician who is both able and willing to heal us! Let us think of Him for a moment tonight.
His cures are very speedy—there is life for a look at Him; His cures are radical—He strikes at the center of the disease; and so His cures are sure and certain. He never fails, and the disease never returns. There is no relapse where Christ heals, no fear that His patients should be merely patched up for a season. He makes new men of them: He also gives them a new heart and puts a right spirit within them.
He is well skilled in all diseases. Physicians generally have some specialty. Although they may know a little about almost all our pains and ills, there is usually one disease that they have studied more than others; but Jesus Christ is thoroughly acquainted with the whole of human nature. He is as much at home with one sinner as with another, and He never yet met an unusual case that was difficult for Him. He has had extraordinary complications of strange diseases to deal with, but He has known exactly with one glance of His eye how to treat the patient. He is the only universal doctor; and the medicine He gives is the only true panacea, healing in every instance.
Whatever our spiritual malady may be, we should apply at once to this Divine Physician. There is no brokenness of heart that Jesus cannot bind up. “The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”1 We have only to think of the myriads who have been delivered from all sorts of diseases through the power and virtue of His touch, and we will joyfully put ourselves in His hands. We trust Him, and sin dies; we love Him, and grace lives; we wait for Him, and grace is strengthened; we see Him as he is, and grace is perfected forever.
1) 1 John 1:7
Who Do You Say I Am? by Amanda Idleman
Who Do You Say I Am?
by Amanda Idleman
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” - Matthew 16:15
Men and women often die needlessly difficult deaths, what makes Jesus' death on the cross meaningful? Why does Jesus matter?
The answer to that question is really the centerpiece of the Christian faith. What we each believe about the identity of Jesus has the power to transform him from being just a prophet, clever speaker, or possibly even a crazy man into the living breathing son of God.
Jesus proves his divinity to humanity most remarkably through his death on the cross that fulfilled the prophecies laid out about our Savior in scripture and his subsequent resurrection. No one else in human history has the power to overcome death. Jesus’ death is his living sacrifice for our sins and his resurrection defies the rules of this world in a way that only God can accomplish.
God’s love is displayed through his incredible sacrifice. If Jesus only came to Earth in order to display his divine power to humans so we would worship him then our need for him in our lives as a personal savior would be diminished. If he only showed up on Earth to parade his power and coerce us into worshiping him then he would be just like those cruel Greek and Roman gods that were filled with pride and selfishness.
Jesus is different from the other gods of this world because he clearly tells and demonstrates to us the purpose of his incarnation. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” His arrival on Earth was a well-thought-out rescue mission. He came to redeem his fallen creation.
Jesus’ existence on Earth is a gracious invitation to all of humanity to engage in a real, life-changing, and eternity-impacting relationship with the one true living God!
Jesus asks Peter, one of his disciples, the question ‘Who do you say I am?” Jesus knows that it’s important to Peter’s faith that he grasp that Jesus is fully a man but also fully God. Jesus Is the truth, the way, and the light. Without his disciples understanding all of who Jesus the man was they would not be able to receive the gift of salvation that God was offering.
The question of “Who do you say I am” continues to be the most foundational question for people of faith. Our ability to recognize Jesus as our Lord and Savior is where our path towards transformation and adoption into God’s ‘heaven family’ begins.
If you are in a season of questioning or feel a sense of disillusionment with the Church, I ask you to just go back to this question: Who is Jesus? What did he come to do? How has knowing him impacted your life? That’s the place to start when we are wanting to deconstruct our beliefs.
Build back a stronger, more firm faith foundation that begins with Jesus your Savior. God embraces our questions but we have to be open to hear the answers he came down to Earth to give us.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Go back and read the Gospels from the Bible. Study the life, words, and teachings of Jesus. Let the alive and active Word of God be the foundation you build your belief system on.
Further Reading
Character with Age / Streams
Character with Age
Like a shock of corn fully ripe - Job 5:26
A gentleman, writing about the breaking up of old ships, recently said that it is not the age alone which improves the quality of the fiber in the wood of an old vessel, but the straining and wrenching of the vessel by the sea, the chemical action of the bilge water, and of many kinds of cargoes.
Some planks and veneers made from an oak beam which had been part of a ship eighty years old were exhibited a few years ago at a fashionable furniture store on Broadway, New York, and attracted general notice for the exquisite coloring and beautiful grain.
Equally striking were some beams of mahogany taken from a bark which sailed the seas sixty years ago. The years and the traffic had contracted the pores and deepened the color, until it looked as superb in its chromatic intensity as an antique Chinese vase. It was made into a cabinet, and has today a place of honor in the drawing-room of a wealthy New York family.
So there is a vast difference between the quality of old people who have lived flabby, self-indulgent, useless lives, and the fiber of those who have sailed all seas and carried all cargoes as the servants of God and the helpers of their fellow men.
Not only the wrenching and straining of life, but also something of the sweetness of the cargoes carried get into the very pores and fiber of character. —Louis Albert Banks
When the sun goes below the horizon he is not set; the heavens glow for a full hour after his departure. And when a great and good man sets, the sky of this world is luminous long after he is out of sight. Such a man cannot die out of this world. When he goes he leaves behind him much of himself. Being dead, he speaks. —Beecher
When Victor Hugo was past eighty years of age he gave expression to his religious faith in these sublime sentences: "I feel in myself the future life. I am like a forest which has been more than once cut down. The new shoots are livelier than ever. I am rising toward the sky. The sunshine is on my head. The earth gives me its generous sap, but Heaven lights me with its unknown worlds.
“You say the soul is nothing but the resultant of the bodily powers. Why, then, is my soul more luminous when my bodily powers begin to fail? Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart. I breathe at this hour the fragrance of the lilacs, the violets, and the roses as at twenty years. The nearer I approach the end the plainer I hear around me the immortal symphonies of the worlds which invite me. It is marvelous, yet simple.”
Receive Sight / Max Lucado
Receive Sight
Click below to listen to today's devotional
Jesus told the blind man, “‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which is translated sent)” (John 9:7). Access to the pool of Siloam involved the descent of three sets of stone-hewn steps, five steps each—no casual stroll for anyone, much less a blind man. But he did it, and he leaned over the edge of the pool and began to wash his eyes. And, from one moment to the next, he could see.
The question is often asked, “What does a person need to know to become a follower of Christ?” This story provides an answer. The man knew nothing of the virgin birth or the Beatitudes. He received sight, not because he deserved it, earned it, or found it. He received sight because he trusted and obeyed the One who was sent to “open eyes that are blind” (Isaiah 42:7 NIV). Remember friends, you are never alone.
Monday, May 30, 2022
Yes—But…! / Oswald Chambers
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