Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Water. All Noah can see is water. You can relate. You’ve known your share of floods. Flooded by sorrow at the cemetery, anger at the disability in your body, fear of the uncertainty of a pandemic. And you’ve needed what Noah needed; you’ve needed hope. Sometimes all we need is a little hope. That’s all Noah needed, and that’s what Noah received. This is how the Bible describes the moment: “When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf!” (Genesis 8:11).

Hope is an olive leaf—evidence of dry land after a flood. Could you use some hope? Could you use a fresh start? At some point in life we all could. And the oh-so-welcome news of Scripture is this: our God is a God of fresh starts.

Monday, February 1, 2021

The Call of God by Oswald Chambers

The Call of God

Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel… 1 CORINTHIANS 1:17

Paul states here that the call of God is to preach the gospel. But remember what Paul means by “the gospel,” namely, the reality of redemption in our Lord Jesus Christ. We are inclined to make sanctification the goal of our preaching. Paul refers to personal experiences only by way of illustration, never as the end of the matter. We are not commissioned to preach salvation or sanctification— we are commissioned to lift up Jesus Christ (see John 12:32). It is an injustice to say that Jesus Christ labored in redemption to make me a saint. Jesus Christ labored in redemption to redeem the whole world and to place it perfectly whole and restored before the throne of God. The fact that we can experience redemption illustrates the power of its reality, but that experience is a byproduct and not the goal of redemption. If God were human, how sick and tired He would be of the constant requests we make for our salvation and for our sanctification. We burden His energies from morning till night asking for things for ourselves or for something from which we want to be delivered! When we finally touch the underlying foundation of the reality of the gospel of God, we will never bother Him anymore with little personal complaints.

The one passion of Paul’s life was to proclaim the gospel of God. He welcomed heartbreak, disillusionment, and tribulation for only one reason— these things kept him unmovable in his devotion to the gospel of God. From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

An intellectual conception of God may be found in a bad vicious character. The knowledge and vision of God is dependent entirely on a pure heart. Character determines the revelation of God to the individual. The pure in heart see God.

from Biblical Ethics, 125 R

God’s Power Working in Us by Charles Stanley

God’s Power Working in Us

2 Corinthians 3:4-18

It’s easy to become discouraged in the Christian life because of our struggle with sin. Even though we want to walk obediently before the Lord, we often find ourselves thinking sinful thoughts, adopting worldly attitudes, speaking rashly, and acting in ways that are anything but Christlike.

Whenever you feel defeated, remember this: As believers, we have all the power needed to live as God desires, because He has given us His Holy Spirit (John 14:17). So, although you may never achieve success as the world measures it, God’s Spirit is always working towards your spiritual success by ...

Illuminating your mind to know the truth. Then you can grow in the knowledge of God and His Word (1 Corinthians 2:12).

Transforming your character. He produces His spiritual fruit within you, making you more like Christ (Gal. 5:22-23).

Aligning your desires with God’s will. He works to help you yearn for the things God wants (Phil. 2:12-13).

Strengthening you. He enables you both to endure hardship and to serve God (2 Corinthians 3:4-6).

Human strength and willpower fall short, but the Lord promises to complete the good work He began in us. And He will not fail.

A House on a Rock by Winn Collier

A House on a Rock

Winn Collier

Everyone who [practices] these words of mine . . . is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24

Matthew 7:24–29

As many as 34,000 homes in one US state are at risk of collapsing due to faulty foundations. Without realizing it, a concrete company pulled stone from a quarry laced with a mineral that, over time, causes concrete to crack and disintegrate. The foundations of nearly six hundred homes have already crumbled, and that number will likely skyrocket over time.

Jesus used the image of building a home atop a faulty foundation to explain the far riskier danger of building our lives on unsteady ground. He explained how some of us construct our life on sturdy rock, ensuring that we hold solid when we face fierce storms. Others of us, however, erect our lives on sand; and when the tempests rage, our lives tumble “with a great crash” (Matthew 7:27). The one distinction between building on an unshakable foundation and a crumbling one is whether or not we put Christ’s words “into practice” (v. 26). The question isn’t whether or not we hear His words, but whether we practice them as He enables us.

There’s much wisdom offered to us in this world—plus lots of advice and help—and much of it is good and beneficial. If we base our life on any foundation other than humble obedience to God’s truth, however, we invite trouble. In His strength, doing what God says is the only way to have a house, a life, built on rock.

Whose wisdom, insights, or opinions do you listen to the most? How can you better build your life’s foundation by putting Jesus’ words into practice?

God, so much of what I experience feels unsteady and temporary, a life built on sand. I want to live a solid life. Help me to obey You.

Working Together For Good by Billy Graham

Working Together For Good

We might never have had the songs of Fanny Crosby had she not been afflicted with blindness. George Matheson would never have given the world his immortal song, “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go,” had it not been for his passing through the furnace of affliction. The “Hallelujah Chorus” was written by George Frederick Handel when he was poverty-stricken and suffering from a paralyzed right side and right arm. Affliction may be for our edification and Christian development. Sickness is one of the “all things” which work together for good to them that love God. Don’t resent it. Don’t be embittered by it.

Daily Prayer

You do not make mistakes, Father. If sorrow comes into my life, let me use it to help others know about You.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:28‬

Jesus: The Sinless Savior / NKJV 365

Jesus: The Sinless Savior

The figure on the center cross . . . has no such shadow of sin. “We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Stainless. Selfless. Even on a sinner’s cross Jesus’ holiness illuminates heaven. . . .

Many could have spoken on behalf of Jesus, but none did. Until now. Kind words from the lips of a thief. He makes his request. “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42).

The Savior turns His heavy head toward the prodigal child and promises, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).

To those at the foot of the cross, the dialogue was curious. But to those at the foot of the throne, the dialogue was outrageous. They couldn’t imagine it. How could the thief come to paradise? How could a soul speckled by sin go to heaven? How could a sinner be saved? They were about to see.

Did an angel move, did a demon stir as they witnessed the answering of the prayer? The sins of the thief (and all us thieves!) leave him and go to Jesus. Tiny specks at first, then large flakes, and finally layers of filth. Every evil thought. Each vile deed. The thief’s ravings. His cursings. His greed. His sin. All now covering Jesus Christ. What nauseates God now covers His Son. . . .

The One with no sin becomes sin-filled. The one sin-filled becomes sinless.

It is eternity’s most bizarre exchange. Paul explained it like this: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’)” (Galatians 3:13). (From A Gentle Thunder by Max Lucado)

“Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭23:42-43‬

Can Anything Remove My Guilt? by Adrian Rogers

Can Anything Remove My Guilt?

But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.… Isaiah 64:6

What a beautiful, wonderful life Adam and Eve lived in the Garden. But when they disobeyed the Lord, immediately they were stricken with guilt. They hid themselves from His presence when God came walking through the Garden. They tried to cover their guilt by making suits of fig leaves. But what looked good to them as a suitable covering could not stand under the gaze of a holy God. He knew they required something else, so He shed innocent blood to make them coats of skin (Genesis 3:7-8), and for the first time in His perfect Creation, innocent blood was shed. Their covering is a picture of the covering of righteousness we receive in the Lord Jesus Christ who died for us.

So many of us have tried to dress ourselves in the rags of our own self-righteousness. We are helpless to cover our sin. We need the blood of Jesus.

Examine your heart. What fruitless efforts are you making to sew a fig leaf covering for yourself? What is the only thing that will wash away sin and bring you purity, cleansing and righteousness? Apply that to your heart today. Ask Jesus to cleanse you.

For more from Love Worth Finding and Pastor Adrian Rogers, please visit www.lwf.org.

You can also listen to Adrian Rogers at OnePlace.com.

Watch Adrian Rogers and Love Worth Finding Video Online.

A Song in the Desert by Greg Laurie

A Song in the Desert

“When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses” (Exodus 14:31 NLT).

The Israelites were finally free. They’d left Egypt and Pharaoh behind, and they were making their way to a new land. But soon they arrived at what looked like an insurmountable obstacle: The Red Sea.

To make matters worse, they realized the Egyptian army was chasing them (which, by the way, was the mightiest army on earth at the time). As a result, they took their eyes off God and put them on their enemies.

They went to Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?” (Exodus 14:11 NLT).

Then Moses began to pray, and God effectively said, “This isn’t a time to pray. This is a time to move.”

God told him, “Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground” (verse 16 NLT).

So Moses raised his hand over the Red Sea, the waters parted, and the Israelites went through the Red Sea. When they made it to the other side, Moses stretched out his hand over the sea again, and the waters collapsed on the Egyptians. Then the people gave glory to God.

The Israelites had their song in the desert. But immediately they went into the wilderness on the heels of this great blessing.

This reminds us that trials often follow blessings. Sometimes valleys come right after our so-called mountaintop experiences.

Yet there are truths that we can only learn in the deserts of our lives. There are things we can only learn in the wilderness.

Our spiritual roots grow deep when the winds around us make us strong, because God’s endgame is to make us more like Jesus.

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.

Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.

February 1 / Streams in the Desert

This is my doing. (1 Kings 12:24)

The disappointments of life are simply the hidden appointments of love.
--C.A. Fox

My child, I have a message for you today. Let me whisper it in your ear so any storm clouds that may arise will shine with glory, and the rough places you may have to walk will be made smooth. It is only four words, but let them sink into your inner being, and use them as a pillow to rest your weary head. "This is my doing."

Have you ever realized that whatever concerns you concerns Me too? "For whoever touches you touches the apple of [my] eye" (Zech. 2:8). "You are precious and honored in my sight" (Isa. 43:4). Therefore it is My special delight to teach you.

I want you to learn when temptations attack you, and the enemy comes in "like a pent up flood" (Isa. 59:19)., that "this is my doing" and that your weakness needs My strength, and your safety lies in letting Me fight for you.

Are you in difficult circumstances, surrounded by people who do not understand you, never ask your opinion, and always push you aside? "This is my doing." I am the God of circumstances. You did not come to this place by accident -- you are exactly where I meant for you to be.

Have you not asked Me to make you humble? Then see that I have placed you in the perfect school where this lesson is taught. Your circumstances and the people around you are only being used to accomplish My will.

Are you having problems with money, finding it hard to make ends meet? "This is my doing," for I am the One who keeps your finances, and I want you to learn to depend upon Me. My supply is limitless and I "will meet your needs" (Phil. 4:19). I want you to prove My promises so no one may say, "You did not trust in the Lord your God" (Deut. 1:32).

Are you experiencing a time of sorrow? "This is my doing." I am "a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering" (Isa. 53:3). I have allowed your earthly comforters to fail you, so that by turning to Me you may receive "eternal encouragement and good hope" (2 Thess. 2:16). Have you longed to do some great work for Me but instead have been set aside on a bed of sickness and pain? "This is my doing." You were so busy I could not get your attention, and I wanted to teach you some of My deepest truths. "They also serve who only stand and wait." In fact, some of My greatest workers are those physically unable to serve, but who have learned to wield the powerful weapon of prayer.

Today I place a cup of holy oil in your hands. Use it freely, My child. Anoint with it every new circumstance, every word that hurts you, every interruption that makes you impatient, and every weakness you have. The pain will leave as you learn to see Me in all things.
--Laura A. Barter Snow

"This is from Me," the Savior said,
As bending low He kissed my brow,
"For One who loves you thus has led.
Just rest in Me, be patient now,
Your Father knows you have need of this,
Though, why perhaps you cannot see--
Grieve not for things you've seemed to miss.
The thing I send is best for thee."
Then, looking through my tears, I plead,
"Dear Lord, forgive, I did not know,
It will not be hard since You do tread,
Each path before me here below."
And for my good this thing must be,
His grace sufficient for each test.
So still I'll sing, "Whatever be
God's way for me is always best."

The Forgiven Child of God by Alistair Begg

The Forgiven Child of God

They shall sing of the ways of the Lord.
Psalm 138:5

The time when Christians begin to sing in the ways of the Lord is when they first lose their burden at the foot of the cross. Not even the songs of the angels seem so sweet as the first song of rapture that gushes from the inmost soul of the forgiven child of God. You know how John Bunyan describes it. He says when poor Pilgrim lost his burden at the cross, he gave three great leaps and went on his way singing,

Blest Cross! blest Sepulchre! blest rather be
The Man that there was put to shame for me!

Believer, do you recollect the day when your fetters fell off? Do you remember the place when Jesus met you and said, "I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; none of them shall be remembered against you."

Oh, what a sweet season it is when Jesus takes away the pain of sin. When the Lord first pardoned my sin, I was so joyful that I could barely refrain from dancing. I thought on my road home from the house where I had been set at liberty that I must tell the stones in the street the story of my deliverance. So full was my soul of joy that I wanted to tell every snowflake that was falling from heaven of the wondrous love of Jesus, who had blotted out the sins of one of the chief of rebels. But it is not only at the commencement of the Christian life that believers have reason for song; as long as they live they discover cause to sing in the ways of the Lord, and their experience of His constant loving-kindness leads them to say, "I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth."1 See to it, Christian, that you magnify the Lord this day.

Long as we tread this desert land,
New mercies shall new songs demand.

1) Psalm 34:1

The Incredible Value of What God’s Given You / Senior Living

The Incredible Value of What God’s Given You

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—the things God has prepared for those who love him. - 1 Corinthians 2:9

When the Western Union company asked the great inventor Thomas Edison to “name his price” for the ticker he had invented, Edison asked for a few days to think it over. His wife suggested he ask for $20,000, but Edison thought that was too much.

So when the time came for the meeting, the Western Union official asked Edison for his price. Edison wanted to say $20,000, but couldn’t get the words out of his mouth. So the official broke the silence. “Well, how about $100,000?”

It’s sometimes easy to undervalue things that haven’t come to full fruition yet. Edison hadn’t really seen the full potential of his world-changing invention, so he wasn’t aware of its incredible value. The same is often true of salvation. You see, no living person has seen what God has prepared for those who love Him, but its true value is beyond what anyone could imagine.

As a believer, what you have in Jesus Christ is the most valuable thing in the world. Yet there are still those who take it for granted, using it as license to live as they please. But a Christian who knows its value will live every day in thankfulness to the glory of God.

Live today in light of your salvation, giving thanks to God and doing everything to bring honor to Him!

Prayer Challenge

Thank God for His saving work in you and pray your life would bring glory to Him!

Questions for Thought

What are some times in your life when you might have taken God’s salvation for granted?

What would it look like for you to live each day in thankfulness, bringing honor and glory to Him?

Visit the Senior Living Ministries website

Conforming or Transforming? By Meghan Kleppinger

Conforming or Transforming?

By Meghan Kleppinger

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2, NAS

“Character is always lost when a high ideal is sacrificed on the altar of conformity and popularity.”-- Charles Spurgeon

Reading down a top magazine’s list of the 100 best English-language novels published since 1923 made my pulse quicken and my heart sink. As an avid and admittedly often obnoxiously-distracted-in-public reader (I always have a book on me in case the opportunity to read arises – like when I’m waiting for coffee, caught up in traffic, or standing in a line at the department of motor vehicles, to name a few examples), I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

I nearly had a panic attack, not because of any distaste or disagreement over the books chosen, but because of the number of books listed that I haven’t read yet. Quickly, I made my way to both the local library and Amazon.com websites and planned to start building my reserve list and filling my online shopping cart. As I moved my mouse to the search box so I could enter my selection, a little something I like to call “common sense” came over me.

Scolding myself, I whispered with clenched teeth, “Meghan, get a hold of yourself!”

After a few deep breaths, there was a point of rational thinking when I realized that I didn’t even know who wrote the list and that more than half of the books selected would never have been personal choices simply because of my dislike for the authors or the types of literature. I know and read what I like. Occasionally, I’ll try something new or especially challenging just for fun, but mostly I’m loyal to a small circle of favorite authors.

Isn’t easy to get caught up in what everybody is doing? Polls, magazines, television advertisements and movies are constantly telling us how to think, what to wear, who to vote for, what to watch, and in this case, what to read.

As Christians, we need to be especially careful with messages dictating what is “in.” This list of books, for example, had several titles I shouldn’t read simply because I am a Christ-follower. It’s not about whether I can “handle” the content, it’s about living a life that reflects and pleases Christ. When I choose to read a book, I’m making a decision to commit hours and hours engrossed in that story.

As we choose what to wear, listen to, watch, or read, we need to remember what Scripture says about how we spend our time and what we spend our time focusing on.

“…Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

A friend shared with me that a literature teacher at her Christian college was constantly putting down Christian authors and their books, and encouraging the students to read “good” literature instead. Our discussion concluded with a couple of great thoughts.

First, just because something is written well, doesn’t make it “good” or appropriate for Christians. In the same way, just because something is written by a Christian, doesn’t mean it makes for a good read. Most importantly, however, how can we justify spending time on books that don’t glorify God when there are countless wholesome and well-written books available… written by both Christian and non-Christian authors?

In light of eternity, when I face Jesus one day, I don’t think the excuse that I “dwelt” on something that didn’t glorify God was because, “It was an award-winning book or movie,” will fly. Actually, I would be ashamed to say I let popularity or a good story get in the way of my relationship with Him.

Basically, when my time on earth is through, I want it to be clear that transforming into the likeness of Christ was more important to me than conforming to the culture.

Intersecting Faith & Life: As Christians, we need to remember that everything we have belongs to God… and with that in mind, consider how we are spending His time

Further Reading

Psalms 90:12
Choose This Day
How God Develops Christian Character

Soaring to Strength by David Jeremiah

Soaring to Strength

But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31

The Andean condor is the world’s largest soaring bird. With a wingspan of more than ten feet, condors can soar for up to five hours, covering one hundred miles, without flapping their wings once! In one study, a group of condors spent just one percent of their time aloft flapping their wings.[1]

Recommended Reading:
Deuteronomy 1: 29 – 31

The prophet Isaiah had never seen an Andean condor, but he had certainly seen eagles and other soaring birds in the Middle East. It is no wonder that he used the image of a soaring eagle to represent the one who waits on the Lord. Once aloft, it is the power of the wind that keeps the eagle soaring, not the power of the eagle itself. In the Christian life, it is the wind of the Spirit of God that gives us power to run and not be weary, to walk and not grow faint.

Spending time with God daily is a time to renew your strength as you wait upon Him in prayer and Bible study.

Only he who can say, “The Lord is the strength of my life” can go on to say, “Of whom shall I be afraid?”
Alexander MacLaren

February 1 / Wisdom from the Psalms

Psalms 14:1

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

The Reverend Dave Scott stood trembling at the doorway to the sanctuary. During the night, vandals had broken into the church. They hadn't taken anything, but they had destroyed just about everything. Windows were shattered, pews splintered, Bible ripped apart. Reverend Scott felt a terrible sickness in the pit of his stomach. Who could do such things? Was nothing sacred anymore?

We need to ask ourselves these questions, because we face such situations all the time. Terrible things are done all around us, and often they happen without regard or respect for things we hold sacred. Foolish people hold our God in contempt, and we can only find consolation in the fact that the Lord sees all, and His justice will one day be done. For us, we must hold onto His goodness and His strength so we can endure such inconceivable crimes. Our Lord is greater than the "things" foolish people destroy. His will be done!

Prayer: O Lord, while the evil days keep coming, grant me strength enough to endure until the end. Remind me that I worship you, and nothing any man or woman can do will ever destroy that. Amen.