The Greatest Event in Human History / Adrian Rogers

 The Greatest Event in Human History

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”Isaiah 9:6

Seven hundred years before the first Christmas, Isaiah dipped his pen in golden glory and wrote these words about the coming Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ. The child being born speaks of His virgin birth. The Son being given speaks of His eternality—He has been the Son of God, with the Father, through the ages.

Some years ago—you may remember it—man first stepped onto the moon. The President of the United States said, “The planting of human feet upon the moon is the greatest event in human history.”

No, the greatest event in human history was when God came to Earth and planted His feet here. We call that the incarnation—Almighty God stepped out of  Heaven, the ivory palaces, into this world of woe, and put His feet upon this earth. And thatis the greatest event in human history!

Share this with someone you know today: The first Christmas, God sent a package to earth, a gift of deity wrapped up in humanity. What a marvelous thing this is. It’s supernatural. Never forget this: Jesus is God in human flesh. 

Winter in the Soul / Alistair Begg

 

Winter in the Soul 

You have made summer and winter. 

Psalm 74:17

My soul, begin this wintry month with God. The cold snows and the piercing winds all remind you that He keeps His covenant with day and night and serve to assure you that He will also keep that glorious covenant that He has made with you in the person of Christ Jesus. He who is true to His Word in the revolutions of the seasons of this poor sin-polluted world will not prove unfaithful in His dealings with His own well-beloved Son.

Winter in the soul is by no means a comfortable season, and if it is upon you just now, it will be very painful to you: But there is this comfort, namely, that the Lord makes it. He sends the sharp blasts of adversity to nip the buds of expectation. He scatters the frozen dew like ashes over the once fresh green meadows of our joy. He dispenses His icy morsels, freezing the streams of our delight.

He does it all; He is the great Winter King and rules in the realms of frost, and therefore you cannot murmur. Losses, crosses, heaviness, sickness, poverty, and a thousand other ills are of the Lord’s sending and come to us with wise design. Frosts kill harmful insects and restrain raging diseases; they break up the clods and sweeten the soul. O that such good results would always follow our winters of affliction!

How we prize the fire just now! How pleasant is its cheerful glow! Let us in the same manner prize our Lord, who is the constant source of warmth and comfort in every time of trouble. Let us draw near to Him, and in Him find joy and peace in believing. Let us wrap ourselves in the warm garments of His promises, and keep working, unlike the lazy man who refuses to plow because it is too cold; in the summer he will have nothing and will be forced to beg for bread.

We Need Our Church Community / ODB

 

We Need Our Church Community [Let us] not [give] up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but [encourage] one another. Hebrews 10:25 READ Hebrews 10:19–25 I grew up the firstborn son of a Southern Baptist preacher. Every Sunday the expectation was clear: I was to be in church. Possible exceptions? Maybe if I had a significant fever. But the truth is, I absolutely loved going, and I even went a few times feverish. But the world has changed, and the numbers for regular church attendance are not what they used to be. Of course, the quick question is why? The answers are many and varied. Author Kathleen Norris counters those answers with a response she received from a pastor to the question, “Why do we go to church?” He said, “We go to church for other people. Because someone may need you there.” Now by no means is that the only reason we go to church, but his response does resonate with the heartbeat of the writer to the Hebrews. He urged the believers to persevere in the faith, and to achieve that goal he stressed “not giving up meeting together” (Hebrews 10:25). Why? Because something vital would be missed in our absence: “encouraging one another” (v. 25). We need that mutual encouragement to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (v. 24). Brothers and sisters, keep meeting together, because someone may need you there. And the corresponding truth is that you may need them as well. By John Blase What are the top four reasons you either go to church or don’t go? How does knowing “someone may need you there” make you feel about meeting together? Heavenly Father, as I meet with others to worship and praise Your name, help me to also encourage others in Your name. Forgive me when I overlook the latter because I’m too preoccupied with myself. Learn more about the importance of church.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT The letter to the Hebrews was written to Jewish believers in Jesus who, due to persecution and hardship, were in danger of drifting from the faith. Therefore, it makes sense that the author would remind them of the confidence they could have in Christ, for it provides an antidote for their doubts. The New Bible Commentarysays, “The word translated confidence is found in four important contexts in Hebrews (3:6; 4:16; 10:19; 10:35). Fundamentally, it’s a confidence of free and open access to God . . . based on the unique sacrifice of Jesus (by the blood of Jesus).” As a result, the believers were encouraged to embrace the confidence that they were truly part of God’s “house” (3:6), to enter God’s presence confidently in prayer (4:15–16), to enter God’s presence in worship (10:19), and to maintain that confidence in living out their lives (10:35). Bill Crowder

December 1 / Wisdom from the Psalms

Psalms 140:11
Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall bunt the violent man to overthrow him.

The committee was worried. They had elected a new chairman who was becoming vocal about some very unpopular ideas. People were getting the idea that the committee endorsed these ideas, just because the new chair so freely shared them. Some of his ideas were quite biased and offensive. Quick action was being taken to replace him, but the damage done was almost too great to measure.

The words of our mouth are powerful weapons. We can do great good by a few well-placed words, or we can wreak total destruction. The words of an evil person spread like a cancer. However, the words spoken by righteous men and women can be our greatest source of healing. Be careful how you speak, for you hold great power and responsibility within your words.

 

Prayer: Guide the words I speak, Lord. Spice them with Your love and concern. Make my speech a joy to others, not a burden. Steer me away from evil, I pray. Amen. 

How to Give with a Cheerful Heart / Senior Living

 How to Give with a Cheerful Heart

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - 2 Corinthians 9:7

A pastor once recounted how, as a child, his mother sent him to pick a quart of raspberries. Reluctantly he dragged himself to the berry patch. His afternoon was ruined for sure. Then a thought hit him. He would surprise his mother and pick two quarts of raspberries instead of one!

Rather than drudgery, his work had now become a challenge. He enjoyed picking those raspberries so much that fifty years later, that incident was still fresh in his mind.

His job hadn’t changed, but his attitude did. Instead of focusing on the hard work of picking berries, he focused on how he could use his time to bless his mother. And it was this change in perspective that made his job so much easier.

Many Christians today see giving as a task or a chore that they check off a list so they don’t get in trouble. Sadly, because this is their perspective, they miss out on the joy that comes by contributing to God’s purposes.

But what if, instead, you thought of giving with the end goal of supporting God’s work in mind? You see, when you give, you bless others and you show God’s love to those who need it. Giving is not about putting a little money in the offering plate, it’s about being an active part of God’s work here on earth. And when you see it that way, you can’t help but to give cheerfully!

Prayer Challenge:

Ask God to give you a Kingdom perspective when it comes to giving. Pray that when you give, you would do so with His purposes in mind and because of that, you would give cheerfully.

Sunlight on Our Path / David Jeremiah

 

Sunlight on Our Path If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 1 John 1:6   Critics use the word dark to describe movies, television shows, comic books, songs, and other forms of entertainment that are troubling, evil, or depressive. In the same way, we sometimes say about someone, “He’s in a dark place right now.” That’s biblical terminology; the apostle John frequently spoke of light and darkness. The entire world—apart from God’s people—is in darkness, groping for direction and hope. But the followers of Christ have sunlight streaming onto their paths and have no need for night vision goggles.

Recommended Reading: 1 John 1

If there’s a dark spot somewhere in your heart or habits, confess it to God and ask Him to bleach it from your system. When we get to heaven, we’ll be sinless, spotless, and blameless in all our ways. Until then, we work each day to stay on the pathway of light. The Bible says, “But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18).   If God had wanted us completely out of the world, He could have taken us home to heaven at the time of our spiritual birth….We are to shine as light in the world system’s darkness. A. W. Tozer

Keep My Running Shoes On By Nichole Huggins

 Keep My Running Shoes On

By Nichole Huggins

I love to walk around my house barefoot. I like the feeling of soft carpet on my toes and feel more “at home” without the restriction of wearing shoes. But more and more it seems that I forgo this comfort for the functionality of keeping my running shoes on.

You see, our home is different than many people’s homes. Because our son has autism, our home is louder; he is always singing, making noises, or quoting movies(in the world of autism it’s called “scripting”). Our house is in interesting order; you will find trains lined up on the kitchen table and strategically placed books open to strategically chosen pages. Currently our back door is always open. Our son loves to run outside and play, but it is also his current belief that the back door should remain open at all times—even if he is playing in a different part of the house. Living in this world of autism has caused our home to be a sometimes chaotic, but always beautiful haven for our family. And for now, living in the world of autism has caused me to keep my running shoes on.

For many, running and autism go hand in hand. People who are “on the spectrum” are often runners. Our kiddo is no exception to this pattern.Although he frequently overcomes his urge to run, our son’s current impulsivity requires me to jump up and move quickly at any moment. I have to be ready, so I keep my running shoes on.

I love how the Lord uses my son’s autism to gently sharpen me in my personal relationship with Him. The Lord has recently reminded me that just as I have to keep my running shoes on, the same applies in my walk with the Lord. I need to keep my spiritual running shoes on.

In 1 Peter 3:15, the Bible reminds us to sanctify our hearts and “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you…” We need to keep our spiritual running shoes on! It is easy for us to slip our shoes off and run our toes through the carpet of comfortability in life, but that is not the calling of Christians. Life was never meant to be about our comfort, but rather exalting our Creator.

It’s my prayer that people around me will be able to see that my hope is in Christ. May I be quick to help and show love to others. May I be a reflection of Christ in all that I say and do. I pray that I am sharp and “ready to run” this great race called life. Sometimes it’s easy to let our spiritual shoelaces come untied. We become comfortable Christians, and it’s easy for us to get tripped up. I am thankful the Lord can use my precious son to remind me that I need to lace up my spiritual running shoes and be prepared for this sometimes chaotic, but always beautiful life. So, what condition are your running shoes in?

1 Peter 3:15 (NKJV)— “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you…”

Intersecting Faith & Life: As you think of needing to be ready to respond at any moment, whether to a crisis or an opportunity to share your faith, that means being prepared spiritually, spending time with God so that reflecting His love comes naturally. Whether it’s explaining to the guy in the grocery line behind you why you helped cover the cost of the single mom’s bill in front of you, or showing patience and love to that same single mom when you are in a hurry yourself, these things don’t come naturally. Share with God the areas where you find it hard be ready and ask Him to equip you. Then rest in His constant presence, knowing that His Spirit living in you is always at the ready.

Further reading:

2 Timothy 4:2
1 Peter 5:8
1 Corinthians 9:24
Hebrews 12:1
Ezekiel 38:7

His Presence / Billy Graham

 

His Presence

W.C. Burns of India wrote, “Oh to have a martyr’s heart, if not a martyr’s crown.” Popularity and adulation are far more dangerous for the Christian than persecution. It is easy, when all goes smoothly, to lose our sense of balance and our perspective. The important thing is to walk with Christ, to live for Christ, and to have one consuming passion—to please Him. Then, whatever happens, we know that He has permitted it in order to teach us some priceless lesson and to perfect us for His service. He will enrich our circumstances, be they pleasant or disagreeable, by the fact of His presence with us.

Daily Prayer

Lord, my soul wants to love and know You far more deeply. Forgive the times I have set my eyes on things that keep me from You.

“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:10‬ 

Disabilities - Friends with Special Needs / NKJV 365

 

Disabilities

Friends with Special Needs

More than anything else disabled people need friends — acquaintances, casual, close, or especially intimate. No matter what form of impairment the disabled person has, she needs friends who give unconditional love.

The faith, creativity, and commitment of friends helped a paralyzed man experience the healing power of Jesus. Four concerned friends took their paralyzed friend to see Jesus (Mark 2:1–12). After overcoming a seemingly insurmountable hurdle, the friends laid the paralytic at the feet of Jesus. When Jesus healed the man, He took special note of the faith exhibited by the four friends.

The disabled person needs friends who give more comfort than advice. Friends should continue giving of self despite barriers—architectural or attitudinal—involving persons with disabilities in activities and ministry. Integrate people with impairments with the able-bodied in worship. Evangelize disabled friends. Look past the gizmos, gadgets, and electrical wizardry to get to know the individual as a person. Have the attitude, “If I don’t reach out to this individual with the gospel and God’s love, who will?”

Tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, and longsuffering are essential to friendship with a disabled person. However, able-bodied Christians are also challenged to rise above all these obstacles and “put on love” (Col. 3:12–14). Unconditional love overlooks physical or mental handicaps and focuses on the true person, a special object of God’s care and concern. An intimate relationship with a disabled friend or family member can be a special way to discover what real love is all about.

Taken from The Woman’s Study Bible

“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:12-14

Suffering but Not Silent / Chuck Swindoll

 Suffering but Not Silent

by Pastor Chuck SwindollScriptures: Proverbs 25:23–24

Of all the grinds that erode our peace, none is more nagging, more draining, more painful than disharmony at home. Sarcastic infighting. Stinging put-downs. Withering stares. Deafening silence. Volatile explosions of anger. Occasionally, emotional brutality and physical abuse. A television blaring in the living room. A stack of dirty dishes sitting in the sink. Doors slammed shut. Desperate feelings of loneliness. Perhaps even dark clouds of fear and dread. Sadly, some of those phrases may describe where you live. If so, you are not alone. In fact, Solomon and other wise men of Israel knew the sorrow and heartache of domestic discord. They wrote from personal experience:

A foolish son is destruction to his father,
And the contentions of a wife are a constant dripping. (19:13)

It is better to live in a desert land
Than with a contentious and vexing woman.
There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man swallows it up. (21:19–20)

The north wind brings forth rain,
And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance.
It is better to live in a corner of the roof
Than in a house shared with a contentious woman. (25:23–24)

These writers were men, so they naturally wrote from the husband’s perspective. Even so, the principles work both ways, for both men and women who are trying to maintain a peaceful, productive household. As any soul-weary wife can attest, “It is better to live in a corner of the roof than in a house shared with a contentious man.”

It is possible that you have gotten to the point where you look for excuses to be away from home, or you try to keep yourself occupied in some other part of the house as much as possible. Perhaps you wonder what can be done to restore harmony, to make things different. You may think that change is impossible, but I have good news: it is not. The remedies for domestic disharmony are neither easy nor automatic. But you do not have to merely endure in silence.

December 1 / Daily Blessings

 Daily Blessings

“According as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love—having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” - Eph 1:4-5

It is a very solemn but a very true assertion, that no man can quicken his own soul; and it is an equally solemn, we might almost say, a tremendous truth, that the gospel only comes in power to those whom God has chosen unto eternal life. Indeed the one flows from the other; for if no man can quicken his own soul, it necessarily follows it must be of sovereign grace that it is quickened at all. Once allow the fall, and acknowledge that a man is by nature so thoroughly dead in trespasses and sins that he cannot raise himself up out of this state to newness of life, and the doctrine of election necessarily follows.

A living soul may reason thus—“Am I quickened? Yes. Did I quicken myself? No. I could not; for I was dead in sin. Did God then quicken me? Who but he could have given life to my dead soul? But why did he quicken me, when dead in sins? Because he loved me, and chose me in Christ to be an heir of his eternal glory.” Whether, however, you can speak thus or not, there is no doubt that the Lord has a people who are dear to him, and to whom he makes himself dear. These, though despised of, or unnoticed by men, are the elect of God; and if you are a vessel of mercy whom he has thus chosen to eternal life, the gospel either has already come, or, in his own time and way, will be made to come with power to your heart and conscience.

Staircase or Stumbling Block? / Greg Laurie

 Staircase or Stumbling Block?

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 NKJV).

C. S. Lewis said, “If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were precisely those who thought most about the next.”

So what does it really mean to be heavenly-minded? Does it mean that we’re out of touch and don’t care about other people? I think it’s the very opposite. 

When you live for Christ, you will think of others. As the apostle Paul said, “To me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21 NKJV). We might hear a statement like that and think, “You have your head in the clouds. You’re out of touch with reality.”

But when you’re really living for Christ, it’s a practical spirituality. Historically, for example, Christians have been the ones who led the way in every area of life. They’ve opened some of our greatest hospitals and universities because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

Over the years, I’ve met a lot of really impressive people, including some very godly people. But the godliest people I’ve ever met were Billy and Ruth Graham. They were impressive publicly, of course. But what was so amazing to me is that privately, they were so down to earth. They were just real people.

I think that when you’re truly godly, you will be an accessible person, not a self-righteous person. Some people try to make everything so spiritual that they won’t even laugh at or enjoy anything. I would describe them as Bobby Buzzkill and Debbie Downer.

Don’t be that person. A godly person, someone who is living for Christ, is caring and loving. They possess a practical spirituality.

What kind of representative are you as a follower of Jesus? Are you a staircase or a stumbling block? Are you a bridge or a barrier to people coming to Christ?

Devil's Burden / Streams

 Devil's Burden

There remaineth, therefore, a rest to the people of God - Heb 4:9

The rest includes victory, ‘And the Lord gave them rest round about; ... the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand’ - Josh 21:44

He will beautify the meek with victory - Ps 149:4

An eminent Christian worker tells of his mother who was a very anxious and troubled Christian. He would talk with her by the hour trying to convince her of the sinfulness of fretting, but to no avail. She was like the old lady who once said she had suffered so much, especially from the troubles that never came.

But one morning the mother came down to breakfast wreathed in smiles. He asked her what had happened, and she told him that in the night she had a dream.

She was walking along a highway with a great crowd of people who seemed so tired and burdened. They were nearly all carrying little black bundles, and she noticed that there were numerous repulsive looking beings which she thought were demons dropping these black bundles for the people to pick up and carry.

Like the rest, she too had her needless load, and was weighed down with the devil’s bundles. Looking up, after a while, she saw a Man with a bright and loving face, passing hither and thither through the crowd, and comforting the people.

At last He came near her, and she saw that it was her Saviour. She looked up and told Him how tired she was, and He smiled sadly and said:

“My dear child, I did not give you these loads; you have no need of them. They are the devil’s burdens and they are wearing out your life. Just drop them; refuse to touch them with one of your fingers and you will find the path easy and you will be as if borne on eagle’s wings.”

He touched her hand, and lo, peace and joy thrilled her frame and, flinging down her burden, she was about to throw herself at His feet in joyful thanksgiving, when suddenly she awoke and found that all her cares were gone. From that day to the close of her life she was the most cheerful and happy member of the household.

And the night shall be filled with music,  

And the cares that infest the day,  

Shall fold their tents like the Arabs,  

And as silently steal away.  

—Longfellow

A Call to Remember / Max Lucado

 

A Call to Remember

Click below to listen to today's devotional

A CALL TO REMEMBER - November 30, 2021

Toward the end of the book of Esther we read, “[Mordecai]…sent letters to all the Jews…to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar…as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration…” (Esther 9:20-21).

The book of Esther does not end with victory in battle. It ends with a call to remember. One tradition is the baking of a three-cornered, jelly-filled pastry. The hidden jelly recalls the hiddenness of God. I like the idea that God’s presence, scrumptious and unseen, is baked into the story of redemption. And I appreciate the value of a two-day celebration in which people of faith revisit the way their God prevailed. We tend to forget. We forget that God is for us, not against us. That God can make beauty out of ashes. We need memorials that jog our memory.