Daily Encouragement / March 3

Give me this mountain” says Caleb in the words of the Authorized Version. This plea of the old warrior reminds us that God’s best men are mountain men. They covet service in the heights, and in doing so follow in the footsteps of “Jesus, the pioneer of our faith” (Heb. 12:2 RSV), who climbed Mount Calvary, the highest mountain of all.

Men of such spiritual calibre are prepared to dare the difficult. Caleb might have requested an easier place to occupy, but for men like him the presence of the Anakites is an incentive rather than a deterrent. Men like him will gladly gamble their lives for God - the very thing said about Epaphroditus, one of their kind (Phil. 2:29-30).

They have this attitude because they are devoted to the Lord and follow him wholeheartedly. This is their constant prayer:

Make us Thy mountaineers,
We would not linger on the lower slope,
Fill us afresh with hope, O God of hope,
That undefiled we may climb the hill
As seeing Him who is invisible
Let us die climbing, when this little while
Lies far behind us, and the last defile
Is all alight, and in that light we see
Our Leader and our Lord, what will it be?
(Amy Carmichael)

“Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken.””

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭14‬:‭12‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬ 

Choose Life but Don’t Stop There By Anne Graham Lotz

Choose Life but Don’t Stop There By Anne Graham Lotz Two thousand years ago, God entered into human history in the form of a tiny Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. A Baby born to an unwed mother. A Baby born into poverty. A Baby who would demonstrate by His birth, life, death and resurrection that every human life has eternal purpose and meaning and that we can return to God through faith in Him. Human life is not a cosmic accident or an inconvenience or a mistake. God is committed to every single one of us, great or small, saints or sinners. Like a thunderclap from Heaven, God’s Word speaks: “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live …” (Deuteronomy 30:19). As our nation moves forward following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, we now need to repent of our sin and return to God.  Bible Study

TODAY’S PRAYER Heavenly Father, thank You for creating me in Your image. For as Your Word declares, I am “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Please give me the courage to boldly defend the sanctity of human life amid a culture of death. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

God the Living Word / Ann Graham Lotz

 God the Living Word

In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.

John 1:1, niv

John’s Gospel begins with the astounding statement that “In the beginning was the Word.” The Greek translation for “word” is logos, which means the outward expression of all that God is. Plato once said that he hoped one day there would come a “logos” from God that would make everything clear. John said He has come! “And the Word was with God . . .” as another separate, supreme Being. “And the Word was God.” Although the Word is another separate Person from God the Father, He is no less in power, position, or personality. Because He is God the Creator! “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. . . . The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth”(John 1:14, niv).

The “One and Only Son who came from the Father” is the logos of God through Whom God created everything, and His name is JESUS!

His Majesty’s Arrival / Max Lucado

His Majesty’s Arrival

Click below to listen to today's devotional

HIS MAJESTY’S ARRIVAL 

A more lowly place of birth could not exist. Mary looks at the face of the baby. Her son, her Lord, His Majesty. And somehow she knows she is holding God. She remembers the words of the angel: “His kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:33 NIV).

Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager, and in the presence of a carpenter.

Meanwhile the city hums. People would scoff at anyone who told them the Messiah lay in the arms of a teenager on the outskirts of their village. They were all too busy to consider the possibility. Those who missed His Majesty’s arrival that night missed it because they simply weren’t looking. Life has not changed in the last two thousand years, has it? 

Bible in One Year: March 2

 Bible in One Year: Numbers 26-27; Mark 8:1-21

Have You Felt the Pain Inflicted by the Lord? / Oswald Chambers

 

Have You Felt the Pain Inflicted by the Lord? He said to him the third time, “…do you love Me?” JOHN 21:17 Have you ever felt the pain, inflicted by the Lord, at the very center of your being, deep down in the most sensitive area of your life? The devil never inflicts pain there, and neither can sin nor human emotions. Nothing can cut through to that part of our being but the Word of God. “Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ?Do you love Me?’ ” Yet he was awakened to the fact that at the center of his personal life he was devoted to Jesus. And then he began to see what Jesus’ patient questioning meant. There was not the slightest bit of doubt left in Peter’s mind; he could never be deceived again. And there was no need for an impassioned response; no need for immediate action or an emotional display. It was a revelation to him to realize how much he did love the Lord, and with amazement he simply said, “Lord, You know all things….” Peter began to see how very much he did love Jesus, and there was no need to say, “Look at this or that as proof of my love.” Peter was beginning to discover within himself just how much he really did love the Lord. He discovered that his eyes were so fixed on Jesus Christ that he saw no one else in heaven above or on the earth below. But he did not know it until the probing, hurting questions of the Lord were asked. The Lord’s questions always reveal the true me to myself. Oh, the wonder of the patient directness and skill of Jesus Christ with Peter! Our Lord never asks questions until the perfect time. Rarely, but probably once in each of our lives, He will back us into a corner where He will hurt us with His piercing questions. Then we will realize that we do love Him far more deeply than our words can ever say. Bible in One Year: Numbers 26-27; Mark 8:1-21

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS Always keep in contact with those books and those people that enlarge your horizon and make it possible for you to stretch yourself mentally.

Serving Christ / Charles Stanley

 Serving Christ

Matthew 25:34-40

Stop for a moment and consider the purpose of your life. Are you living to pursue your own interests or success? Does your energy revolve around your family members? Perhaps your ambition is to change the world for the better.

All of these aims—even the last one, which sounds so selfless—are futile. The only goal of lasting value and fulfillment is serving Christ. As His followers, we should model our life after His. And Mark 10:45 tells us that "even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” We honor Him by doing likewise.

Yet, sometimes we can feel overwhelmed when we consider the amazing ways that other believers are serving the Lord. With God on His side, King David led great armies into war. Today, there are evangelists who speak to tens of thousands, and many lives are saved. How could anything we do compare to accomplishments like these? And while comparisons may discourage us, Christians use other excuses for not trying—such as a lack of experience or having the wrong personality for the task. But God’s call for each person is unique. He will provide the words, ability, and circumstances so that you can achieve what He wants done. Remember, our Father is the one who makes the difference. We are merely tools, and we’re blessed to be used by Him.

EL: Are you demonstrating your love for the Lord by serving others? Live in such a way that each evening you can tell Him, “Lord, as best I know how, I have attempted to serve Your purpose today.”

Have You Called Upon Jesus? / Adrian Rogers

Have You Called Upon Jesus?

Romans 10:10-13

Sermon: 2067 Salvation, Part 2

Pray Over This

“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”

Romans 10:10-13

Ponder This

I’ve been walking with the Lord now since I was a teenage boy. I’ll tell you this: I’ve failed Him sometimes, but He has never failed me. His resources have been there for me every time I’ve called on Him. I’m not talking about financial resources, though He has done that. I’m talking about the life of God that’s in my heart. He has met my need.

There is a hymn that says, “Friends all around us are trying to find what the heart yearns for by sin undermined. I have the secret, I know where ‘tis found, only in Jesus true pleasures abound.”2 He is rich unto all who call upon Him, not only some, but anyone who wants to be saved. Paul told those who were very religious, who had a zeal for God but not according to knowledge, they needed to be saved. There’s nobody so good he need not be saved, and there’s nobody so bad he cannot be saved. That’s what it’s all about.

• When was a time that God met your need?
• Have you believed you were too good to need to be saved or too bad to be saved? What brought you to surrender to Jesus?

Practice This

Make a list of your needs right now and ask God to meet those needs.

 

A Refreshing Oasis / ODB

 

A Refreshing Oasis Blessed is the one . . . who meditates on his law day and night. Psalm 1:1–2 READ Psalm 1 When Andrew and his family went on safari in Kenya, they had the pleasure of watching a variety of animals frequenting a small lake that appeared in the scrabbly landscape. Giraffes, wildebeests, hippopotamuses, and waterfowl all traveled to this life-giving source of water. As Andrew observed their comings and goings, he thought how the “Bible is like a divine watering hole”—not only is it a source of guidance and wisdom but it’s a refreshing oasis where people from all walks of life can quench their thirst. Andrew’s observation echoed the psalmist who called people “blessed” when they delight in and meditate on God’s law, a term used in the Old Testament to describe His instruction and commandments. Those who meditate on the Scriptures are “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season” (Psalm 1:3). Just as a tree’s roots reach down into the soil to find the source of refreshment, people who truly believe in and love God will root themselves deeply in Scripture and find the strength they need. Submitting ourselves to His wisdom will keep our foundations embedded in Him; we won’t be “like chaff that the wind blows away” (v. 4). When we ponder what God has given to us in the Bible, we gain nourishment that can lead to our bearing fruit that lasts. By Amy Boucher Pye How does the Bible provide a foundation for the way you live? What can help you meditate on Scripture throughout the day? Loving God, You’ve given me the gift of Your words in the Bible. Help me to treasure them with gratitude and wonder.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT Psalm 1 introduces the reader to the whole book of Psalms. It sets up the theme of God’s instruction (“law” or “torah,” v. 2), and it anticipates the twofold path before those who read or hear the Psalms: choose faithfulness to God and find life or choose wickedness and find judgment. The two themes of righteousness and wickedness will unfold throughout the book. Some psalms explore the trustworthiness of God (Psalm 25), while others wrestle with how hard it is to trust Him when the wicked seem to win (Psalm 73). And the longest song of all, Psalm 119, explores the life-changing power of the words of God. When we read the Psalms, we join believers in God throughout the ages in ascribing to Him glory, expressing our trust and doubts, and clinging to His promise that He’ll save His people. Jed Ostoich

Hindsight Is Clearer / David Jeremiah

 

Hindsight Is Clearer And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:28 The ability to see, with both eyes, an object clearly from twenty feet away is referred to as 20/20 vision. (In Europe, it is called 6/6 since they use a distance of six meters instead of twenty feet.) While not everyone has 20/20 vision, it is often said that hindsight is always 20/20. That is, we may not be able to see everything clearly as it happens, but after the fact we can see things much more clearly.

Recommended Reading: Esther 2: 1 – 18

While hindsight is not always perfect, from a biblical perspective it means that we sometimes have to wait to see what God’s purpose was in allowing something to happen. There are certainly enough biblical examples to prove that premise. Job, Joseph, David, Daniel, Esther, Paul, and others were puzzled at what God allowed to happen in their lives—but soon came to see God’s hand at work. Especially Esther who saved the Jewish people from genocide in Persia. When God allows circumstances in your life, the purpose of which is not clear, remember the examples and promises of Scripture: “All things work together for good.” Contentment is an embracing of the providence of God.  George Seevers

You Make a Difference / Greg Laurie

You Make a Difference

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:27 NLT)

Every person in the church has an effect on it, for better or for worse.

If you are strong spiritually, then you build up the church a little more. If you are weak spiritually, you weaken it a little more. If you allow God to use you to touch lives, you help the church a little more. And if you’re compromising spiritually, you weaken it a little more. Every person has an effect.

Writing to the church in Corinth, the apostle Paul said, “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad” (1 Corinthians 12:26 NLT).

But Paul also reproved this church because they were boasting about bringing in someone who claimed to be a believer but was living immorally. They were proud of how tolerant they were.

Paul told them, “You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship” (1 Corinthians 5:2 NLT).

You matter in the church. Every person lifting their voice in worship matters. Every gift in the offering matters. And every act we do outside the church matters. If you’re a Christian, then you are an important part of the body of Christ.

We need to get rid of this me-first, what’s-in-it-for-me mindset and start thinking biblically. We need to start asking what we can do to help others and serve others. We need to ask how we can learn to resolve conflicts and maintain the unity that is in the church.

Instead of approaching church like a consumer looking to simply get in and get out every weekend, come in and use the gifts that God has given you.

It can change your life, and it can certainly change the way you see the church. 

Meditate on Scripture / Billy Graham

 

Meditate on Scripture

Many of the difficulties we experience as Christians can be traced to a lack of Bible study and reading. We should not be content to skim through a chapter merely to satisfy our conscience. Hide the Word of God in your heart! A little portion well digested is of greater value to the soul than a lengthy portion scanned hurriedly. Do not be discouraged because you cannot understand it all. Go on reading. As you read, the Holy Spirit will enlighten the passages for you. Reading the Bible has a purifying effect upon the heart and mind.

Daily Prayer

Let the enlightenment of the riches of Your Word sink deep within my soul, Lord.

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭9‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Hope for Today / March 2

 It doesn’t matter how many biblical movies you’ve seen, or how many Holy Land slide shows you’ve endured, or how much of the sacred text you know--nothing takes the place of being there. No virtual experience can fill up our senses. 

I grew up during the Cold War watching fearsome May Day parades through Moscow’s Red Square on television, but being in Red Square – taking in the beauty of St. Basil’s Cathedral – descending into the hellish red granite of Lenin’s tomb – living, loving, and laughing with Russian people, presented a different Russia. Fifteen years of engagement there with OneHope completely rewrote the ethos and pathos of that place in my heart. I grew up with missionary films of Africa, reading National Geographic and marveling at the exoticism of Wild Kingdom, but riding my bike in Africa changed everything. Having narrowly avoided being taken out by a mad ostrich, flying past wild elephants in a pace line, watching a dozen giraffe cross the road ahead, I know a different Africa. And what of a God who is shrouded in ritual and mystery, distanced by millennia, reduced to a Sabbath observance – can we know God if He cannot be experienced? Will our religion be propositional or personal?

“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 ‭NASB1995‬‬

Daily Encouragement / March 2

 There is something arresting about the reply which Joshua received as he challenged the man who stood before him with a drawn sword in his hand, outside the city of Jericho. The divine negative is startling and surprising. The presence of “the commander of the army of the Lord” introduces a new dimension. “The heavenly man” is not “for” or “against;” he is “above.” His real presence brings a touch of eternity to the temporal, and causes us to look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen” (2 Cor. 4:18).

If the presence of this commander introduces a new dimension into our plans as we face the conflict, it has a similar effect upon our personal lives. His message to us does not consist in details about work we must do but is rather a directive to worship: “Take off your sandals . . . ” A sense of the holy is a prerequisite for any understanding of the right strategy for the battle. We must remove our shoes before we put them on. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9:10).

“Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my Lord to say to his servant?””

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬