Do It Now! / Oswald Chambers

 

Do It Now! Agree with your adversary quickly… MATTHEW 5:25 In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ‘till you have paid the last penny’ (Matthew 5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being. Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint? Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19–21). “Agree with your adversary quickly….” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now! Bible in One Year: Job 17-19; Acts 10:1-23

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS The great point of Abraham’s faith in God was that he was prepared to do anything for God.

Attributes of God / Charles Stanley

 

Attributes of God

There is always more to learn about the goodness of our Creator.

Psalm 90:1-2

For us as believers, understanding as much as we can about the Lord deepens our relationship with Him. It also helps us to share our faith with others. With that in mind, let’s explore four attributes of almighty God.

1. He has the qualities of personhood. Mankind was created with the ability to feel, reason, and make decisions. And God has the capacity for emotion as well—Genesis 1:26 says we were made in His image. The Bible frequently makes mention of His feelings, like anger and love.

2. The Lord is spirit (John 4:23-24). Because of this, He has no limitations. He isn’t confined to a place, so we can worship Him anywhere. What’s more, His Holy Spirit indwells each believer, so we can enjoy His presence and guidance anytime (Psalm 66:18).

3. God is eternal (Isaiah 40:28). He always was, is now, and forever will be. Nothing existed before Him or will outlast Him.

4. Our Father is unchangeable (Malachi 3:6). His nature and attributes always remain constant. Yes, God experiences variety in emotions, but not in the essence of His character.

What a blessing that God would teach us about Himself through the Bible. Praise Him for His attributes, and continue seeking to know Him better through His Word.

Are You Living in Defeat or Victory?/ Adrian Rogers

Are You Living in Defeat or Victory?

Ephesians 1:17-21

Sermon: 1879 The Conquering Christ

Pray Over This

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.”

Ephesians 1:17-21

Ponder This

We have something that Adam never had. Adam was innocent; we are righteous. Adam was there in the Garden of Eden, and he sinned. But you and I have the Lord Jesus Christ as part of us. Don’t think of the Church as an organization with Christ as the president. The Church is an organism. It is a body with Christ as the head, and what is true about the Lord Jesus Christ is true about you. Jesus did not defeat Satan on His own behalf—He defeated Satan on our behalf. We have been co-executed, co-risen, and co-exalted with the Lord Jesus Christ. He became a son of man so that we might become sons and daughters of God. He took our sins so that we might be innocent. He became guilty so that we might be acquitted. He was filled with despair so that we might be filled with joy. He took our shame so that we might take His glory. He endured the pains of Hell so that we might have the blessings of heaven. The Lamb has triumphed. He has prevailed, and that’s why He commissioned us in Matthew 28:18-20: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

• How have you lived in defeat despite Jesus’ victory on your behalf?
• If you are a follower of Jesus, how has your shared identity with Him changed your approach to life? If you are not, how do you need to respond to Him today?

Practice This

Make a list of ways you live in defeat daily. Make a corresponding list of ways Jesus has achieved victory in these areas. 

Parting Words / ODB

Parting Words The Lord is not slow . . . . He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish. 2 Peter 3:9 READ 1 Samuel 12:1, 19–24  As he neared the end of his life, John M. Perkins had a message for the people he would leave behind. Perkins, known for advocating racial reconciliation, said, “Repentance is the only way back to God. Unless you repent, you will all perish.” These words mirror the language of Jesus and many other people in the Bible. Christ said, “Unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke 13:3). The apostle Peter said, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out” (Acts 3:19). Much earlier in Scripture, we read the words of yet another person who desired that his people would turn to God. In his farewell address “to all Israel” (1 Samuel 12:1), the prophet, priest, and judge Samuel said, “Do not be afraid. You have done . . . evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart” (v. 20). This was his message of repentance—to turn from evil and follow God wholeheartedly. We all sin and miss the mark of His standard. So we need to repent, which means to turn away from sin and turn to Jesus, who forgives us and empowers us to follow Him. Let’s heed the words of two men, John Perkins and Samuel, who recognized how God can use the power of repentance to change us into people He can use for His honor. By Dave Branon Why is it vital to turn from sin and ask Christ for forgiveness? What does it mean for you to follow God with all your heart? Dear God, guide me to true repentance. Please help me to recognize my sin and put my total trust in the saving power of Jesus. For further study, read Taking Sin Seriously.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT When God freed the Israelites from Egyptian bondage to make them into “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6), He specifically commanded them not the follow the ways of her pagan neighbors or worship their gods (23:32; Deuteronomy 7:1–6). Israel was a theocratic monarchy—God was their Lawgiver and King (Isaiah 33:22; 43:15), and they were to live according to His law (Deuteronomy 26:16–19). God anticipated the day that Israel would ask for a king (17:14–19) so they’d be “like all the other nations” (1 Samuel 8:5, 20). Refusing to be God’s “holy nation” (Exodus 19:6), the Israelites rejected God’s ways and His rule over them to follow the ways of pagan nations and other gods (1 Samuel 8:7–8). God warned the Israelites of the consequences of asking for such a king (vv. 10–21). K. T. Sim

 

All Things/ David Jeremiah

All Things I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13   The words trials and temptations are from the same root word. So it is no surprise that they are also connected spiritually as well as grammatically. A test can become a trial, and a trial can lead to temptation. Take Job, for example, in the Old Testament. He was tested, and his test became a lengthy trial during which he was tempted to doubt God’s fairness and goodness. But he hung on and resolved his trial by affirming his faith in God’s goodness.

Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Paul summarized his approach to hardship by writing, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” His words convey the same truth as the words of Moses to the generation of Israelites entering the Promised Land: “For this commandment which I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it far away” (Deuteronomy 30:11, NASB). And Paul said he did not resent the tests and trials in his life because they gave him opportunity to display the grace of Christ in his experience (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).  God always makes a way through trials and temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13). You can do all things today through Christ.   Temptations are everywhere, and so is the grace of God. Unknown

 

Heart, Soul, and Mind / Greg Laurie

 Heart, Soul, and Mind

“ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38NLT)

When the Pharisees were trying to set a trap for Jesus, they asked Him this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” (Matthew 22:36 NLT).

Jesus told them, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment” (verses 37–38 NLT).

In our culture when we speak of the heart, we’re generally referring to our emotions. For instance, we might say, “My mind is telling me one thing, but my heart is telling me another.”

So, what did Jesus mean when He said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind”?

Is this saying that we should merely do this from our emotions and disengage our intellect? No. In the original language, the heart refers to the core of a person’s being. The soul refers to what we would call emotion. And the mind refers to intellectual vigor and determination.

Therefore, our love for the Lord should be intelligent, feeling, and willing. Notice that God wants all three.

However, some may love the Lord with all their minds but not with all their souls. They believe certain things to be true, but they are not emotionally engaged. There are others who love God with all their souls but not all their minds. They relate to God emotionally, but they don’t fill their minds with God’s Word.

The Bible calls for balance. It’s telling us to love God with every fiber of our beings. We love Him with our intellectual ability, our emotional passion, and our strength. We should love God with everything we have.

The Lord’s Family Tree By Anne Graham Lotz

The Lord’s Family Tree By Anne Graham Lotz Inspiring stories of how God’s love heals wounded hearts are found in the names of women listed at the beginning of Matthew’s gospel—a genealogical record of Jesus Christ’s ancestors. Just like God transformed Christ’s extended family into a testimony of His amazing grace, He can do the same for you and your family.  Read More

TODAY’S PRAYER Heavenly Father, help us to find comfort and healing in Your Word when we are wounded by those we love. We ask You to work through our family relationships for Your glory. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

Do You Believe This? / Ann Graham Lotz

 Do You Believe This?

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.”

John 11:25, niv

Do you believe this? Do you believe that . . .                      
                       when there is no hope,
                                when there is no recourse,
                                        when there is no answer,
                                                  when there is no help,
                                                           when there is no way,
                                                  when there is no remedy,
                                      when there is no solution,
                           when there is nobody,
there is hope if you have Jesus?! Do you believe that Jesus can make a way when there is no way?

With Jesus, all things are possible!

Come and Drink / Max Lucado

 

Come and Drink

Click below to listen to today's devotional

COME AND DRINK 

On my list of things I wish I’d learned earlier, this truth hovers near the top. Grace came my way packaged in a church. Congregations and their leaders changed me. But then the churches struggled, even divided. Mature men acted less than that. The box ripped, the faucet clogged, and my heart, for a time, sank.

Not a moment too soon, I heard the invitation of the still-running fountain. “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.”

God describes himself as “the fountain of living water.” Thank him for the faucets, but don’t trust them to nourish you. Thank him for the boxes in which his gifts come, but don’t fail to open them. And most of all, do not fail to read the note: Dear child of mine, are you thirsty? Come and drink. I delight in you. I will never fail you or forsake you!

Bible in One Year: June 29

 Bible in One Year: Job 14-16; Acts 9:22-43

The Strictest Discipline / Oswald Chambers

The Strictest Discipline If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. MATTHEW 5:30 Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind. When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed. There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you. But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else. The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well–rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Bible in One Year: Job 14-16; Acts 9:22-43

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS The attitude of a Christian towards the providential order in which he is placed is to recognize that God is behind it for purposes of His own.

 

A Clean Heart / Charles Stanley

A Clean Heart

Psalms 119:9-11

Reaching our full potential begins with a clean heart—one that loves the Lord and desires to obey Him. However, each of us was born with a nature bent away from God. Jeremiah 17:9 describes the heart as deceitful and inclined towards wickedness. Pleasing self is man’s normal state.

Salvation changed our hearts and lives. Jesus’ death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin and broke its power over us. By receiving Christ as Savior, we each became a new creation—with a heart sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading and a mind that strongly desires to know the Father better. We also received the Spirit’s power to deny our selfish desires and obey God. With clean hearts, we can begin to realize the capabilities our loving Lord has given us.

The best way to maintain a clean heart is by meditating on Scripture. It acts like a mirror in which we see ourselves as God does. Through it, we discover the areas where we have been faithful and also the places where we’ve veered from His path. Expressing genuine repentance brings God’s forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9).

The heart represents the seat of our mind, will, and emotions. When we strive to keep it pure, we will more easily discern the Lord’s plan, submit our will to His, and follow Him obediently.

Becoming the person God planned for each of us to be requires an intimate relationship with Him and a desire to obey His Word. Apart from Jesus, we can’t achieve anything of lasting value (John 15:5). Cooperating with the Holy Spirit’s transforming work will help us keep our hearts clean. 

How Do You Deal with Guilt?/ Adrian Rogers

How Do You Deal with Guilt?

2 Corinthians 7:10

Sermon: 2188 Haunted by the Ghost of Guilt, Part 2

Pray Over This

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

2 Corinthians 7:10

Ponder This

It is important to know the difference between accusation and conviction. The Holy Spirit is the convict-er; He will convict you of sin. The devil is the accuser; he will accuse you of sin. Accusation comes from Satan and causes you to feel hopeless and helpless. Judas was an example of this: he betrayed the Lord and was filled with remorse, which led him to suicide. His remorse did not draw him back to Jesus; it drove him from Jesus. True conviction draws you to the Lord. True conviction causes brokenness that leads you to be broken over your sin and to be broken from your sin. Simon Peter was convicted of his sin when he denied the Lord; he wept bitterly, and God restored him.

Satan accuses you not only before God, but he also accuses you to your face. He wants you to focus your attention on anything but Jesus. He wants you to live under the dark cloud of guilt and despair. When I teach about sin, I will not harp on guilt because that is not what brings true conviction and repentance. Guilt only brings remorse and beats people down; it becomes a tool of the devil.

• When have you experienced conviction? How did you respond?
• How have you seen the pain of guilt in your own life?

Practice This

Consider the last time you beat yourself up for something God has forgiven you of. Talk to God in prayer about that now. 

The Gospel in Unexpected Places / ODB

 

The Gospel in Unexpected Places Many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him. Mark 2:15 READ Mark 2:13–17 Recently, I found myself someplace I’d seen in movies and on TV more times than I could count: Hollywood, California. There, in the foothills of Los Angeles, those enormous white letters marched proudly across that famous hillside as I viewed them from my hotel window. Then I noticed something else: down to the left was a prominent cross. I’d never seen that in a movie. And the moment I left my hotel room, some students from a local church began to share Jesus with me. We might sometimes think of Hollywood as only the epicenter of worldliness, in utter contrast with God’s kingdom. Yet clearly Christ was at work there, catching me by surprise with His presence. The Pharisees were consistently surprised by where Jesus turned up. He didn’t hang out with the people they expected. Instead, Mark 2:13–17 tells us He spent time with “tax collectors and sinners” (v. 15), people whose lives practically screamed, “Unclean!” Yet there Jesus was, among those who needed Him most (vv. 16–17). More than two thousand years later, Jesus continues to plant His message of hope and salvation in unexpected places, among the most unexpected of people. And He’s called and equipped us to be a part of that mission.    By Adam Holz When have you noticed God at work in a place that surprised you? What adjustments might you make to be open to the Spirit leading you into unexpected places? Heavenly Father, thank You for showing up even in places where I’m tempted to believe You’re absent. Thank You for calling me to be a part of Your mission.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT The Pharisees accused Jesus of associating with two groups of “undesirable” people—tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:16). Tax collectors were despised and hated by the Jews because they were regarded as greedy mercenaries and traitors working for the Roman conquerors. They also collected more money than the mandated Roman tax, pocketing the excess and enriching themselves at the expense of their own people (Luke 3:12–13). “Sinners,” in Jewish parlance, were the notoriously wicked; reprobates who rejected God’s law. The Pharisees also used “sinners” to denote anyone who didn’t meticulously maintain ceremonial purity or follow their rigid pharisaic standards. Tax collectors were deliberately lumped together with sinners to show how degenerate and wicked the tax-collectors were. Jesus was invited to dine with all sorts of people, even with the Pharisees (7:36; 11:37). He ate so often with social and religious outcasts—the scum of society—that He earned the reputation as “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (7:34). K. T. Sim