Our Quiet Dwelling Place by Alistair Begg

Our Quiet Dwelling Place

You have made the Lord your dwelling place —
the Most High, who is my refuge. 
Psalm 91:9

The Israelites in the wilderness were continually exposed to change. Whenever the pillar of cloud stopped, the tents were pitched; but the next day the morning sun arose, the trumpet sounded, the ark was in motion, and the fiery, cloudy pillar was leading the way through the narrow mountain passes, up the hillsides, or along the arid wastes of the wilderness. They scarcely had time to rest a little before they heard the sound of "Onward! this is not your rest; you must keep journeying onward toward Canaan!" They never stayed for long in one place. Even wells and palm trees could not detain them.

They had an abiding home in their God; His cloudy pillar was their roof, and its flame by night their fireplace. They must go onward from place to place, continually changing, never having time to settle or to say, "Now we are secure; we will stay in this place." Moses says, "Though we are always changing, Lord, you have been our dwelling-place throughout all generations."¹

The Christian knows no change with regard to God. He may be rich today and poor tomorrow; he may be sick today and well tomorrow; he may be happy today and sad tomorrow--but there is no change regarding his relationship to God. If He loved me yesterday, He loves me today.

My unmoving mansion of rest is my blessed Lord. Even when prospects are few and hopes are squashed and joy is waning, I have lost nothing of what I have in God. He is "my refuge" to which I continually return. I am a pilgrim in the world, but at home in my God. In the earth I wander, but in God I dwell in a quiet dwelling place.

1) Psalm 90:1

Healing a Painful Memory by Lou Lots

Healing a Painful Memory
February 27, 2019

Read: John 21:15-19

Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you. (v. 17)

Fish wasn’t the only thing that got grilled that morning as the disciples sat with Jesus around the campfire. The Lord repeats his challenge to Peter—”Do you love me?”—three times to match Peter’s three denials in the courtyard of the high priest, so the theory goes. Jesus is offering Peter a way to heal the sting of a painful memory—three affirmations of love to wash away the pain and guilt of three denials.

Is it a coincidence that Peter’s three denials and his three affirmations both take place with the smell of a charcoal fire in the air? A fire is burning, we are told, both in the courtyard of the high priest and here on the seashore. Smell can trigger deep memories. To this day the smell of peppermint transports me back to my childhood when my grandmother would give me a Wilhelmina Peppermint to keep me from squirming and wiggling in the pew in church. The peppermints were thick and chalky, and two of them would get you through an entire sermon. What did Peter remember when he smelled a campfire?

Painful memories cannot be erased, but they can be cleansed, healed, and rendered impotent. Have you denied Jesus? Have you said of Jesus, by your actions or your failure to act, “I don’t know the man!” Those are painful memories, but God forgives you and offers you a clean slate, a new beginning. Jesus is asking you, “Do you love me?” He knows. —Lou Lotz 

As you pray, answer the Lord’s question.

How to Love Others with the Love of Christ / Senior Living

How to Love Others with the Love of Christ

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” - John 13:34

In Ernest Gordon’s famous book Miracle on the River Kwai, he tells the story of captured soldiers who had been forced by their Japanese captors to labor on a jungle railroad. The group was extremely fragmented, but one afternoon something happened. A shovel was missing. The officer in charge became enraged. He demanded that the missing shovel be produced. When nobody in the squadron budged, the officer got his gun and threatened to kill them all on the spot.

Finally, one man stepped forward. So the officer put away his gun, picked up a shovel, and beat the man to death. When it was over, the survivors picked up the corpse and carried it with them to the second tool check. There had been a miscount at the first checkpoint—no shovel was missing.

The word spread like wildfire through the whole camp. An innocent man had been willing to die to save the others. The incident had a profound effect.… The men began to treat each other like brothers. When the victorious Allies swept in, the survivors, human skeletons, lined up in front of their captors and insisted, “No more hatred. No more killing. Now what we need is forgiveness.”

It’s amazing the power that sacrificial love can have. And as those who are in Christ look to the cross and see the sacrificial love that was shown there, they should also be moved to show it to others!

Prayer Challenge:

Pray that God would give you a new appreciation for the sacrificial love that Christ showed you when He died on the cross. Ask that He would empower you to show that kind of love to others as well!

53 Seconds by David Jeremiah

53 Seconds    God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. Psalm 47:8 Does today’s breaking news frustrate you? Probably. The world’s headlines are enough to make our heads spin and our spirits sag. But lay aside the newspaper or turn off the cable news and read Psalm 47 aloud. It will only take 53 seconds at a reasonable speed.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 47

The writer tells us to clap our hands and to shout in triumph (verse 1) for God is awesome, the King of the earth (verse 2). He will subdue peoples and nations (verse 3). We can sing His praises because He reigns over the nations and sits on His throne (verses 6-8). He is greater than all the leaders. He is highly exalted (verse 9). Jesus came to die and rise again, ushering in His kingdom. We are His kingdom now, but one day His kingdom will fully come. Circumstances are aligning for His return and one day soon the kingdoms of this world will be the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.  Jesus may come in the next 53 seconds. So let’s not lose a minute in anxious fretting about this world. Let’s hold tightly to the truth of Psalm 47 and remember Who is truly in charge. When He reigns there will be no one to dispute His Word, for He will be the only Potentate. Harry Ironside

You’re Part Of The Family by Bob & Debby Gass

You’re Part Of The Family  Wed, 27 Feb 2019  ‘In love He predestined us for adoption.’ Ephesians 1:4–5 NIV  We all have a need to belong, to be part of a family. One pastor writes: ‘I know couples with hearts of love who yearn to focus it on some little one, but no little one arrives. When these couples find children to adopt, they don’t tell the children they’d better measure up to expectation if they want to stay in the family. There’s no such thing as three strikes—then back to the agency. No, they accept them with open arms and joy-filled hearts because they love them. They take them into their homes forever, give them the family name, and make them legal heirs.’  Long before we even knew we needed God, He ‘predestined us to adoption as sons [and daughters] by Jesus Christ.’ (Ephesians 1:5 NKJV) Earthly parents get divorced, go separate ways, and start new families. But not God; you never have to worry about your standing and relationship with Him. Regardless of race, colour, creed, or background, when you repent and accept Christ as your Saviour, your adoption becomes binding and permanent. You’re part of His family. And to prove it, ‘The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.’ (Romans 8:16 NKJV)  Do you realise what that means? You never again have to walk around feeling intimidated and fearful, or live under a cloud of condemnation, because you are a child of God and a ‘fellow [heir] with Christ.’ (Romans 8:17 NASB) The word ‘heir’ means you can claim every blessing and benefit Christ purchased for you at the cross. Every single one without exception! SoulFood: Exo 13–15, Luke 12:22–34, Ps 66:1–12, Pro 6:20–22

Mind under Matter by Chuck Swindoll

Mind under Matter

by Chuck Swindoll

Romans 1:18-20

When I was deep in the redwoods some time ago, I lay back and looked up. I mean really up. It was one of those clear summer nights when you could see forever. So starry it was scary. The vastness of the heavens eloquently told the glory of God. No words could adequately frame the awesomeness of that moment. One of my mentors used to say, "Wonder is involuntary praise." That night, it happened to me.

What boggled my mind as I curled up in my sleeping bag that night was this: Everything I have seen belongs to this one galaxy. Perhaps there are a hundred more beyond our own. Maybe a thousand. Or a hundred thousand . . . each one much larger than ours. Who knows?

But let's limit our thinking just to this one solar system . . . a tiny fraction of the universe above us. A scientist once suggested an interesting analogy. To grasp the scene, imagine a perfectly smooth glass pavement on which the finest speck can be seen. Then shrink our sun from 865,000 miles in diameter to only two feet . . . and place the ball on the pavement to represent the sun.

Step off 82 paces (about two feet per pace), and to represent proportionately the first planet, Mercury, put down a tiny mustard seed. Take 60 steps more and for Venus put down an ordinary BB. Mark 78 more steps . . . put down a green pea representing Earth. Step off 108 paces from there, and for Mars put down a pinhead. Then take 788 steps more and place an orange on the glass for Jupiter. After 934 more steps, put down a golf ball for Saturn.

Now it gets really involved.  Mark 2,086 steps more, and for Uranus . . . a marble. Another 2,322 steps from there you arrive at Neptune. Let a cherry represent Neptune. This will take 2 1/2 miles, and we haven't even discussed Pluto!

We have a smooth glass surface 5 miles in diameter, yet just a tiny fraction of the heavens. Now, guess how far we'd have to go on the same scale before we could put down another two-foot ball to represent the nearest star. We'd have to go 6,720 miles! Miles, not feet! And that's just the first star among millions. In one galaxy among hundreds, maybe thousands. And all of it in perpetual motion . . . perfectly synchronized . . . the most accurate timepiece known to man. Phenomenal isn't the word for it.

No God? All by chance? Are you kidding? Listen carefully: "Since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse" (Rom. 1:20, NIV).

The boggled mind leads to a bended knee.

40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Day 3

Day 3 This order and discipline must be sought and found in the morning prayer. It will stand the test at work. Prayer offered in early morning is decisive for the day. The wasted time we are ashamed of, the temptations we succumb to, the weakness and discouragement in our work, the disorder and lack of discipline in our thinking and in our dealings with other people․all these very frequently have their cause in our neglect of morning prayer. The ordering and scheduling of our time will become more secure when it comes from prayer.  Biblical Wisdom In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. Mark 1:35 Questions to Ponder In what ways might “prayer offered in the morning” be “decisive for the day”? Do you agree that many of the problems we encounter have “their cause in our neglect of morning prayer”? Why, or why not? How can prayer lead to the “ordering and scheduling of our time”? Psalm Fragment Give ear to my words, O Lord;    give heed to my sighing. Listen to the sound of my cry,    my King and my God,    for to you I pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;    in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch. Psalm 5:1-3 Journal Reflections Write about how you usually spend your mornings. What do you do before work or school? Are you satisfied with the way you spend your mornings? If not, how would you like to spend your mornings? How is prayer presently a part of your morning? Any changes you would like to make? Prayer for Today Lord, show me a time in the morning when I can listen to you for the day ahead and when I can talk to you for the day ahead.

God's Glory by John MacArthur

God's Glory

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God, and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1).

God’s glory is the radiance of all He is.

In Isaiah’s vision of Heaven, angels called out, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isa. 6:3). What exactly is the glory of God? It encompasses all that He is, the radiance of His attributes and divine nature.

Moses said to God, “I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!” (Ex. 33:18), and the Lord answered, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion” (v. 19). Moses was not allowed to see God’s face, which is the essence of His being: “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” (v. 20). But Moses was allowed to see God’s back, which represents the afterglow of His glory.

Perhaps God’s afterglow is like the radiance of the sun. We only see the light that comes off the sun. If we got too close to it, we would be consumed. If the sun is so brilliant, what must God be like? His glory seen in creation is only a dim reflection of His character.

God displayed His glory many times in Scripture. He represented Himself as a great white cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night as He led Israel through the wilderness (Ex. 13:21). After the Tabernacle was built, “the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Ex. 40:34). Years later, He filled the temple in a similar way (1 Kings 8:10-11). This manifestation of God’s glory served as the focal point of worship for Israel.

God takes His glory very seriously. He said, “I will not give My glory to another” (Isa. 42:8). We must not steal God’s glory by becoming proud and taking credit for the good things He has done. Instead of taking God’s glory, say with David, “I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and will glorify Thy name forever” (Ps. 86:12).

Suggestions for Prayer

Praise God for His glory and majesty.

For Further Study

Read Daniel 4, the story of a powerful man who did not give God the glory. What characterized Nebuchadnezzar in verses 30 and 37?

Our Misgivings About Jesus by Oswald Chambers

Our Misgivings About Jesus The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw [water] with, and the well is deep."  JOHN 4:11 Have you ever said to yourself, “I am impressed with the wonderful truths of God’s Word, but He can’t really expect me to live up to that and work all those details into my life!” When it comes to confronting Jesus Christ on the basis of His qualities and abilities, our attitudes reflect religious superiority. We think His ideals are lofty and they impress us, but we believe He is not in touch with reality— that what He says cannot actually be done. Each of us thinks this about Jesus in one area of our life or another. These doubts or misgivings about Jesus begin as we consider questions that divert our focus away from God. While we talk of our dealings with Him, others ask us, “Where are you going to get enough money to live? How will you live and who will take care of you?” Or our misgivings begin within ourselves when we tell Jesus that our circumstances are just a little too difficult for Him. We say, “It’s easy to say, ‘Trust in the Lord,’ but a person has to live; and besides, Jesus has nothing with which to draw water— no means to be able to give us these things.” And beware of exhibiting religious deceit by saying, “Oh, I have no misgivings about Jesus, only misgivings about myself.” If we are honest, we will admit that we never have misgivings or doubts about ourselves, because we know exactly what we are capable or incapable of doing. But we do have misgivings about Jesus. And our pride is hurt even at the thought that He can do what we can’t. My misgivings arise from the fact that I search within to find how He will do what He says. My doubts spring from the depths of my own inferiority. If I detect these misgivings in myself, I should bring them into the light and confess them openly— “Lord, I have had misgivings about You. I have not believed in Your abilities, but only my own. And I have not believed in Your almighty power apart from my finite understanding of it.” From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS The fiery furnaces are there by God’s direct permission. It is misleading to imagine that we are developed in spite of our circumstances; we are developed because of them. It is mastery in circumstances that is needed, not mastery over them. from The Love of God—The Message of Invincible Consolation, 674 R

The Sufficiency of God’s Grace by Charles Stanley

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

The Lord pledges to give us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). It’s a promise He always keeps. Yet when life hits us hard, we may be tempted to doubt and give up. If our faith starts to waver, we need to think about what we have already received from Him and then look for evidence that He’s at work.

We should remember that we’ve been freed from sin’s penalty. Because Jesus paid the full price by dying on the cross in our place, we owe nothing for our wrongdoing. God now regards us as blameless—at salvation, we each became a new creation and were given Christ’s righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30). Originally, we were headed toward permanent separation from the Lord, but our eternal destiny has been changed to a heavenly home in His presence. And God’s Holy Spirit lives within us as our constant companion and source of strength.

We also should keep in mind that even in the worst of situations, our Father works to accomplish His will. Joseph experienced betrayal when his brothers sold him into slavery, and later he suffered injustice when imprisoned for doing the right thing. In the end, he realized that the Lord had graciously used those circumstances to rescue his family from a life-threatening famine (Gen. 45:5). In a similar way, God uses adversity to develop our character and dependence on Him. He works through trials to bless us and others.

Because of the Lord’s sustaining grace, we have access to His power, wisdom, and guidance. When we ask, God’s Spirit will provide the strength to persevere and help us fight doubt.

Working off Bad Information by Winn Collier

Working off Bad Information

Winn Collier

Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge. Proverbs 23:12

Proverbs 23:9–12

On a recent trip to New York City, my wife and I wanted to brave a snowy evening and hire a taxi for a three-mile ride from our hotel to a Cuban restaurant. After entering the details into the taxi service’s app, I gulped hard when the screen revealed the price for our short jaunt: $1,547.26. After recovering from the shock, I realized I had mistakenly requested a ride to our home—several hundred miles away!

If you’re working with the wrong information, you’re going to end up with disastrous results. Always. This is why Proverbs encourages us to “apply [our] heart to instruction and [our] ears to words of knowledge”—God’s wisdom (Proverbs 23:12). If we instead seek advice from those who are foolish, those who pretend to know more than they do and who have turned their back on God, we’ll be in trouble. They “scorn . . . prudent words” and can lead us astray with unhelpful, misguided, or even deceptive advice (v. 9).

Instead, we can bend our “ears to words of knowledge” (v. 12). We can open our heart and receive God’s liberating instruction, words of clarity and hope. When we listen to those who know the deep ways of God, they help us receive and follow divine wisdom. And God’s wisdom will never lead us astray but always encourages and leads us toward life and wholeness.

God, bend my ears and heart toward wisdom. Help me be open to Your truth and push away every kind of foolishness.

A fool’s wisdom always leads to a dead end, but God’s wisdom always opens up new horizons.

What Is Success? by Adrian Rogers

What Is Success?

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

You’ve heard it said, “The one who dies with the most toys wins.” Is that success? Having your dreams come true? Getting all you want? Earning enough money so that you never have to work again? 

May I tell you what success is? And I say this without equivocation. Success is the progressive realization of the will of God for your life. That’s what it is. 

It’s not how much money you have. It’s not how famous you are. It’s not how healthy you are. It’s not how many friends you have or how many toys you have acquired. Success is nothing more, nothing less, than the progressive realization of the will of God for your life.

Do you want to know God’s will? Do you want your heart’s desire to come true? 

Read Micah 6:8. What does God require of you? 

Read Psalm 37:4. What is God calling you to do?

Practice the Fruits of the Spirit by Billy Graham

Practice the Fruits of the Spirit

Christ can rid you of inner conflict. Man without God is always torn between two urges. His nature prompts him to do wrong, and his conscience urges him to do right. Antagonistic desires and crossed-up emotions keep him in a state of personal instability. Medical men have almost concluded that this conflict is the basis of much physical breakdown and nervous collapse. Many doctors now believe that among the contributing causes of the common cold are stress, tension, and inner conflict. Paul must have been in the midst of such a personal civil war when he cried, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Then he answered his own question when he said, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Daily Prayer

Only Your Holy Spirit, Lord, can control my innermost feelings. Help me to be conscious of Your presence this day.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:22-23‬ ‭NASB‬‬

February 26 / Streams in the Desert

But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me. (2 Cor 12:9)

The other evening I was riding home after a heavy day’s work. I felt very wearied, and sore depressed, when swiftly, and suddenly as a lightning flash, that text came to me, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” I reached home and looked it up in the original, and at last it came to me in this way, “MY grace is sufficient for thee”; and I said, “I should think it is, Lord,” and burst out laughing. I never fully understood what the holy laughter of Abraham was until then. It seemed to make unbelief so absurd. It was as though some little fish, being very thirsty, was troubled about drinking the river dry, and Father Thames said, “Drink away, little fish, my stream is sufficient for thee.” Or, it seemed after the seven years of plenty, a mouse feared it might die of famine; and Joseph might say, “Cheer up, little mouse, my granaries are sufficient for thee.” Again, I imagined a man away up yonder, in a lofty mountain, saying to himself, “I breathe so many cubic feet of air every year, I fear I shall exhaust the oxygen in the atmosphere,” but the earth might say, “Breathe away, O man, and fill the lungs ever, my atmosphere is sufficient for thee.” Oh, brethren, be great believers! Little faith will bring your souls to Heaven, but great faith will bring Heaven to your souls.
—C. H. Spurgeon

His grace is great enough to meet the great things
The crashing waves that overwhelm the soul,
The roaring winds that leave us stunned and breathless,
The sudden storm beyond our life’s control.

His grace is great enough to meet the small things
The little pin-prick troubles that annoy,
The insect worries, buzzing and persistent,
The squeaking wheels that grate upon our joy.
—Annie Johnson Flint

There is always a large balance to our credit in the bank of Heaven waiting for our exercise of faith in drawing it. Draw heavily upon His resources.