August 30 / Wisdom from the Psalms

Psalms 108:13
Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

Dan could think of nothing he would want to do less than speak in front of an audience. And yet, here he was preparing to speak to a conference of young men and women on the importance of Christ in his life. If not for the transforming power of Christ in his life, Dan knew he would never be able to get up in front of that crowd to speak. Through Christ, all things really were possible. Miracles could still happen, and Dan could break his bonds of shyness to spread the Gospel word.

 

God allows us to do valiantly. Things we never thought possible become almost commonplace. God will enable us to do things we never even dreamed of. Rely upon the Lord, and He will help you conquer the enemies of your heart and mind that threaten to make you less than He wants you to be.

 

Prayer: I can be my own worst enemy, Lord. Help me to overcome the things in my life that make me less than I can be. Use me in whatever way You can. Amen.

The Unsurpassed Intimacy of Tested Faith by Oswald Chambers

The Unsurpassed Intimacy of Tested Faith Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  JOHN 11:40 Every time you venture out in your life of faith, you will find something in your circumstances that, from a commonsense standpoint, will flatly contradict your faith. But common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense. In fact, they are as different as the natural life and the spiritual. Can you trust Jesus Christ where your common sense cannot trust Him? Can you venture out with courage on the words of Jesus Christ, while the realities of your commonsense life continue to shout, “It’s all a lie”? When you are on the mountaintop, it’s easy to say, “Oh yes, I believe God can do it,” but you have to come down from the mountain to the demon-possessed valley and face the realities that scoff at your Mount-of-Transfiguration belief (see Luke 9:28-42). Every time my theology becomes clear to my own mind, I encounter something that contradicts it. As soon as I say, “I believe ‘God shall supply all [my] need,’ ” the testing of my faith begins (Philippians 4:19). When my strength runs dry and my vision is blinded, will I endure this trial of my faith victoriously or will I turn back in defeat? Faith must be tested, because it can only become your intimate possession through conflict. What is challenging your faith right now? The test will either prove your faith right, or it will kill it. Jesus said, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” Matthew 11:6). The ultimate thing is confidence in Jesus. “We have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end…” (Hebrews 3:14). Believe steadfastly on Him and everything that challenges you will strengthen your faith. There is continual testing in the life of faith up to the point of our physical death, which is the last great test. Faith is absolute trust in God— trust that could never imagine that He would forsake us (see Hebrews 13:5-6). From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS God engineers circumstances to see what we will do. Will we be the children of our Father in heaven, or will we go back again to the meaner, common-sense attitude? Will we stake all and stand true to Him? “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” The crown of life means I shall see that my Lord has got the victory after all, even in me.

Overcoming Obstacles by Charles Stanley

Joshua 6:1-5

We’ll face many types of hindrances in our life, such as a difficult boss, contrary family members, or financial trouble. But remember, nothing can touch you without God’s consent.

Consider how unlikely a victory seemed for Joshua’s army: Not only was there a great wall protecting Jericho, but God had also issued strange instructions to march around it. Yet the Lord had promised the Israelites the land, and Joshua believed Him. He wasn’t fazed by what seemed unconquerable. Instead, he acknowledged God’s power and complied. 

Even before that, God had already been at work, preparing the city for destruction by instilling fear into the kings of that region (Josh. 2:8-14). It may have been an unlikely battle plan, but because Joshua obeyed, God’s people triumphed.

It’s tempting to wonder if God will help us when we face hindrances. But as was true with Joshua, God has gone before us and is preparing the way. No matter how He chooses to handle a problem, His solution is always in our best interest.

Whenever you face an obstacle, you may experience great heartache. But even in the midst of pain, you can have full confidence in God. The most important part of each day is the time you spend alone with the Lord. He’ll encourage you with His love and guidance.

Not to Decide Is to Decide by Adrian Rogers

Not to Decide Is to Decide

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore, choose life, that both you and your descendants may live. Deuteronomy 30:19

Years ago, I was witnessing to a young lady in Florida. I asked her if she had received Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She became teary-eyed and said, 

“I just don’t seem…no…I can’t do it today.”

I asked her, “Don’t you realize that if you don’t receive Him, you’re denying Him?” 

“Oh,” she said, “I wouldn’t deny Him for anything!”

I said, “But there’s no middle ground.”

And yet she still refused.

“Before you go,” I said, “would you shake hands with me?”

“Well, certainly.”

And so I said, “If you’ll take Christ as your Savior, take my right hand. If you’ll take hell and refuse Christ, take my left hand.”

She refused to take either of my hands.

Every person has a choice. If you say, “I think I won’t choose just now…” you’ve made a choice. There is no neutral ground. You are either crowning Jesus as Lord of your life or you are not. Which is it, my friend?

The Ultimate Wave by James Banks

The Ultimate Wave

James Banks

The gospel is bearing fruit and growing. Colossians 1:6

Colossians 1:1–8

People love doing “the wave.” At sporting events and concerts around the world, it begins when a few people stand and raise their hands. A moment later, those seated beside them do the same. The goal is to have one sequential flowing movement work its way around an entire stadium. Once it reaches the end, those who started it smile and cheer—and keep the movement going.

The first recorded incident of the wave occurred at a professional baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees in 1981. I love joining in the wave because it’s fun. But it’s also occurred to me that the happiness and togetherness we experience while doing it is reminiscent of the gospel—the good news of salvation in Jesus that unites believers everywhere in praise and hope. This “ultimate wave” started over twenty centuries ago in Jerusalem. Writing to the members of the church in Colossae, Paul described it this way: “The gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it” (Colossians 1:6). The natural result of this good news is “faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for [us] in heaven” (v. 5).

As believers in Jesus, we’re part of the greatest wave in history. Keep it going! Once it’s done, we’ll see the smile of the One who started it all.

From whom did you first hear the good news of Jesus? How can you share it with another person close to you this week?

I praise You for the wonderful gift of my salvation, Father. Please send me to someone who needs to hear of Your kindness today!

Just As I Am by Billy Graham

Just As I Am

A long-haired blonde from a southern university seemed to be enjoying a satisfactory student career when her grades began to slip. “Life had become one long case of the blahs,” she confessed later. “I wasn’t walking around with a steady load of blues, but I wasn’t enjoying life. Small things made me blow up. I met some kids who seemed to know something I didn’t know, but I couldn’t get in on it. We went to several meetings, and one night the speaker said that we don’t earn God’s love. He takes us as we are. It was then I realized it wasn’t a matter of clocking up a certain number of hours doing good deeds. Instead, I had to make myself available. Through faith, I had to let Him take over. It came together all at once, when I accepted Christ as my personal Savior. I know that God is in me in everything I do. My life has taken on a new dimension.” Does your life have this new dimension? It can! Just begin now with Jesus Christ! When you make this beginning, it will be your first step toward realizing personal fulfillment, meaning, and joy.

Daily Prayer

By faith, loving Father, I ask You to take over every part of my life—draw me closer to Your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ.

“Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

August 29 / C.S. Lewis

If the first and lowest operation of pain shatters the illusion that all is well, the second shatters the illusion that what we have, whether good or bad in itself, is our own and enough for us. Everyone has noticed how hard it is to turn our thoughts to God when everything is going well with us. We ‘have all we want’ is a terrible saying when ‘all’ does not include God. We find God an interruption. As St Augustine says somewhere, ‘God wants to give us something, but cannot, because our hands are full—there’s nowhere for Him to put it.’ Or as a friend of mine said, ‘We regard God as an airman regards his parachute; it’s there for emergencies but he hopes he’ll never have to use it.’ Now God, who has made us, knows what we are and that our happiness lies in Him. Yet we will not seek it in Him as long as he leaves us any other resort where it can even plausibly be looked for. While what we call ‘our own life’ remains agreeable we will not surrender it to Him. What then can God do in our interests but make ‘our own life’ less agreeable to us, and take away the plausible source of false happiness?

From The Problem of Pain
Compiled in A Year with C.S. Lewis

The Problem of Pain. Copyright © 1940, C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. Copyright restored © 1996 by C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers. A Year With C.S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classic Works. Copyright © 2003 by C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

"I CAN'T COME DOWN" / Draw Near Bible App

"I CAN'T COME DOWN"

Satan will do everything possible to stop the work of God. The book of Nehemiah exposes some of the subtle tricks the devil uses to stop or slow down the progress of the Kingdom. Called to rebuild the crumbled wall of Jerusalem, Nehemiah faced the almost impossible task of inspiring a defeated people. They had been living under the threats of their enemies for so long that they had resigned themselves to the prospect of never being any better off. Nehemiah changed all that.

Riding into the city with a kind king's decree, Nehemiah challenged the people to rebuild the walls. Immediately Sanballat and Tobiah, longtime enemies of the Jews, launched a campaign to stop the work. By threat, innuendo, and ridicule, they tried to get the Israelites to stop building the wall. Finally, when none of these worked, they sent a servant who said, "At least, can't we talk about it?" Nehemiah recognized the trick for what it was and curtly replied that he was involved in a great work for God and could not come down. His determination paid off, and the people finished the wall in a record fifty-two days. Their city was again safe.

As we work for God, Satan will do everything he can to discourage us. He has not changed his tactics and still uses threats, innuendos, ridicule, and compromise. Often, we get so caught up defending our position that we cannot get the work done on our wall of faith. Nehemiah's book shows us we do not have to be victimized by the devil. We can rise above all of his onslaughts. We are involved in the greatest work in the world and we "cannot come down."

“so I replied by sending this message to them: “I am engaged in a great work, so I can’t come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?””

‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭6:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

One of Christianity’s Most Offensive Teachings by Greg Laurie

One of Christianity’s Most Offensive Teachings

“You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God” (Ephesians 2:2 nlt).

The idea of divine judgment is probably one of Christianity’s most offensive teachings. I think this is because there’s a lot of misinformation about Hell and the Devil.

For example, some like to think that Hell is a continuous party place. Another false assumption is that the Devil lives in Hell and has red skin, horns, hooves, and a pitchfork.

But none of that is biblical. The Bible describes the Devil as “the commander of the powers in the unseen world . . . the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God” (Ephesians 2:2 nlt). He’s not in Hell now, but he’s going there one day.

Because of Christianity’s biblical teaching on Hell, some atheists have criticized our faith and said that it’s at the root of a lot of the world’s problems. They claim that people, because they believe this, do horrible things in the name of religion.

Actually, history directly contradicts that assertion. History shows us that a lack of belief in God and in the afterlife is at the root of many atrocities.

If the atheistic Joseph Stalin really believed that he would be accountable to God and face Him one day, do you think he would have been as cruel as he was?

Would Mao Tse-tung and other atheistic mass murderers have done the things they did if they believed they would face a final judgment?

If Hitler believed in a future judgment, would he have murdered six million Jewish people?

Timothy Keller points out, “It is the lack of belief in a God of vengeance that ‘secretly nourishes violence.’” So, we can view a belief in Hell as a constraint on cruelty.

Belief in the afterlife affects us in this life as well as the next one. And it should motivate us to live godly lives.

August 29 / Streams in the Desert

And he went out carrying his own cross (John 19:17).

There is a poem called "The Changed Cross." It represents a weary one who thought that her cross was surely heavier than those of others whom she saw about her, and she wished that she might choose an other instead of her own. She slept, and in her dream she was led to a place where many crosses lay, crosses of different shapes and sizes. There was a little one most beauteous to behold, set in jewels and gold. "Ah, this I can wear with comfort," she said. So she took it up, but her weak form shook beneath it. The jewels and the gold were beautiful, but they were far too heavy for her.

Next she saw a lovely cross with fair flowers entwined around its sculptured form. Surely that was the one for her. She lifted it, but beneath the flowers were piercing thorns which tore her flesh.

At last, as she went on, she came to a plain cross, without jewels, without carvings, with only a few words of love inscribed upon it. This she took up and it proved the best of all, the easiest to be borne. And as she looked upon it, bathed in the radiance that fell from Heaven, she recognized her own old cross. She had found it again, and it was the best of all and lightest for her.

God knows best what cross we need to bear. We do not know how heavy other people's crosses are. We envy someone who is rich; his is a golden cross set with jewels, but we do not know how heavy it is. Here is another whose life seems very lovely. She bears a cross twined with flowers. If we could try all the other crosses that we think lighter than our own, we would at last find that not one of them suited us so well as our own.
--Glimpses through Life's Windows

If thou, impatient, dost let slip thy cross,
Thou wilt not find it in this world again;
Nor in another: here and here alone
Is given thee to suffer for God's sake.
In other worlds we may more perfectly
Love Him and serve Him, praise Him,
Grow nearer and nearer to Him with delight.
But then we shall not any more
Be called to suffer, which is our appointment here.
Canst thou not suffer, then, one hour or two?
If He should call thee from thy cross today,
Saying: "It is finished-that hard cross of thine
From which thou prayest for deliverance,
"Thinkest thou not some passion of regret
Would overcome thee? Thou would'st say,
"So soon? Let me go back and suffer yet awhile
More patiently. I have not yet praised God."
Whensoe'er it comes, that summons that we look for,
It will seem soon, too soon. Let us take heed in time
That God may now be glorified in us.
--Ugo Bassi's Sermon in a Hospital

The Reward of Careful Walking by Alistair Begg

The Reward of Careful Walking 

All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.

Numbers 6:4

Nazirites had taken, among other vows, one that debarred them from the use of wine. In order that they might not violate the obligation, they were forbidden to drink the vinegar of wine or strong liquors; and to make the rule even clearer, they were not to touch the unfermented juice of grapes, nor even to eat the fruit either fresh or dried. In order to secure the integrity of the vow, they were not even allowed anything that had to do with the vine; they were, in fact, to avoid the appearance of evil.

Surely this is a lesson to the Lord's separated ones, teaching them to come away from sin in every form, to avoid not merely its grosser shapes but even its spirit and likeness. Such strict walking is much despised in these days, but rest assured, dear reader, it is the safest and happiest path. He who yields a point or two to the world is in fearful peril; he who eats the grapes of Sodom will soon drink the wine of Gomorrah. A little crevice in the seawall in Holland lets in the sea, and the gap soon swells until a province is drowned.

Worldly conformity, in any degree, is a snare to the soul and makes it more and more liable to presumptuous sins. The Nazirite who drank grape juice could not be completely certain whether or not it had fermented and consequently could not be clear in heart that his vow was intact. In a similar way the yielding, vacillating Christian cannot have a clear conscience but is constantly aware of his double standard. Doubtful things we need not wonder about; they are wrong for us. Tempting things we must not play with, but run from them speedily. Better to be sneered at as a Puritan than to be despised as a hypocrite. Careful walking may involve much self-denial, but it has pleasures of its own that are more than a sufficient reward.

God Believes in You by Max Lucado

God Believes in You 
by Max Lucado

The tale involves a wealthy father and a willful son. The boy prematurely takes his inheritance and moves to Las Vegas and there wastes the money on slot machines and call girls. As fast as you can say “blackjack,” he is broke. Too proud to go home, he gets a job sweeping horse stables at the racetrack. When he finds himself tasting some of their oats and thinking, H’m, a dash of salt and this wouldn’t be too bad, he realizes enough is enough. It’s time to go home. The gardener at his father’s house does better than this. So off he goes, rehearsing his repentance speech every step of the way.

But the father has other ideas. He “had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.”

We don’t expect such a response. We expect crossed arms and a furrowed brow. At best a guarded handshake. At least a stern lecture. But the father gives none of these. Instead he gives gifts. “Bring out the best robe … a ring … sandals.… And bring the fatted calf … and let us eat and be merry” (Luke 15:11–23 NKJV). Robe, sandals, calf, and … Did you see it? A ring.

Before the boy has a chance to wash his hands, he has a ring to put on his finger. In Christ’s day rings were more than gifts; they were symbols of delegated sovereignty. The bearer of the ring could speak on behalf of the giver. It was used to press a seal into soft wax to validate a transaction. The one who wore the ring conducted business in the name of the one who gave it.

Would you have done this? Would you have given this prodigal son power-of-attorney privileges over your affairs? Would you have entrusted him with a credit card? Would you have given him this ring?

Before you start questioning the wisdom of the father, remember, in this story you are the boy. When you came home to God, you were given authority to conduct business in your heavenly Father’s name.

When you speak truth, you are God’s ambassador.

As you steward the money he gives, you are his business manager.

When you declare forgiveness, you are his priest.

As you stir the healing of the body or the soul, you are his physician.

And when you pray, he listens to you as a father listens to a son. You have a voice in the household of God. He has given you his ring.

God believes in you. And, I wonder, could you take some of the belief that he has in you and share it with someone else?

You and I have the privilege to do for others what God does for us. How do we show people that we believe in them?

Do not withhold encouragement from the discouraged. Do not keep affirmation from the beaten down! Speak words that make people stronger. Believe in them as God has believed in you.

From A Love Worth Giving
© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004) Max Lucado

No More Tears: Jesus Wept by David Jeremiah

No More Tears: Jesus Wept

AUGUST 29, 2020

Jesus wept.
John 11:35

 Recommended Reading: Hebrews 5:5-10

Jesus wept three times during His ministry, as recorded in the Gospels. Once was in John 11, when He wept by the graveside of Lazarus. He obviously knew He was going to raise Lazarus back to life, but perhaps Jesus was entering into all the sorrows borne by humans because of the awful sadness of death.  

A few days later, Jesus again shed tears. As He drew near Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, “He saw the city and wept over it” (Luke 19:41). He was weeping because of their rejection of Him and the coming judgment that would entail. 

And yet again, a few days later, He wept in the Garden of Gethsemane as He surrendered Himself to His Father’s will. According to Hebrews 5:7, “In the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him, who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear.” 

In the same way, we should have deep emotions when we accept the reality of death, the judgment of the lost, and the depth of our own submission to God. Those are godly tears, and they will be richly rewarded.

He drank a cup of wrath without mercy, that we might drink a cup of mercy without wrath.

J. Oswald Sanders

August 29 / Wisdom from the Psalms

Psalms 107:40
He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way.

"I don't need any help. I can do everything just fine on my own!"
 

Randy shouldered his pack and headed off down the path. Jerry and Tom shook their heads and followed along. Before long, Randy was out of sight, and his two friends gave up trying to follow. As evening set in, they made cam and waited for their friend to return. While they sat by a warm and inviting fire, Randy stumbled through dense forest, lost, alone, and afraid.

 

We were created for one another. There is not sense in trying to deny it. Those who attempt to stand on their own two feet find that they tire before long, and they wish they had someone to lean on. God created us equal, so that we can adequately fill one another's needs. He hopes we will share our lives with one anther and with Him. People who feel they are above needing others will be shown the error of their ways in due time. It is better to admit our need and wander this wilderness with companions who make the journey a lot more enjoyable.

 

Prayer: Father, I thank You that I never have to walk alone. You are by my side, and I have opportunities to share my life journey with so many others. Bless my path, O Lord. Amen.