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Monday, November 29, 2021
Trusting God in Opposition / ODB
Approaching Rebuke / Alistair Begg
Approaching Rebuke
You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people. . . . You shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.
Leviticus 19:16-17
Slander emits a threefold poison, for it injures the teller, the hearer, and the person who is being slandered. Whether the report is true or false, we are by this precept of God’s Word forbidden to spread it.
The reputations of the Lord’s people should be very precious in our sight, and we should regard it as shameful to help the devil dishonor the church and the name of the Lord. Some tongues need a bridle rather than a spur.
Many rejoice in putting down their brothers and sisters, as if in doing so they raised themselves. Noah’s wise sons cast a covering over their father, and the one who exposed him earned a fearful curse.
We may ourselves one of these dark days need leniency and silence from our family; let us offer it cheerfully to those who require it now. Let this be our family motto, and our personal bond: Speak evil of no man.
The Holy Spirit, however, permits us to censure sin and prescribes the way in which we are to do it. It must be done by rebuking our brother to his face, not by talking behind his back.
This approach is manly, brotherly, Christlike, and under God’s blessing will be useful.
Do we shy away from it? Then we must lay the greater stress upon our conscience and commit ourselves to the responsibility, in case by tolerating sin in our friend we become partakers of it.
Hundreds have been saved from gross sins by the timely, wise, affectionate warnings of faithful friends and family. Our Lord Jesus has set us a gracious example of how to deal with erring friends in His warning given to Peter, the prayer with which He preceded it, and the gentle way in which He endured Peter’s boastful denial that he needed such a caution.
How to find joy in every circumstance / Senior Living
How to find joy in every circumstance
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! - Philippians 4:4
The famous English architect Sir Christopher Wren was supervising the construction of a beautiful new cathedral in London. A local journalist thought it would be interesting to interview some of the workers, so he went to the site and found the most miserable looking people he could and asked the question, “What are you doing?”
The first worker responded, “I’m cutting stone for only 10 shillings a day.” The second answered, “I’m putting in 10 hard hours a day for this measly job.”
The journalist then looked over and saw a man who was energetic and seemed very happy about his job. So he went to him and asked the same question, “What are you doing here?”
The worker answered, “I’m helping Christopher Wren construct one of London’s greatest cathedrals.”
Often times, our outlook on life has much more to do with our joy than the actual things we are doing. And it’s in those times when our circumstances are worse than what we’d hoped that we can either despise our situation or we can see it as an opportunity to do something great for God’s Kingdom.
Whatever your circumstances are today, make the choice to be about God’s purposes within them. See your situation as a mission from God and you’ll find amazing joy in any circumstance!
Prayer Challenge
Pray that God would transform your thinking in whatever circumstance you face to see your situation as a mission from Him.
Questions for Thought
Why do you think it’s sometimes easy to allow your circumstances to steal your joy?
How might seeing your situation today as a mission from God change your attitude?
Bridging the Great Divide / David Jeremiah
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November 29 / Wisdom from the Psalms
Saying "Yes" to God by Debbie Holloway
Saying "Yes" to God
by Debbie Holloway
It seems like every day one hears about all kinds of troubling behavior from people who ought to know better. A family friend leaves his wife and children for his secretary. A pastor resigns from his parish after his drug addiction is discovered. A CEO is caught with his hands on company money. We see it in the news. We hear about it from friends. It invades our households. Destructive, self-centered, sin. And so often the guilty party seems completely blind to his error, or unable to fathom how he ever made such a huge mistake.
As a recent member of what most would consider the “adult” world, I have often pondered how seemingly well-adjusted, often God-fearing members of society can justify such actions in their minds. In fact, in my more panicky moments, I have had a fear of suddenly lapsing into some dreaded sin myself – like these perfectly capable people I see all around me.
After all, does my righteousness exceed that of the Pharisees? How can I claim to have more wisdom than my parents or my pastor? Do I know more about the world than my professors? Could I possibly have a better understanding of morals and truth than my government leaders? If I watch them stumble into seemingly obvious moral blunders, how could I possibly escape the same fate?
After recently confiding this dread to a loved one, I was reminded that drastic sin or extreme lifestyle choices don’t just appear out of nowhere. Adultery doesn’t just happen. Divorce doesn’t just happen. Heartless slander and libel don’t just happen. Sin must begin as a small seed, creep in, take root, and grow. We can choose to feed it …or starve it.
The hard part is that often our sin nature is just as appealing as the prompting of Holy Spirit. Far too often we know right away what the godly course of action would be. Humility. Purity. Hard work. Compassion. Faithfulness. But we still get tired, exasperated, lustful, and proud. So we start making decisions which violate our consciences. Tiny decisions that seem meaningless. But those tiny choices grow and grow. Eventually, our life becomes a messy sin explosion and we cry out, “Where did I lose control?”
The comforting part is that it’s a process. I won’t wake up one morning and all of a sudden think it’s totally OK to steal someone’s car or send nasty, gossipy emails about people I don’t like. 1 John 1:7 says that,
“If we walk in the light, as [God] is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
If I say “yes” to God when he shows me how I can remain faithful to him in my lifestyle, in the little things, that will strengthen me to say “no” to life-wrecking choices.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Don’t live in fear of becoming something you hate. Just make conscious choices to be like Christ.
Further Reading
Rewards along the Way / Chuck Swindoll
Rewards along the Way
Having thought about procrastination, motivation, diligence, and consequences, Solomon and other wise men wrote the following lines of encouragement:
The hope of the righteous is gladness,
But the expectation of the wicked perishes. (10:28)Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But desire realized is a tree of life. (13:12)Desire realized is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil. (13:19)
These Hebrew sages acknowledged the difficulty of delaying gratification. They were people just like us, whose hearts get “sick” when forced to put desires on hold. They, too, wanted the immediate payoff of procrastination rather than having to sacrifice to gain the rewards of diligence. They, like us, wearied of working day in and day out to create a good future for themselves. They, like all people, struggled to maintain a balance between enjoying today and planning for tomorrow. Because they recognized the universal desire to take it easy, the wise men of Israel nurtured a robust sense of hope. When you hope, you bring a small piece of future enjoyment into today. When you hope, you imagine the satisfaction you will feel when your diligence begins to pay off.
When I have a big task to accomplish, I plan a vacation that will begin soon after I meet the deadline. That gives me a near-term reward for my diligence. For example, I might plan a week on Kauai to follow several months of intense planning, studying, writing, and editing a major book. (By the way, I don’t allow anything I do for the radio ministry or for books to take away from my normal duties as senior pastor at Stonebriar Community Church.) As I diligently complete the manuscript, desperately wanting to quit at times, I imagine myself relaxing on a lanai, feet up, sipping a cool beverage, reading a great book, and enjoying the gentle ocean breeze and the sound of surf.
This works so well, in fact, that I’m inspired to begin another chapter today!
Thanksgiving With Meaning / Billy Graham
Thanksgiving With Meaning
It is the custom of many Christians to bow their heads in public places and give thanks for the food that has been placed before them. I have had scores of waiters and waitresses tell me that when we bowed our heads, it was the first time they had ever seen that happen in their restaurant.
Millions never pause to give a word of thanks to God for the food provided. Few homes have a moment of thanksgiving at the beginning of the meal or at any other time of the day. Even at Thanksgiving time only a minority will pause and give thanks to God.
Thanksgiving is recognition of a debt that cannot be paid. We express thanks, whether or not we are able otherwise to reimburse the giver. When thanksgiving is filled with true meaning and is not just the formality of a polite “thank you,” it is the recognition of dependence.
Daily Prayer
Almighty God, You have given me real life through Jesus Christ. My soul praises You.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
John 10:10
November 29 / NKJV 365
When did you last feed a hungry person or visit someone in jail? When did you last minister to someone in a hospital or convalescent home? When did you last give a thirsty person something to drink, or a poor person some clothes, or a weary traveler a comfortable place to get some rest? Jesus is saying that when we show acts of mercy like these to others, we are doing it for Him. And it’s such a big deal to Him that He promises to reward our simple acts of mercy with heavenly gifts beyond our imagination.
Taken from Start! The Bible for New Believers
““Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”
Matthew 25:34-40
Intended for Good / Greg Laurie
Intended for Good
“All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’” (Daniel 4:35 NLT).
Sometimes the things that we think are good in life may not be as good as we think they are. And sometimes the things that we think are bad in life may turn out to be actually good.
Take, for instance, the Old Testament story of Joseph in which his brothers sold him into slavery. God had his hand on young Joseph, and he ended up in a position of great influence in Egypt. Ultimately, he was in charge of the food supply.
When his brothers came to Egypt hoping to buy food during a famine, they thought Joseph was long gone. Little did they know that Joseph had become a powerful Egyptian official. At first, they didn’t recognize him, but Joseph recognized them. And, of course, it would have been an opportunity for the ultimate payback.
But after Joseph dismissed everyone in the room except his brothers, he finally told them who he was. They probably thought he was going to execute them—and he could have. Instead, Joseph made this amazing statement to his brothers: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20 NLT).
God is in control, and He has an endgame, if you will. Most Christians are familiar with Romans 8:28, which says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (NLT).
But let’s also remember Romans 8:29: “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (NLT). God’s endgame is to make us more like Jesus Christ, because Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people.
Novembr 29 / Daily Blessings
Daily Blessings
Music of the Storm / Streams
Music of the Storm
Sunday, November 28, 2021
The Riches of the Destitute / Oswald Chambers
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A Relationship for Eternity / Adrian Rogers
A Relationship for Eternity
He who has My commandments, and keeps them, he it is who loves Me: and he who loves Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. John 14:21
A little boy fell out of bed and was crying. His mother came, picked him up, and said, “Honey, what’s wrong? How did you fall out of bed?” He said, “Well, I guess I went to sleep too close to where I got in.”
I think there are a lot of people who have done exactly that. They get into Christ and somehow they just seem to go to sleep right there. They say, “I’m saved and that’s it.” But friend, that’s not it. It’s just the beginning of a relationship that will last through all eternity.
God wants to move you further into a knowledge of Himself. I don’t know about you, but I’m not satisfied with the status quo of my life. I want to go deep into the heart of Jesus. I desire the same for you.
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