The Destructiveness of Sin / Ann Graham Lotz

 The Destructiveness of Sin

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

1 John 4:11, nkjv

The longing of God’s heart, if it can be expressed as such, is to be known, loved, glorified, and enjoyed by His creation. Although in His plural nature God has ultimate fellowship, love, and harmony within the Trinity, He also desired fellowship and friendship with Adam and Eve.

But early in their lives Adam and Eve made one choice that broke their relationship with God and cost them their happiness at the present and their destiny for the future, devastating their family for every generation to come. This devastation was inevitable because life is made up of relationships with God, with others, and with ourselves, and the choice to sin through disobedience destroyed all three relationships. Sin destroys our relationship with God through guiltiness. It destroys our relationship with others through lovelessness. It destroys our relationship with ourselves through meaninglessness. What sin is worth such destructive consequences?

The Joy of Obedience / Greg Laurie

 The Joy of Obedience

Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. (Psalm 119:1 NLT)

When it comes to spiritual pursuits, many people put in the bare minimum. They will engage in spiritual things only when it’s necessary, generally during a crisis.

When everything is going well, when the sky is blue, the sun is out, and the birds are singing, they don’t really have a thought about God. But when a crisis hits, when the storm clouds gather, suddenly they are calling on the Lord out of necessity.

Some people pray only in a time of crisis or when they think of it. They read the Bible only when they have time. But that is not the way to live.

The Bible says, “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord” (Psalm 119:1 NLT). God’s commands are not something we should fear or shun. Yet some Christians say, “I’m not under the law; I’m under grace.”

In a sense that’s true. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are no longer under the curse of the law, which we are unable to keep in our own strength. But let’s also remember that Jesus said, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose” (Matthew 5:17 NLT).

We don’t keep the law to earn God’s approval. But it also doesn’t mean that we disregard it. It doesn’t mean that we can do whatever we want. The principles of the law certainly still apply in our lives.

Instead of being a list of rules that were basically unobtainable for us in our own strength, God’s laws are now written on the fleshly tablets of our hearts, as Scripture says (see 2 Corinthians 3:3). They become our delight. They become our joy. And we obey them because it’s our desire to do so.

He’s Worth It! / David Jeremiah

He’s Worth It! Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5   Becket Cook was a gay production designer in Hollywood, and his career was very successful. Yet he was overwhelmed with a sense of emptiness. One day at a coffee shop, he saw open Bibles on the next table. He asked, “Are you guys Christians?” The fellow patrons began sharing the Gospel with him, and within days Cook gave his life to Christ. His testimony now is this: “My hope is that people will realize how much more amazing it is to deny yourself and follow Christ rather than to just give in to sin now just to satisfy some immediate need…. With God, I feel this unconditional love…. Like He’ll never leave or forsake me. I’m happy to leave that dead man [my old me] behind because He’s worth it.”1

Recommended Reading: Hebrews 13:1-5

We can leave so much behind when we know He will never leave or forsake us—covetousness, sinful habits, and the pressures of life. Pray aloud today: “I praise You, Lord, for You never for a moment leave me and will never forsake me!”   Because we are His children, His love will never leave or forsake us. There will always be a place for us in His heart. Bryan Chappell

 

Trust God’s Perfect Love / Max Lucado

Trust God’s Perfect Love

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TRUST GOD’S PERFECT LOVE 

Dry mouth. Moist palms. Pulse pounding. Eyes darting over your shoulder. Heart in your throat. You know the feeling.  You know the moment. You know exactly what it’s like. Policeman have stirred more prayers than a thousand pulpits! Upward prayers become backward thoughts. What did I do? How fast was I going?The policeman is standing at your door. No one likes the thought of  judgment.

1 John 4:18 says, “Perfect love expels all fear.” You need never fear God’s judgment. Not today, not on Judgment Day. With perfect knowledge of the past and perfect vision of the future, God loves you—perfectly—in spite of both. Jesus is speaking on your behalf. “That’s my friend,” he says. And when he does, the door of heaven opens. Trust God’s love, his perfect love. It can handle your fear of judgment. And slower driving can handle your fear of policeman.

 

Bible in One Year: June 28

Bible in One Year: Job 11-13; Acts 9:1-21 

Held by the Grip of God / Oswald Chambers

 

Held by the Grip of God I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. PHILIPPIANS 3:12 Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you “turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32 ). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has “laid hold of” us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, “Well, I’m really not suited for this.” What you are to preach is also determined by God, not by your own natural leanings or desires. Keep your soul steadfastly related to God, and remember that you are called not simply to convey your testimony but also to preach the gospel. Every Christian must testify to the truth of God, but when it comes to the call to preach, there must be the agonizing grip of God’s hand on you— your life is in the grip of God for that very purpose. How many of us are held like that? Never water down the Word of God, but preach it in its undiluted sternness. There must be unflinching faithfulness to the Word of God, but when you come to personal dealings with others, remember who you are— you are not some special being created in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace. “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do…I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13–14). Bible in One Year: Job 11-13; Acts 9:1-21

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS The main characteristic which is the proof of the indwelling Spirit is an amazing tenderness in personal dealing, and a blazing truthfulness with regard to God’s Word.

Waiting on God / Charles Stanley

Waiting on God

Psalms 37:1-9

Waiting on God is an important spiritual discipline in our walk of faith. King David’s life teaches us about the value of following the Lord’s plan and the danger in moving ahead of Him.

When David was a young shepherd boy, the prophet Samuel anointed him as Israel’s next king. Yet he did not become the ruler for many years. Waiting for the Lord to place him on the throne was made more difficult because the current king, Saul, turned against David and repeatedly tried to take his life. Despite the opportunity to take matters into his own hands and kill his enemy, David held back. He wouldn’t allow anyone else to attack Saul either (1 Sam. 24:1-7). He waited on God and was greatly blessed for his obedience.

King David also knew what it was like to move ahead without the Lord. One year he chose not to join his troops in battle, even though that was one of his duties (2 Sam. 11:1). During the time he stayed home, he noticed Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and he coveted her. Acting upon his desires, he conceived a child with her and then tried to cover up his sin. What a mess he made of his life. Instead of following the Lord’s plan and being blessed, he experienced divine chastisement and much heartache.

As believers, we want to obey the Lord, but there may be situations when intense desire propels us forward without waiting for His direction. Like David, we will experience the blessing of obedience or the heartache of disobedience. Be sure to seek out God’s plan before you act. 

Satan Uses Guilt to Enslave You / Adrian Rogers

 Satan Uses Guilt to Enslave You

Romans 3:19

Sermon: 2188 Haunted by the Ghost of Guilt, Part 1

Pray Over This

“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”

Romans 3:19

Ponder This

What is guilt? Guilt is a reality; it’s the result of the filthiness of our sin. And guilt can cause all kinds of emotional and physical baggage. Guilt brings anxiety and depression. The soul becomes a window covered with the dirt and grime of guilt, and, therefore, everything we look at is colored or discolored by the guilt in us. And guilt can make you sick. If you carry around a load of guilt, it can make you physically ill. David said in Psalm 32:3, “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long.”

The man who is haunted by the ghost of guilt is not driven to God. You would think he would be. But the truth of the matter is that a person with unresolved guilt is driven further and further from God. So many people today, who are into things they ought not to be into, are there simply because of guilt. Satan is the accuser. He wants you to sin and then suffer the consequences. He wants to cripple you and then blame you for limping. He wants you to be doubly defeated. He is the accuser and also the enticer.

• When have you been overwhelmed with guilt?
• How do you typically respond when you are overwhelmed with guilt?

Practice This

Confess your sins, turn from the sinful practices that are promoting guilt, and walk surrendered and free.

When You’re Lonely / ODB

 

When You’re Lonely You are with me. Psalm 23:4 READ Psalm 23  At 7 p.m., Hui-Liang was in his kitchen, eating rice and leftover fish balls. The Chua family in the apartment next door was having dinner too, and their laughter and conversation cut through the silence of Hui-Liang’s unit, where he had lived alone since his wife died. He’d learned to live with loneliness; over the years, its stabbing pain had become a dull ache. But tonight, the sight of the one bowl and pair of chopsticks on his table pierced him deeply. Before he went to bed that night, Hui-Liang read Psalm 23, his favorite psalm. The words that mattered most to him are only four syllables: “You are with me” (v. 4). More than the shepherd’s practical acts of care toward the sheep, it was his steadfast presence and loving gaze over every detail of the life of the sheep (vv. 2−5) that gave Hui-Liang peace. Just knowing that someone is there, that someone is with us, brings great comfort in those lonely moments. God promises His children that His love will always be with us (Psalm 103:17), and that He’ll never leave us (Hebrews 13:5). When we feel alone and unseen—whether in a quiet kitchen, on the bus going home from work, or even in a crowded supermarket—we can know that the Shepherd’s gaze is always on us. We can say, “You are with me.” By Karen Huang When do you usually feel lonely? How does Psalm 23 encourage you? Loving God, thank You for always being with me. For further study, read The Lord Is My Shepherd: Rest and Renewal from Psalm 23.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT A key metaphor in this much-loved psalm is that of God’s “rod” and “staff” (23:4). The Hebrew word for “rod” is shevet, and as used here refers to a shepherd’s staff. But it can also mean the rod of a leader or a military weapon. As such, shevet connotes God’s discipline, correction, and leadership. We might think of such an image as negative—something to be avoided—but David sees it as a source of comfort. “The Lord disciplines the one he loves,” said the writer of Hebrews (12:6). God’s discipline is a sign that we’re His children. David was often pursued by his enemies, yet in this psalm he notes how he can eat in safety “in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5). Rather than being pursued by his enemies, it was God’s “goodness and love” that followed him (v. 6). Tim Gustafson

Take Time to Be Holy / David Jeremiah

 

Take Time to Be Holy [Be] a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled. Titus 1:8   It’s hard to keep our language clean when everyone around us is cursing. It’s hard to keep our minds clean when pornography is only a click away. And it’s hard to keep our nerves healthy in a polarized and deteriorating culture. It’s actually impossible without Christ.

Recommended Reading: Titus 2:11-15

When we receive Him as our Savior, He comes into our life by means of the Holy Spirit. Notice the word “holy”! It’s the Holy Spirit who does a work of renewal inside us, surging through our mental catacombs and flushing out our emotional passageways. He breaks the power of canceled sin and sets the sinner free. He delivers us from the slavery of our habits and perfects that which concerns us (Psalm 138:8). It’s easy to allow our environment to influence how we live, but when we live according to God’s Word, He will bless us. Today ask the Holy Spirit to take the Holy Bible and by His power and grace make you an increasingly holy person. As the hymn “Take Time to Be Holy” says: “Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord; abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.”   The Word of God is the means employed by the Holy Spirit to transform us into the image of Christ. Alistair Begg

The Most Boring Life on Earth? / Greg Laurie

 The Most Boring Life on Earth?

Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. (Psalm 119:2 NLT)

Before I committed my life to Christ, I thought that Christians lived the most boring lives on earth. I saw Christianity as a list of things that you could not do. My perception was that Christians hung out with dull people and spent their time praying and singing songs. In a nutshell, I thought Christianity was no fun.

When a lot of people think about the way of following Jesus Christ, the way of obedience, they foresee misery and restrictions. Most nonbelievers view the Christian life as one of gloom and, worst of all, boredom.

However, after becoming a Christian, I discovered the opposite was true. My priorities changed. And I found that the holy way—the godly way, the way of obedience—is in reality the happy way.

We see in Psalm 119, as well as in other places in Scripture, that happiness is always connected to holiness. And we also find that happiness is not something that we should seek outright. Pursuing happiness, in and of itself, generally is a futile search. Rather, happiness is a result of seeking something else.

Speaking about God, the psalmist wrote, “Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts” (Psalm 119:2 NLT).

There are two ways that we can live our lives: the right way and the wrong way. There are two paths that we can take: the narrow road that leads to life or the broad way that leads to destruction (see Matthew 7:13-14). And there are two foundations that we can build on: the solid rock or sinking sand (see Matthew 7:24-27).

As a result, we will live either the holy and happy way or the miserable and unholy way. Everything we need in life to be happy, everything we need to be fulfilled, is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Attracted to Weakness / Ann Graham Lotz

 Attracted to Weakness

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God.

1 Corinthians 1:30, niv

Who do you say you can’t witness to because he or she is an intellectual, or highly educated, and you are not? Or maybe the person has a seminary degree and you have just started going to church. Remember, it was Joseph, a Hebrew teenager and slave, not the wise men of Egypt, who interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams. It was another Hebrew slave, Daniel, not the wise men of Babylon, who deciphered the mysterious writing on the wall of Belshazzar’s palace. It was the unlettered fishermen, not the Scribes and the Pharisees, who were taken into the confidence of Christ and used of God to build His church.

Do you feel inadequate intellectually, educationally, socially, theologically? Good! God can use you! He states clearly that He “chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1 Cor. 1:27–28, niv). God is attracted to your weakness!

God Is Using Your Struggle / Max Lucado

 

God Is Using Your Struggle

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GOD IS USING YOUR STRUGGLE 

God is using your struggle to toughen you up! It’s like viewing a movie after you’ve read the book. When something bad happens, everyone else gasps at the crisis on the screen.  But not you. Why? You’ve read the book. You know how the good guy gets out of the tight spot.

God views your life with the same confidence. He’s not only read your story, he wrote it. His perspective is different, and his purpose is clear. One of God’s cures for weak faith? A good, healthy struggle. Consider it a gift when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. Under pressure, your faith life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. Scripture says, “let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way” (James 1:4 The Message). Join with Isaiah who resolved, “I will trust in him and not be afraid!”

Bible in One Year: June 27

Bible in One Year: Job 8-10; Acts 8:26-40