You Are On God’s Mind / Ann Graham Lotz

You Are On God’s Mind

I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.

Isaiah 49:15–16, nkjv

Noah was totally helpless to change his situation. There was nothing he could do except to stay on the ark and tend to the needs of his family and those of the animals until God in some way brought deliverance. He had to keep his faith in God while simply waiting out the silence that followed the storm.

Although He had been silent, God had not forgotten Noah. In fact, since Noah and his family were the only living persons on the face of the earth, we can be sure they had God’s total, undivided attention every moment.

Do you think God’s silence in your life means He has forgotten you? Oh, no! God says He has engraved your name on the palms of His hands. He says that a mother could forget her nursing baby at mealtime before He could forget you! You are in God’s heart and on His mind every moment. He is fully informed of your circumstances and will bring about change when He knows the time is right.

 

Verse of the Day / October 29

 Quiet Time...

"Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, 

He is the King of glory. Selah."

Psalm 24:10 KJV 

*****

Bible in One Year: October 29

 Bible in One Year: Jeremiah 18-19; 2 Timothy 3

Substitution / Oswald Chambers

 

Substitution He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:21 The modern view of the death of Jesus is that He died for our sins out of sympathy for us. Yet the New Testament view is that He took our sin on Himself not because of sympathy, but because of His identification with us. He was “made…to be sin….” Our sins are removed because of the death of Jesus, and the only explanation for His death is His obedience to His Father, not His sympathy for us. We are acceptable to God not because we have obeyed, nor because we have promised to give up things, but because of the death of Christ, and for no other reason. We say that Jesus Christ came to reveal the fatherhood and the lovingkindness of God, but the New Testament says that He came to take “away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 ). And the revealing of the fatherhood of God is only to those to whom Jesus has been introduced as Savior. In speaking to the world, Jesus Christ never referred to Himself as One who revealed the Father, but He spoke instead of being a stumbling block (see John 15:22–24). John 14:9, where Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father,” was spoken to His disciples. That Christ died for me, and therefore I am completely free from penalty, is never taught in the New Testament. What is taught in the New Testament is that “He died for all” (2 Corinthians 5:15 )— not, “He died my death”— and that through identification with His death I can be freed from sin, and have His very righteousness imparted as a gift to me. The substitution which is taught in the New Testament is twofold— “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” The teaching is not Christ for me unless I am determined to have Christ formed in me (see Galatians 4:19). Bible in One Year: Jeremiah 18-19; 2 Timothy 3

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS We all have the trick of saying—If only I were not where I am!—If only I had not got the kind of people I have to live with! If our faith or our religion does not help us in the conditions we are in, we have either a further struggle to go through, or we had better abandon that faith and religion.

A Call to Repentance / Charles Stanley

A Call to Repentance

When we truly agree with God about our failures, He sets us free to enjoy an abundant life.

Hebrews 4:13-16

Have you ever gotten caught in a “guilt cycle”? You confess sin, tell God you’re sorry, and promise not to do it anymore—only to find yourself sinning again. You’ve come before the Lord to confess dozens of times but still find yourself repeating the same sins. It’s easy to get discouraged, but God promises, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Friends, God is holding up His end of that promise. When we truly confess, He forgives us. Psalm 103:12 gives this assuring description of His forgiveness: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our wrongdoings from us.”

So, how do we genuinely confess? True confession means agreeing with the Lord about sin, and it is inseparably linked with repentance; they’re two sides of the same coin. In the Greek, repent literally means “a change of mind,” so to repent is to turn our back upon wrong and change our actions.

In practical terms, to confess and repent requires the intentional decision to say, “By the Holy Spirit’s power, I’m turning away.” Satan will still tempt you, and failure remains a possibility. But God can break the chains of your sin, and He wants to set you free—free to live the abundant life (John 10:10). 

You Can Trust God / ODB

 

You Can Trust God Those who know your name trust in you. Psalm 9:10 READ Psalm 9:7–10 When my cat Mickey had an eye infection, I put eye drops in his eyes daily. As soon as I placed him on the bathroom counter, he’d sit, look at me with frightened eyes, and brace himself for the spurt of liquid. “Good boy,” I’d murmur. Even though he didn’t understand what I was doing, he never jumped off, hissed, or scratched me. Instead, he would press himself closer against me—the person putting him through the ordeal. He knew he could trust me. When David wrote Psalm 9, he’d probably already experienced much of God’s love and faithfulness. He’d turned to Him for protection from his enemies, and God had acted on his behalf (vv. 3−6). During David’s times of need, God hadn’t failed him. As a result, David came to know what He was like—He was powerful and righteous, loving and faithful. And so, David trusted Him. He knew God was trustworthy. I’ve cared for Mickey through several illnesses since the night I found him as a tiny, starving kitten on the street. He knows he can trust me—even when I do things to him that he doesn’t understand. In a similar way, remembering God’s faithfulness to us and His character helps us trust Him when we can’t understand what He’s doing. May we continue to trust God through the difficult times in life. By Karen Huang Recall a tough situation when God showed you His love and faithfulness. What else did you learn about His character? How can this encourage you today? Father, You’re always faithful. Help me trust You. Let difficult times draw me closer to You.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT The NIV footnote on Psalms 9 and 10 tells us they “may originally have been a single acrostic poem in which alternating lines began with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they constitute one psalm.”  Psalm 9 provides a musical notation that it’s to be sung “to the tune of ‘The Death of the Son.’ ” Apparently, this was a tune known to the Israelites at that time. Other psalms with musical notations include Psalms 22, 45, 56–60, 69, 75, and 80. Psalm 9 can be divided into two parts—praise and proclamation. David gives thanks and praise to God who’d rescued and protected him from his enemies in response to his prayers (vv. 1–6). The psalmist also proclaims and exalts God as the Sovereign King who “rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity” (v. 8). K. T. Sim

Suffering Is Not Wasted / Ann Graham Lotz

 Suffering Is Not Wasted

Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

2 Corinthians 4:17, niv

Is the Potter molding—or remolding—you, using . . . pressure or problems?  stress or suffering?  hurt or heartache?  illness or injustice? Has He now placed you in the fire so that circumstances are heating up with intensity in your life?  Then would you just trust the Potter to know exactly what He is doing?

For the child of God, suffering is not wasted.  It’s not an end it in itself. Scripture reminds us, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

The spiritual principle is that in some way God uses suffering to transform ordinary, dust-clay people into . . .

vessels that are strong in faith . . .

vessels that are fit for His use . . .

vessels that display His glory to the watching world.

So don’t waste your sorrow. Trust God!

Verse of the Day / October 28

 Quiet Time...

"But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, 

and keep you from evil" 

2 Thessalonians 3:3 KJV

*****

Bible in One Year: October 28

 Bible in One Year: Jeremiah 15-17; 2 Timothy 2

Justification by Faith / Oswald Chambers

 

Justification by Faith If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. ROMAN 5:10 I am not saved by believing— I simply realize I am saved by believing. And it is not repentance that saves me— repentance is only the sign that I realize what God has done through Christ Jesus. The danger here is putting the emphasis on the effect, instead of on the cause. Is it my obedience, consecration, and dedication that make me right with God? It is never that! I am made right with God because, prior to all of that, Christ died. When I turn to God and by belief accept what God reveals, the miraculous atonement by the Cross of Christ instantly places me into a right relationship with God. And as a result of the supernatural miracle of God’s grace I stand justified, not because I am sorry for my sin, or because I have repented, but because of what Jesus has done. The Spirit of God brings justification with a shattering, radiant light, and I know that I am saved, even though I don’t know how it was accomplished. The salvation that comes from God is not based on human logic, but on the sacrificial death of Jesus. We can be born again solely because of the atonement of our Lord. Sinful men and women can be changed into new creations, not through their repentance or their belief, but through the wonderful work of God in Christ Jesus which preceded all of our experience (see 2 Corinthians 5:17–19). The unconquerable safety of justification and sanctification is God Himself. We do not have to accomplish these things ourselves— they have been accomplished through the atonement of the Cross of Christ. The supernatural becomes natural to us through the miracle of God, and there is the realization of what Jesus Christ has already done— “It is finished!” (John 19:30). Bible in One Year: Jeremiah 15-17; 2 Timothy 2

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible.

No Condemnation / Charles Stanley

 No Condemnation

Romans 8:1-4

Some believers are plagued by feelings of condemnation. Either they think they'll never live up to God's expectations for them or they're nearly drowning in guilt over past sins. These men and women cannot seem to shake the sense that God is displeased with their puny efforts at being Christlike.

The book of Romans confronts this lie head-on: "There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). When the Savior went to the cross on our behalf, He lifted the blame from our shoulders and made us righteous before God. Those feelings of condemnation do not belong to us; they are from Satan. He amplifies our guilt and feelings of inadequacy and then suggests that's how the Lord feels about His "wayward child." Nothing could be further from the truth. Our sins are wiped clean, and we are chosen and loved by God.

Condemnation is reserved for those who reject the Lord (John 3:36). Sin is a death sentence (Rom. 6:23). Anyone who chooses to cling to sin instead of seeking divine forgiveness must pay the penalty, which is an eternity separated from God. Two synonyms of condemn are 'denounce' and 'revile.' Those words certainly describe Jesus' statement to unbelievers in Matthew 25:41: "Depart from me, accursed ones."

There is no condemnation for those who receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. The believer's penalty for sin is paid, and he can stand blameless before God. Trust in the Lord's love and let go of Satan's lie. God's beloved children are covered by His grace and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Do You Have a Clear Conscience? / Adrian Rogers

 Do You Have a Clear Conscience?

1 John 3:20-22
Sermon: 2117 The Legacy of Love, Part 2

Pray Over This

“For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”
1 John 3:20-22

Ponder This

Imagine you and your spouse are having one of those arguments that can be heard about three blocks away. Christians can do this. They take their eyes off the Lord and they're at one another's throats. Whatever else they're doing, they are not dwelling together as heirs of the grace of life. Imagine right after this argument and the storming off, the mother goes in to check on the baby and she comes out with a frightened look on her face. The baby is very sick and you're both believers and you know you need to pray. What happens? Usually, at that moment, you feel like fools praying in that atmosphere, that hostility, that venom, but you know what you do? You say, “I'm so sorry, I was wrong, I was a fool, forgive me.” She says, “It was my fault too” and you reconcile. After that, the conscience is clear, the assurance is back, and you can pray. But you cannot pray with a condemning heart. When you still have enmity between one another you won’t be united in prayer. If you don't have a good conscience, you cannot have great confidence, and if you don't have great confidence, you can't get your prayers answered. Love gives a good conscience and when love gives a good conscience, love gets great confidence.

• When have you lost sight of your identity in Christ in a hard moment?
• Why is reconciliation with others so important in the Christian life?

Practice This

Consider the last angry argument you had. If you have not already, pursue peace with the person with whom you were angry.

More Precious than Gold / ODB

More Precious than Gold Come to [Jesus], the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him. 1 Peter 2:4 READ 1 Peter 2:4–10 Have you ever looked through low-priced items at a yard sale and dreamed that you might find something of incredible value? It happened in Connecticut when a floral Chinese antique bowl purchased for just $35 at a yard sale was sold at a 2021 auction for more than $700,000. The piece turned out to be a rare, historically significant artifact from the fifteenth century. It’s a stunning reminder that what some people consider of little worth can actually have great value. Writing to believers scattered throughout the known world, Peter explained that their faith in Jesus was belief in the One who’d been rejected by the wider culture. Despised by most of the religious Jewish leaders and crucified by the Roman government, Christ was deemed worthless by many because He didn’t fulfill their expectations and desires. But though others had dismissed Jesus’ worth, He was “chosen by God and precious to him” (1 Peter 2:4). His value for us is infinitely more precious than silver or gold (1:18–19). And we have the assurance that whoever chooses to trust Jesus will never be ashamed of their choice (2:6). When others reject Jesus as worthless, let’s take another look. God’s Spirit can help us see the priceless gift of Christ, who offers to all people the invaluable invitation to become part of the family of God (v. 10). By Lisa M. Samra Why do people miss the true value of Jesus? How might you share the blessings of trusting Him? Dear Jesus, thank You for living a life of obedience so that I could become part of the family of God.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT Traditionally, a cornerstone was the first stone placed at the bottom corner of a building. All other stones were laid in reference to it. Old Testament prophecy points to Christ as “a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation” (Isaiah 28:16). Yet, He’s the “stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall” (8:14). The psalmist wrote, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22). Jesus quotes from this psalm to reference how His own people would reject Him as Messiah (Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17) and to point to Him as the most important part of the church. He’s “the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). In 1 Peter 2:4–10, the apostle quotes all three Old Testament verses to emphasize our choice: either reject Him or choose Him as Savior. Alyson Kieda

 

A Light to Guide Us / David Jeremiah

 

A Light to Guide Us

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
John 11:9-10

 Recommended Reading: John 8:1-12

The spread of electricity to homes and businesses changed everything. Electric lights meant life could continue after sundown! Granted, prior to electric lights, oil lamps, candles, and fireplaces were available. But before electricity, life was governed by the rising and setting of the sun.

In biblical times, working and socializing during the day was easy because of sunlight; at night, life was severely limited. Jesus used this reality to explain spiritual light and darkness (John 11:9-10). For twelve hours of the day, He said, the sun made social life possible. For the other twelve hours, stumbling was likely. So it is in spiritual matters. Jesus said He is the Light of the World (John 8:12), meaning He makes spiritual life possible all the time if we walk in His light. If not, we will stumble in the dark.

Jesus’ lesson was simple: Walk in His light, and you will not stumble. Why would we live in darkness when His light is always available?

It is no advantage to be near the light if the eyes are closed.
Augustine