Power in His Name Our Daily Journey| Friday, February 26, 2016 By jennifer benson schuldt
Read: Acts 4:1-20 God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
After dropping my kids off at school, I drove onto a busy road and turned on some Christian music. Worrying my way through a long to-do list, I started to feel overwhelmed. Just then, I saw a sign in the back window of a car that read JESUS. At the same moment, the name Jesus was sung by someone on the radio. Hearing and seeing “Jesus” in the same instant snapped me out of my anxious state as I considered the power and hope found in His name (Matthew 28:20).
Peter and John healed a crippled man by the power of Jesus’ name (Acts 3:6). But when they explained the gospel to the awestruck onlookers, religious officials soon came and arrested them. The next day, the disciples were put on trial and asked, “By what power, or in whose name, have you [healed this man]?” (Acts 4:7). Guided by the Holy Spirit, Peter answered, “He was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead” (Acts 4:10).
Amazed at the disciples’ boldness, the religious officials demanded that Peter and John never speak or teach in Jesus’ name (Acts 4:18). Peter and John refused to obey but were finally released. They met with other believers and prayed: “O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:29-30).
Jesus’ name is powerful—it means Savior. It’s the only “name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Through faith in His name, we can find help when we’re troubled, sick, oppressed, and harassed. By believing in Him, we “have life by the power of his name” (John 20:31).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Deuteronomy 34:1-12
More: Look up Matthew 1:18-21 to see how the naming of Jesus was a supernatural event. Read Philippians 2:9-11 for more on the significance of His name.
What I Never Noticed about Jesus Proverbs 31 Ministries (christianity.com) | Thursday, February 25, 2016 By LYSA TERKEURST
“Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.” Mark 6:51-52 (NIV)
I ran my hand over the large rock and closed my eyes. What an incredible moment it was for me to stand where Jesus once stood in the Holy Land. I opened my Bible and let the full reality of all He was facing fall fresh on me.
I wanted to read the Scriptures leading up to this moment where He sat on Mt. Arbel and prayed and watched the disciples, just before walking on water.
But I cautioned myself to read the uncommon sentences. Too many times I highlight verses telling of Jesus’ miracles but skim right past those telling of deeply human realities.
In Mark chapter 5, we see Jesus interacting with a woman desperate to be healed from her bleeding disorder. He frees her from her suffering and gives her peace. And we find Him healing the young daughter of a synagogue ruler.
Miracle!
But we also find in verse 40a, “But they laughed at him.”
In Mark chapter 6 we see Jesus sending out the 12 disciples and as they preached, “They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them,” (v. 13.)
Miracle!
But we also find earlier in verse 3b, “… And they took offense at him.”
We find Him having great compassion on the people who followed Him in the feeding of the 5,000. They all ate and were satisfied by five loaves and two fish.
Miracle!
But we also see that Jesus and His disciples were physically depleted, “because so many were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat,” (v. 31a).
Messy realities tucked in the midst of miracles.
And isn’t it so like us to miss this about Jesus’ everyday life? We hyper-focus on the lines of Scripture containing the miracles so much that we miss the detail of the mess.
Jesus had people laugh at Him and reject Him and misunderstand Him. We know this in theory, but as I sat on that rock that day I suddenly realized what an everyday reality this was for Him.
Now, here’s what happens to me in my life: I get so focused on the mess, I miss the miracles.
And that’s the very thing that happens to the disciples right after the feeding of the 5,000. They got in a boat and strong winds caused the water to get very rough. The disciples were straining at the oars as the realities of life beat against them.
Jesus was on the mountainside praying. From Mt. Arbel, Jesus could see the middle of the lake where the disciples were. Mark 6:47-48a, “Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them” (NIV).
Jesus saw them. He went down to them. And they missed the miracle in the midst of the mess.
The same miracle worker that multiplied the fish and the loaves was now walking on the water near them and they thought He was a ghost. They were terrified and then were amazed, but they didn’t understand, for the Scriptures say, “their hearts were hardened,” (v. 52b).
It seems to me Jesus has a pattern of performing miraculous acts in the setting of messes.
This revelation led me to a gut-honest prayer, Oh Lord, let me see this. Please don’t let the messes of life harden my heart and blind me to Your presence. Instead of being so terrified in the midst of the mess, might I keep the picture of You, watching me, always watching me. And might I find courage in the assurance that You will come to me with Your miraculous presence.
Yes, I need to spend a whole lot less time trying to fix the messes in my life … and a whole lot more time keeping my heart soft in the process.
Then I won’t miss the miraculous work of Jesus in the midst of my mess.
Dear Lord, You are so good. Help me see Your hand working even in the midst of things that seem to be messes. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (NIV)
John 14:21, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (NIV)
Point your family to the reality of Jesus this Easter season by reading about Him completely.
Bearing our Cross crossroad | Devotionals By Oswald Chambers
“?If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross ??daily, and follow Me." Luke 9:23
The test of our spiritual life is our understanding of the cross. The cross of Jesus is often wrongly taken as a type of the cross we have to carry. Jesus did not say, 'If anyone will come after Me, let him take up My cross,' but 'let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
'
"Our cross becomes our divinely appointed privilege by means of His cross. We are never called upon to carry His cross.
"We have so hallowed the cross by twenty centuries of emotion and sentiment that it sounds a very beautiful and pathetic thing to talk about carrying our cross. But a wooden cross with iron nails in it is a clumsy thing to carry.
"The real cross was like hat, and do we imagine that the external cross was more ugly than our actual one? Or that the thing that tore our Lord's hands and feet was not really so terrible as our imagination of it?"
"...?whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." Luke 14:27
"The rich young ruler had the master passion to be perfect. When he saw Jesus Christ, he wanted to be like Him. Our Lord never puts personal holiness to the fore when He calls a disciple; He puts absolute annihilation of my right to myself and identification with Himself—a relationship with Himself in which there is no other relationship. Luke 14:26 has nothing to do with salvation or sanctification, but with unconditional identification with Jesus Christ. Very few of us know the absolute 'go' of abandonment to Jesus.
“'Then Jesus beholding him loved him.' The look of Jesus will mean a heart broken for ever from allegiance to any other person or thing. Has Jesus ever looked at you? The look of Jesus transforms and transfixes. Where you are ‘soft’ with God is where the Lord has looked at you. If you are hard and vindictive, insistent on your own way, certain that the other person is more likely to be in the wrong than you are, it is an indication that there are whole tracts of your nature that have never been transformed by His gaze.
“'One thing thou lackest. . .' The only ‘good thing’ from Jesus Christ’s point of view is union with Himself and nothing in between.
“'Sell whatsoever thou hast. . .' I must reduce myself until I am a mere conscious man, I must fundamentally renounce possessions of all kinds, not to save my soul, (only one thing saves a man— absolute reliance upon Jesus Christ) but in order to follow Jesus. 'Come, and follow Me.' And the road is the way He went." (September 28)
"I have been crucified with Christ." Gal. 2:20
"The imperative need spiritually is to sign the death-warrant of the disposition of sin, to turn all emotional impressions and intellectual beliefs into a moral verdict against the disposition of sin, viz., my claim to my right to myself....
“ '. . . nevertheless I live . . . .” The individuality remains, but the mainspring, the ruling disposition, is radically altered. ...
“'And the life which I now live in the flesh . . . ,' -- the life I now live in my mortal flesh, the life which men can see -- 'I live by the faith of the Son of God.' This faith is not Paul’s faith in Jesus Christ, but the faith that the Son of God has imparted to him—'the faith of the Son of God.' It is no longer faith in faith, but faith which has overleapt all conscious bounds, the identical faith of the Son of God." (March 21)
Your ‘Work’ Is To Enter His Rest Joseph Prince Ministries | Tuesday, February 23, 2016
A baby learns to sit first before he starts to stand and walk. The Christian life also begins with sitting. God “raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”. (Ephesians 2:6) How well we walk after that depends on how well we sit and rest in the finished work of Christ.
The promised land was a land of rest where God promised His people “large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant”. (Deuteronomy 6:10–11)
But for 40 years, God’s people wandered in the wilderness because they refused to believe that God had given them a land where everything had been prepared—the work was finished. They could not believe that God had given them a land full of good things to enjoy, a land which just flowed with His abundant supply.
Today, there are believers who still cannot believe that the work of Jesus is truly complete and finished. They are trying to complete a completed work, finish a finished work and defeat a defeated devil.
There are believers today who are always working and trying to produce their healing, success and victory. God wants us to stop trying and start trusting in His love for us. He wants us to stop working and struggling, and start resting and believing in His grace toward us.
The only “work” left for us to do today is to enter His rest. We are to labor every day to enter His rest. We are to rest inwardly and believe that the work is done because it is a finished work, and trust in God’s undeserved favor toward us. We are to rest in Jesus our true ark, who will carry us through tempestuous waters.
So today, “if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…be diligent to enter that rest”. (Hebrews 4:7, 11) Let’s enter His rest. Let’s enjoy sitting together with Christ in the heavenly places, then we will run and not be weary! (Isaiah 40:31)
Thought For The Day
How well we walk depends on how well we sit and rest in Christ’s finished work.
Be Still Our Daily Bread | Monday, February 22, 2016 By Philip Yancey
Read: Psalm 46 | Bible in a Year: Numbers 4–6; Mark 4:1-20
Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
Years ago I responded to letters within a couple of weeks and kept my correspondents happy. Then came the fax machine, and they seemed content with receiving a response within a couple of days. Today, with email, instant messaging, and mobile phones, a response is expected the same day!
“Be still, and know that I am God.” In this familiar verse from Psalm 46 I read two commands of equal importance. First, we must be still, something that modern life conspires against. In this hectic, buzzing world, even a few moments of quiet do not come naturally to us. And stillness prepares us for the second command: “Know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” In the midst of a world that colludes to suppress, not exalt, God, how do I carve out time and allow Him to nourish my inner life?
“Prayer,” writes Patricia Hampl, “is a habit of attention brought to bear on all that is.” Ah, prayer . . . a habit of attention. Be still and know. The first step in prayer is to acknowledge or to “know” that God is God. And in that attention, that focus, all else comes into focus. Prayer allows us to admit our failures, weaknesses, and limitations to the One who responds to human vulnerability with infinite mercy.
Dear Lord, help me to be still. Nourish my soul as I spend time with You in prayer.
In prayer, God can quiet our minds.
INSIGHT:
Today’s Scripture passage ends with one of the most well-known and beloved phrases in the Bible: “Be still, and know that I am God” (v. 10). The Hebrew word translated “be still” can also be translated “become helpless,” “collapse,” “cease,” “fall limp,” and “relax.” The sense is to stop striving. So Psalm 46 could be translated, “Relax, and know that I am God.” Transformation, deliverance, and resurrection are all works of God; we just need to relax and acknowledge who He is.
God’s Coworkers: Redemption Agents Back To God Ministries (today.reframemedia.com) | Friday, February 19, 2016 By Rob Toornstra, Pastor, Sunnyslope CRC
Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:13-16
You are the salt of the earth. — Matthew 5:13
Today’s verse is simple: you and I are like salt crystals that God sprinkles into a fallen world. When Jesus spoke these words, salt was used as a preservative to keep meat from spoiling. Salt was also used in Jewish religious ceremonies to remind Israel that God had made a commitment to preserve his fallen world. Jesus was saying that we are the means God is using to preserve this broken world. You and I have opportunities to work as God’s agents of redemption, keeping this world from spoiling.
We know that God works through our work to accomplish his purposes. In many ways our daily work is like salt in an unseasoned world. I have a friend who is a lawyer, working for the state government. She says that it can be difficult to work among people who do not share her worldview. Yet she sees her work as a calling to bring Jesus’ voice of grace and truth into the arena of state government.
You may work in this way too. Perhaps you are a social worker or a family therapist. Some of us work as addiction counselors or in the prison system. These can be dark places where the effects of sin are painfully obvious. Yet God is the God of redemption, and Jesus, the one who accomplished the supreme work of redemption, continues to work through us, his salt.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for your resolve to redeem the world you made. We praise you for continuing to bring your redemptive mercy; help us live and work as your preserving life in this world. Amen.
Romans 8: Enough Said Crosswalk.com | Thursday, February 18, 2016 By Dena Johnson
It’s Thursday morning at 6:00 am, and this week has been excruciatingly long! It seems like it should be Saturday, but instead I still have two days left in the work week. I don’t even know what has made it so long.
Last night, it was 8:00 when I finally finished work and wrapped up everything I needed to do. I spent my day fighting chronic pain and working way beyond my normal quitting time, only to come home to three children who needed mom. Oh. And two of them were writing essays and thought “blogger mom” should help them.
And I did not have a drop of energy to give them.
I was done. Escape to my room and pretend they don’t exist done. Curl up in a ball and cry done. Draw a hot bath and soak done. (Except one of my children used all the hot water…)
As I woke this morning, I grabbed my phone as I always do. I flipped through my morning devotions that come through email. I opened my Bible app as I thought, “I don’t even want to read my Bible this morning. I’m only going through the motions.”
Then, I began to read my daily reading.
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:1-2
Thank you, Lord, that there is no condemnation in you. What joy to celebrate your freedom!
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. Romans 8:9-10
Thank you, Lord, that your Spirit lives in me, giving me life even when I am so exhausted I can’t keep going.
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. Romans 8:18
Thank you, Lord, that you see our sufferings, that they are nothing more than preparation for your great plans for us.
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 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. Romans 8:26-28
Thank you, Lord, that when I am exhausted and drained and have nothing to pray that your Holy Spirit himself is interceding for me, pleading for me to be in harmony with your will. You know that is my heart’s desire. Thank you that I can trust you to work every hurt and every pain for good. I’ve seen it happen, and I trust you.
What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Romans 8:31-34
Thank you, Lord, for the precious reminder that even though people—people who claim to be your children—throw some horrible, painful words at me, You justify, You condemn. No one else. Thank you that I can know that You are for me and I walk forward knowing that I am justified in You because of the blood of my Savior Jesus Christ.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39
NOTHING can separate me from you! NOTHING! No words. No trials. No exhaustion. No bad attitudes. NOTHING can separate me from you! There is no greater joy than to know that you, my Savior, are here with me. Nothing I face on this side of heaven can keep you away. You are here with me, in every moment, in every situation.
I can take a deep breath and face yet another day because you are with me. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for being with me in every moment of every day. Today is yours. Sustain me. Lead me. Carry me. I cannot make it without you.
The Lord Was There Truth For Life | Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Ezekiel 35:10
Edom's princes saw the whole country left desolate and counted upon its easy conquest; but there was one great difficulty in their way--quite unknown to them--"The Lord was there"; and in His presence lay the special security of the chosen land. Whatever may be the machinations and devices of the enemies of God's people, there is still the same effectual barrier to thwart their plan.
The saints are God's heritage, and He is among them and will protect His own. This assurance grants us comfort in our troubles and spiritual conflicts! We are constantly opposed and yet perpetually preserved! How often Satan shoots his arrows against our faith, but our faith defies the power of hell's fiery darts; they are not only turned aside, but they are quenched upon its shield, for "the Lord was there."
Our good works are the subjects of Satan's attacks. A believer never yet had a virtue or a grace that was not the target for hellish bullets: whether it was bright and sparkling hope, or warm and fervent love, or all-enduring patience, or zeal flaming like coals of fire, the old enemy of everything that is good has tried to destroy it. The only reason why anything virtuous or lovely survives in us is this: "the Lord was there."
If the Lord is with us through life, we do not need to fear death; for when we come to die, we will find that "the Lord is there." Where the billows are most tempestuous, and the water is most chill, we shall feel the bottom and know that it is good; our feet shall stand upon the Rock of Ages when time is passing away. Dear friend, from the beginning of a Christian's life to the end, the only reason he does not perish is because "the Lord was there." When the God of everlasting love shall change and leave His elect to perish, then may the church of God be destroyed; but not until then, because it is written, JEHOVAH SHAMMAH, "The Lord was there."
Family Bible reading plan: Job 16 , 17 and 1 Corinthians 4
The Tone of Grace Our Daily Journey | Tuesday, February 16, 2016 By Winn Collier
Read: Isaiah 60:1-10 "I will now have mercy on you through my grace (Isaiah 60:10)".
I once had a difficult interaction with one of my sons. He had made several poor choices requiring a serious conversation. My son had a tender heart, however (as he often does), and he took responsibility for his behavior. Though I was frustrated with him, I told him that I forgave him. Later, aware that something was still bothering my son, I asked what was going on. “Well,” he replied, “you said you forgave me, but you didn’t exactly say it in a lovely tone.” My son picked up how I offered the right words, but the way I spoke told a different story. I said I forgave him, but I didn’t interact with a tone of grace.
The prophet Isaiah wrote to God’s people, warning them of the hardships they would endure because of their stubborn and persistent refusal to be true to the One to whom they belonged. Even though the “darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth,” this darkness would not ultimately consume Judah (Isaiah 60:2). In fact, eventually the very nations God had used to get the attention of God’s people would be the same “foreigners [who] will come to rebuild [their] towns” (Isaiah 60:10). God’s entire posture was, beginning to end, infused with grace. Even His sternness came wrapped in grace.
The families of God’s people would be reunited. The temple, as well as Jerusalem, would return to its magnificence and glory (Isaiah 60:1-3). The people would erupt in joy and revelry. All would be well. All would be grace.
When God forgives us, He forgives us through and through—holding nothing back. He doesn’t harbor resentment or look at us with disdain. It’s not merely that He chooses to make a gracious gesture toward us, for His tone is gracious and kind.
More: Read Psalm 139:17-18. How does the psalmist describe God’s thoughts concerning us? Does the idea of God having “precious” thoughts about you change the way you think He views you?
Next: Where is it most difficult for you to believe that God always moves toward you with grace? How would it change your posture toward God (and yourself) if you believed that God’s heart is always gracious toward you?
Consecrated to Him CBN | Monday, February 15, 2016 By Terry Meeuwsen
Most of us would be moderately uncomfortable with the thought that we could be holy. Holiness seems to be an attribute reserved for God, but beyond that, a lot of us would have a difficult time trying to verbalize exactly what it is. Yet way back in the book of Leviticus, God clearly says to His people,
“Be holy, for I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 20:7
It is almost impossible for me to comprehend God’s Holiness. His holiness is the antithesis of what I am and what I know, and it evokes all kinds of feelings in me – from sheer terror to trembling reverence. I have been reading numerous Scripture passages and books on the holiness of God, and my reading has caused me to reflect on how cavalierly we treat God in the midst of such incredible blessings. As I was running an errand yesterday, I looked at the scenes passing by my car window. Beautiful homes with lovely yards; people golfing in designed clothing on perfectly manicured fairways; stores stocked with everything we could desire; lakes and trees and wild life; people fishing and swimming and biking. In the midst of it all, I was struck with how much we are given and how much we take for granted. I was overwhelmed with how much God has provided for us. And I was overwhelmed with how seldom we acknowledge Him for it.
This biblical warning came to mind: “Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God … lest – when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God.” Deuteronomy 8:11-14
Words we need to heed.
When we glimpse the greatness of our God, we often want to do something to honor Him. We are like Peter when he saw Jesus in His glory with Moses and Elijah. He said,
“If you wish, let us make here three tabernacles.” Matthew 17:4
But in the book of Micah, God tells us what He requires of us to be pleasing to Him: “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:6-8
God isn’t looking for perfect men and women; God isn’t asking us to build great monuments to Him. God is looking for people who will reverence Him in their hearts and in their lifestyles. God is looking for people in whom He can take up residence, with whom He can speak and walk, through whom He can work. He is looking for people who are willing to be set apart.
Lord, I know that You understand my shortcomings, for You created me. But I also know that You are holy and awesome and that Your purposes for Your people far exceed what I could dream or imagine. Forgive me for being distracted from You. I bow my heart and my knee to You, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Perform a work in me that I might be pleasing in Your sight, O God. My heart cries out with Your angels as they call to one another, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah 6:3
God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life. Discover how you can find peace with God. You can also send us your prayer requests.
The God of a Second Chance
Terry Meeuwsen: God Opens Doors Out of the Blue.
Discerning The Lord’s Body Joseph Prince Ministries | Saturday, February 13, 2016
1 Corinthians 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Have you ever taken a close look at the Matzah bread that the Jews eat during their Passover meal? The bread, which is unleavened, is pierced with rows of little holes forming stripes. It is also slightly burnt. Many churches today use this bread for the Holy Communion.
Do you know why the bread is pierced, striped and burnt?
My friend, the bread that you hold in your hands when you partake of the Lord’s Supper speaks of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ when He bore our sins and sicknesses on the cross.
Like the bread, He was pierced in His brow by the crown of thorns as well as in His hands and feet by the nails. He was also pierced in His side by a soldier’s spear. The prophet Isaiah says, “He was pierced for our transgressions…” (Isaiah 53:5, NIV)
Like the bread, He was scourged on His back until His flesh was all torn and bloody, and His bones were exposed, so that today, you can say, “By His stripes I am healed!” (Isaiah 53:5)
What about the burnt marks on the bread? The full fire of God’s wrath fell on Jesus, burning up our sins into ashes, and at the same time, bringing out the fragrance of the offering of Jesus. Today, your sins and lawless deeds are but ashes, and your Father in heaven remembers them no more! (Hebrews 8:12)
So the next time you partake of the bread during the Holy Communion, know that Jesus was pierced for your sins and scourged for your healing. He bore God’s fiery judgment so that you will never be judged for your sins! He also bore your diseases and carried your pains so that you can walk in divine health!
When you discern these precious truths about our Lord’s body, you are partaking of the Holy Communion in a worthy manner. And you will not be weak and sickly, nor die before your time. (1 Corinthians 11:27–30) No, you will be strong and healthy, and you will live long!
Are You Listening to God? utmost.com | Friday, February 12, 2016 By Oswald Chambers
They said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die." —Exodus 20:19
We don’t consciously and deliberately disobey God— we simply don’t listen to Him. God has given His commands to us, but we pay no attention to them— not because of willful disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him. “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Once we realize we have constantly been showing disrespect to God, we will be filled with shame and humiliation for ignoring Him.
“You speak with us,…but let not God speak with us….” We show how little love we have for God by preferring to listen to His servants rather than to Him. We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we don’t want God Himself to speak to us. Why are we so terrified for God to speak to us? It is because we know that when God speaks we must either do what He asks or tell Him we will not obey. But if it is simply one of God’s servants speaking to us, we feel obedience is optional, not imperative. We respond by saying, “Well, that’s only your own idea, even though I don’t deny that what you said is probably God’s truth.”
Am I constantly humiliating God by ignoring Him, while He lovingly continues to treat me as His child? Once I finally do hear Him, the humiliation I have heaped on Him returns to me. My response then becomes, “Lord, why was I so insensitive and obstinate?” This is always the result once we hear God. But our real delight in finally hearing Him is tempered with the shame we feel for having taken so long to do so.
Wisdom From Oswald Chambers
It is not what a man does that is of final importance, but what he is in what he does. The atmosphere produced by a man, much more than his activities, has the lasting influence. Baffled to Fight Better.
Bible in One Year: Leviticus 13; Matthew 26:26-50
Why Must We Pray 'In Jesus' Name'? crosswalk.com | Thursday, February 11, 2016 By Denise Larson Cooper
When it comes to prayer, many of us, undoubtedly, fall to our knees, uttering the words of the disciples, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1).
In Scripture, Jesus teaches us to pray as He prayed: in solitude. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). In so doing, He instructs His disciples to avoid the pitfalls of hypocrisy that the Pharisees exhibited by praying publically, where men could see them and be impressed by their piety. Instead He encourages His disciples to pray in solitude. He says to, "go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matthew 6:5).
Many of us try to follow Christ's example of prayer in solitude and to live by His instructions so we shut ourselves into a quiet room, listening for God and looking for a sign that He is present and responding to our requests. Yet, in a short time, as the room remains silent and still we question God’s hearing and doubt our prayers have reached even as high as the ceiling above us. Often, instead of communion with God, we fell futility and frustration, and we leave the room sullen and even angry at God’s perceived silence. We question the power of prayer, not realizing that when we question prayer we are really doubting the existence of God.
What is the cause of our problem with prayer? Our failure to pursue God in prayer and our lack of desire to know Him are the stumbling blocks that prevent us from finding the answers to our prayers. Often we pray because we want something from God. Most of our prayers constitute a list of wants that we call on God to satisfy according to our will and purpose. Our prayers are grounded in our fallen human nature, which, perhaps unknown to us, brazenly trumpets give me, give me, and give me in the ears of God. Plugged into the material world, all we can think to ask for is physical healing, or a certain job, house, career and the like. But we don’t pray according to Christ’s nature and ask for a more forgiving heart, to be filled with the love of God or to spread the Gospel. This is why we rise from our knees leaving our time of prayer emptier than we started.
We fail to understand that prayer allows us to transcend the material world so we can glimpse God in His eternal kingdom. Prayer is the pursuit of God, His will and His purpose: . The very example Christ sets before us as He models prayer to His Father. While incarnate, He sought out the Father in prayer and asked for His will and work to be accomplished in the world; He did not catalog a list of material desires that He wanted His Father to fulfill.
On the night before His crucifixion, Christ publically unveils His private prayers to God when He implores, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). And again He affirms God’s will, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done” (Matthew 26:42). Through this model of prayer Jesus reveals His heart’s desires to move ever closer to God’s purpose and design. Christ graciously gives to His people not a prayer of doubt but one of confidence in God’s wisdom and His knowledge of what we need, so we will know how to pray according to the divine nature and will of God.
So how can we pray like Christ did? How can ours be like Christ’s rich prayer life? We must pray in the name of Jesus. According to Matthew's Gospel, Jesus says, "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them" (18:20 NIV).
I finally came to understand this verse when I discovered that in Hebrew the word name means nature, character or essence. My prayers should be aligned with the divine, perfect nature of God in Christ. This verse was not about gathering with two or three other people, (though many profit from prayer groups) but Jesus is talking about being gathered into the bosom of the Godhead to pray with the Three Persons of the Trinity. And when I pray according to the nature of Christ those prayers receive their fulfillment in the Godhead. The Three Persons of the Trinity pray with me when I am seeking the Son.
This understanding reshaped my prayer life. I realized that the Spirit would teach me to pray the way Christ prayed. And Christ would pray on my behalf so my prayers would be as fruitful as the prayers He offered to the Father. Just as the Father answered the Son, He now answers me through the Spirit.
Prayer is no longer my reciting a list of wishes or desires, but a means to connect with the Father, through the Son according to the Spirit. As I began to learn to pray I also studied the doctrine of prayer, learning from the great men of prayer: Charles Spurgeon, Andrew Murray, E. M. Bounds and many others. In my pursuit of the knowledge of prayer I encountered John C. Bowman who wrote that prayer "serves as no other agency can serve, to bring and keep the soul of man in touch with God, as the source and support of his spiritual life, and as a strong rock and tower of defense in the midst of life’s perils" ("Prayer in the Name of Jesus" in Treasury of the World’s Great Sermons, ed. Wiersbe 62).
As I continue to learn from these masters I have also learned through the Spirit how to pray the Scriptures. As the Spirit reveals more of Christ to me, I learn to pray to have Christ’s life formed in me according to the revelation of Scripture, so that my will become one with His will. I ask for a heart filled with forgiveness, love and peace and all the things Christ embodied when He walked among us. I pray with Christ and He with me because He “always lives to intercede” for us. (Hebrews 7:25).
When we pray in Jesus' name we unite with Christ according to the will and purpose of God through the Spirit. And God the Father makes certain that His answers to our prayers bring Him glory and honor the Son. Therefore, when we pray "we lift ourselves up into correspondence with the purposes and methods of God. It is the harmonizing of our will with the will of God" (Bowman in Wiersbe 63).
Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. She is an avid walker and spends many hours in the great outdoors admiring God’s creation. She also enjoys photography, leads small group Bible studies and invests the Gospel in all she does. Denise graduated with a Masters of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary and worked ten years of inner-city ministry in Rochester, New York. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach. Find more from Denise at her blog.
Jesus Over Everything Our Daily Bread | Wednesday, February 10, 2016 By Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Read: Colossians 1:15-20 Bible in a Year: Leviticus 8–10; Matthew 25:31-46
He is before all things. Colossians 1:17
My friend’s son decided to wear a sports jersey over his school clothing one day. He wanted to show support for his favorite team that would be playing an important game later that night. Before leaving home, he put something on over his sports jersey—it was a chain with a pendant that read, “Jesus.” His simple action illustrated a deeper truth: Jesus deserves first place over everything in our lives.
Jesus is above and over all. “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:17). Jesus is supreme over all creation (vv. 15-16). He is “the head of the body, the church” (v. 18). Because of this, He should have first place in all things.
Jesus deserves the best of our time, energy, and affection.
When we give Jesus the highest place of honor in each area of our lives, this truth becomes visible to those around us. At work, are we laboring first for God or only to please our employer? (3:23). How do God’s standards show up in the way we treat others? (vv. 12-14). Do we put Him first as we live our lives and pursue our favorite pastimes?
When Jesus is our greatest influence in all of life, He will have His rightful place in our hearts.
Dear Jesus, You deserve the best of my time, energy, and affection. I crown You King of my heart and Lord over everything I do.
How can you put God first in your life today?
Put Jesus first.
Insight:
In today’s passage—packed with significant theological morsels—the word all stands out. In these six short verses Paul uses it seven times, and he uses a similar word in verse 18—everything. Paul underscores Jesus’s supremacy. He is the Source (v. 16) and Sustainer (v. 17) of everything.
Faith in the Midst of Doubt christianitytoday.com | Tuesday, February 9, 2016 By Dave Peterson
Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts.
—1 John 5:9-13
Jesus exerts such a mysterious force over people. Years ago, James Kennedy wrote the book What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? In it he explored the influence Jesus has had on all of the key aspects of life and history: health care, education, government, social services, the arts, the sciences, economics, and on and on. When you think about it, life as we know it today would be largely unrecognizable if Jesus had never been born.
On the lighter side, recently I did a Google search for "finding Jesus in Cheetos" and up popped an article describing twenty-two places people have found images of Jesus in their food—Cheetos, fish sticks, banana peels, pizza, toast. I also found another article: "12 Things Currently Being Sold on eBay Because They Look Like Jesus." What is it about Jesus that orchestrates history and influences people so deeply that they see his image in a lowly piece of toast?
The Apostle John has a more theological approach to this same idea. He refers to the various testimonies about Jesus from both God and men. Today we have the advantage of two millennia of the most painstakingly thorough examinations of everything ever said by Jesus or about him. Yet strangely, convictions about Jesus are not usually decided by intellectual argument or finding his image in a Cheeto. It almost always comes down to what John describes as "the testimony in their hearts."
As Blaise Pascal put it, "The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing."
It is possible to trust Jesus in your heart and yet wonder deeply about him in your head. Isn't that a relief? The scale of creation exhausts my imagination. How can God keep track of me? How can he know every detail of my life—and everyone else's at the same time? The gospel story of sacrifice and redemption makes sense on an individual basis, but how can one man's death accomplish the salvation of the world?
What about miracles, the complexity of the Trinity, the resurrection? What about suffering? What about prayer? If God knows everything, why should I pray? And yet I do. Do my questions qualify as doubts? And what if they do? As the Psalmist put it,
How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end—I am still with you. (Ps. 139:17-18)
So for the moment, I'll leave the puzzling complexities, the apparent contradictions, and the mind-numbing debates to others. Like John, when I trust in Jesus, I am so fully alive that my heart sings.
A Lesson in Humility cbn.org | Saturday, February 06, 2016 By Julie Gillies
My friend Leslie related the story of a time she worked in the children’s nursery at church during a special weekend event. A single whiff of the toddler in front of her indicated the need for a diaper change.
Plopping the little guy onto the changing table, Leslie began to change one ferocious diaper. Though she worked quickly, Leslie was nonetheless overcome by the strong smell. Turning her head to the side, she attempted to stifle her gag reflex, to no avail.
Noticing her distress from across the room, Don, a fellow nursery worker, approached the gasping woman and swiftly intervened. Stepping in, he grabbed hold of the child’s plump legs. “Here, I’ll take over,” he said nonchalantly.
Leslie moved out of the way and he continued the dirty job. With great relief, she walked to the opposite side of the room and got some fresh air.
What impresses me most is not simply that Don is a man, but he is also the pastor of our church. Compassion and humility were plainly demonstrated as our unassuming leader stepped in to take over for Leslie. Pastor Don’s actions spoke more loudly than any words he might have said, and God’s character was clearly evident in his humble deed.
When Leslie shared this story with me, it caused me to search my own heart. Do my actions reflect the Lord I claim to serve? Am I willing to serve even when it’s a dirty job?
Remarkably, Jesus, the King of Kings, fastened a towel around his waste and stooped down to wash his disciples’ filthy feet. This shocking and unexpected act demonstrated the utter importance of serving one another in humility. Two thousand years later, Jesus’ actions still reverberate, calling us to servanthood.
As I fasten an apron around my waist to prepare dinner today, I recall the Lord’s humble actions, and I am thankful for the opportunity to serve my family. The cry of my heart is to become like the One who loves me with an everlasting love. My daily goal is to reflect the love of Christ as Pastor Don did that day in a noisy church nursery. I may not literally wash my husband or children’s feet this evening, but my actions can still reflect those of a humble servant. Hopefully as I serve my family and others around me, hearts will then be pointed in God’s direction, and lives (not just a diaper) will be changed.
“So He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.” (John 13: 4-5)
“And whosoever would be first among you shall be your servant.” (Matthew 20:27)
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Overcoming Disappointment Thursday, February 04, 2016 | crosswalk.com By Ryan Duncan
Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. – 2 Corinthians 1:7
We’ve all been there. It’s that letter from the college you wanted to attend, saying they are not able to admit you at this time. It’s that person on the stage surrounded by people, announcing that first prize goes to the other contestant. It’s watching all the time and effort you put into something crumble away in a matter of seconds. Sometimes disappointment can be more devastating than tragedy, because it requires you to have invested in the outcome first.
The Bible tells us that we should rejoice in our sufferings, but I’d be lying if I said that what I did every time I was disappointed. Most of the time I just want to crawl off and be alone, or I end up angry and resentful. Sometimes I even find myself arguing with God over what just happened. So, what are Christians supposed to respond when faced with disappointment? Personally, I think there’s only one thing we can do: hope.
The early disciples faced their own share of letdowns. Paul in particular had his share of troubles in life, but look what he writes in Romans chapter 5,
Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. – Romans 5:2-6
Sometimes disappointment can’t be overcome, only endured. In moments like that it’s important to remember that we have hope on our side. Hope in Christ’s love, hope for better days to come, the hope to maybe even try again. So when the storms of life come your way don’t let yourself be troubled, instead pick yourself up and remember with God there will always be hope.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Whatever you may be going through remember to hope in the Lord.
Further Reading - Romans 15:13
Happiness Habit: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff SOURCE: richwarren.org | Wednesday, February 03, 2016 Daily Hope with Rich Warren
“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that no one can criticize you.” (Philippians 2:14-15 NLT)
Do you ever fret and fight over the small stuff? Of course. We all do! It’s a hard habit to break because we’re negative by nature. Ever since Adam and Eve, we have been going around excusing and accusing. We excuse our own mistakes and then accuse others for their mistakes — and more. We hide, and we hurl. We blame others for the problems in our lives.
Philippians 2:14-15 says this: “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that no one can criticize you” (NLT). That may be one of the most difficult verses in the Bible. Would you agree?
There are four types of complainers I run into all the time.
First are the whiners. You can get up in the morning and say, “Good morning, Lord!” but whiners choose instead to say, “Good Lord, it’s morning!”
Second are the martyrs. Their favorite expression is, “Nobody appreciates me!” They’re pros at throwing pity parties. They pout and complain when they don’t get their way.
Third are the cynics. Their attitude is, “Why bother? It isn’t going to make any difference.” They poison everything.
Fourth are the perfectionists. Nothing is ever good enough for these complainers. Their favorite phrase is, “Is that the best you can do?”
To me, the scariest verse in the Bible is Matthew 12:36: “Everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken” (NIV).
That ought to send shivers up your spine. How many times have you complained, whined, or argued about something when you shouldn’t have been sweating the small stuff? Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Instead, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Talk It Over
What do you consistently complain about in your life? Would you consider these things “small stuff”? Why or why not?
How do “empty words” (Matthew 12:36) reflect a focus on the small stuff in life?
How do you think complaining makes something that is difficult seem even worse?
Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.
The Throne of Grace SOURCE: Intouch Ministries | Tuesday, February 02, 2016 By Dr. Charles F. Stanley
Hebrews 4:14-16
Almighty God is righteous and just. Romans 3:23 tells us that all people have sinned and are inadequate to be in His presence. As a result of His wrath against sin, we were doomed to eternal separation from Him.
But thankfully, the story doesn’t end there. In His love and mercy, God sent His Son to walk among us. Jesus experienced the hardship and temptation common to all people, yet He never sinned. The Savior chose to die a gruesome death in our place, paying the penalty for our wrongs.
There is no deeper love, Scripture tells us, than a man who gives up his life for a friend (John 15:13). Jesus went even farther—dying for us while we were still His enemies (Rom. 5:10). In fact, He would have sacrificed Himself even if you were the only person ever to exist.
Promising forgiveness and eternal life, Christ asks sinful man to believe and follow Him. When we trust in Jesus, we are adopted as God’s children and receive His indwelling Spirit, who blesses abundantly with joy, peace, and guidance. Always welcome before the Throne of Grace, believers have access to converse with the Father at any time. He promises to hear and respond to our seeking, repentant hearts. And Jesus intercedes for us, praying on our behalf.
We don’t deserve the Lord’s invitation to have an intimate relationship with Him. Yet in His grace, He is loving and compassionate toward us. What a privilege to be able to approach the King’s throne, knowing He listens, understands, and cares. Rest in God’s love, and enjoy sweet fellowship with Him.
Leave a Legacy SOURCE: Our Daily Bread | Tuesday, February 02, 2016 By Tim Gustafson
Read: 2 Chronicles 21:4-20 | Bible in a Year: Exodus 29–30; Matthew 21:23-46
"Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve." Mark 10:45
When a road-construction foreman was killed in an accident, the love of this man for his family, co-workers, and community resulted in an overwhelming sense of loss. His country church couldn’t accommodate all the mourners, so planners moved the service to a much larger building. Friends and family packed the auditorium! The message was clear: Tim touched many lives in a way uniquely his. So many would miss his kindness, sense of humor, and enthusiasm for life.
As I returned from the funeral, I thought about the life of King Jehoram. What a contrast! His brief reign of terror is traced in 2 Chronicles 21. To solidify his power, Jehoram killed his own brothers and other leaders (v. 4). Then he led Judah into idol worship. The record tells us, “He passed away, to no one’s regret” (v. 20). Jehoram thought that brute force would ensure his legacy. It did. He is forever commemorated in Scripture as an evil man and a self-centered leader.
Although Jesus also was a king, He came to Earth to be a servant. As He went about doing good, He endured the hatred of those who grasped for power. In the process, this Servant-King gave His life away.
Today, Jesus lives along with His legacy. That legacy includes those who understand that life isn’t just about themselves. It’s about Jesus—the One who longs to wrap His strong, forgiving arms around anyone who turns to Him.
Lord, in Your death as well as in Your life, You did the will of Your Father and served others. In some small way, help us to serve others with our lives today.
