Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     

"It Is the Lord!"
Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!' -John 20:28


Jesus said to her, 'Give Me a drink' " (John 4:7). How many of us are expecting Jesus Christ to quench our thirst when we should be satisfying Him! We should be pouring out our lives, investing our total beings, not drawing on Him to satisfy us. "You shall be witnesses to Me . . ." (Acts 1:. That means lives of pure, uncompromising, and unrestrained devotion to the Lord Jesus, which will be satisfying to Him wherever He may send us.

Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him. It is easier to serve than to pour out our lives completely for Him. The goal of the call of God is His satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him. We are not sent to do battle for God, but to be used by God in His battles. Are we more devoted to service than we are to Jesus Christ Himself?

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Compassion for the Lost
Yesterday we started a series of devotionals I am calling "The Seven Cs of Soul Winning." Today I want to point you to the second "C"-compassion. In Mark 16:16 Jesus said,

"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."

Now, condemned is a pretty soft word in the English language. I actually like the King James Version, where it says, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

Condemned or damned, it means eternally separated from God with no opportunity of rescue or retrieval. Forever lost. Think about it!

Do you recall the story Jesus told of the rich man who died? It ought to send a shudder through the heart of even the most brazen sinner.

Jesus tells us that the rich man died and was in torment, in flame. Jesus goes on to say that the rich man lifted up his eyes, and begged for mercy. But no mercy came, even as it says in Revelation 14:11, "The smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever."

I know it is not a popular subject in the Church to talk about hell, but Jesus talked more about hell than He did about heaven. It is a very real place. If we would consider just for a moment the end of the man or woman who rejects Christ, it ought to cause our hearts to be stirred with compassion.

When was the last time you and I shed a tear over lost humanity? When was the last time you and I were truly broken with the things that break the heart of God?

Our compassion for the lost ought to move us to do all we can to share Christ with them!


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Why We Need Revival

Scripture Readings: Psalm 85:1-13

David cries out in Psalm 85:6, "Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in You?" and as Christians we must echo that petition. How do we know if we need a revival? Historically, revivals are preceded by spiritual decline, such as divisiveness, anger, continuous crises, addictions and service without passion. Simply put, the need for revival is a result of sin in our lives.

Revival is the restoration of the spiritual life of God's people and a return to the abundant life God intended for His followers. When God revives us, we can expect real change!

If you have experienced a crisis in your life lately, examine whether God has a purpose behind it. Perhaps God has taken steps to get your attention, and the next step is yours.

First, you must identify the change that needs to take place in your own life for true revival. I encourage you to spend time asking God to let you see yourself from His perspective. Let Him tell you what needs to change!


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

January 19, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     



Vision and Darkness
When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him -Genesis 15:12


Whenever God gives a vision to a Christian, it is as if He puts him in "the shadow of His hand" (Isaiah 49:2). The saint's duty is to be still and listen. There is a "darkness" that comes from too much light-that is the time to listen. The story of Abram and Hagar in Genesis 16 is an excellent example of listening to so-called good advice during a time of darkness, rather than waiting for God to send the light. When God gives you a vision and darkness follows, wait. God will bring the vision He has given you to reality in your life if you will wait on His timing. Never try to help God fulfill His word. Abram went through thirteen years of silence, but in those years all of his self-sufficiency was destroyed. He grew past the point of relying on his own common sense. Those years of silence were a time of discipline, not a period of God's displeasure. There is never any need to pretend that your life is filled with joy and confidence; just wait upon God and be grounded in Him (see Isaiah 50:10-11).

Do I trust at all in the flesh? Or have I learned to go beyond all confidence in myself and other people of God? Do I trust in books and prayers or other joys in my life? Or have I placed my confidence in God Himself, not in His blessings? "I am Almighty God . . ."- El-Shaddai, the All-Powerful God (Genesis 17:1). The reason we are all being disciplined is that we will know God is real. As soon as God becomes real to us, people pale by comparison, becoming shadows of reality. Nothing that other saints do or say can ever upset the one who is built on God.

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Common Ground

The next "C" of "The Seven Cs of Soul Winning" is common ground. We need to endeavor to find common ground with people. In 1 Corinthians 9:19-24, Paul says,

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

In this passage, Paul is talking about the way he ran-the method he used-to reach people for Christ. Verse 22 in The Living Bible puts it this way, Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ.

Paul didn't run aimlessly. And like Paul, you have to find a point to relate to people so that you can build a bridge over which the gospel can come.

I encourage you today to find a common area of interest, a common ground, to relate to people in order to share Christ with them.


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Requirements for True Revival
Scripture Readings: 2 Chronicles 6:34-42

When God's people are disobedient, we suffer His wrath because we have rejected His way. God desires a restored relationship with His people, but we, as believers, still have a responsibility in our own revival. That responsibility, outlined in 2 Chronicles 7:14, calls for specific action:"If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray . . . " With these words, God reveals that revival is primarily focused on His people.

When believers come to God on His terms with humble hearts, we give God permission to take action. When we open the door for revival through prayer, God works on our sins and addresses how they affect our lives.

". . . and seek my face . . . " Seeking His face means seeking His presence, submitting to His authority, and approaching God on His terms.

". . . and turn from their wicked ways . . . " With these words, God is calling for spiritual and physical action as prerequisites to His intervention. We must rid ourselves of excuses and crutches, which are often disguised as addictions and issues.

Only when we seek God's will with humility, prayer and obedience will true revival occur.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     



Are You Fresh for Everything?
Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God' -John 3:3


Sometimes we are fresh and eager to attend a prayer meeting, but do we feel that same freshness for such mundane tasks as polishing shoes?

Being born again by the Spirit is an unmistakable work of God, as mysterious as the wind, and as surprising as God Himself. We don't know where it begins- it is hidden away in the depths of our soul. Being born again from above is an enduring, perpetual, and eternal beginning. It provides a freshness all the time in thinking, talking, and living- a continual surprise of the life of God. Staleness is an indication that something in our lives is out of step with God. We say to ourselves, "I have to do this thing or it will never get done." That is the first sign of staleness. Do we feel fresh this very moment or are we stale, frantically searching our minds for something to do? Freshness is not the result of obedience; it comes from the Holy Spirit. Obedience keeps us "in the light as He is in the light . . ." (1 John 1:7).

Jealously guard your relationship with God. Jesus prayed "that they may be one just as We are one"-with nothing in between (John 17:22). Keep your whole life continually open to Jesus Christ. Don't pretend to be open with Him. Are you drawing your life from any source other than God Himself? If you are depending on something else as your source of freshness and strength, you will not realize when His power is gone.

Being born of the Spirit means much more than we usually think. It gives us new vision and keeps us absolutely fresh for everything through the never-ending supply of the life of God.


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Character Counts
So far we have learned about the first three "Cs" of soul winning in the last few devotionals. Today let me share the fourth "C"-character. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, particularly verse 27, tells us the importance of character in witnessing to others,

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Paul said he was temperate in all things, that he disciplined his body. He would bring it into subjection, meaning he had problems keeping his body in subjection, just like you and I do.

Every one of us has a propensity toward certain sins. It is important, though, that we rein in our flesh and that we are temperate in all things because our lifestyle affects our message.

Take just a moment and do the following exercise. Imagine you are an employer. If you wanted to hire an efficient, competent, trustworthy employee, would you hire yourself at your present salary?

Or let's say that you were going to have to spend the rest of your life with someone just like you. Would you look forward to it as a great opportunity and privilege? Or not?

If your character is out of whack, people are going to have a hard time hearing what you have to say. Character counts!


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Revival in the Valley of Dry Bones
Scripture Readings: Ezekiel 37:1-10

Spiritual collapse places us in the "Valley of Dry Bones," a situation in which we experience hopelessness and helplessness. God, however, has provided a way out.

We must be willing to listen to the Word of God. When in a "dry place," a place of no hope and no apparent answer to life's dilemmas, we must accept God's Word that begins the process of deliverance from disorder.

We must be willing to respond in obedience to the Word of God. It is our willingness to act on what is spoken by God that continues this deliverance from our "dry bones" state of existence.

We must be sensitive to the movement of God's Spirit. God's Word gives us order, but the Spirit gives life. The Holy Spirit provides the power to bring the truth of God's Word to fruition.

When we hear of despairing situations in our nation, state, city and personal lives, are we listening to the prophetic Word of God, or do we have our own agendas?

Once we connect the Word of Truth with God's Spirit, we can be delivered out of our hopeless situation and experience revival.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

January 23, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     

Transformed by Beholding
We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image . . . -2 Corinthians 3:18


The greatest characteristic a Christian can exhibit is this completely unveiled openness before God, which allows that person's life to become a mirror for others. When the Spirit fills us, we are transformed, and by beholding God we become mirrors. You can always tell when someone has been beholding the glory of the Lord, because your inner spirit senses that he mirrors the Lord's own character. Beware of anything that would spot or tarnish that mirror in you. It is almost always something good that will stain it- something good, but not what is best.

The most important rule for us is to concentrate on keeping our lives open to God. Let everything else including work, clothes, and food be set aside. The busyness of things obscures our concentration on God. We must maintain a position of beholding Him, keeping our lives completely spiritual through and through. Let other things come and go as they will; let other people criticize us as they will; but never allow anything to obscure the life that "is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). Never let a hurried lifestyle disturb the relationship of abiding in Him. This is an easy thing to allow, but we must guard against it. The most difficult lesson of the Christian life is learning how to continue "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord . . . ."


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Wise Counsel

It's important we learn to share the Word with people. Our testimony is powerful and should be shared. But even though that may move people and influence people, folks need to know they are anchoring their trust in the promises of God. Not just in a feeling they have gotten, not just because they feel influenced and moved-even if that is by the Holy Spirit.

Why? Because feelings change. Our feelings can go up and down like a rollercoaster. You may be feeling God today, and tomorrow feel like He is nowhere around. Ever felt that way?

I have had days when I have woken up and not felt God at all, even though I had experienced a good time with Him the night before. In those times, if I would have gone by my feelings, I would have said, "God, You have deserted me this morning."

But I know He hasn't because God's Word makes it clear that He never leaves us nor forsakes us. When a person is saved, they need to be anchoring their faith on the promises of God, not on their feelings.

Promises like Romans 10:9-10,

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

So when we witness to people, we need to give them the counsel, the promises of the Word of God.


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Do You Know That You ARE an Overcomer?
Scripture Readings: Ephesians 6:10-18

When Paul established the church at Ephesus, he wanted the believers to understand they had the power to withstand the attacks of the enemy, Satan. He wanted them to know that they could stand firm in their faith and refuse to yield to sin and thoughts of defeat. They had been given spiritual weapons more powerful and effective than the enemy's.

But first they needed to understand they were not strong enough on their own to resist Satan's temptations and tactics. God's power and strength empowered them to rebuke the wiles of the devil. Paul explained to the Ephesians that they needed use weapons of spiritual warfare on a daily basis. Yes, God protected them and protects us, but every believer must daily put on the full armor of God.

Paul further explained the importance of truly committing our lives to Jesus Christ. One day, our hour of sinful behavior is a sure setup for discouragement and defeat at hands of the enemy. The power that is alive within you and me is OVERCOMING power.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

January 24, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


God's Overpowering Purpose
I have appeared to you for this purpose . . .-Acts 26:16


The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was not a passing emotional experience, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him. And Paul stated, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19). Our Lord said to Paul, in effect, "Your whole life is to be overpowered or subdued by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine." And the Lord also says to us, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go . . ." (John 15:16).

When we are born again, if we are spiritual at all, we have visions of what Jesus wants us to be. It is important that I learn not to be "disobedient to the heavenly vision"-not to doubt that it can be attained. It is not enough to give mental assent to the fact that God has redeemed the world, nor even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in my life. I must have the foundation of a personal relationship with Him. Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim. He was brought into a vivid, personal, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ.Acts 26:16 is tremendously compelling ". . . to make you a minister and a witness . . . ." There would be nothing there without a personal relationship. Paul was devoted to a Person, not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ's. He saw nothing else and he lived for nothing else. "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2).


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The Coming Reward
Today brings an end to our consideration of "The Seven Cs of Soul Winning." The final "C" is the coming reward. Let me quote to you from Daniel 12:3, which says,

"Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever."

There is a coming reward for those who turn people to righteousness.

The dearest thing to God's heart is winning humanity and bringing them into His family. Nothing is more important to God. He bankrupted heaven and gave His only begotten Son to save humanity.

The Bible teaches us that there will be a reward, my friend: authority in heaven, a place in heaven, honor in heaven.

In addition to that, I want to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Someday there is going to be a joy and a fullness in heaven, but there are some who will not experience that level of joy.

The story is told that Cyrus, the king of Persia who had defeated Babylon and set the captive Jews at liberty, was walking through his garden one day with a visitor. The visitor was looking at all of the beautiful trees and shrubs and exclaimed how much pleasure the garden was giving him.

Cyrus said, "Not nearly the pleasure it gives to me for, you see, I have planted every one of these trees myself."

I think there is going to be something about being in heaven and seeing your fingerprints on people who are there because you shared, because you gave, and because you prayed. I believe there is going to be a greater joy for some because they did more for heaven while on earth than others.

There is a coming reward!


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A Purposeless Life
In His Presence: God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Genesis 1:27-28).

We exist for God; He does not exist for us. God loves doing things for His people, but the reason we get up in the morning is to fulfill His purpose for our lives, not merely to ask Him to bless our purpose for our lives. God does not want to be our vending machine, where we put in a coin and He dispenses what we demand. Until we understand that we exist for Him, we will never know our purpose for being.

Purposelessness is everywhere. I would compare a purposeless existence with the life of a dog. Dogs bark a lot, and most of the time they are just making noise and not really telling you anything important. Purposeless people talk a lot just because they want to be heard.

Dogs also like to run in circles. They move, but they're not really going anywhere. When they finish running in circles, they are right back where they started. Purposeless people live like this, running around trying to find fulfillment in activities, only to find themselves not really moving toward anything.

Dogs also function on the level of the external. They like to be petted and rubbed, feeling good for the moment on the outside, but no real impact is felt on the inside. Purposeless people "put on the dog" by getting dressed up to look good and make themselves feel better. If this describes your purposeless wanderings, God's design and desire is to release you from that, but it must be on His terms.

One Minute Please

God has a plan for our lives that will bring Him glory and bring us the greatest good.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


Leave Room For God
But when it pleased God. . . - Galatians 1:15


As workers for God we have to learn to make room for God - to give God "elbow room." We calculate and estimate, and say that this and that will happen, and we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our preaching in a way we had never looked for Him to come? Do not look for God to come in any particular way, but look for Him. That is the way to make room for Him. Expect Him to come, but do not expect Him only in a certain way. However much we may know God, the great lesson to learn is that at any minute He may break in. We are apt to over look this element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way. All of a sudden God meets the life - "When it was the good pleasure of God. . ."

Keep your life so constant in its contact with God that His surprising power may break out on the right hand and on the left. Always be in a state of expectancy, and see that you leave room for God to come in as He likes.


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Worry About Work
In 2 Corinthians 11:28, the apostle Paul says something very interesting,

Besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.

You may be wondering, "Bayless, what does this have to do with my life?" Let me show you.

The phrase "deep concern" literally means anxiety and worry. And that phrase "to come upon"in the original language literally means "it conspires against me in order to overthrow me."

The apostle Paul's job was to oversee the churches that God had used him to establish, and in this verse he is confessing, "I daily have to battle with worry over these churches. How are they doing? Are they being misled by false prophets? Are they staying true to good doctrine?"

He was dealing with worry about those churches. Every day he grappled with that worry, and he had to throw it down.

It is easy for all of us to worry about our job. Some people, even though they are at home, never leave their job. They carry the burden around with them twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

They are always worrying about the job, even when they are home with their family. "How are things going at work? I wonder what they're saying. I wonder about the competition. What about sales? What about my job security? What's going to happen tomorrow?"

Consequently, when they get home from work, they are carrying this burden of work around with them, and they are robbing their family. Their own spiritual life is robbed, many times almost to the point of bankruptcy.

Do not let your family be robbed. Do not let your own personal and spiritual life be robbed because you carry the care of your job around with you. Instead, give it to God.


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No Mistakes
In His Presence: I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well (Psalm 139:14).

The God who created you for Himself has never made any mistakes. There have been no failures or flaws in His plan and program for you. Genesis 1:1 says: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Since this is true, there can be no such thing as an accident. In this first verse of the Bible, the theory of naturalism is proven incorrect. Naturalism states that the supernatural does not exist, and that by chance, the world and its inhabitants evolved into what they are today.

There is no room for chance if you believe God is Creator and Sustainer. People who believe the world came about by chance are simply saying that nobody and nothing existed, and yet somehow that produced everything! It's important that we see the flaws in this worldview because many of us live by a philosophy of luck or chance, when actually God sovereignly allows things to happen in our lives for His purpose. And when we don't connect with His purpose, the components of our lives have no meaning.

How does this all relate to the topic of living a purposeful life? If we know that God purposefully created and sustains us, we know we are not a mistake. We are not the coming together of random forces in the universe; rather we are the direct result of God's power and work.

Psalm 139:1, 13 says: "O Lord, You have searched me and known me . . . .You formed my inward parts." God formed you and determined your existence.

One Minute Please

The God of the Bible is perfect and makes no mistakes. He made you; therefore, you can't be a mistake!

God bless


Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


Look Again And Consecrate
If God so clothe the grass of the field . . . shall He not much more clothe you? - Matthew 6:30


A simple statement of Jesus is always a puzzle to us if we are not simple. How are we going to be simple with the simplicity of Jesus? By receiving His Spirit, recognizing and relying on Him, obeying Him as He brings the word of God, and life will become amazingly simple. "Consider," says Jesus, "how much more your Father Who clothes the grass of the field will clothe you, if you keep your relationship right with Him." Every time we have gone back in spiritual communion it has been because we have impertinently known better than Jesus Christ. We have allowed the cares of the world to come in, and have forgotten the "much more" of our Heavenly Father.

"Behold the fowls of the air" - their main aim is to obey the principle of life that is in them and God looks after them. Jesus says that if you are rightly related to Him and obey His Spirit that is in you, God will look after your 'feathers.'

"Consider the lilies of the field" - they grow where they are put. Many of us refuse to grow where we are put, consequently we take root nowhere. Jesus says that if we obey the life God has given us, He will look after all the other things. Has Jesus Christ told us a lie? If we are not experiencing the "much more," it is because we are not obeying the life God has given us, we are taken up with confusing considerations. How much time have we taken up worrying God with questions when we should have been absolutely free to concentrate on His work? Consecration means the continual separating of myself to one particular thing. We cannot consecrate once and for all. Am I continually separating myself to consider God every day of my life?


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An Original
1 Samuel 15:19 and 24 provide us with real insight into an area of anxiety for many people. One that may control your life today.

This is Samuel talking to Saul,

"Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?"

Saul gives his answer in verse 24,

Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice."

Hmmm! "I feared the people and obeyed their voice." Saul confessed that he was worried about what other people thought of him and what other people would say about him. As a result, he made a horrible decision that was counter to what God wanted.

Too many people, even good Christians, are eaten up with worry over what other people think and say about them. Let me tell you, the worst place to have your peace is in somebody else's head. As Proverbs 29:25 says, The fear of man brings a snare.

Saul is a perfect example. He never fulfilled his destiny, he never fulfilled his purpose in life, because he was too worried about what people thought about him even though God chose him to be king.

Someone wisely said this:

"It is not what I think I am that molds me and drives me, and it is not what you think I am that molds me and drives me. It is what I think that you think I am that molds me and drives me."

Is that your concern today? If so, let me give you some advice: Be yourself. You were created by God as an original, and it would be a shame if you died a copy.


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Custom Made
In His Presence: The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does no dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things (Acts 17:24-25).

Psalm 139:15-16 says: "My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me." God has put all the parts of your life in order; He's got your whole life in His hands. This means you can stop trying to be somebody else and be satisfied with the unique person God made you to be. You are custom-made.

One of my shirts is custom-made, not off the rack like most shirts. It is made especially for me. And to make sure there is no question about it, my initials are embroidered on the cuff. When something is custom-made, it is fitted to your uniqueness. It was crafted with you in mind. Every man or woman reading this today has been custom-made by almighty God. Your days were ordained before any of them even came into being. Why is there chaos and calamity in the world today? Because we have a generation of people who want to live life their way and want God to adjust to their desires. But there is going to be discontinuity between you and God and a lack of purpose in your life unless you exist for Him.

God made the world and all things in it. He is the Lord of heaven and earth, and He doesn't need us. But He wants our service and He deserves it.

One Minute Please

God gives life and breath to all things at their appointed times. He has the world under control.

God bless

[Judy Harder]

January 27, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     

Look Again And Think
Take no thought for your life. - Matthew 6:25


A warning which needs to be reiterated is that the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entering in, will choke all that God puts in. We are never free from the recurring tides of this encroachment. If it does not come on the line of clothes and food, it will come on the line of money or lack of money; of friends or lack of friends; or on the line of difficult circumstances. It is one steady encroachment all the time, and unless we allow the Spirit of God to raise up the standard against it, these things will come in like a flood.

"Take no thought for your life." "Be careful about one thing only," says our Lord - "your relationship to Me." Common sense shouts loud and says - "That is absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, I must consider what I am going to eat and drink." Jesus says you must not. Beware of allowing the thought that this statement is made by One Who does not understand our particular circumstances. Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things so as to make them the one concern of our life. Whenever there is competition, be sure that you put your relationship to God first.

"Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." How much evil has begun to threaten you to-day? What kind of mean little imps have been looking in and saying - Now what are you going to do next month - this summer? "Be anxious for nothing," Jesus says. Look again and think. Keep your mind on the "much more" of your heavenly Father.


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The Power of a Word
Proverbs 12:18 gives us some valuable advice,

There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health.

Did you ever know someone who is good at making cutting remarks? They spoke like the piercings of a sword?

Over twenty years ago I was at the house of some friends. We were all just kind of hanging out and I made a comment to one of the brothers in the family. It was a clever little comment and was basically meant to take a jab at him.

A couple of the family members heard it and snickered and said, "Oh, way to go, Bayless! You got him!" But as soon as I said it, his countenance fell, and my heart just sank. While I looked for an opportunity to apologize to him that night, I didn't do it because he ended up leaving early.

I've regretted that comment ever since. I repented, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleansed me from that sin. But you know what? Those words were out, and I couldn't get them back.

Shortly after that night, he went feet first into a very destructive lifestyle involving his sexuality. I have to think that quite possibly my words pushed him away from God. It may have been that little jab of the sword that pushed him off the edge.

The New Testament says in Ephesians 4:29, Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but only that which is good for edification or for building up that it may minister grace to the hearers.

Are your words ministering grace to those who hear them? Are they building up? Or are they tearing down?


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The Right Purpose
In His Presence: None of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions (Luke 14:33).

Are you living for the right purpose? If you experience an emptiness that never goes away, or an aimless meandering that dominates your life, these are indicators that you are not on task in pursuing God's purpose for your life. What is getting in the way of pursuing God's purpose for you? Satan fakes us out with the wrong purpose, distracting from the real purpose by influencing us to chase meaningless pursuits.

The apostle Paul said: "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12). God saved Paul for a reason, and Paul's goal is to live out that reason. This is true of all believers-we are saved for a reason. Satan doesn't want you to know that, so he uses distractions to keep us focused on our own pursuits.

What are the main distractions that keep us from realizing and experiencing God's purpose for our lives? One distraction is materialism, or being consumed by our possessions. Jesus made very clear that if we are to follow Him, we must give up our possessions. We can have a house, a car, or whatever, but we shouldn't make things of the physical world more important than things of the spiritual world. We shouldn't let the gifts of God become more important than the God who gave the gifts.

One Minute Please

King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, had more money than he could ever spend, but in the book of Ecclesiastes, he said the pursuit of money is empty.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

The Dilemma Of Obedience
And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision. - 1 Samuel 3:15


God never speaks to us in startling ways, but in ways that are easy to misunderstand, and we say, "I wonder if that is God's voice?" Isaiah said that the Lord spake to him "with a strong hand," that is, by the pressure of circumstances. Nothing touches our lives but it is God Himself speaking. Do we discern His hand or only mere occurrence?

Get into the habit of saying, "Speak, Lord," and life will become a romance. Every time circumstances press, say, "Speak, Lord"; make time to listen. Chastening is more than a means of discipline, it is meant to get me to the place of saying, "Speak, Lord." Recall the time when God did speak to you. Have you forgotten what He said? Was it Luke 11:13, or was it 1 Thess. 5:23? As we listen, our ear gets acute, and, like Jesus, we shall hear God all the time.

Shall I tell my "Eli" what God has shown to me? That is where the dilemma of obedience comes in. We disobey God by becoming amateur providences - I must shield "Eli," the best people we know. God did not tell Samuel to tell Eli; he had to decide that for himself. God's call to you may hurt your "Eli;" but if you try to prevent the suffering in another life, it will prove an obstruction between your soul and God. It is at your own peril that you prevent the cutting off of the right hand or the plucking out of the eye.

Never ask the advice of another about anything God makes you decide before Him. If you ask advice, you will nearly always side with Satan. "Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood."


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Guarding Your Ways
In Psalm 39:1, we are given an important warning,

I said, "I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me."

The Hebrew word translated "ways" in this passage literally means a well-trodden path. It paints the picture of a pathway that has been walked down so many times that a groove has been worn in that path.

The psalmist is drawing our attention to something that has been repeated again and again, a response that has been so often repeated that it has become engrained in our behavior-a habit.

You have probably heard the saying, "He's set in his ways," meaning it is not likely you are going to change the way a person acts in certain instances. The "ways" are habits, attitudes, and responses that aren't likely to change without a very powerful motivation or without some sort of an encounter with God.

I think virtually every habit we have initially began with a thought. Sow a thought; reap an action. Sow an action; reap a habit. Sow a habit; reap a character. Sow a character; reap a destiny. It all goes back to a thought that perhaps should have been dealt with, but wasn't.

Take some time today to consider your thoughts. Are you giving way to thoughts that will lead to ungodly habits? If so, give those thoughts to God and ask Him to help you think the thoughts that will lead to godly habits.


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Distracted from God's Purpose
In His Presence: Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ (Philippians 3:7).

Another distraction is position-everybody wants to be somebody. When you accepted Christ you became somebody, but if you are seeking position independently of God's purpose, you have been duped by the deceiver. Your name may be up in lights today, but years from now people won't remember your name. Remember the apostle Paul was quite a man in his day and age, but he said that his claim to fame was only that he was a bondservant of Jesus Christ.

People also become distracted from their purpose when they spend their lives living for other people. People are very important to God; we are to serve, love, and minister to people. But pleasing God is more important than pleasing men. God wants us to live for Him and His glory, and to do that we must sometimes go against what other people want. When it comes to fulfilling our calling, what matters is what God wants us to do.

Another distraction from moving forward in God's purpose is dealing with the past. Paul said: "I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I d forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14). We all have regrets, but Paul said we are not to allow our yesterdays to determine our tomorrows. Instead of living with a rear-view mirror mentality, we should focus on the windshield and the big picture that is in front of us.

One Minute Please

Don't let yesterday mess up today, which will ruin tomorrow.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

January 31, 2011


Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
Do You See Your Calling?
Separated unto the Gospel. - Romans 1:1


Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the Gospel of God. The one thing that is all important is that the Gospel of God should be realized as the abiding Reality. Reality is not human goodness, nor holiness, nor heaven, nor hell; but Redemption; and the need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker to-day. As workers we have to get used to the revelation that Redemption is the only Reality. Personal holiness is an effect, not a cause, and if we place our faith in human goodness, in the effect of Redemption, we shall go under when the test comes.

Paul did not say he separated himself, but - "when it pleased God who separated me. . ." Paul had not a hypersensitive interest in his own character. As long as our eyes are upon our own personal whiteness we shall never get near the reality of Redemption. Workers break down because their desire is for their own whiteness, and not for God. "Don't ask me to come into contact with the rugged reality of Redemption on behalf of the filth of human life as it is; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes." To talk in that way is a sign that the reality of the Gospel of God has not begun to touch me; there is no reckless abandon to God. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character. Paul is unconscious of himself, he is recklessly abandoned, separated by God for one purpose - to proclaim the Gospel of God (cf. Rom. 9:3.)


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Uniquely You
Each of us possesses strengths which God has given us. Psalm 18:32 says,

It is God who arms me with strength.

And in Philippians 4:13,

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

And King David said this in 1 Chronicles 29:12,

...in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

God gives us all strength, yet I believe there are specific things He gives each of us that make you and me strong individually. The book of Psalms says in 33:14-15, From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually. In the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 12:27 it says, Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

We are collectively the body of Christ, but God has wired us each differently. God has formed our hearts individually. He has put certain deposits in one person that may not be in another person. He has given one person a certain kind of strength that may not be another person's strength.

Here is what I am getting at. I believe there is something uniquely you that gives you strength and character and presence, something that makes you a person to be reckoned with, something that God has put in you. It is a foundation, a seat of strength that He wants to move through in order to influence and to bless others.

Rather than coveting someone else's unique giftings and strength, discover and develop your own. Remember, God individually fashioned you. There is something wonderfully unique about you, through which God wants to bring blessing to others.


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The Only Worthwhile Purpose
In His Presence: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10).

Have you been duped when it comes to purpose? The only purpose worth living for is God's purpose. Paul said: "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14). If you live with this goal in mind, God will change the way you live. You will stop just being alive and you will start to really live. You will live the abundant life through God's grace because you aren't just living for yourself anymore. You are not here for you, but for God.

You will have stability. You can get off the roller coaster of emotions that comes when you live according to your circumstances. Even when things are bad, you are good because God is good. When Jesus was asleep on the boat in the middle of the storm, His disciples asked, "How can He sleep at a time like this?" Jesus could sleep peacefully because He knew where He was going-He was going to the other side. One of the great blessings of living in purpose is that you can rest. You can rest because you know all things will be used for God's purpose, and you can rest because you know you are going toward God.

You will be provided for. God always supplies that which He has ordained. If you are outside of His purpose, you have to take care of yourself. But if you are walking in His purpose, He will meet all your needs.

One Minute Please

Following God's purpose may not change your place in life, but it will change the way you live your life.

God bless

[Judy Harder]

February 1, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
The Call Of God
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. - 1 Corinthians 1:17


Paul states here that the call of God is to preach the gospel; but remember what Paul means by "the gospel," viz., the reality of Redemption in our Lord Jesus Christ. We are apt to make sanctification the end-all of our preaching. Paul alludes to personal experience by way of illustration, never as the end of the matter. We are nowhere commissioned to preach salvation or sanctification; we are commissioned to lift up Jesus Christ (John 12:32). It is a travesty to say that Jesus Christ travailed in Redemption to make me a saint. Jesus Christ travailed in Redemption to redeem the whole world, and place it unimpaired and rehabilitated before the throne of God. The fact that Redemption can be experienced by us is an illustration of the power of the reality of Redemption, but that is not the end of Redemption. If God were human, how sick to the heart and weary He would be of the constant requests we make for our salvation, for our sanctification. We tax His energies from morning till night for things for ourselves - some thing for me to be delivered from! When we touch the bedrock of the reality of the Gospel of God, we shall never bother God any further with little personal plaints.

The one passion of Paul's life was to proclaim the Gospel of God. He welcomed heart-breaks, disillusionments, tribulation, for one reason only, because these things kept him in unmoved devotion to the Gospel of God.


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Promises, Promises
God has given us His promises because He wants to fulfill them. Be they promises of peace, restoration, healing, or for material supply, we must keep in mind that the Lord would not have made the promise if He did not want to do it.

Here are four thoughts to help you when it comes to experiencing the benefit of God's promises:

1. Find a promise from the Bible that covers your need. Faith begins here.

2. Consider the promises.

Hebrews 10:23 says, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

And Hebrews 11:11 says, By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.

3. Act on the promise, fulfilling all necessary conditions. God is not a respecter of persons, but He is a respecter of conditions.

4. Start thanking God and exercising patience.

Hebrews 10:36 says, For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.

And Hebrews 6:12 says, That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

If you will do these four things, you are on your way to experiencing the fulfillment of God's promises in your life.


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The Benefits of Purpose
In His Presence: Teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12).

When you are living out God's purpose for your life, your attitude towards time will change. You will find that you no longer waste time. We are only given so much time on earth; the average lifespan today is 75 years. We are all running out of time. But if you are operating in your purpose, you are utilizing your time rather than just going through the motions. Your purpose clarifies your use of time. Ephesians 5:16 says: "[Make] the most of time, because the days are evil." We are to redeem, or buy back, our time. We can't reverse the clock, but we can purchase time back. How do we do this? You can change the speed in which you are operating; you can pick up the pace to buy up the time you lost.

When you live out your purpose, you will live with passion. One of the ways you can recognize your purpose is that it will enflame you, ignite you, and stir up your heart. God's purpose for you isn't some dull, empty thing that makes you dread getting up every morning. It is a fire within the soul.

When you are living out your purpose, you will live with direction. Paul said: "I box in such a way, as not beating the air" (1 Corinthians 9:26). In other words, he's not punching at nothing; his efforts are not just for show or out of obligation. Rather, he has direction, clarity, and focus that allow him to strike the target.

One Minute Please

Are you ready to kick your purposeful living into second gear to make up for lost time?


God bless