Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

February 2, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
The Compelling Force of the Call
Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! -1 Corinthians 9:16


Beware of refusing to hear the call of God. Everyone who is saved is called to testify to the fact of his salvation. That, however, is not the same as the call to preach, but is merely an illustration which can be used in preaching. In this verse, Paul was referring to the stinging pains produced in him by the compelling force of the call to preach the gospel. Never try to apply what Paul said regarding the call to preach to those souls who are being called to God for salvation. There is nothing easier than getting saved, because it is solely God's sovereign work- "Look to Me, and be saved . . ." (Isaiah 45:22). Our Lord never requires the same conditions for discipleship that he requires for salvation. We are condemned to salvation through the Cross of Christ. But discipleship has an option with it-"If anyone . . ." (Luke 14:26).

Paul's words have to do with our being made servants of Jesus Christ, and our permission is never asked as to what we will do or where we will go. God makes us as broken bread and poured-out wine to please Himself. To be "separated to the gospel" means being able to hear the call of God (Romans 1:1). Once someone begins to hear that call, a suffering worthy of the name of Christ is produced. Suddenly, every ambition, every desire of life, and every outlook is completely blotted out and extinguished. Only one thing remains- ". . . separated to the gospel. . . ." Woe be to the soul who tries to head in any other direction once that call has come to him. The Bible Training College exists so that each of you may know whether or not God has a man or woman here who truly cares about proclaiming His gospel and to see if God grips you for this purpose. Beware of competing calls once the call of God grips you.


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Builder and Protector
Psalm 127:1-2 says,

Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.

These verses have been favorites of mine for a long time.

If ever I am tempted to worry about the Church, I remember that it is His house and ultimately only He can build it. My efforts, by themselves, are in vain.

He is not only the builder of the Church, He is the protector of it as well. These truths take a lot of weight off of my shoulders and help me sleep well at night. And I believe that is the way God wants it.

Too many of God's children sit up late, worrying and eating the bread of sorrows. Whether you are a pastor or a business owner or a stay-at-home mom, learn the secret of casting your cares on God.

He is the builder and protector of your life, and He knows the battles you face. Trust Him today and sleep well tonight!


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Created for Eternity
In His Presence: He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

God created you for Himself, and He created you for eternity. You weren't created simply for time. God has placed eternity in our hearts, and there is something about us that wants to live forever. Second Corinthians 5:1-4 says: "If the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, . . . we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life." Our bodies are groaning and aching because we are looking for the eternal reality to take place.

If we have been made for eternity, yet we are limiting ourselves to thinking temporally, we are not fulfilling our potential. You see, 2 Corinthians 5:10 tells us that we must all appear before Christ's judgment seat, and this conveys that eternity exists on the other side of death. We will be held accountable; we must answer to God. This kind of thinking affects the way we live because if God is the center of our existence and eternity is our goal, this will change our choices, decisions, values, and priorities.

But many Christians have been deceived. We believe in eternity, but we're committed to time. We don't understand that what we do now should be affected by what is to come.

One Minute Please

God has given you a slice of time to prepare you for the reality of eternity.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
Becoming the "Filth of the World"
We have been made as the filth of the world . . . -1 Corinthians 4:13


These words are not an exaggeration. The only reason they may not be true of us who call ourselves ministers of the gospel is not that Paul forgot or misunderstood the exact truth of them, but that we are too cautious and concerned about our own desires to allow ourselves to become the refuse or "filth of the world." "Fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ . . ." (Colossians 1:24) is not the result of the holiness of sanctification, but the evidence of consecration-being "separated to the gospel of God . . ." (Romans 1:1).

"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you . . ." (1 Peter 4:12). If we do think the things we encounter are strange, it is because we are fearful and cowardly. We pay such close attention to our own interests and desires that we stay out of the mire and say, "I won't submit; I won't bow or bend." And you don't have to- you can be saved by the "skin of your teeth" if you like. You can refuse to let God count you as one who is "separated to the gospel . . . ." Or you can say, "I don't care if I am treated like 'the filth of the world' as long as the gospel is proclaimed." A true servant of Jesus Christ is one who is willing to experience martyrdom for the reality of the gospel of God. When a moral person is confronted with contempt, immorality, disloyalty, or dishonesty, he is so repulsed by the offense that he turns away and in despair closes his heart to the offender. But the miracle of the redemptive reality of God is that the worst and the vilest offender can never exhaust the depths of His love. Paul did not say that God separated him to show what a wonderful man He could make of him, but "to reveal His Son in me. . ." (Galatians 1:16).


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God Can Build The Family
Earlier we have looked at Psalm 127:1-2 which says,

Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.

The Hebrew word for house in verse one can actually be translated family. That is one reason why the next few verses (3-5) read like this,

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

If you have sat up late, worrying about your children or your family, you need to know that God can turn things around.

Trust Him to build and protect your family. Do your part, but look to Him for guidance and strength. And trust Him to do what you cannot do.

He can cause your "arrows" to be effective against the enemy instead of wounding your own heart.

May you be happy with your quiver of "arrows," and may God be glorified in your family.


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Living in Light of Eternity
In His Presence: It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart (Ecclesiastes 7:2).

Eternity is a long period of time! It's hard to grasp that eternity is never-ending. But let me give you a little illustration to help you understand. Imagine that we could empty the largest body of water in the world, the Pacific Ocean, and fill it up with sand as tall as the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. Now imagine that a bird flies by and takes one grain of sand off that sand pile once every 100 billion years. How long will it take for that sand pile to disappear? We can consider that amount of time to be equal to one second in eternity.

We weren't just created for sixty or eighty years of life on earth. We were created for eternity. Every baby born on earth is headed toward its dying day; that's just reality. But we were made for more than that. We are meant to experience eternity in the fullness of life with the Father. Death is simply the doorway we must pass through to transfer into the realm of the eternal.

Paul understood this and said: "We also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body" (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). Paul said that because he was a creature of eternity, he would live his earthly life for God. He would live in time in a way that pleased God.

One Minute Please

If you're living in time and for time, you're wasting time.


God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
Are You Ready To Be Poured Out As an Offering?
I am already being poured out as a drink offering . . . -2 Timothy 4:6


Are you ready to be poured out as an offering? It is an act of your will, not your emotions. Tell God you are ready to be offered as a sacrifice for Him. Then accept the consequences as they come, without any complaints, in spite of what God may send your way. God sends you through a crisis in private, where no other person can help you. From the outside your life may appear to be the same, but the difference is taking place in your will. Once you have experienced the crisis in your will, you will take no thought of the cost when it begins to affect you externally. If you don't deal with God on the level of your will first, the result will be only to arouse sympathy for yourself.

"Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar" (Psalm 118:27). You must be willing to be placed on the altar and go through the fire; willing to experience what the altar represents-burning, purification, and separation for only one purpose-the elimination of every desire and affection not grounded in or directed toward God. But you don't eliminate it, God does. You "bind the sacrifice . . . to the horns of the altar" and see to it that you don't wallow in self-pity once the fire begins. After you have gone through the fire, there will be nothing that will be able to trouble or depress you. When another crisis arises, you will realize that things cannot touch you as they used to do. What fire lies ahead in your life?

Tell God you are ready to be poured out as an offering, and God will prove Himself to be all you ever dreamed He would be.


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Robbing God-of What?
Malachi 3:8-9 gives us a sober warning,

"Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation."

Now if you think about this statement, you have to ask, "How do you rob God? I mean, really, what does that mean?"

There are two ways we rob God when we refuse to tithe:

1. We rob God of honor that is due Him. In Proverbs 3:9 it says to, Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase. By giving God the first part of our income, we are honoring Him as being first in our lives. We demonstrate faith in His promise to supply our needs as well-and God is honored by our faith.

2. We rob God of the opportunity to bless us. In Malachi 3:10, God promises to bless us if we bring Him the first tenth of our income (the tithe).

The promise in Proverbs is that our barns will be filled with plenty if we will honor the Lord with our firstfruits (Proverbs 3:9-10).

He can bless us. He desires to bless us. Let us not rob Him of the opportunity to do so, nor of the honor that is due Him.


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The Reality of Eternity
In His Presence: Abraham said, "Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony" (Luke 16:25).

At the end of time, we will all face the Lord and He will want to know how we used our time on earth to get ready for eternity. If we only live for earth, all we will receive is earth. But once we start living for heaven, earth is just a bonus to the eternal existence we will enjoy.

It is foolish to try to run from death. Instead, we must decide to be creatures of eternity. Paul said to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:. If you are in Christ you have no reason to fear death because when you die, you will instantly be with God.

Since we were made for eternity, what are we doing in light of what we were made for? Paul set the example when he said: "Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:2). Paul's mind was on heaven, but he was still functioning for the Lord here on earth. He was heavenly minded but still did earthly good. Because he lived in light of His eternal purpose, he made his life decisions in light of the reference point of eternity.

Everybody you know is headed toward eternity; nobody has any other choice. This life is not all there is, so we share Jesus Christ with our unsaved neighbors. We live for God's glory because this life is not all there is.

One Minute Please

"Lord, clarify our eternal perspective and help us to see Your purpose for our lives because we don't know when we will leave this world."


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

February 7, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
Spiritual Dejection
We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened -Luke 24:21


Every fact that the disciples stated was right, but the conclusions they drew from those facts were wrong. Anything that has even a hint of dejection spiritually is always wrong. If I am depressed or burdened, I am to blame, not God or anyone else. Dejection stems from one of two sources- I have either satisfied a lust or I have not had it satisfied. In either case, dejection is the result. Lust means "I must have it at once." Spiritual lust causes me to demand an answer from God, instead of seeking God Himself who gives the answer. What have I been hoping or trusting God would do? Is today "the third day" and He has still not done what I expected? Am I therefore justified in being dejected and in blaming God? Whenever we insist that God should give us an answer to prayer we are off track. The purpose of prayer is that we get ahold of God, not of the answer. It is impossible to be well physically and to be dejected, because dejection is a sign of sickness. This is also true spiritually. Dejection spiritually is wrong, and we are always to blame for it.

We look for visions from heaven and for earth-shaking events to see God's power. Even the fact that we are dejected is proof that we do this. Yet we never realize that all the time God is at work in our everyday events and in the people around us. If we will only obey, and do the task that He has placed closest to us, we will see Him. One of the most amazing revelations of God comes to us when we learn that it is in the everyday things of life that we realize the magnificent deity of Jesus Christ.


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What's Your Measure?

In Luke 6:38, Jesus said these words,

"Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

That is a promise of Jesus that you can stake your life on. Give, and what happens? It will be given to you good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?!

But notice that He also added this, "The same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." If you take a serving spoon, and that is what you measure out your giving with, you will get an overflowing serving spoon. It comes back to you good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing from a serving spoon.

The measure you use is what is measured back to you. If you use a shovel, and that is what you measure it out with, that is how it comes back to you.

Wouldn't you rather have a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over shovel as opposed to a serving spoon? The measure you use, Jesus said, that is what is used to measure back to you.

I believe many people are using a teaspoon and yet they are praying, "God bless me. I have big needs." I am sure God is saying, "I'm doing all I can. You know, I'm pressing it down as much as I can press it down. It is running over. But a running over teaspoon is just not that much."

Are you using a teaspoon or a shovel? Whatever you use is what comes back multiplied, but it is only according to the measure you use.


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Your Purpose and God's Glory
In His Presence: From Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen (Romans 11:36).

God is invisible, and the Bible says no man has seen God at any time. The word glory makes the invisible attributes of God visible to us. The air is thick with His presence. He is everywhere, but our eyes can't see Him. So He must make Himself visible, and that process is revealed to us as God's glory. The word glory comes from a root word meaning weighty or heavy. When God is called glorious, it is a reference to Him being the weightiest, heaviest, deepest being in the universe.

And God's glory is intrinsic. Whether you recognize it or not, He is glorious because that's just who He is. There are two created things that do not recognize God's glory: Satan and his angels, and mankind. Men tend to believe that life is all about them. But God speaks of "everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed" (Isaiah 43:7). God created us for His glory, not for our own.

Most of us are anthropomorphic, which means we are man-centered, rather than theocentric, which means God-centered. We tend to ask, "What's in it for me?" But that's God's question, not ours. God's glory is His own passion. He is seeking the highest glory for Himself, and rightly so because He is the greatest in every way. God's glory is the chief end of all things. You will know if someone has a heart for God based on whether or not they are seeking His glory.

One Minute Please

Your growth will always be demonstrated in an increased passion for His name, His glory, and His recognition.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
The Cost of Sanctification
May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely . . . -1 Thessalonians 5:23


When we pray, asking God to sanctify us, are we prepared to measure up to what that really means? We take the word sanctification much too lightly. Are we prepared to pay the cost of sanctification? The cost will be a deep restriction of all our earthly concerns, and an extensive cultivation of all our godly concerns. Sanctification means to be intensely focused on God's point of view. It means to secure and to keep all the strength of our body, soul, and spirit for God's purpose alone. Are we really prepared for God to perform in us everything for which He separated us? And after He has done His work, are we then prepared to separate ourselves to God just as Jesus did? "For their sakes I sanctify Myself . . ." (John 17:19). The reason some of us have not entered into the experience of sanctification is that we have not realized the meaning of sanctification from God's perspective. Sanctification means being made one with Jesus so that the nature that controlled Him will control us. Are we really prepared for what that will cost? It will cost absolutely everything in us which is not of God.

Are we prepared to be caught up into the full meaning of Paul's prayer in this verse? Are we prepared to say, "Lord, make me, a sinner saved by grace, as holy as You can"? Jesus prayed that we might be one with Him, just as He is one with the Father (see John 17:21-23). The resounding evidence of the Holy Spirit in a person's life is the unmistakable family likeness to Jesus Christ, and the freedom from everything which is not like Him. Are we prepared to set ourselves apart for the Holy Spirit's work in us?


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Giving to Get?
Any time I give, I expect a blessing to return. It is a law that we find in Scripture. It is a promise of Jesus.

But you know what? That is not my main motivation for giving. And that should not be our heart for giving. Jesus says in Luke 6:32-38,

"But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you."

What is the heart of this whole thing? Jesus said, "Don't love just to get love back; don't do good just so that good might be done back to you; don't lend just hoping to get something back."

He makes it clear that if you do those things for the right motivation, it will come back to you. Your reward will be great.

Do not give with the motivation of just getting something back. Non-Christians have that motivation! How does that set you apart from them? Give out of a higher motivation.


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All for God's Glory
In His Presence: Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity (2 Peter 3:18).

First Corinthians 10:31 tells us that even our eating and drinking should be done to the glory of God. God's glory is like a pair of colored glasses that tint everything you see. Whatever you do should be done for His glory. The question you must now ask about everything is, "How will this glorify God?"

God is intent on displaying who He is. Psalm 19:1 says: "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." The whole earth gives us a picture of the glory of the invisible God. Nature preaches us a sermon on His glory. Everything should point us to His glory, and if it doesn't, it's because we are too "me-centered" to look for His glory. And if we are centered on ourselves, we are in sin. Sin is simply falling short of glorifying God. Romans 3:23 says: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." You don't have to rob a bank to be a sinner. All you have to do is try to take the glory that belongs to Him alone. We are all cosmic thieves.

God's glory is everywhere. Revelation 21:23 says when we get to heaven there will be no need of the sun or moon because the glory of the Lord will illuminate everything. There will be no night there, for the place will be consumed with the glory of God. His glory is so awesome that it will light up our heavenly home.

One Minute Please

Our problem today is that we are not consumed with the glory of God.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
Are You Exhausted Spiritually?
The everlasting God . . . fainteth not, neither is weary. - Isaiah 40:28


Exhaustion means that the vital forces are worn right out. Spiritual exhaustion never comes through sin but only through service, and whether or not you are exhausted will depend upon where you get your supplies. Jesus said to Peter - "Feed My sheep," but He gave him nothing to feed them with. The process of being made broken bread and poured out wine means that you have to be the nourishment for other souls until they learn to feed on God. They must drain you to the dregs. Be careful that you get your supply, or before long you will be utterly exhausted. Before other souls learn to draw on the life of the Lord Jesus direct, they have to draw on it through you; you have to be literally "sucked," until they learn to take their nourishment from God. We owe it to God to be our best for His lambs and His sheep as well as for Himself.

Has the way in which you have been serving God betrayed you into exhaustion? If so, then rally your affections. Where did you start the service from? From your own sympathy or from the basis of the Redemption of Jesus Christ? Continually go back to the foundation of your affections and recollect where the source of power is. You have no right to say - "O Lord, I am so exhausted." He saved and sanctified you in order to exhaust you. Be exhausted for God, but remember that your supply comes from Him. "All my fresh springs shall be in Thee."


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The Right Motivation
In yesterday's devotional, we saw how we should not give just to get. That should not be our sole motivation. So the question is, "What is the right motivation?"

All we need to do is look at what motivated God to give. It is found in John 3:16,

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God so loved that He gave. And, yes, God certainly did reap a harvest when He gave His Son. He reaped a harvest of sons and daughters.

You should give out of love and devotion for God. Give because you do not want people to go into an eternity without God, because you love humanity, because you have mercy and compassion for broken, dying people.

That is the right motivation for giving. When you give with that motivation, your reward will be great. God will see that it comes back to you multiplied.

That is a far cry from what many emphasize when it comes to giving today. It appears to me that a lot of people, when they teach on giving, are just pushing people's greed buttons. It seems that the main motivation that some leaders are teaching for people to give is, "Hey, give because God will bless you." And there is no doubt that God blesses those who give. The scriptural promises are clear.

But what about the weightier matters? Remember how Jesus rebuked the Jewish leadership in Matthew 23:23 because they, "Neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith"?

God looks at the heart. Our hearts ought to be like that of our heavenly Father, who is merciful, kind, loving, and generous, even to the most thankless and evil among us. That is the right motivation.


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His Glory Won't Be Shared
In His Presence: We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).

God will share His glory with no man. If you are not passionately pursuing the glory of God, He is not hanging out with you because He won't share His glory. The reason He has saved you, the reason He elected you, the reason you are a child of God is to make you part of the community of people called the church, which exists for His glory alone.

We are dealing with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the Creator of the universe, and we just give Him the leftovers in our lives. We are reluctant to adjust to what He wants. We won't redo our schedules or our plans because this is our life. But to ascribe glory to Him is to give Him recognition and authority in our lives. Jesus said in John 17:4: "I glorified You . . . having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do." Remember also that Jesus prayed before His death: "For this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name" (John 12:27-28). Christ died for the glory of God.

Can you say that in difficult times you will submit to the Lord's purpose and trust that He will be glorified? God uses all things for His glory. Once we look into the mirror of His glory, we will find that He can transform our hearts, and whatever He wants us to do, He takes responsibility for providing for it to be done.

One Minute Please

Whatever you do in word or deed, He wants you to wake up, and go to bed, with Him in mind. And if you do, He'll transform you.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
Is Your Ability to See God Blinded?
Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things . . . -Isaiah 40:26


The people of God in Isaiah's time had blinded their minds' ability to see God by looking on the face of idols. But Isaiah made them look up at the heavens; that is, he made them begin to use their power to think and to visualize correctly. If we are children of God, we have a tremendous treasure in nature and will realize that it is holy and sacred. We will see God reaching out to us in every wind that blows, every sunrise and sunset, every cloud in the sky, every flower that blooms, and every leaf that fades, if we will only begin to use our blinded thinking to visualize it.

The real test of spiritual focus is being able to bring your mind and thoughts under control. Is your mind focused on the face of an idol? Is the idol yourself? Is it your work? Is it your idea of what a servant should be, or maybe your experience of salvation and sanctification? If so, then your ability to see God is blinded. You will be powerless when faced with difficulties and will be forced to endure in darkness. If your power to see has been blinded, don't look back on your own experiences, but look to God. It is God you need. Go beyond yourself and away from the faces of your idols and away from everything else that has been blinding your thinking. Wake up and accept the ridicule that Isaiah gave to his people, and deliberately turn your thoughts and your eyes to God.

One of the reasons for our sense of futility in prayer is that we have lost our power to visualize. We can no longer even imagine putting ourselves deliberately before God. It is actually more important to be broken bread and poured-out wine in the area of intercession than in our personal contact with others. The power of visualization is what God gives a saint so that he can go beyond himself and be firmly placed into relationships he never before experienced.


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Where's Your Heart?
I want to have you read and think about Mark 12:41-44 today,

Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

That is quite a picture, isn't it? Jesus sitting opposite the treasury, watching what people put in and how they put it in. I believe Jesus still watches during offering time. He watches how we give, what we give, and why we give. He said, "Where your treasure is, that is where your heart is also."

Notice He calls His disciples over and says, "This poor widow has put in more than everyone else." Why? Because He wanted them to understand that God measures your gift based on what you have.

Some people could give $1,000, and there is really no sacrifice at all. It never touches their life, never causes any kind of change of priorities. While for other people, $10 or $15 is a great sacrifice.

I believe some of the rich people Jesus points to in this passage were giving out of their abundance, but from heaven's viewpoint, they were putting it in with a teaspoon. But this little widow, who put in less than a penny, walked up with a shovelful-everything she had. It got heaven's attention.

Where is your heart when it comes to giving?


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Stewardship and Ownership
In His Presence: God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on earth" (Genesis 1:26).

The subject of stewardship causes both confusion and consternation among Christians. The issue of money is really only a very small part of the stewardship. When rightly understood, stewardship can bring true joy to the life of a Christian, and it can transform the way we live. The word stewardship refers to an administration or an economy, a way of operating. We can also call it management.

Stewardship is not only misunderstood, it is also abused. In the name of stewardship, false doctrine has arisen and caused people to confine their perception of God to a box. A prosperity heresy has deceived people about what it means to be a good steward for the Lord.

The proper definition of stewardship is given by its author, God Himself. To understand stewardship, we must understand authorship. The Bible opens up with God creating, talking, and doing. He made the earth and mankind, and therefore He is the owner of all things. God created and then He gave responsibility to man to manage His creation. We don't own anything on earth; it's all God's property. The Bible is very clear about who owns the earth and who, we are serving. In Exodus 19:5, God says: "All the earth is Mine." In Psalm 89:11, the psalmist said to God: "The world and all it contains, You have founded them." We own nothing, and the ultimate proof for this is that when we leave the earth, we won't take anything with us. God is absolute owner because He is absolute sovereign and King of the universe.

One Minute Please

Everything you have can be traced back to God's absolute ownership.

God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
The Devotion Of Hearing
Speak; for Thy servant heareth. - 1 Samuel 3:10


Because I have listened definitely to one thing from God, it does not follow that I will listen to everything He says. The way in which I show God that I neither love nor respect Him is by the obtuseness of my heart and mind towards what He says. If I love my friend, I intuitively detect what he wants, and Jesus says, "Ye are My friends." Have I disobeyed some command of my Lord's this week? If I had realized that it was a command of Jesus, I would not consciously have disobeyed it; but most of us show such disrespect to God that we do not even hear what He says, He might never have spoken.

The destiny of my spiritual life is such identification with Jesus Christ that I always hear God, and I know that God always hears me (John 11:41). If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God, by the devotion of hearing all the time. A lily, or a tree, or a servant of God, may convey God's message to me. What hinders me from hearing is that I am taken up with other things. It is not that I will not hear God, but I am not devoted in the right place. I am devoted to things, to service, to convictions, and God may say what He likes but I do not hear Him. The child attitude is always, "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth." If I have not cultivated this devotion of hearing, I can only hear God's voice at certain times; at other times I am taken up with things - things which I say I must do, and I become deaf to Him, I am not living the life of a child. Have I heard God's voice to-day?


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The Right Word at the Right Time
Proverbs 15:23 contains a powerful truth,

A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it is!

Notice that this verse talks about not just a word spoken, but a word spoken in due season-at the proper time. How good it is!

It is critical for words of encouragement, words of comfort, words of counsel, words of wisdom, and even words of correction to be spoken in due season. Timing is just as important as content.

I read once about a lady who invited family and friends over for Thanksgiving dinner. When they received the invitation, they let her know that they were going to come. In fact, they were looking forward to the day.

She really put on quite a spread. She baked pies and bread; she cooked a turkey with all of the trimmings-an incredible meal. When the time came for her guests to arrive, she lit candles and put the finishing touches on decorating the house.

The only problem was, no one showed up.

Then she remembered the calendar she had picked up from a local business. On that calendar it said that Thanksgiving was on the 21st rather than on the last Thursday of the month as it normally is every year. At the time she thought it was strange, but she figured that they must have moved the holiday.

She had prepared her sumptuous banquet a week early! The content was great but the timing was not so great.

So it is with our words. They can be just the right words, perfect for the need of the person, but if not delivered at the right time, they can fall short.

Be sensitive to pick the right time to speak as well as the right words to say.


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The Attitude of Stewardship
In His Presence: When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes (Deuteronomy 8:10-11).

Once you clarify who the author of all things is, it will clarify your attitude about stewardship. Genesis 1:28 defines our attitude when God said mankind should "subdue" and "rule over" the earth. The Hebrew words used here literally mean to trample underfoot and bring under control. God supplied it, and He put it under us to manage. We are to function as managers based on God's purpose for allowing us to have all that we have.

The attitude of the steward should reflect the belief that God put him where he is to rule what belongs to God. Man's stewardship is limited and delegated by God, and he must not forget the source of all he has. Job 23:13 tells us that God does what He pleases with what He owns.

The attitude of a steward should reflect thankfulness. One reason we go to church on Sunday is out of gratitude to God for sustaining us and keeping us through the week. We have many earthly blessings from the Lord, and we have eternal spiritual blessings as well. We should never cease to thank Him for all He has given and done for us. It is a privilege to manage His creation, and everything we have goes back to Him. The paper money in our wallets was made from trees He planted. The diamonds on our fingers came out of the earth that He created. It all points back to His provision, for which we should be thankful.

One Minute Please

You may think you don't have everything you want, but God expects you to be grateful for what you have.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
The Discipline of Hearing
Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops -Matthew 10:27


Sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him. Song birds are taught to sing in the dark, and God puts us into "the shadow of His hand" until we learn to hear Him (Isaiah 49:2). "Whatever I tell you in the dark. . ."- pay attention when God puts you into darkness, and keep your mouth closed while you are there. Are you in the dark right now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? If so, then remain quiet. If you open your mouth in the dark, you will speak while in the wrong mood- darkness is the time to listen. Don't talk to other people about it; don't read books to find out the reason for the darkness; just listen and obey. If you talk to other people, you cannot hear what God is saying. When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else once you are back in the light.

After every time of darkness, we should experience a mixture of delight and humiliation. If there is only delight, I question whether we have really heard God at all. We should experience delight for having heard God speak, but mostly humiliation for having taken so long to hear Him! Then we will exclaim, "How slow I have been to listen and understand what God has been telling me!" And yet God has been saying it for days and even weeks. But once you hear Him, He gives you the gift of humiliation, which brings a softness of heart- a gift that will always cause you to listen to God now.


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A Word of Encouragement

I want you to look today at a passage of Scripture that helps guide us in what to say, who to say it to, and when and how to say it. Isaiah 50:4-5,

"The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned. The Lord GOD has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away."

First, we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He will teach us how to speak a word in season to the person who is weary. As it says, He will awaken our ear.

Jesus made it very clear in Matthew, chapter 10 verses 19-20, that the Holy Spirit is quite able to give us the right words to say at the right time. In Isaiah 51:16, God says, "I have put My words in your mouth." In Isaiah 57:19, He says, "I create the fruit of the lips."

Chances are there is someone in your world today who needs to be given a word of encouragement. The key is being sensitive and available. Sometimes we are so embroiled in our own struggles that we don't even give a thought to the fact that there may be someone around us who needs encouragement...a coworker, a neighbor, your spouse, your child.

I personally think our children need to be given encouragement every day. Like the little boy said, "Daddy, let's play darts. I'll throw, and you say 'Wonderful!'" Children crave affirmation and encouragement.

There is someone who you either have contact with now, or you will have contact with, who needs encouragement. And you are God's messenger.

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The Authority of Stewardship
In His Presence: You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free (John 8:32).

How do you know if you are being a good steward? There is only one way to know-read God's Word. Deuteronomy 8:3 says: "Man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord." We show our love for God by obeying Him, being a steward who manages things on His terms.

Human ownership must be governed by God. That's why when God made Adam, the first thing He did was give him instruction: "The Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat from it you will surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17). God gives instruction to protect us, and following His instruction provides His results.

When you first consider stewardship, you might think it has too many limitations. But let me assure you that the limitations of stewardship are always for the enjoyment of it. God doesn't give us commands to stifle our stewardship, but rather to expand it. We shouldn't think that God's ways are negative-we can't do this or that-because the negative exists to enhance the positive.

So many people think God's commands restrict their freedom. But freedom in the biblical sense never means just doing what you want. Freedom in the Bible is the power to do what you ought to do. How do we get that kind of freedom? Jesus told us the truth sets us free, and the absolute standard of truth is God's Word.

One Minute Please

The authority of stewardship is none other than the Word of God.

God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
Am I My Brother's Keeper?
None of us liveth to himself. - Romans 14:7.


Has it ever dawned on you that you are responsible for other souls spiritually before God? For instance, if I allow any private deflection from God in my life, everyone about me suffers. We "sit together in heavenly places." "Whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it." When once you allow physical selfishness, mental slovenliness, moral obtuseness, spiritual density, everyone belonging to your crowd will suffer. "But," you say, "who is sufficient for these things if you erect a standard like that?" "Our sufficiency is of God," and of Him alone.

"Ye shall be My witnesses." How many of us are willing to spend every ounce of nervous energy, of mental, moral and spiritual energy we have for Jesus Christ? That is the meaning of a witness in God's sense of the word. It takes time, be patient with yourself. God has left us on the earth - what for? To be saved and sanctified? No, to be at it for Him. Am I willing to be broken bread and poured out wine for Him? To be spoilt for this age, for this life, to be spoilt from every standpoint but one - saving as I can disciple men and women to the Lord Jesus Christ. My life as a worker is the way I say "thank you" to God for His unspeakable salvation. Remember it is quite possible for any one of us to be flung out as reprobate silver - ". . . lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."


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For Just a Little While

Today's Scripture will start with the very last word of 1 Peter 1:4, just so you know who it is talking about, and go through verse 7,

...you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Notice in verse 6 it says, Though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials. That phrase "a little while" literally means a season. The King James Version says, Though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.

I like the phrase "a little while". That tells me the season is going to end. It is not forever. Every season ends. Winter ends. Spring ends. Summer ends. Fall ends. Every season has a beginning, and every season has an end.

If you are in a trial right now and feeling the weight of it, you are grieved because of it, I have good news. It will not be forever. Things are going to change. It may not seem like it, but that season will come to an end.

Even if you are not experiencing a trial today, I am confident you have gone through such a season, and it is likely that you will probably experience such a season again.

When you do, or if you are today, be encouraged. God's Word wants you-and me-to remember it is for just a little while.


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The Adversary of Stewardship

In His Presence: Be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:.

Satan came on the scene in Genesis 3 and questioned, "Has God said . . .?" Satan wanted to attack God's authority. He rebelled against God's ownership by refusing to be a steward of God's glory, and he was booted out of heaven because he wanted his own glory. He's been trying to get men and women to follow in his footsteps ever since. He told Adam and Eve to take the forbidden fruit for themselves, to set their own rules and stop being stewards of God.

Satan said: "God knows that in the day you eat from it . . . you will be like God" (v. 5). He was trying to convince Adam and Eve to take ownership of their surroundings, but as we see, whenever men fail to rule underneath God, abuse and lawlessness will result. The definition of sin is lawlessness in all respects of life (1 John 3:4).

Adam and Eve didn't want to be restricted from the one forbidden tree. God had given them permission to eat from all the other trees, but that wasn't good enough for them. They thought God was denying them property rights. Satan sold them the lie that they should have ownership. Satan is the adversary of stewardship because he wants men to rebel against God by seeking ownership for themselves. The devil encourages us to focus on what we don't have rather than what God has graciously given us, and he skews our perception so that we see God's commands as restrictive rather than protective.

One Minute Please

Satan wants you to focus on what God says "no" to so that you will refuse His authority.

God bless