Turning Point with David Jeremiah

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, June 25

A Concealed Weapon

Lay up His words in your heart.
Job 22:22

Recommended Reading
1 Peter 1:13-16 [ http://iz3.me/6Rrj1zwXd1A1 ]

The human brain is arguably the climax of God's creation, the most incredible invention in His universe. It's a fabulous, living super-computer with unfathomable circuitry and unimaginable complexity, a collection of billions of neurons, each as complex as a small computer. They're all interconnected, and one scientist said that the number of connections within one human brain rivals the number of stars and galaxies in the entire universe.

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/8Rrj1zwXd1A1 ]

With a brain like that, you can memorize Scripture. In fact, Scripture memory is the most therapeutic thing you can do with and for your brain. In the days before the printing press, many people didn't have access to their own copies of the Bible; so they memorized vast portions of God's Word. How tragic that now, with all our modern versions and translations, we're memorizing it less and less.

It's important to memorize Scripture in order to stand strong during life's difficult circumstances. When you have Bible verses inscribed in your mind, you're carrying a concealed weapon. You're wielding the sword of the Spirit. Find a passage today and begin laying up His words in your heart.

Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization.
Dallas Willard

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Psalm 112-118 [ http://iz3.me/ARrj1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, June 26

Tiny Bibles

These words which I command you today ... you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
Deuteronomy 6:6-8

Recommended Reading
Deuteronomy 6:1-9 [ http://iz3.me/xd1k1zwXd1A1 ]

According to the  Guinness Book of Records,  the smallest New Testament in the world can fit on your fingertip. It can be read with a powerful magnifying glass and is designed to be worn as a pendant or lapel pin.

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/0e1k1zwXd1A1 ]

There's nothing wrong with wearing our witness or having lapel pins to spark conversations about Christ. But the Bible isn't a talisman. The words the Bible contains are what make it special. The Lord told the Israelites to teach the Scriptures to their children, to wear them as a sign on their foreheads, and to write them on the doorposts of their homes. It was God's way of reminding them to keep Scripture close and accessible. Some turned this into a ritual and began wearing phylacteries, little leather boxes containing a verse from the Law.

It's all right to have verses at our fingertips, and there are great ways to display our love for Scripture. But remember, the best place for the Word of God is in our hearts and minds. It's not about a ritual but a relationship.

If we understood what happens when we use the Word of God, we would use it oftener.
Oswald Chambers

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Psalm 119 [ http://iz3.me/1e1k1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Friday, June 27

Always Praying

Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
Ephesians 6:18a

Recommended Reading
Philippians 4:6-7 [ http://iz3.me/fLBk1zwXd1A1 ]

One of the great records of correspondence by mail was between John and Abigail Adams during the founding of the American republic. She was in Massachusetts, he in Philadelphia or Europe, and the stream of letters never ceased. Likewise, the correspondence between Winston and Clementine Churchill was equally nonstop. Even when they were in the same house, working in different rooms, servants carried a constant stream of love notes back and forth between them.

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/gLBk1zwXd1A1 ]

Those stories are examples of "communicating without ceasing." Though not formally conversing at every moment, each spouse kept the other in mind continually so that communication was only a note away. Likewise, Paul admonishes Christians to "pray at all times in the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:18a) and "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). That means take up the pen of faith and pray to our beloved God whenever there is a need. Keep Him in mind at all times so He is only a prayer away.

Let God be on your mind continually today so words of praise, intercession, or supplication may arise as needed.

I live in the spirit of prayer. I pray as I walk about, when I lie down and when I rise up. And the answers are always coming.
George Müller

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Psalms 120-133 [ http://iz3.me/hLBk1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Monday, June 30

What Would You Have Me Do?

So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?"
Acts 9:6

Recommended Reading
Acts 9:1-9 [ http://iz3.me/u6Lk1zwXd1A1 ]

If you pick up a five-pound British note, you may see the image of one of England's great heroes -- Elizabeth Fry, a Christian reformer whose lifelong efforts on behalf of prisoners changed the laws of the land and the tone of prison ministry. Her heart went out to those behind bars, and she fought to give them humane treatment and dignity. For this she is remembered today with her image on British currency.


Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/v6Lk1zwXd1A1 ]

When Elizabeth was dying at the age of 65, she revealed the secret of her lifetime of service. Speaking to one near her bed, she said, "My dear Rachel, I can say one thing -- since my heart was touched at seventeen years old, I believe I have never awakened from sleep, in sickness or in health, by day or by night, without my first waking thought being how best I might serve my Lord."1

Whatever we're facing today, we should say, as Paul did in Acts 9:6: "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Whatever circumstances we're confronting, we can bathe them in prayer. God has a plan for us today. It's our joy to pray and proceed in obedience.

What He would have me to do, that may I do; where He would have me to go, there may I go.
Elizabeth Fry

1Francis Cresswell, A Memoir of Elizabeth Fry (London: James Nisbet, 1868), 316, 214.

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Proverbs 1-3  [ http://iz3.me/w6Lk1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, July 1

The Perfect Ending

She will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21

Recommended Reading
Hebrews 1:1-4 [ http://iz3.me/8rSk1zwXd1A1 ]

When we dislike the ending of a book or movie, we try to imagine a better one: what we think should have happened. The wonder and goodness of creation was broken when Adam disobeyed God. We feel the burden of this brokenness and separation from God. Thankfully, the Creator did not end the story there.

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/9rSk1zwXd1A1 ]

Just as a producer determines the last scene of a movie and a writer carefully crafts the final sentence of a book, God mercifully provided what we desire and desperately need: a Savior. We cannot save ourselves. Only God, who is powerful enough to create the world out of nothing and to give us life, could find the perfect solution to our brokenness and separation from Him: Jesus.

Jesus is God's final answer to the dilemma we face. He is God in the flesh, and the book of Hebrews elaborates on why Jesus is all we need. He is superior to every human leader, prophet, and priest. He offers us Himself along with forgiveness, life, and meaning.

The moment someone chooses to trust in Jesus Christ, his sins are wiped away, and he is adopted into God's family. That individual is set apart as a child of God, with a sacred purpose.
Charles Stanley

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Proverbs 4-7  [ http://iz3.me/ArSk1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, July 2

Christ Alone

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:12

Recommended Reading
Colossians 1:15-20 [ http://iz3.me/UDek1zwXd1A1 ]

Human beings are committed to making lists -- and not just "To Do" lists. We create lists to rank all manner of things. Athletic teams are ranked, students in graduating classes are ranked, and music is ranked on the charts.  Fortune  magazine ranks the top companies and  Forbes  magazine ranks the richest people.

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/VDek1zwXd1A1 ]

The book of Hebrews does some ranking of its own, but in a different way. The world ranks groups of equals to see who is number one. And while Hebrews ranks Jesus Christ as number one, it is not because He is first among equals. He is number one in all of creation because He has no equal. The first three verses of Hebrews 1 summarize why Christ is superior to angels, Moses, priests, and everyone else -- because only Christ has taken away our sins and has sat down at the right hand of God as a sign of the Father's approval of what Christ accomplished. No one else has done for us what Christ has done for us.

Christ sets Christianity apart from all other religions. He is the only person who had the remedy for human sin and was qualified to carry it out on our behalf. For that and more, today He deserves our praise.

Faith alone justifies, through Christ alone.
Sinclair Ferguson

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Proverbs 8-11  [ http://iz3.me/WDek1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, July 3

Born to Rule

But one testified in a certain place, saying: "What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You take care of him?"
Hebrews 2:6

Recommended Reading
Genesis 1:26-28 [ http://iz3.me/Xonk1zwXd1A1 ]

Eton College (founded in 1440) is a boarding school in England for boys aged 13-18, traditionally from England's privileged class. Nineteen British Prime Ministers have been educated at Eton (Churchill attended a similar school, Harrow) along with countless political elites. Eton is known as the chief nurse of England's statesmen. Unofficially, it is said that Eton students learn they are "born to rule."

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/aonk1zwXd1A1 ]

Not all Eton graduates rule England, of course. But there is a class of people in this world who were born to rule: human beings. In Genesis 1, mankind is given dominion over all of creation (verses 26-28). And in Hebrews 2, the writer quotes David, the psalmist, who says, "And You have crowned [ man ] with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet" (Psalm 8:5-6; Hebrews 2:7-8). So what happened? Sin. But the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45) has come to restore what the first Adam lost.

Remember who you are in Christ: born to rule, then born again and destined to regain your place of honor and glory.

Seeing we are born God's enemies, we must be new-born His sons.
Richard Baxter

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Proverbs 12-14  [ http://iz3.me/bonk1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Friday, July 4

A Little Lower Than Angels

You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands.
Hebrews 2:7

Recommended Reading
Psalm 8 [ http://iz3.me/ASuk1zwXd1A1 ]

In terms of classification, there seems to be a graduated order to creation. God Himself is over all, Lord of all, eternal and omnipotent. Below Him is the angelic order -- fabulous beings of light and glory. Below them are humans, created "a little lower than the angels" (Psalm 8:5), and placed on earth to tend it. Below humans are animals -- sheep, oxen, beasts of the field, birds, and fish (Psalm 8:6-9).

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/BSuk1zwXd1A1 ]

According to Psalm 8 and Hebrews 2, Jesus Christ moved down the chain to redeem the human race. Though He was God Himself, He became human -- a little lower than the angels -- in order to die for our sins. Following His resurrection, He ascended back to heaven to reassume the glory He had with the Father before the world began (John 17:5). "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name... in heaven... and... on earth" (Philippians 2:9-10).

We'll never fathom all Jesus did for us; but the more we study it, the more we appreciate His great gift of salvation.

Jesus' destiny is to reign. The angels' destiny is to serve forever those who are heirs of salvation. What a wonderful, awesome prospect for Christians!
John MacArthur

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Proverbs 15-17 [ http://iz3.me/CSuk1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Monday, July 7

Invisible Paths

My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
Psalm 62:5-6

Recommended Reading
Genesis 45:1-8 [ http://iz3.me/3X0l1zwXd1A1 ]

Faith is a gift from God. It allows us to perceive the truth, even if it is unseen. It persuades our emotions to embrace the truth and then moves our will to act upon it. When God promised Abraham and his descendants a land of their own, Abraham could have pretended to believe but chosen not to leave the safety of his home. Instead, Abraham accepted the unseen reality of God's word: he packed his possessions and left home. Abraham knew that God's promises were more reliable than his own perceptions.

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/4X0l1zwXd1A1 ]

Joseph had a prophetic dream. Despite being sold into slavery, with no rights or power, he conducted himself with integrity. Instead of giving up or cursing God, Joseph had faith. After years of waiting he became Pharaoh's right hand man. The prophetic dream was fulfilled when Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers. He generously forgave them for selling him into slavery because his faith enabled him to see that God had worked every circumstance in his life for good.

Faith changes our perspective, attitude, and actions. We can be filled with peace because God's promises are more reliable than what we can perceive or know.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
Martin Luther King Jr.

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Proverbs 24-26  [ http://iz3.me/5X0l1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, July 8

Faith Is a Must

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1

Recommended Reading
Hebrews 11:7-12 [ http://iz3.me/7O8l1zwXd1A1 ]

We have heard this saying before. If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to see (or hear) it, does it make a sound? That's one big problem Christians face every day. We haven't actually seen the physical appearance of God.

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/9O8l1zwXd1A1 ]

People who don't believe need to see before they believe. Believers don't need to see it. They rely on the Word of God. Faith treats things that are hoped for as reality. Faith is the solid, unshakable confidence in God which is built upon assurance that He is faithful to His promises.

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."

Who wouldn't want a reward from the Creator of the universe and Creator of all living things? The map to the reward is rather easy -- we just need to have faith in God.

Faith is a reality and it reaches out to facts that are more solid, more real, more substantial, and more eternal than anything registered by our physical senses.
John Phillips

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Proverbs 27-29 [ http://iz3.me/AO8l1zwXd1A1 ]