Turning Point with David Jeremiah

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, April 10

The Best of Christ

  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
  2 Corinthians 12:10

Recommended Reading
2 Corinthians 4:7-10 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%204:7-10&version=NKJV )

On December 13, 2011, in Wenzou, China, a security camera caught the drama of a small girl being accidentally run over by a large vehicle--and remaining stuck underneath. A crowd immediately gathered and lifted up one side of the vehicle so the child could be pulled to safety. It is not unusual that a high-stakes circumstance produces a heroic response on the part of an average person.

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

There is a spiritual corollary, but with a twist. When we find ourselves in a high-stakes situation in life, far beyond our ability to solve, the situation brings out not the best in us but the best of Christ in us. That's what happened to the apostle Paul who found himself beset by a problem he couldn't solve. When God promised Paul grace to endure, he realized that the difficulty revealed his weakness but also revealed Christ's strength in him. He realized that when he was weak, Christ was strong.

If you have tried your best to solve a problem you are facing, ask Christ to reveal His strength in and through you.

  Only he who can say, "The Lord is the strength of my life" can say, "Of whom shall I be afraid?"
  Alexander MacLaren

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Kings 10:14–12:33 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Kings%2010:14 )
 

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, April 11

Goodbye, Worry!

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
  1 Peter 5:7

Recommended Reading
Matthew 6:25-34 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:25-34&version=NKJV )

In C. S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters, the senior devil, Screwtape, explains to the junior devil, Wormwood, why they must tempt humans to worry and not trust God: "There is nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a human's mind against the Enemy. He [God] wants men to be concerned with what they do; our business is to keep them thinking about what will happen to them."1

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

But as we wrestle with the daily burdens of life, how do we not worry about our tomorrows? The apostle Peter explains the simple but profound solution to worry: "Humble yourselves....casting all your care upon Him...." (1 Peter 5:6-7). Entrusting ourselves and our troubles to God is our singular defense against worry.

Screwtape, continues his dastardly counsel: "Your patient will, of course, have picked up the notion that he must submit with patience to the Enemy's will....It is about this that he is to say 'Thy will be done,' and for the daily task of bearing this that the daily bread will be provided."

Are you submitting with patience to God's will? What will you gain from worrying about your tomorrows? God is your all-sufficient provider. He cares for you!

  Worry is an old man with bended head, carrying a load of feathers which he thinks are lead.
  Corrie Ten Boom

  1C. S. Lewis,  The Screwtape Letters  (New York: HarperCollins, 2001), 28-29.

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Kings 13:1-15:34 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Kings%2013:1-15:34&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, April 12

This I Know

  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
  Matthew 10:30

    Recommended Reading
Daniel 4:34-35 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%204:34-35&version=NKJV )

Some of us have far more hair on our heads than others. But God wants us to know He's counted every hair. Theologically you may accept the doctrine of God's sovereignty as biblical and true. Yet when your life seems derailed by the loss of a job, your home, or a loved one, do you question God's sovereignty?

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

Abraham laughed wondering how God could ever fulfill His promise of birthing a nation through his seed (Genesis 17:17). God came through. Moses thought he'd hit a dead end at the Red Sea with more than two million people following his directions (Exodus 14:16). God came through. Joseph was holed up in a prison, rejected by his brothers, and lied about by his employer's wife (Genesis 50:20). God came through.

The One who knows the number of hairs on your head, who hears your cries during the night, who understands your confusion amid heartbreaking loss, is able to use your circumstances to accomplish His ultimate purposes. Have you been feeling that God's plans for you are thwarted by misfortune? Not so! Rejoice that a loving God holds you in His grip.

  Nothing is a surprise to God; nothing is a setback to His plans; nothing can thwart His purposes; and nothing is beyond His control.
  Joni Eareckson Tada

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Kings 16:1-18:46 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Kings%2016:1-18:46&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Friday, April 13

A Changeless God in a Senseless World

  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
  James 1:17

    Recommended Reading
James 1:12-17 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201:12-17&version=NKJV )

No matter how dear your friends are, they can fail. No matter how much money you have, you can go broke. No matter how diligently you exercise, you can get sick. Your most trusted walking stick can break. Your dearest dream can die. Life is as uncertain as the clouds that gather and scatter. It's as fickle as the waves of the ocean.

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

How sad to be in a senseless world without a changeless God. We have a God with whom there is no variation nor shadow of turning. He doesn't have shifting moods, bad days, "oops" moments, momentary breakdowns, or changes of mind or heart. He's as consistent as a plumb line, as steady as a rock, and as unchanging as eternity. He is as He has always been and will always be. Forever He is enthroned in the highest, and forever His Word is fixed in the heavens.

Our forefathers walked with God and so can we. So can our children. He's the same in every generation. His promises cannot fail, His presence cannot dim, His power cannot wane. We can trust Him completely.

  Culture changes. Churches change. Life changes. God doesn't.
  James L. Wilson in his sermon, "The Immutability of God."

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Kings 19:1-21:29 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Kings%2019:1-21:29&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Weekend, April 14 & 15

   First Words: Sin

  Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age...
  Galatians 1:3-4

    Recommended Reading
Galatians 1:1-5 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%201:1-5&version=NKJV )

Earlier this year, an ancient copy of the Ten Commandments went on display in Times Square. The delicate parchment--part of the Dead Sea Scrolls--is 2,000 years old. One journalist wrote about the exhibition, noting that it seemed a great irony that the Ten Commandments, with their prohibitions against theft, murder, and adultery, were being displayed in what was once considered the center of sin in New York--Times Square.1

       Watch This Week's TV Broadcast ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/television.aspx?tid=email_watchedevo )

The holy nature and commands of God are indelibly posted over the heads of the bustling multitudes of this world. When we violate His statutes, we are committing sins. Among our first words of witness should be:  All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory... and the wages of sin is death  (Romans 3:23; 6:23).

That's why Jesus came. He came to give Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age. That's the gospel truth.

  Sin has the devil for its father, shame for its companion, and death for its wages.
  Thomas Watson, Puritan

  1John R. Quain, "A Last Look at the Ten Commandments" scitech.foxnews.mobi December 16, 2011.
  Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Kings 22:1-2 Kings 5:27 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Kings%2022:1-2%20Kings%203:1-5:27&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Monday, April 16

You Are Being Watched

  And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.
  Deuteronomy 31:8

    Recommended Reading
Joshua 1:5 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua%201:5&version=NKJV )

A little guy is nervous about riding the bus to school for the very first time. But, for reassurance, his dad waits with him at the bus stop. After his son is safely on the bus, the father quickly gets in his car, takes a shortcut to the school, and parks his car near where the bus will unload. When the bus arrives and his son gets off, he looks up and sees his father giving him a "thumbs up." His father was the last person he saw before boarding the bus and the first person he saw getting off. The father repeated the routine for five straight days that first week. It was like the father had been there the whole time.

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

And in a sense, he had been. Even though the child couldn't see his father during the trip, he knew his father had made sure he was safe. And it's the same way with God. We don't see Him with us physically, but the witness of the Spirit in us lets us know that we are children of a Father whose care never ceases (Romans 8:14-17).

Between the Spirit and the angels of God (Hebrews 1:14), you are never alone. The Father is watching over you--at this very moment--and wherever you go today.

  The presence of God in a flood is better than a ferry boat.
  C. H. Spurgeon

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
2 Kings 6:1–8:29 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%206:1 )

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, April 17

Careful of Counterfeits

  The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders.
  2 Thessalonians 2:9 NIV

    Recommended Reading
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%2011:13-15&version=NKJV )

In Chicago, police raided a small store and found more than 16,000 counterfeit CDs and DVDs. Police near Atlanta arrested 13 co-conspirators on charges of making counterfeit music and movies. Police in North Wilksboro, North Carolina, arrested two local men for possessing thousands of counterfeit CDs and DVDs. It is said that, in China, counterfeit movies and music are available before the originals are even released in the U.S. And the counterfeits are excellent quality! Many people can't tell the difference--until they play the movie or listen to the music. Even then, the counterfeits can be deceiving.

Listen to Today's  Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

Satan is good at counterfeiting in the spiritual realm. He can produce signs and wonders and can make his apostles look like Christ's apostles. Christians must be careful. Spiritual appearance is not a guarantee of spiritual integrity. We must "test the spirits to see whether they are from God" as John wrote (1 John 4:1 NIV).

It is up to us to obey the Bible's exhortation: "Do not be deceived" (Galatians 6:7).

  There are powers that can counterfeit almost anything in the Christian life.
  D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
2 Kings 9:1–11:21 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%209:1 )

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, April 18

Someone Is Coming

  ...looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
  Titus 2:13

    Recommended Reading
2 Thessalonians 2:5-8 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Thessalonians%202:5-8&version=NKJV )

A Seattle couple was about 400 miles from Hawaii in their 38-foot boat when high seas threatened to sink their vessel. They broke out their life rafts, put on survival suits, and used their radio to send a distress signal with their location--then huddled together with their two dogs to wait. The Carnival cruise line's ship,  Golden Princess , heard the distress call and was able to rescue the couple and their dogs. Brandy Meissner said, "I knew someone would come out. I just didn't know how long it would take...."

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

That's the perspective Christians should have when they find themselves in the middle of the storms of life: "Even if we don't know when, we know Someone is going to come." That Someone is Jesus Christ, of course--and His coming is called the "blessed hope and glorious appearing." We persevere through the challenges of this life because our hope is built on the certainty of Christ's return. This world is not our home; we are just passing through.

When the waves get high, keep your eyes on the heavens for the One who has promised to come.

  The only revelation from God which Christians still await is the revelation of Jesus Christ at his second coming.
  Geoffrey B. Wilson

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
2 Kings 12:1–15:16 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%2012:1 )

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, April 19

Winning the Battle

  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
  Ephesians 6:11

    Recommended Reading
Job 1:6-19 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%201:6-19&version=NKJV )

Many people misunderstand the purpose of the spiritual warfare Job experienced (Job 1-2). The point of Satan was not to destroy Job or ruin his life by destroying his family and property. Satan's desire was that Job would curse God for letting such bad things happen to him. Sadly, Job's wife became so exasperated that she fell right into Satan's hands when she said to her husband, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!" (Job 2:9) Thankfully, Job kept his spiritual integrity and would not blame God for his troubles.

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

The point is this: Satan's primary purpose is to make God, not us, look bad. But he attacks us in order to tempt us to attack God. And he will use any situation at all--just as he did in Job's life--including our finances and economic health. If you can become so anxious over the economy or money that you lose your faith in God, Satan has won the battle. We win by giving thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Don't let anything--including finances--cause you to "curse God." Rather, say what Job said: "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (Job 2:10, NIV)

  Scars are the price which every believer pays for his loyalty to Christ.
  William Hendriksen

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
2 Kings 15:17–17:41 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%2015:17 )

[Judy Harder]

Friday, April 20

Whose Image?

  Whose image and inscription is this?
  Matthew 22:20

    Recommended Reading
2 Corinthians 3:12-18 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%203:12-18&version=NKJV )

More than 40 percent of Americans between 26 and 40 have a tattoo, and that's spawned a new and thriving business--tattoo removal. Many people come to regret their tattoos, and the laser removal business is booming.

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

But some things cannot be reversed. One day, the dreaded "mark of the beast" will be stamped on the foreheads or hands of those worshipping the Antichrist, and no laser will be able to remove it. How much better to have the image of Christ stamped on our hearts.

We're to be conformed to the image of God's Son (Romans 8:29). We're to bear the image of the heavenly Man (1 Corinthians 15:49). As we behold the glory of the Lord, we're transformed into His image from glory to glory by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Jesus once taught a lesson by observing the image on a coin (Matthew 22:20). In the same way, our worth is determined by whose image is stamped on our lives. The hymn "O to Be Like Thee" has a prayer for us: "Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness; Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart."

  Adam's likeness now efface; stamp Thine image in its place.
  Charles Wesley

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
2 Kings 18:1-20:21 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%2018:1-20:21&version=NKJV )