Turning Point with David Jeremiah

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, July 17

Contagion

  Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord for the Lord heard it.
  Numbers 11:1

    Recommended Reading
Exodus 15:20-24 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2015:20-24&version=NKJV )

Leadership expert Erik Calonius tells of a study of 12,000 interconnected people in Massachusetts that found that happiness passes from one person to another like flu. The closer you are to a happy person, the happier you'll be. Statistically, each happy friend a person has increases that person's probability of being happy by about nine percent. Every unhappy friend decreases it by seven percent. Experts call this "contagion."1

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

Readers of Exodus aren't surprised, for negative attitudes swept through the Israelites in epidemic waves. For example, in chapter 15 the Israelites burst into hymns over the parting of the Red Sea; but by the end of the chapter, they were grumbling again.

The attitude you're carrying right now will spread to somebody else today. If you're joyful, you'll lift their spirits. If you're angry, you'll infect them with negative feelings. The Bible tells us to exhort one another, to hold fast to our faith, and to spread abroad the love of God with overflowing hearts.

  Smiles are the most contagious emotional signal of all, having an almost irresistible power to make others smile in return.
  Daniel Goleman

  1Erik Calonius,  Ten Steps Ahead  (NY: Penguin, 2011).

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
Isaiah 9:1-13:22 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%209:1-13:22&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, July 18

Internal Thermometers

  And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all.
  Acts 27:35

    Recommended Reading
Acts 27:33-38 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2027:33-38&version=NKJV )

Newspapers recently told of a woman in China who has lived with a thermometer inside her lung for 44 years. Apparently she accidently swallowed it during a routine checkup when she was twelve years old, but her family couldn't afford the surgery to remove it. Now doctors are planning to remove it before it breaks and leaks mercury into her body.

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We all have an internal thermometer that measures our emotional health, and that thermometer is gratitude. You can tell how happy someone is by noticing whether they grumble or give thanks, whatever the circumstances. In Acts 27, the apostle Paul was drenched to the skin, reeling from a vicious storm, and trapped on a sinking ship. But he found something for which to thank the Lord, and he led his 276 fellow passengers in thanksgiving. The ability to be thankful in any given set of circumstances is an indication of the health of our souls.

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

  Even when a storm is raging around us and all things seem to be against us, we shall find that we have much for which to be thankful.
  James H. Snowden, nineteenth-century Presbyterian pastor

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
Isaiah 14:1-18:7 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2014:1-18:7&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, July 19

Concrete Faith

  The gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith...
  Hebrews 4:2

    Recommended Reading
Hebrews 4:1-10 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%204:1-10&version=NKJV )

What substance is necessary to turn cement into concrete? It's water, as anyone knows who has used cement for a household project like pouring a sidewalk or firming up a fencepost. Cement is a dry fine-grained compound that's useless without water to moisten it so it can harden. Likewise, it's great to have the Word of God in our hearts, but it must be mixed with faith.

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Perhaps you're facing a disappointment today. An expected opening didn't occur. A hoped-for breakthrough didn't come. Instead of good news, you've gotten a discouraging word. This is just the time to exchange your problem for a promise. Go to the Scriptures and study through them until you find a word from God that meets your need. Focus your thoughts on that promise, and determine to trust God to keep it. He turns all things for good to those who love Him, and He makes disappointments "His appointments."

Don't mix your worries with fear, but mix His Word with faith. He wants to give you concrete assurance every day and keep you well set in life.

  Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. There was no one there.
  Old English Proverb

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
Isaiah 19:1-23:18 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2019:1-23:18&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Friday, July 20

Never Not Enough

  And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
  2 Corinthians 12:9

    Recommended Reading
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%209:6-8&version=NKJV )

When Elijah met a widow's need for food in Zarephath, "she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry" (1 Kings 17:15-16). When Jesus fed thousands of hungry people by the Sea of Galilee, He took a few fish and loaves and multiplied them and "they all ate and were filled"--with 12 baskets full of leftovers (Matthew 14:20).

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When God meets needs, He provides sufficiently. Sometimes it is more than needed, as in the case of the fish and loaves. Whether it is just enough or more than enough, it is never "not enough." Paul wrote that God's grace allows for us to have "all sufficiency in all things" (2 Corinthians 9:. When Paul found himself in a situation he desperately wanted God to change, God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). The reason God is always able to supply sufficiently is because of His infinite nature.

If you need God to supply something in your life, time and means may change, but one thing will not: His sufficiency in meeting your need. There is always enough with God.

  Our efficiency without God's sufficiency is only a deficiency.
  Vance Havner

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
Isaiah 24:1–28:29 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2024:1%E2%80%9328:29&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Weekend, July 21 & 22

   Seeing Red: The Beginning of Miracles

  And [the master of the feast] said to the bridegroom, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"
  John 2:10

    Recommended Reading
Psalm 139:13-16 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20139:13-16&version=NKJV )

You have probably heard this saying that has been around for years: "I know I'm somebody 'cause God don't make no junk." The saying is attributed to the singer Ethel Waters who was a beloved soloist for years with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. She died in 1977, but her slogan has lived on.

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Another evidence that God makes nothing sub-standard can be found at a wedding in Cana of Galilee in the first century. Jesus, His mother, and His disciples were in attendance as guests when Jesus was put on the spot. The supply of wine for the wedding ran out, and Jesus' mother appealed to Him to help. Though His ministry had not begun publicly, Jesus miraculously changed six large pots of water into wine. When the person in charge tasted the new wine, he was amazed at the excellent quality (John 2:1-10)!

You are a creation of God, "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). If you ever question your worth as a person, remember that God makes nothing but the best!

  God will never cast away his jewels, but gather them into his cabinet of just men made perfect.
  William S. Plumer

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
Isaiah 29:1–36:22 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2029:1%E2%80%9336:22&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Monday, July 23

Our Great High Priest

  Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus.
  Hebrews 3:1

    Recommended Reading
Hebrews 3:1-6 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%203:1-6&version=NKJV )

In one of his great hymns, Isaac Watts wrote, "Jesus, my great High Priest, offered His blood and died; my guilty conscience seeks no sacrifice beside. His pow'rful blood did once atone, and now it pleads before the Throne."

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Whatever's going on in your life, you have a Great High Priest seated on the throne of majesty at the right hand of God, making intercession for you. He sympathizes with your infirmities, identifies with your temptations, prays over your distresses, and dispenses grace and mercy in time of need. He brings your cares to the attention of the Father, and sends His Spirit to support your fainting heart. He gives His Word, keeps His promises, strengthens His children, and readies heaven for our use.

Christians have a resource the world knows nothing about, a representative whose attention never falters. Therefore "fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess" (Hebrews 3:1 NIV 1984).

  All other men, even the greatest, the wisest, the best, have been marked by imperfection and sin, but in Christ we have a great High Priest of absolute sinlessness, and in Him we may safely and fully trust.
  J. S. Exell

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
Isaiah 37:1-40:31 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2037:1-40:31&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

 
Tuesday, July 24

Great Shepherd

  Now may the God of peace... that great Shepherd of the sheep... make you complete.
  Hebrews 13:20-21

    Recommended Reading
Hebrews 13:20-25 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2013:20-25&version=NKJV )

Sergeant Harry J. Wheeler has become a legend among crime fighters in New York. When he was found years ago, he was wandering the streets of Brooklyn, abandoned and lost, living by his wits. Rescuers noticed his keen perception and protective nature and sent him to a 20-week training course with the New York State Police. Since then he's played a critical role in several police investigations. He's especially proficient in locating the remains of murder victims. You might say he has a nose for murder, for Sergeant Wheeler is a German Shepherd who works on New York's K-9 Force.

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We're like Sergeant Harry J. Wheeler. Somehow we lost our way, but our Rescuer found us wandering around, abandoned and confused, living by our wits. He put us into His school, trained us as His disciples, and gave us assignments to do. The Bible doesn't picture us as dogs, but as sheep--with Christ being the Chief Shepherd. He laid down His life for us, and now lives to lead us, bless us, and use us for His glory.

  He is not only the Shepherd but "that great shepherd," just as He is not only High Priest, but our "great High Priest," and not merely King, but the "King of Kings"
  Arthur Pink

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
Isaiah 41:1-43:28 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2041:1-43:28&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, July 25

Foreknowing, Forgiving, Fortifying

  Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
  Hebrews 4:14

    Recommended Reading
Hebrews 7:25-8:1 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%207:25-8:1&version=NKJV )

Only one book in the Bible refers to Jesus as our High Priest, but that book--Hebrews--uses the phrase eighteen times. Jesus Christ is our "merciful and faithful High Priest" (2:17); the High Priest of our confession (3:1); the High Priest who has passed through the heavens (4:14); a High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses (4:15); who is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners (7:26); a High Priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of Majesty in the heavens (8:1). He is our great High Priest of the good things to come (9:11).

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As High Priest He foreknows us. He's anticipated our need and worked in advance to provide for our salvation.

As High Priest He forgives us, offering His own blood once for all.

As High Priest He fortifies us. He understands our weaknesses, intercedes for us before the throne, and upholds us with daily grace and peace. Seeing then that we have such a great High Priest, let us hold fast to our confession.

  Now let our cheerful eyes survey our great High Priest above, and celebrate His constant care and sympathizing love.
  Phillip Doddridge

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
Isaiah 44:1-47:15 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2044:1-47:15&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, July 26

Immature Forever?

  Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.
  1 Corinthians 14:20

    Recommended Reading
Luke 8:14-15 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%208:14-15&version=NKJV )

"You're only young once," quipped Australian writer Germaine Greer, "but you can be immature forever." She's sadly right. It's one thing for a child to act immaturely; we expect that. But for immaturity to persist into adulthood is distressing. Many of our problems are caused by immaturity--immature husbands, immature wives, immature church members, immature actions.

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The word "maturity" means "fully grown, developed, or completed." The greatest picture of maturity in the Bible is our Lord Jesus, who "increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." In other words, He matured mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially.

"Him we proclaim," said Paul, "warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ" (Colossians 1:28 ESV). As we feed on the Bible, confess our sins, learn from our mistakes, and grow in God's wisdom, we can mature. We don't have to stay immature forever.

  Spiritual maturity cannot come in a day. We cannot expect it. It takes growth, until the whole beauty of the image of Christ is formed in (us).
  Andrew Murray

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
Isaiah 48:1-51:23 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2048:1-51:23&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Friday, July 27

Diet for Growth

  As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.
  1 Peter 2:2

    Recommended Reading
Hebrews 5:12-13 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%205:12-13&version=NKJV )

Mammals are characterized, in part, by the female having mammary glands that produce milk for a baby. How appropriate that God designed a built-in food supply for tiny infants that conveys everything the baby needs to develop in the first months of life. Obviously, an infant is totally unequipped to chew, swallow, or digest solid food. But when the time is right, the transition to solid food needs to happen.

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The same is true in the process of spiritual growth. New Christians need to be fed "the milk of the Word"--basic biblical truths about Jesus Christ and the Christian faith. But that "milk" is for a transitional purpose, just as mother's milk plays a transitional role in human physical development. If a Christian doesn't move beyond basic Bible doctrines into deeper biblical understanding, something is wrong. Spiritual growth only continues when the "milk" of the Word is replaced by the "meat" of the Word.

How would you describe your spiritual diet in terms of how long you have been a Christian? If you are consuming milk too long or meat too soon, your growth will suffer.

  The Bible calls itself food. The value of food is not in the discussion it arouses but in the nourishment it imparts.
  Will Houghton

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
Isaiah 52:1–57:21 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2052:1%E2%80%9357:21&version=NKJV )