Turning Point with David Jeremiah

[Judy Harder]

Monday, April 29

Tick, Tick, Tick ...

My times are in Your hand.
Psalm 31:15

Recommended Reading
Job 14:5 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2014:5&version=NKJV )

The hymnist John Ryland wrote: "Plagues and deaths around me fly; till He bids I cannot die; not a single shaft can hit till the God of love sees fit." General Stonewall Jackson similarly said: "My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that." Missionary David Livingstone put it this way: "Men are immortal till their work is done."

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That's a precious thought to the Christian, but not so much for unbelievers. In Daniel 5, Belshazzar planned a dinner party for a thousand of his lords, a much-anticipated night of drinking and irreligious revelry. But in the midst of the mayhem, the hand of God wrote on the wall of his palace: "God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it." That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain.

God controls the time clock of life and the calendar of history. He orders our days, and as His children we can rest assured that our times are in His hands.

God's children are immortal whilst their Father hath anything for them to do on earth.
Thomas Fuller, seventeenth-century Baptist preacher

Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 3-4 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%203-4&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, April 30

Faithful Endurance

And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Matthew 23:12

Recommended Reading
Daniel 6:1-10 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%206:1-10&version=NKJV )

How do you want to be remembered? While we like to avoid thoughts of death, this question can be used to measure our life's focus: what do you want your life to be about?

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The trajectory of our lives weaves through valleys and mountaintops. It's easy to follow God when He is blessing us, but what if we were as faithful to God during our trials as during our blessings? Scripture highlights the stories of those who turned from God, pridefully taking their lives into their own hands, and those who faithfully endured adversity. King Saul turned away from God. Daniel continued trusting God despite an edict meant to destroy him. Then there are those, like David, who returned to God after falling away. It's never too late to return to God.

The humble draw near to God, trusting Him to sustain and exalt them in His time regardless of their circumstances. Their faithfulness is the foundation of their legacy.

A faithful life is one that is lived thoughtfully throughout all the seasons.
Gary Thomas

Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 5-6 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%205-6&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, May 1

How Not to "Pow!"

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
Isaiah 26:3

Recommended Reading
Philippians 4:6-7 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=%20Philippians%204:6-7&version=NKJV )

Every child eventually undertakes a science experiment having to do with the laws of pressure. Either he blows up a balloon beyond its intended size or she presses her balloon against a sharp object. In either case, the result is the same: POW! The look of bewilderment on a child's face the first time he pops his balloon is priceless for parents.

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Eventually children learn the science: a thin, rubber balloon can only stand so much pressure before it explodes. And the same thing is true for human beings. God did not design the human body to handle unlimited amounts of pressure before it "explodes" in various ways, physically or emotionally. In fact, how a Christian handles pressure is a good indicator of his or her reliance upon God. Christians are not immune to life's circumstances or the pressure they can produce. But God wants us to trust Him with those circumstances and their outcome -- "casting all [our] care upon Him, for He cares for [us]" (1 Peter 5:7).

If you are experiencing pressure in your life, keep your mind stayed upon the God who knows your past, present, and future and promises to meet your every need (Philippians 4:19).

Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues.
John R. W. Stott

Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 7-9 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%207-9&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, May 2

The Wonders of Prayer

You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of the far-off seas.
Psalm 65:5

Recommended Reading
Psalm 65:1-5 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2065:1-5&version=NKJV )

In 1885, evangelist Daniel Whittle published  The Wonders of Prayer,  a book containing stories of answered prayer, including the account of Admiral Thomas Williams, who was in command of a ship crossing the Atlantic on September 8, 1799. Sailing past the uninhabited island of Ascension, Williams had a deep burden to steer toward it. Ships never stopped at this island; there was no reason to do so. But the feeling became so urgent that Williams told his crew to change course. They did so reluctantly, warning against the delay. Then a sailor spotted something through his spyglass -- a white flag. More than a dozen shipwrecked men, destitute and near starvation, had been praying for a miracle -- someone to rescue them in the nick of time.

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Prayer is an invisible force that, through God, can accomplish more than we could ever imagine. It can alter the course of ships and change the course of lives. Especially in times of crisis, our prayers -- coming from a heart of faith filled with praise -- can gain God's blessings on life's tempestuous sea.

There can be no loftier exercise of soul ever given to created intelligence than to come into conscious contact with the living God, and be able to say, "My Father."
Daniel W. Whittle, in  The Wonders of Prayer

Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 10-12 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%2010-12&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Friday, May 3

Welcome to the Den

My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me.
Daniel 6:22

Recommended Reading
Daniel 6:10-11 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%206:10-11&version=NKJV )

Psalm 11:3 asks: "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Sometimes we feel we're living in the reality of that verse. As humanism and secularism erode the Judeo-Christian foundations of society, Christians face hostility from a secular culture.

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The prophet Daniel might respectfully say, "Welcome to the club" or, more accurately, to the "den." At the time of the events in Daniel 6, the aged prophet had devoted a lifetime to the welfare of the Babylonian and Persian empires. He had guided the affairs of state with wisdom. Even his enemies "could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him" (Daniel 6:4). But they hated him anyway and conspired to feed him to the lions.

The lions, of course, missed their meal because the angel of the Lord shut their mouths. In due time, He will shut the mouths of our critics too. In the meantime, dare to be a Daniel, and let the growling of the lions be a time for growing in the Lord.

His enemies had counted on the lions taking care of Daniel. What they hadn't counted on was his God taking care of Daniel.
Tony Evans

Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 13-16 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%2013-16&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Weekend, May 4 & 5

May Flowers: An English Garden

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made ...
Psalm 139:14a

Recommended Reading
Psalm 8:4-9 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%208:4-9&version=NKJV )

Prior to the eighteenth century, gardens in Europe were formal and by design like the famous gardens at the French chateaus at Versailles and Chantilly. But in England, gardens began to revert to a more natural state, thanks in large part to the American naturalist John Bartram, who shipped countless boxes of American seeds and plants to England. English gardeners allowed these new trees, shrubs, and flowers to grow naturally with a minimal amount of shaping. The goal was for the plants to express their uniqueness according to nature's design, not man's.

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In a parallel sense, we can think of humanity as God's landscape of unique creations. Yes, by His design every person bears His image (Genesis 1:26-27), yet within that unifying factor is the infinite diversity and uniqueness of individuals. Not only is every person unique in appearance, we are individual in our talents, abilities, and, for Christians, spiritual gifts.

Rejoice today, and give God thanks, for the fact that you are fearfully and wonderfully made -- a unique creation in the amazing landscape that fills the earth.

Man is a creature, because he is made by God. But he is a unique creature, because he is made like God.
Edmund P. Clowney

Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 17–23 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%2017 )

[Judy Harder]

Monday, May 6

Faith to Endure

And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of [the prophets] who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.
Hebrews 11:32-33

Recommended Reading
Daniel 6:23-28 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%206:23-28&version=NKJV )

Actes and Monuments of these Latter and Perilous Days, Touching Matters of the Church  was written by the Englishman John Foxe and published in 1563. Foxe's book (known today as  Foxe's Book of Martyrs ) chronicled the suffering and martyrdom of Christians in England and Scotland at the hands of the ruling Roman Catholic Church. It remains the most thorough account of Christian martyrdom ever written.

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The prophet Daniel, had he lived later, could have been included in Foxe's book, but with a happier ending than Foxe's subjects. Daniel's well-known consignment to a den of lions by the king of Babylon, and his emergence unharmed, is a testament to the prophet's faith. Few Christians in the West suffer life-threatening persecutions for their faith. But all Christians should consider the possibility and how they might respond. Is my faith strong enough to see me through, even to the point of death for Christ?

Ask God today for the grace and help to prepare you for what many have already endured -- to have faith that is greater than any foe (Hebrews 4:16).

Persecution often does in this life, what the last great day will do completely, separate the wheat from the tares.
James Milner

Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 24-26 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%2024-26&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, May 7

Looking Forward

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.
2 Peter 3:14

Recommended Reading
2 Peter 3:14-18 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Peter%203:14-18&version=NKJV )

What are you looking forward to? Maybe a trip later this year? Your summer vacation? The birth of a child or grandchild? Summer break from school? The capacity to "look forward" is one of God's greatest gifts. We look backward with thanksgiving at what God has done for us, but we look forward with anticipation -- whatever our circumstances -- because the Christian's best experiences are always ahead.

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Hebrews 11:10 (ESV) says that Abraham "was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." Peter said, "In keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:13, NIV).

If you've been looking behind you with sorrow or around you with sadness, fix your eyes on what's ahead. God's future for His children is beyond our imagination.  Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.

Is it not delightful to look forward to the time when every stain of sin shall be removed from the believer, and he shall be presented faultless before the throne?
Charles Spurgeon in Morning and Evening

Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 27-29 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%2027-29&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, May 8

Hover Boards

And the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true; therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future.
Daniel 8:26

Recommended Reading
Daniel 8:18-27 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%208:18-27&version=NKJV )

For a good laugh, look at some old movies and notice how they tried to predict the future. In 1952, a movie titled April 2000 envisioned a one-world government under the head of a Global Union President. When Austria tried to pull out of the Union, the President arrived in a flying saucer with an army equipped with death-ray guns to quell the rebellion. In the 1968 movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, filmmakers envisioned long-distance space travel by 2001. More recently, Back to the Future showed earthlings riding around on "hover boards" in 2015.

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Not even the most creative human minds can accurately envision the future. But the Lord dwells in eternity and knows the future as if it had already happened. Every detail of every day is perfectly known by Him. He's revealed crucial elements of future events to us in His Word, and we know that God's prophecies are sure and certain -- they will unfold exactly as promised. We can be certain of that.

You may not have a flying saucer in your future, but you have a coming Savior.

God knows everything in one eternal now, including the past, present, and future. And God knows the future before it happens in time.
Norman L. Geisler

Read-Thru-the-Bible
2 Chronicles 1-4 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Chronicles%201-4&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, May 9

The Eternal Kingdom

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
Hebrews 12:28

Recommended Reading
Psalm 46 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=%20Psalm%2046&version=NKJV )

The world and the people around us change every day. Just as Christ foretold, we are hearing about wars and rumors of wars; but we do not need to be afraid.

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God has promised that His kingdom will never be shaken. His words are true. It's hard to imagine a world without conflict and change. Only God can promise us an unshakeable kingdom because He is unshakeable. No one can stand in the way of God. His divine kingdom is unique because it will never be conquered or divided.

Embrace this promise and trust in the One making the promise. He is our refuge and strength. We are secure in Him and will not be moved.

God doesn't make suggestions. He speaks with the full determination to see that what He has said will come to fruition.
Henry Blackaby and Richard Blackaby

Read-Thru-the-Bible
2 Chronicles 5-7 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Chronicles%205-7%20&version=NKJV )