Turning Point with David Jeremiah

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, December 31

Turning the Page

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul.
Psalm 19:7

Recommended Reading
Psalm 19:7-11 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2019:7-11&version=NKJV )

One day John Strait (father of singer George Strait) distributed Gideon Bibles in a prison in Dilley, Texas. A prisoner accepted one, but later when another worker, Jerry Horn of San Antonio, visited, the inmate needed another copy. The pages were all gone from the old one; only the covers remained. "What happened?" Jerry asked. The prisoner replied, "I used them to make cigarettes."

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

Jerry brought him a new copy and witnessed to him. The prisoner received the Lord as Savior and signed his name in the book, indicating his decision. After getting out of prison, he went to school and became pastor of a Texas church. "He had a new Bible, a new life, and a new way of living," said Jerry.

Tomorrow turns the page on a new year. The liberating message of God's Word is ours every moment. The devil may attack us, but we have the Sword of the Spirit. The world may tempt us, but we can hide God's Word in our hearts. Let's turn the calendar with our Bibles in our hands and the joy of the Lord in our hearts.

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man.
Benjamin Franklin

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Revelation 20-22  ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2020-22%20&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, January 1

Around the Corner

His lord said to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord."
Matthew 25:23

Recommended Reading
Matthew 25:14-30 [ http://iz3.me/LhaN1zwXd1A1 ]

It's easy to prepare when we know what's coming. The lord in Jesus' parable entrusted his servants with money, expecting them to be wise stewards. Only two of the servants understood their purpose. The third decided it was easier to avoid the risk of investment; he feared failure and the wrath of his lord.

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/MhaN1zwXd1A1 ]

Obedience requires a measure of sacrifice. When God calls us to something new, we easily focus on the unknowns or the difficulty of the path. Like the third servant, we forget the rewards of serving our Lord and His purposes.

The truth is: We serve a generous God. He delights in giving us opportunities beyond our capabilities. He has promised to equip us, and remain with us through each bend in the road. Although we may not know what is around the corner, we can trust the One who called us. He is our comfort and courage, sustaining us through difficulty and rewarding us generously.

God does not delight in our sufferings. He brings only that which is necessary, but He does not shrink from that which will help us grow.
Jerry Bridges

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Genesis 1-4  [ http://iz3.me/NhaN1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, January 2

What's Your Story?

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
1 John 5:11

Recommended Reading
1 John 5:1-13 [ http://iz3.me/nIcN1zwXd1A1 ]

The truth that transformed your life is waiting to transform the lives of others. It's easy to downplay one's testimony when comparing it to the riveting testimonies of others, but the truth is that each testimony has power. Your story may reach people in a way no one else's can.

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/oIcN1zwXd1A1 ]

As you meditate on Christ and His sacrifice for you, joy will fill your heart. You will not be able to keep your story to yourself. As you celebrate all Christ has done for you, your words may encourage a faltering Christian or plant a seed of faith in a pre-believer. When we share Christ, the Truth behind our transformation, we are offering people an opportunity to be transformed. If you're not sure where to start, these four questions offer an outline for sharing your testimony: What was life like before you were saved? When did you believe in Jesus? What has life been like since then? How are you growing in your faith today?

Don't wait to share your story. Your life has been transformed. Celebrate and share your story today.

You will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.
Oswald Chambers

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Genesis 5-8 [ http://iz3.me/pIcN1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Friday, January 3

Sound the Alarm

They were hearing only, "He [ Paul ] who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy." And they glorified God in me[ Paul ].
Galatians 1:23-24

Recommended Reading
Acts 9:1-22  [ http://iz3.me/ddiN1zwXd1A1 ]

Rarely noticed, they perch unobtrusively on ceilings. We forget they are there. Smoke detectors' two basic functions are sensing smoke and sounding an alarm. People are like smoke detectors in that they rarely change. Most will drift through life without sounding an alarm or drawing attention to themselves.

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/ediN1zwXd1A1 ]

Paul was different. He was loud in his persecution of Christians. When Paul was converted, people were instantly aware of the change. Suddenly this man who formerly hunted and killed Christians was preaching Christ. He was associating with and befriending Christians as his new faith changed both his actions and his priorities. The change in his life sounded an alarm that could not be ignored.

When we believe in Christ, we are changed from the inside out. Our entire life becomes a testimony of what He has done. Each day holds countless opportunities to sound an alarm and influence those around us. We can be encouraged knowing that our daily actions and words are declaring Christ to the world.

Christ not only died for all: He died for each.
Billy Graham

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Genesis 9-12 [ http://iz3.me/fdiN1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Weekend, January 4 & 5

A New Year to Embrace Change

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
Hebrews 11:8

Recommended Reading
Jeremiah 29:11 [ http://iz3.me/qnnN1zwXd1A1 ]

A lot of us need a change of pace this year; but what we're really having trouble with is the  pace of change . All change -- even the good -- is hard. It involves adjustment, moving from the familiar to the unfamiliar, from the settled past into the unknown future. As Anatole France said, "All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another."

Watch This Week's TV Broadcast [ http://iz3.me/rnnN1zwXd1A1 ]

We can embrace change by knowing we serve an unchanging God. At the beginning of this new year, we confess with Joshua: "We have never been this way before." But our faithful, changeless Lord will show us the way to go, guide us at every juncture, bless us at every step, and provide goodness and mercy every day of our lives.

Let's not dig in our heels and cling to the past. Heed the words God gave to Joshua: "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you .... As I was with Moses, so I will be with you" (Joshua 3:5, 7).

Everyone is in favor of progress; it's change they don't like.
In The Mentor

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Genesis 13-20 [ http://iz3.me/snnN1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Monday, January 6

Stop and Get Your Bearings

I kept my bearings in Christ.
1 Corinthians 9:21, The Message

Recommended Reading
Psalm 119:14-16  [ http://iz3.me/pCqN1zwXd1A1 ]

In his book on leadership, Robert K. Cooper credits his grandfather, Hugh Cooper, Sr., a minister and teacher, for the wisdom needed for success. One of the best lessons involved the practice of pausing amid the busyness of life to contemplate whether we're proceeding the right way. "When my grandfather Cooper and I planted trees," he wrote, "he would stop every half hour or so. Reaching into his pocket, he would take out a small compass he carried. I always knew what he would say next: 'Robert, let's stop and get our bearings.'"1

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/qCqN1zwXd1A1 ]

It's not enough to be busy. We must make sure we're keeping our bearings in Christ. As you go through the day, the month, and the year, remember to periodically pause to check your priorities and get your bearings. Take time to pray and ponder. Set aside time for Bible study and personal meditation. Pull over at rest stops. Pause often to remember who you are, where you're going, and the God you're serving.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul, each thought and each motive beneath His control.
William D. Longstaff

1Robert K. Cooper, The Other 90% (New York: Random House, 2001), 152.

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Genesis 21-23 [ http://iz3.me/sCqN1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, January 7

God's Calling

Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
2 Timothy 1:9

Recommended Reading
Jeremiah 1:4-5  [ http://iz3.me/I4xN1zwXd1A1 ]

When we buy a new car, it comes with an owner's manual. That manual represents the manufacturer's will for us -- what to do, and not do, with the car. Sometimes we wish God had given us a unique owner's manual for our life so we would know His will every day.

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/K4xN1zwXd1A1 ]

There's no indication in Scripture that God gives anyone step-by-step directions for life (except in rare circumstances -- see Acts 16:7). But God does have a calling and purpose for us on two levels: general and specific. Generally, God's will for our life is contained in the Bible. What is written in Scripture is God's will and calling for every Christian. Specifically, as we deepen our walk with Christ, God makes known His calling on our life individually. As we give over our talents and abilities to Him, become aware of our spiritual gifts and remain submissive to His leading and blessing, His calling on our life will become more and more evident.

Just as God told certain biblical characters what He wanted them to do, God will tell us as well if we are sensitive to His voice.

Christians are in the world to be witnesses, and they must concentrate on their calling.
Paul B. Smith

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Genesis 24-25 [ http://iz3.me/M4xN1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, January 8

A Different Way of Seeing

For we walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7

Recommended Reading
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 [ http://iz3.me/KW8O1zwXd1A1 ]

Hiking in the deep wilderness can be foreboding. In the morning you may find yourself in a deep ravine between the sides of two mountains, barely able to glimpse the sky above. In the afternoon you may be in a rugged, old-growth forest, completely surrounded by trees with no view of the horizon. In either case, you are headed toward a destination you cannot see. Aided by a map and compass (and now GPS), you trudge on with certain expectation of your direction.

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/LW8O1zwXd1A1 ]

That is what the Christian life can be like at times -- walking toward a destination we cannot see, but one which we have every confidence of finding. The destination may be in this life -- a decision about vocation or our children -- or it may be eternal (Hebrews 11:8-16). Either way, we have a map (Psalm 119:105) and a heavenly Companion (Hebrews 13:5) upon which we depend. We don't know specifically what next week, or eternity, will look like. We are moving toward destinations we cannot see. But that is not a problem since we walk by faith, not by sight.

Walking by faith means seeing life differently: trusting the God we cannot see (1 Peter 1:7-8) for that which He has yet to reveal.

Walking by faith means being prepared to trust where we are not permitted to see.
John Blanchard

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Genesis 26-28 [ http://iz3.me/MW8O1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, January 9

Walking by Faith

Then [ God ] said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."
Genesis 22:2

Recommended Reading
Hebrews 11:17-19 [ http://iz3.me/VcGO1zwXd1A1 ]

When veteran high-wire performer Nik Wallenda took his first step on a wire stretched above Niagara Falls in 2012, he was walking by faith. The same was true the next year when he walked on a wire high above a Grand Canyon gorge. When asked about fear, Wallenda has said, "I would say the only thing I fear is God."

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/WcGO1zwXd1A1 ]

Walking by faith in any arena of life requires confidence in something. Besides confidence in God, Wallenda has faith in his skills, training, and equipment. Still, there are no guarantees. Abraham walked by faith when God told him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. But Abraham's walk was different. His confidence was in the God who had made promises to Abraham about his future, about being the father of a great nation. The writer to the Hebrews said Abraham believed that if God didn't intervene and spare Isaac, He would raise the boy from the dead and fulfill the promises He had made to Abraham (Hebrews 11:17-19).

Walking by faith means taking steps in the direction God has indicated, trusting that He will be faithful to guide and provide.

We live by faith, and faith lives by exercise.
William Gurnall

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Genesis 29-31 [ http://iz3.me/XcGO1zwXd1A1 ]

[Judy Harder]

Friday, January 10

Living on Purpose

But [ Jesus ] said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."
Luke 4:43

Recommended Reading
John 4:31-34 [ http://iz3.me/ROOO1zwXd1A1 ]

In 2005, when the Barna Research Group surveyed pastors and Christian leaders about the books that influenced them most during the previous three years, Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life was the most cited book (apart from the Bible). Warren's The Purpose Driven Church was the second most-often cited.

Listen to Today's Radio Message [ http://iz3.me/SOOO1zwXd1A1 ]

What does it mean that two Bible-based books on "purpose" sold tens of millions of copies around the world? At the very least, it suggests that Christians (and others) are very interested in discovering how to live life "on purpose." When we say we did something "on purpose," it means we did it intentionally; it means our actions were no accident. And if we model our life after that of Jesus Christ, we will live our life as purposefully as He did. Jesus came into the world with a purpose, a mission, from God and refused to let anything distract Him from that purpose (John 5:19, 30; 6:38; 8:28, 42; 10:37-38; 12:49).

As God sent Jesus into the world "on purpose," so Jesus has sent us "on purpose" as well (John 20:21). Live purposefully, not accidentally, for Christ today.

Life can only be enjoyed as one acquires a true perspective of life and death and of the real purpose of life.
Spiros Zodhiates

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Genesis 32-35 [ http://iz3.me/TOOO1zwXd1A1 ]