Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotional

August 31, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
"My Joy . . . Your Joy"


These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full -John 15:11


What was the joy that Jesus had? Joy should not be confused with happiness. In fact, it is an insult to Jesus Christ to use the word happiness in connection with Him. The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father- the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do- ". . . who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross . . ." (Hebrews 12:2). "I delight to do Your will, O my God . . ." (Psalm 40:. Jesus prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?

Living a full and overflowing life does not rest in bodily health, in circumstances, nor even in seeing God's work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the same fellowship and oneness with Him that Jesus Himself enjoyed. But the first thing that will hinder this joy is the subtle irritability caused by giving too much thought to our circumstances. Jesus said, ". . . the cares of this world, . . . choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful" (Mark 4:19). And before we even realize what has happened, we are caught up in our cares. All that God has done for us is merely the threshold- He wants us to come to the place where we will be His witnesses and proclaim who Jesus is.

Have the right relationship with God, finding your joy there, and out of you "will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). Be a fountain through which Jesus can pour His "living water." Stop being hypocritical and proud, aware only of yourself, and live "your life . . . hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). A person who has the right relationship with God lives a life as natural as breathing wherever he goes. The lives that have been the greatest blessing to you are the lives of those people who themselves were unaware of having been a blessing.

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The Prayer of Supplication

Today I want to focus your attention on the prayer of supplication.  Ephesians 6:18 tells us,

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints

When Paul says, Praying always with all prayer, the Greek word he uses for prayer is just a general term for prayer used throughout the New Testament.

But the word he uses translated supplication means prayer for definite, specific needs.  Most generally, you will find that this is a prayer prayed for others, as is the case in this verse.

In Philippians 1:4, Paul uses this same word for supplication, when he says,

Always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy.

Both the words translated prayer and request are the Greek word for supplication that we just read in Ephesians 6:18.  But here it is translated as prayer and request.

I want you to notice who he is saying to pray for,  Always in every prayer of mine making request for you all.  It is for someone else.

Recently, I had a pastor friend ask me to pray for his church and their finances.  He said things were really tight.  So several times I brought the issue before God and made specific requests about it...or supplications.

Now, I did not pray, "I believe I receive it."  That is not my place.  What I did do was pray for God to help them.  I prayed that God would give them wisdom, that God would inspire the people in the church to give, that people would have a heart for souls, and a number of other specific requests over the following several days.

That is the prayer of supplication...praying specific requests for specific people


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God Wants to Amaze You

In His Presence: Luke 5:1-11

How do you respond when you get a tremendous blessing?  We all want to be blessed.  Do you accept with gratitude? Do you let the blessing absorb you?

In the gospels, at Jesus' direction Peter let down his net in the water, and the blessing was so huge that the abundance of fish tore holes in Peter's net.  His boat was dangerously close to capsizing.

In Luke 5:8, it reads, When Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!"Peter saw beyond the blessing.  Peter saw Jesus and recognized his own limitations and his need for the Savior.

Jesus amazed Peter with the overload of fish because He wanted Peter to follow Him and get to know Him better.  God wants to amaze you so that you can better understand who He is and love Him even more.   

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

September 1, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
Destined To Be Holy
. . it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy' -1 Peter 1:16

We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life. We are not destined to happiness, nor to health, but to holiness. Today we have far too many desires and interests, and our lives are being consumed and wasted by them. Many of them may be right, noble, and good, and may later be fulfilled, but in the meantime God must cause their importance to us to decrease. The only thing that truly matters is whether a person will accept the God who will make him holy. At all costs, a person must have the right relationship with God.

Do I believe I need to be holy? Do I believe that God can come into me and make me holy? If through your preaching you convince me that I am unholy, I then resent your preaching. The preaching of the gospel awakens an intense resentment because it is designed to reveal my unholiness, but it also awakens an intense yearning and desire within me. God has only one intended destiny for mankind- holiness. His only goal is to produce saints. God is not some eternal blessing-machine for people to use, and He did not come to save us out of pity- He came to save us because He created us to be holy. Atonement through the Cross of Christ means that God can put me back into perfect oneness with Himself through the death of Jesus Christ, without a trace of anything coming between us any longer.

Never tolerate, because of sympathy for yourself or for others, any practice that is not in keeping with a holy God. Holiness means absolute purity of your walk before God, the words coming from your mouth, and every thought in your mind- placing every detail of your life under the scrutiny of God Himself. Holiness is not simply what God gives me, but what God has given me that is being exhibited in my life.
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The Prayer of Intercession

Today I want to help you understand the prayer of intercession...the sixth and last of the kinds of prayer we have been covering over the last week of devotionals.

1 Timothy 2:1 points us to this type of prayer,

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.

Intercession, as we find it here, is a technical term for approaching a king on behalf of another.  In a general sense, related to prayer, intercession is seeking God on the behalf of others.  But, more specifically, it is coming to God for one who has no standing with Him.

A number of years ago, I was ministering in Nigeria, speaking at a large conference in the city of Onitsha.  While there, we were invited to go meet the king of Onitsha.

It was pretty exciting driving in a motorcade with little flags on all the cars.  I felt like a big shot!  But when we got to the palace, we had to have someone go on our behalf in order to meet with the king.  I had no standing with the king, and neither did anyone else in our party.

The person who brought us to the king of Onitsha was an intercessor.  And that is the idea of this word intercession.  You are coming to the King of kings on the behalf of someone who presently has no standing with Him.

Do you remember when Abraham went before God for the city of Sodom-desiring that God would spare Sodom?  What was Abraham doing?  He was acting as an intercessor.  He was coming between God and someone who had no standing with God.

We all should be praying prayers of intercession.  You and I are to make intercession for the lost.
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Expect Great Things from a Great Name

In His Presence: Ephesians 3:14-20

If you want to rise up spiritually, you need to hang out with people who will inspire you to higher expectations and help you reach them.  If you want a better job, you hang out with the experts in the field, not with unmotivated, unfocused people. If you want to see God move supernaturally in your life, you hang out with people who believe in God's power.

Too many Christians have put a lid on God, expecting little from Him because they don't know the power of His name. The apostles, Peter and John, gave the lame beggar at the gate, Beautiful, something more valuable than silver or gold.

The apostles offered the lame man the name above every other name with all authority: Jesus!   There's power in that name, and you TOO can expect great things from that great name.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

September 2, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
A Life of Pure and Holy Sacrifice
He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow . . . -John 7:38

Jesus did not say, "He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God," but, in essence, "He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him." Our Lord's teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person- His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God's purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us- and we cannot measure that at all.

When Mary of Bethany "broke the flask . . . of very costly oil . . . and poured it on [Jesus'] head," it was an act for which no one else saw any special occasion; in fact, ". . . there were some who . . . said, 'Why was this fragrant oil wasted?' " (Mark 14:3-4). But Jesus commended Mary for her extravagant act of devotion, and said, ". . . wherever this gospel is preached . . . what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her" (Mark 14:9). Our Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever He sees any of us doing what Mary did- not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally surrendered to Him. God poured out the life of His Son "that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17). Are we prepared to pour out our lives for Him?

"He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water"- and hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. Now is the time for us to break "the flask" of our lives, to stop seeking our own satisfaction, and to pour out our lives before Him. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?

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Regaining Your Cutting Edge

Over the next several devotionals, I want to focus your attention on something that affects every Christian at one time or another:  Losing our spiritual edge.

God wants us to stay spiritually sharp.  Consider Ecclesiastes 10:10,

If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success.

God is using this analogy to illustrate a very important truth:  If you lose your edge spiritually, you lose your effectiveness as well.

Maybe you feel that way today.  Though you are exerting strenuous effort, you are making little progress in your spiritual life.  God wants you to go forward.  He wants you to progress and not become stagnant in your spiritual life.

I have a friend whose father was a logger many years ago.  It was a time when they cut all the timber by hand with just an ax.

One day his father shared about the way he would operate.  After he chopped down a tree, he would sit on the stump of the tree he had just chopped down, take out a file he kept on his belt, and he would sharpen the edge of the ax.  He would sit there until the ax was very sharp again, then he would go after the next tree.

Each time he chopped down a tree he would do exactly the same thing.  But he said most of the other guys didn't do that.  They just wanted to keep going, never stopping to sharpen their axes.

Without fail, he said, he always got more done than they did, and he used a lot less effort.  They had to exercise more strength, yet they got less done.

Over the next several days, we will look at what it takes to regain that spiritual edge.
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Marriage and Life Lessons

Scripture Reading: Ephesians  5:21-33 

God designed marriage to be successful. He intended couples in covenant with Him and one another to have beautiful, fulfilling relationships, not disastrous, emotionally-draining ones.  While marriage is at the heart of our culture, only when couples begin to properly live out covenant relationships in marriage will the fabric of our society be altered.

Adam and Eve, before they fell into sin, experienced the only perfect marriage in history. God commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. God instituted marriage for procreation, and both parents were to rear the children in fear and admonition of the Lord. Marriage and parenting are vital for the continued godly dominion over the earth.

Marriage also completes us as individuals. In marriage, God has deeper levels of maturity and much higher heights of potential planned for couples.  Marriage is also an illustration of the divine.  When Christian couples live their lives according to God's principles, the world sees what Jesus and His bride look like. 

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

September 6, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
The Far-Reaching Rivers of Life
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He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water -John 7:38


A river reaches places which its source never knows. And Jesus said that, if we have received His fullness, "rivers of living water" will flow out of us, reaching in blessing even "to the end of the earth" (Acts 1: regardless of how small the visible effects of our lives may appear to be. We have nothing to do with the outflow- "This is the work of God, that you believe. . ." (John 6:29). God rarely allows a person to see how great a blessing he is to others.

A river is victoriously persistent, overcoming all barriers. For a while it goes steadily on its course, but then comes to an obstacle. And for a while it is blocked, yet it soon makes a pathway around the obstacle. Or a river will drop out of sight for miles, only later to emerge again even broader and greater than ever. Do you see God using the lives of others, but an obstacle has come into your life and you do not seem to be of any use to God? Then keep paying attention to the Source, and God will either take you around the obstacle or remove it. The river of the Spirit of God overcomes all obstacles. Never focus your eyes on the obstacle or the difficulty. The obstacle will be a matter of total indifference to the river that will flow steadily through you if you will simply remember to stay focused on the Source. Never allow anything to come between you and Jesus Christ- not emotion nor experience- nothing must keep you from the one great sovereign Source.

Think of the healing and far-reaching rivers developing and nourishing themselves in our souls! God has been opening up wonderful truths to our minds, and every point He has opened up is another indication of the wider power of the river that He will flow through us. If you believe in Jesus, you will find that God has developed and nourished in you mighty, rushing rivers of blessing for others.
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Be Watchful

2 Kings 6.  In verses 4-5 we are told about the guy who loses his cutting edge,

...when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.  But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, "Alas, master!  For it was borrowed."

Notice this guy is working hard, cutting down a tree.  But, in the midst of this effort, he loses his cutting edge.  His ax head falls into the water.

Now you might think, "Well, you wouldn't end up in a state like that, you wouldn't lose your edge, unless you were out of God's will."

But if you read yesterday's devotional, you will see these guys were in the will of God.  They were moving by divine permission.  The prophet not only said go, he went with them, showing just how much this was the right thing to do.

Or you might think, "Well, a spiritual man or a spiritual woman wouldn't have lost their edge."  No, there is no indication that the guy who lost his cutting edge was unspiritual.  Every indication tells us he was spiritually strong.

So what does this teach us?  Be careful not to think we cannot lose our spiritual edge.  It can happen to you, and it can happen to me.  We all can lose our cutting edge if we are not careful.

My friend, it is vital to take care not to lose your spiritual edge.  This is something you have to work at to maintain.  Just because you have it today doesn't mean you will have it tomorrow.

The good news is that if you have lost your spiritual edge, you can regain it!  Even better, be watchful to maintain your edge-staying sharp for God!


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Perfected by the Spirit

Scripture Reading: Psalm  146

In football, coaches are always concerned about turnovers. With each fumble or interception, the team goes from playing in the offensive mode to the defensive mode. Unfortunately, many Christians are playing in the spiritual defensive.  Although they may have a clear profession of faith, they are no longer progressing but regressing.

When the church at Galatia began judging spiritual maturity by how well Christian duties were performed, Paul called them to task.  Paul reminded them that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law.  At the point of salvation, the Holy Spirit indwells in every believer to empower us and produce fruit in our lives. 

Christians must never lose sight of the power of the cross, which is also the abiding expression of God's provision. You have the Holy Spirit's powerful indwelling presence to help you accomplish God's powerful Kingdom agenda.


God bless

[Judy Harder]

September 7, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
Fountains of Blessings
The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life -John 4:14

The picture our Lord described here is not that of a simple stream of water, but an overflowing fountain. Continue to "be filled" (Ephesians 5:18) and the sweetness of your vital relationship to Jesus will flow as generously out of you as it has been given to you. If you find that His life is not springing up as it should, you are to blame- something is obstructing the flow. Was Jesus saying to stay focused on the Source so that you may be blessed personally? No, you are to focus on the Source so that out of you "will flow rivers of living water"- irrepressible life (John 7:38).

We are to be fountains through which Jesus can flow as "rivers of living water" in blessing to everyone. Yet some of us are like the Dead Sea, always receiving but never giving, because our relationship is not right with the Lord Jesus. As surely as we receive blessings from Him, He will pour out blessings through us. But whenever the blessings are not being poured out in the same measure they are received, there is a defect in our relationship with Him. Is there anything between you and Jesus Christ? Is there anything hindering your faith in Him? If not, then Jesus says that out of you "will flow rivers of living water." It is not a blessing that you pass on, or an experience that you share with others, but a river that continually flows through you. Stay at the Source, closely guarding your faith in Jesus Christ and your relationship to Him, and there will be a steady flow into the lives of others with no dryness or deadness whatsoever.

Is it excessive to say that rivers will flow out of one individual believer? Do you look at yourself and say, "But I don't see the rivers"? Through the history of God's work you will usually find that He has started with the obscure, the unknown, the ignored, but those who have been steadfastly true to Jesus Christ.
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Are You Just Swinging the Handle?

As you look at your life today in honesty and transparency, perhaps you would have to say that you have lost that edge, that excitement, that zeal, that spiritual passion you once had.

If indeed you have lost your edge, how can you get it back?  Over the next seven days, I will help you understand how to regain your spiritual edge based on 2 Kings 6.

The first principle I want to focus on is based on the man who lost his ax head, as we learn in 2 Kings 6:4-5,

...when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.  But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water.

Now, it would have been senseless for him to have kept chopping with a wooden handle with no ax head on it, wouldn't it?!  He would make no progress.

And yet that is what a lot of Christians do today.  They have lost their cutting edge, and they are just going through the motions, making no progress at all.

They are chopping away with just a wooden handle!

They think, "Well, I know I'm supposed to go to church, so I will go.  As long as I keep busy, maybe nobody's going to know the state of my heart."  And they will do this not just for weeks or months, but some people have been doing this for years.

No progress, no growth.  They are just swinging that handle without an ax head.

If this is you, do not just keep swinging the ax handle.  If you are not making progress, admit it.  Until you are willing to face up to the fact that you have not been growing, you can never regain your spiritual edge.
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Empowered by the Spirit

Scripture Reading: Colossians  3:1-11 

Before His ascension to heaven, Jesus promised His followers that He would send a Helper who would be with the believers forever.  Jesus instructed them to stay in Jerusalem until they had received the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit's job is to empower us Christians to progress in our spiritual lives.  Far too many Christians find themselves on a spiritual treadmill.  They're working up a sweat with religious activities, but still remain in the same place spiritually. 

If your life seems powerless right now, you may have a connection problem between you and the Holy Spirit. The disciples were so in tuned to the Holy Spirit that they were able to write the New Testament three decades after Christ's death. The Holy Spirit - the Helper - empowered the apostles to remember.

When you have the Holy Spirit, you have all the power you need to live the Christian life.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

September 8, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
Do It Yourself (1)
. . . casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God . . . -2 Corinthians 10:5


Determinedly Demolish Some Things. Deliverance from sin is not the same as deliverance from human nature. There are things in human nature, such as prejudices, that the saint can only destroy through sheer neglect. But there are other things that have to be destroyed through violence, that is, through God's divine strength imparted by His Spirit. There are some things over which we are not to fight, but only to "stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord . . ." (see Exodus 14:13). But every theory or thought that raises itself up as a fortified barrier "against the knowledge of God" is to be determinedly demolished by drawing on God's power, not through human effort or by compromise (see 2 Corinthians 10:4).

It is only when God has transformed our nature and we have entered into the experience of sanctification that the fight begins. The warfare is not against sin; we can never fight against sin- Jesus Christ conquered that in His redemption of us. The conflict is waged over turning our natural life into a spiritual life. This is never done easily, nor does God intend that it be so. It is accomplished only through a series of moral choices. God does not make us holy in the sense that He makes our character holy. He makes us holy in the sense that He has made us innocent before Him. And then we have to turn that innocence into holy character through the moral choices we make. These choices are continually opposed and hostile to the things of our natural life which have become so deeply entrenched- the very things that raise themselves up as fortified barriers "against the knowledge of God." We can either turn back, making ourselves of no value to the kingdom of God, or we can determinedly demolish these things, allowing Jesus to bring another son to glory (see Hebrews 2:10).

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Looking to the Master

In 2 Kings 6:5, we read the second in our series of seven principles to regain our spiritual edge.  It is the response of the man who lost his cutting edge,

But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, "Alas, master!  For it was borrowed."

When this man lost his ax head and it fell into the water, he cried out and said, "Alas, master!"  He went to the prophet.

The prophet was God's representative in that day.  He was the mouthpiece of God.  If you wanted to hear from God, you went to the prophet, and the prophet would give a word from God.

Today, thank goodness, we have direct access to God as individuals.  We can go directly to the Lord Jesus Christ who is our Master.  And that is the second principle to regaining your spiritual edge.  You need to realize the only One who can restore your edge once it is lost, is the Lord Jesus Himself.

You need to get your eyes off of men and get your eyes on the Master.  Some people make a great mistake because they have their eyes on men.  You will always be disappointed if your eyes are on men instead of on the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is only One who can help you regain your spiritual edge, and that is Jesus Christ.  No man or woman can take His place.

So today, put your eyes on the Master.  Cry out to Him to help you regain your spiritual edge.


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How Should Christians Vote?

Scripture Reading:  Proverbs 26:12; 29:20, 23; 1 John 3:3, 7

To answer the question of how should Christians vote, I must speak theologically and not politically.  If you were to come to me for individual counseling, I would identify the causes of your personal dilemma, take my Bible and speak God's truth into your situation.

I would use the same Bible to prescribe biblical solutions to a family in shambles and a congregation in chaos.  The Bible that can put together a person, a home and a church can put a country back together.

It's amazing that Christianity rarely comes up in the discussion about candidates, parties and party platforms.  God is more involved in this election than you might think.  The goal of government is to mirror the rule of God.  The less the government lines up with God's Kingdom, the less the culture will receive from God.  How should Christians vote?  Christians should vote from God's Kingdom perspective.

God bless

[Judy Harder]

September 9, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
Do It Yourself (2)
. . . bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ . . . -2 Corinthians 10:5


Determinedly Discipline Other Things. This is another difficult aspect of the strenuous nature of sainthood. Paul said, according to the Moffatt translation of this verse, ". . . I take every project prisoner to make it obey Christ . . . ." So much Christian work today has never been disciplined, but has simply come into being by impulse! In our Lord's life every project was disciplined to the will of His Father. There was never the slightest tendency to follow the impulse of His own will as distinct from His Father's will- "the Son can do nothing of Himself . . . " (John 5:19). Then compare this with what we do- we take "every thought" or project that comes to us by impulse and jump into action immediately, instead of imprisoning and disciplining ourselves to obey Christ.

Practical work for Christians is greatly overemphasized today, and the saints who are "bringing every thought [and project] into captivity" are criticized and told that they are not determined, and that they lack zeal for God or zeal for the souls of others. But true determination and zeal are found in obeying God, not in the inclination to serve Him that arises from our own undisciplined human nature. It is inconceivable, but true nevertheless, that saints are not "bringing every thought [and project] into captivity," but are simply doing work for God that has been instigated by their own human nature, and has not been made spiritual through determined discipline.

We have a tendency to forget that a person is not only committed to Jesus Christ for salvation, but is also committed, responsible, and accountable to Jesus Christ's view of God, the world, and of sin and the devil. This means that each person must recognize the responsibility to "be transformed by the renewing of [his] mind. . . ." (Romans 12:2).

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Taking Responsibility

Today we are on the third key to regaining your cutting edge.  The first was to admit you have lost your edge, and the second was to put your eyes on the Master.  The third is to take responsibility if you have lost your spiritual edge.   

I want to take you back to 2 Kings 6:5,

But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, "Alas, master!  For it was borrowed."

It is important to understand that ax heads do not just fall off.  They fall off because they are not properly maintained.

I have spent endless hours chopping wood, and I have owned a number of fine axes in my time.  But in all the years I have chopped firewood, I have never had an ax head fly off.

The only reason an ax head would fly off is if the one using the ax has not been taking care of it.  This must have been the case for the guy in 2 Kings 6 who lost the ax head.  He was responsible to make sure the ax head would stay on.

The point is this:  If you have lost your cutting edge, you need to take responsibility.  If it is something that you did, or neglected to do, repent.  Take responsibility and stop blaming other people.

As much as you might like to point the finger at the last church you went to, or your spouse, or your boss, or whatever it might be, no one can take your cutting edge away from you.  Only you can cause it to be lost.

Stop blaming others, and take responsibility if you have lost your edge.  It is a necessary step toward regaining your spiritual sharpness.


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Shine Your Light in the Darkness

Scripture Reading: Romans 13:12; Ephesians 5:13; 1 Peter 2:9 

Some Christians get nervous about discussions on the Christians' responsibility to the culture. A major concern is that the Gospel will be obscured in favor of social concerns.  Let me reassure your, when it comes to the lost, evangelism must come first. We must win people to Christ.

Without Christ, it doesn't matter how much money people have or how good their jobs are. If they die without Christ, they die without hope.  We still have to live in this world until Jesus returns. We need to be salt and light in our culture just as Jesus commanded.

We are responsible to recapture our society for Jesus, point people to Him and promote His righteousness in society.  Ask yourself, "Am I making anyone around me thirsty for Christ? Am I shining my light in the darkness?"


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

September 12, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
Going Through Spiritual Confusion
Jesus answered and said, 'You do not know what you ask' -Matthew 20:22

There are times in your spiritual life when there is confusion, and the way out of it is not simply to say that you should not be confused. It is not a matter of right and wrong, but a matter of God taking you through a way that you temporarily do not understand. And it is only by going through the spiritual confusion that you will come to the understanding of what God wants for you.

The Shrouding of His Friendship (see Luke 11:5-8). Jesus gave the illustration here of a man who appears not to care for his friend. He was saying, in effect, that is how the heavenly Father will appear to you at times. You will think that He is an unkind friend, but remember?He is not. The time will come when everything will be explained. There seems to be a cloud on the friendship of the heart, and often even love itself has to wait in pain and tears for the blessing of fuller fellowship and oneness. When God appears to be completely shrouded, will you hang on with confidence in Him?

The Shadow on His Fatherhood (see Luke 11:11-13). Jesus said that there are times when your Father will appear as if He were an unnatural father?as if He were callous and indifferent- but remember, He is not. "Everyone who asks receives . . ." (Luke 11:10). If all you see is a shadow on the face of the Father right now, hang on to the fact that He will ultimately give you clear understanding and will fully justify Himself in everything that He has allowed into your life.

The Strangeness of His Faithfulness (see Luke 18:1-8). "When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:. Will He find the kind of faith that counts on Him in spite of the confusion? Stand firm in faith, believing that what Jesus said is true, although in the meantime you do not understand what God is doing. He has bigger issues at stake than the particular things you are asking of Him right now.

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A Miracle-Working God



So the man of God said, "Where did it fall?"  And he showed him the place.  So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float.


I want you to look at the words,"And he made the iron float."

I don't know about you, but I have never seen an iron ax head float.  Clearly this was a miracle.  God worked a miracle when the man did his part, looking to the master, taking responsibility, and going to the place where the ax head was lost.

You do your part; God does His part.  I like the King James Version as it says, ...the iron did swim.  It was against that ax head's nature to swim, but God made it swim.

God brings the restoration.  He brings the healing.  He brings back that sensitivity and usefulness to Him.  I pray that right now God is at work in your heart, and you are responding, making adjustments...regaining your cutting edge.

As you admit to those areas where you have lost your spiritual edge, God is going to restore it.  God's part is to make that ax head float once you have admitted where you have failed!

He can restore what has been lost, even if it takes His miracle power to do it.

Perhaps you are wondering just what other principle for regaining your spiritual edge can come from this verse.  Well, there is one more, and it is critical to understand because it points to God's part in the process of restoration.

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Shine Your Light in the Darkness

Scripture Reading: Romans 13:12; Ephesians 5:13; 1 Peter 2:9 

Some Christians get nervous about discussions on the Christians' responsibility to the culture. A major concern is that the Gospel will be obscured in favor of social concerns.  Let me reassure your, when it comes to the lost, evangelism must come first. We must win people to Christ.

Without Christ, it doesn't matter how much money people have or how good their jobs are. If they die without Christ, they die without hope.  We still have to live in this world until Jesus returns. We need to be salt and light in our culture just as Jesus commanded.


We are responsible to recapture our society for Jesus, point people to Him and promote His righteousness in society.  Ask yourself, "Am I making anyone around me thirsty for Christ? Am I shining my light in the darkness?"

God bless

[Judy Harder]

September 13, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
After Surrender- Then What?
I have finished the work which You have given Me to do -John 17:4


True surrender is not simply surrender of our external life but surrender of our will- and once that is done, surrender is complete. The greatest crisis we ever face is the surrender of our will. Yet God never forces a person's will into surrender, and He never begs. He patiently waits until that person willingly yields to Him. And once that battle has been fought, it never needs to be fought again.

Surrender for Deliverance. "Come to Me . . . and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). It is only after we have begun to experience what salvation really means that we surrender our will to Jesus for rest. Whatever is causing us a sense of uncertainty is actually a call to our will- "Come to Me." And it is a voluntary coming.

Surrender for Devotion. "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself . . . " (Matthew 16:24). The surrender here is of my self to Jesus, with His rest at the heart of my being. He says, "If you want to be My disciple, you must give up your right to yourself to Me." And once this is done, the remainder of your life will exhibit nothing but the evidence of this surrender, and you never need to be concerned again with what the future may hold for you. Whatever your circumstances may be, Jesus is totally sufficient (see 2 Corinthians 12:9 and (Philippians 4:19).

Surrender for Death. ". . . another will gird you . . ." (John 21:18 ; also see John21:19). Have you learned what it means to be girded for death? Beware of some surrender that you make to God in an ecstatic moment in your life, because you are apt to take it back again. True surrender is a matter of being "united together [with Jesus] in the likeness of His death" (Romans 6:5) until nothing ever appeals to you that did not appeal to Him.

And after you surrender- then what? Your entire life should be characterized by an eagerness to maintain unbroken fellowship and oneness with God.
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Take It!

The seventh and final key to regaining your cutting edge is found in verse 7 of 2 Kings 6, the passage we have been looking at over the last several days.  Here is what that verse says,

Therefore he said, "Pick it up for yourself."  So he reached out his hand and took it.

The sixth key was something that only God could do, and that is to make the ax head float; that is, to restore your cutting edge.

Now we see what we must do in response.  You and I must receive what God is offering.  Unless you take hold of what God is offering, your spiritual edge will never be restored.

Perhaps over the last several days, as we have looked at how to restore your spiritual edge, God has been speaking to you.  Maybe you have come to realize that you are not where you should be in your relationship with God.

Maybe you have lost that sensitivity.  Maybe you have lost your cutting edge.  I am telling you, you can reach out and take what God is doing to restore your cutting edge.

I want to challenge you to take some time today to search your heart.  If you have lost your cutting edge, stop swinging an empty handle and just going through the motions.

Be honest and admit you have lost that edge, determine where it fell, look to the Master, listen to His voice, take responsibility, know that the cross of Christ is completely sufficient to restore you, and then take hold of what God is doing to restore your edge.

God can work that miracle in your life if you will only do your part!


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Transforming Our Culture

Scripture Reading:  Romans  12:9-16

When  Jesus Christ returns, we will no longer need to worry about transforming our  culture because He will set up His Kingdom rule. But until that time, we need  to reach the world for Him and for our children, grandchildren and  great-grandchildren.

What  is the role of Christians in our society? Jeremiah 29:4-11 illustrates this  foundational principle: Society is transformed when God's people execute His  strategy in history in a Christ-centered way.

The  prophet Jeremiah challenged the Jews in Babylonian captivity to regain their  spiritual clarity. The Babylonian pagans  were not Israel's  greatest problem to deal with. The Jews had become pagans themselves and had  failed to remain God's distinct, unique people. 

When the church fails to be God's unique people, the entire culture will  suffer the effects of sin.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

September 14, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
Arguments or Obedience
. . . the simplicity that is in Christ.  -2 Corinthians 11:3


Simplicity is the secret to seeing things clearly. A saint does not think clearly until a long time passes, but a saint ought to see clearly without any difficulty. You cannot think through spiritual confusion to make things clear; to make things clear, you must obey. In intellectual matters you can think things out, but in spiritual matters you will only think yourself into further wandering thoughts and more confusion. If there is something in your life upon which God has put His pressure, then obey Him in that matter. Bring all your "arguments and . . . every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" regarding the matter, and everything will become as clear as daylight to you (2 Corinthians 10:5). Your reasoning capacity will come later, but reasoning is not how we see. We see like children, and when we try to be wise we see nothing (see Matthew 11:25).

Even the very smallest thing that we allow in our lives that is not under the control of the Holy Spirit is completely sufficient to account for spiritual confusion, and spending all of our time thinking about it will still never make it clear. Spiritual confusion can only be conquered through obedience. As soon as we obey, we have discernment. This is humiliating, because when we are confused we know that the reason lies in the state of our mind. But when our natural power of sight is devoted and submitted in obedience to the Holy Spirit, it becomes the very power by which we perceive God's will, and our entire life is kept in simplicity.
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The Cross is Enough

2 Kings 6:6,

So the man of God said, "Where did it fall?"  And he showed him the place.  So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float.

Why a stick?  What does a piece of wood have to do with it?

Please remember that this story is in here for our benefit, and every part of it is significant.  I believe this piece of wood is a type of, or points to, another piece of wood where something happened that is very significant to us.

I believe it points to the cross, that piece of wood where Christ was crucified for you and for me, and that God wants us to realize that Jesus' sacrifice at Calvary was enough to take care of all our problems, and restore us no matter our spiritual state.

It is enough to cleanse us and restore our spiritual edge.  In fact, it is the only thing that has the power to do it.

If you have lost your zeal for God and you have become spiritually dull, repent and say, "Jesus, I believe that Your work on the cross was enough to restore me."

If you apply what He did on that piece of wood, it is enough to restore you, no matter how far you have fallen away from where you should be.  He took your failure, and He nailed it to that cross.  He rose from the dead victorious on the third day, and He offers that victory to you!

If you have lost your cutting edge, the cross of Christ and the blood shed upon that cross are enough to take care of everything.


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Who's the Real Enemy?

Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 7:13-14, 17-22 

Our nation faces a crisis of social deterioration which would have been unimaginable a generation ago. Our society needs radical transformation. Yes, we're in a culture war, but we need to know who the real enemy is.

The real enemy, working behind the scenes, is Satan. Yet the number one reason Satan can influence the schools, the media and government is because Christians have abandoned our culture and handed it over.


Christian morality no longer permeates, and society has lost its best moral frame of reference. We need a whole new generation of people who know, revere and follow God. If we humble ourselves before the Father, He will give us the power to take our culture back. 


God bless