Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

September 15, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
What To Renounce
We have renounced the hidden things of shame . . .  -2 Corinthians 4:2


Have you "renounced the hidden things of shame" in your life-the things that your sense of honor or pride will not allow to come into the light? You can easily hide them. Is there a thought in your heart about anyone that you would not like to be brought into the light? Then renounce it as soon as it comes to mind-renounce everything in its entirety until there is no hidden dishonesty or craftiness about you at all. Envy, jealousy, and strife don't necessarily arise from your old nature of sin, but from the flesh which was used for these kinds of things in the past (see Romans 6:19 and 1 Peter 4:1-3). You must maintain continual watchfulness so that nothing arises in your life that would cause you shame.

". . . not walking in craftiness. . ." (2 Corinthians 4:2). This means not resorting to something simply to make your own point. This is a terrible trap. You know that God will allow you to work in only one way-the way of truth. Then be careful never to catch people through the other way-the way of deceit. If you act deceitfully, God's blight and ruin will be upon you. What may be craftiness for you, may not be for others-God has called you to a higher standard. Never dull your sense of being your utmost for His highest-your best for His glory. For you, doing certain things would mean craftiness coming into your life for a purpose other than what is the highest and best, and it would dull the motivation that God has given you. Many people have turned back because they are afraid to look at things from God's perspective. The greatest spiritual crisis comes when a person has to move a little farther on in his faith than the beliefs he has already accepted

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Keeping Your Focus



Luke 4:42-44 says,

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee. I want you to notice that statement of Jesus,  "For this purpose I have been sent."  Jesus knew His purpose.  He said, "I must preach the kingdom."  But notice the people tried to distract Him from that purpose.


I am sure the people meant well, but they were trying to divert Jesus from His purpose.  But Jesus knew His purpose; therefore, He did not stay.

People will innocently divert you from doing what God has called you to do.  It is only when you know your purpose that you will not be sidetracked, and you will not be distracted from what you are supposed to do.

The apostle Paul knew his purpose.  In fact, he said this in 1 Corinthians 9:26, "So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step" (The Living Bible).  He was not about to get distracted from God's purpose for his life.

Our lives are not to be aimless, but they are to have purpose and direction, and we are to stay focused on that purpose, running straight at that goal.  Keep focused on the purpose for which God has created you.

Be able to say like Paul, "I am running straight to the goal with purpose in every step."


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God Used Moses, "the Murderer"

Scripture Reading: Philippians  1:4-6

One mistake can change the course of our lives.  One bad decision can cost us years.  In Moses' case, the mistake was murder.  In a fit of anger, he killed an Egyptian and then fled for his life.  He went from living as a prince of Egypt to growing old with the sheep in the desert.  He was certain that it was too late for anything good to come of his life.

Many of our lives have been forever changed by a single decision, and the consequences have left us feeling as though our existence has little significance.  But it wasn't too late for Moses, and it's not too late for you.

When he was 80 - after 40 years of waiting - Moses' mistake brought him to the right place to meet with God, who used him to lead an entire nation out of slavery.  Cry out to God, and He will meet you in His presence.

God bless

[Judy Harder]

September 16, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
THE INITIATIVE AGAINST DEPRESSION
Arise and eat.

The angel did not give Elijah a vision, or explain the Scriptures to him, or do anything remarkable; he told Elijah to do the most ordinary thing, viz., to get up and eat. If we were never depressed we should not be alive; it is the nature of a crystal never to be depressed. A human being is capable of depression, otherwise there would be no capacity for exaltation. There are things that are calculated to depress, things that are of the nature of death; and in taking an estimate of yourself, always take into account the capacity for depression.

When the Spirit of God comes He does not give us visions, He tells us to do the most ordinary things conceivable. Depression is apt to turn us away from the ordinary commonplace things of God's creation, but whenever God comes, the inspiration is to do the most natural simple thing - the things we would never have imagined God was in, and as we do them we find He is there. The inspiration which comes to us in this way is an initiative against depression; we have to do the next thing and do it in the inspiration of God. If we do a thing in order to overcome depression, we deepen the depression; but if the Spirit of God makes us feel intuitively that we must do the thing, and we do it, the depression is gone. Immediately we arise and obey, we enter on a higher plane of life.

1 Kings 19:5


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Living with Passion

I want to focus your attention today on two passages.  The first is Ecclesiastes 9:10,


Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.


And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.


People are attracted to passion.  They want to see someone who is burning with a fiery zeal for whatever they do!

In my opinion, the greatest example of a passionate person is Jesus.  Remember the story when Jesus threw the money changers out of the temple?  That was a passionate act.  In fact, the end of that passage says, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."

Zeal is just another word for passion.  "Passion for Your house has eaten Me up!"  Have you ever tried to imagine Jesus doing that?  I have a very clear image of what that must have been like.

He is whipping these guys and they are running, covering their heads.  He is throwing over these big tables and the disciples are watching with their mouths wide open, when they remember the verse, "Zeal (passion) for Your house has eaten Me up."

Let me ask you a question:  When is the last time you were eaten up with zeal for anything?  When is the last time you were utterly passionate about anything?

Don't just sleepwalk through life.  You need to decide you are going to live!

Do you see the common theme?  God desires us to live our lives full out, with passion.  Whether you are a preacher, a writer, a teacher, or a singer, whatever you do, you are to do it with passion.  You are to throw yourself into it.The second passage is Colossians 3:23,

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All for God's Glory

Scripture Reading: Psalm 136:1-9 

First Corinthians 10:31 tells us that even our eating and drinking should be done to the glory of God.

God's glory is like a pair of colored glasses that tint everything you see.  Whatever you do should be done for His glory.  About everything, you should ask, "How will this glorify God?"

The whole earth gives us a picture of the glory of God.  Nature preaches us a sermon on His glory.  Everything should point to His glory.

Revelation 21:23 says that when we get to heaven, there will be no need of the sun or moon because the glory of the Lord will illuminate everything.  There will be no night there, for the place will be consumed with the glory of God.  His glory is so awesome that it will light up our heavenly home!

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

September 19, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
Are You Going on With Jesus?
You are those who have continued with Me in My trials -Luke 22:28


It is true that Jesus Christ is with us through our temptations, but are we going on with Him through His temptations? Many of us turn back from going on with Jesus from the very moment we have an experience of what He can do. Watch when God changes your circumstances to see whether you are going on with Jesus, or siding with the world, the flesh, and the devil. We wear His name, but are we going on with Him? "From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more" (John 6:66).

The temptations of Jesus continued throughout His earthly life, and they will continue throughout the life of the Son of God in us. Are we going on with Jesus in the life we are living right now?

We have the idea that we ought to shield ourselves from some of the things God brings around us. May it never be! It is God who engineers our circumstances, and whatever they may be we must see that we face them while continually abiding with Him in His temptations. They are His temptations, not temptations to us, but temptations to the life of the Son of God in us. Jesus Christ's honor is at stake in our bodily lives. Are we remaining faithful to the Son of God in everything that attacks His life in us?

Are you going on with Jesus? The way goes through Gethsemane, through the city gate, and on "outside the camp" (Hebrews 13:13). The way is lonely and goes on until there is no longer even a trace of a footprint to follow- but only the voice saying, "FollowMe" (Matthew 4:19)

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The Value of Play

I think we would all agree that the Christian life is one to be taken seriously.  But in our desire to go all out for Christ, we can get to a place where we are physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained.

God does not intend for us to live our lives that way.  In fact, in 1 Timothy 6:17, Paul tells us,


God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.


It is so easy to live our lives believing that somehow it is more spiritual to be on the edge of exhaustion all the time.  But God clearly tells us that we are to take time to rejuvenate and to enjoy the things He has put into our lives.

When I was a young minister, I had the chance to meet with a seasoned minister who had literally changed the world for Christ.  I thought, "Man, this is my golden opportunity.  I'm going to ask him some questions."

So I said to him, "Look, I'm a young man in ministry.  You have had decades more experience than me.  You have impacted the world.  What is the best advice you could give me as a young minister?"

And he said, "Well, Bayless, you have a nice golf swing.  My advice is that you get some lessons.  And whatever it costs you, join a country club and play golf regularly."  Then he looked at me and said, "Golf is the only thing that's kept me alive."

It was some of the best advice I had ever received.

You need to make sure you live a balanced life.  Take time for rest and for play. Recharge your batteries.  You are in this thing for the long haul

You and I need to take time to enjoy the things God gives us.  In fact, Jesus said this to His disciples in Mark 6:31, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."

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You were Custom Made
Scripture Reading: Psalm 139:1-6   

There's nothing quite like having a custom-made shirt.  On one shirt that I had custom made - cut especially for me - I even had my initials embroidered on the cuff.  When you get something custom-made, it is fitted to your uniqueness, crafted with you in mind, and you are proud of it.

Now think about this: YOU have been custom-made by Almighty God, and your days were ordained before time into being.  When you read Psalm 139:15-16, I want you to pay close attention to how God has placed all the parts of your life in order.  He's got your whole life in His hands.  This means you can stop trying to be somebody else and be satisfied with the unique person God made you to be.

You are custom-made!  When you live in that realization, you will shine brighter than ever.  Walking in God's purpose for you will turn out to be the greatest adventure you've ever jumped into!

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

September 20, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
The Divine Commandment of Life
. . . be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect -Matthew 5:48


Our Lord's exhortation to us in Matthew 5:38-48 is to be generous in our behavior toward everyone. Beware of living according to your natural affections in your spiritual life. Everyone has natural affections- some people we like and others we don't like. Yet we must never let those likes and dislikes rule our Christian life. "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another" (1 John 1:7), even those toward whom we have no affection.

The example our Lord gave us here is not that of a good person, or even of a good Christian, but of God Himself. ". . . be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." In other words, simply show to the other person what God has shown to you. And God will give you plenty of real life opportunities to prove whether or not you are "perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." Being a disciple means deliberately identifying yourself with God's interests in other people. Jesus says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).

The true expression of Christian character is not in good-doing, but in God-likeness. If the Spirit of God has transformed you within, you will exhibit divine characteristics in your life, not just good human characteristics. God's life in us expresses itself as God's life, not as human life trying to be godly. The secret of a Christian's life is that the supernatural becomes natural in him as a result of the grace of God, and the experience of this becomes evident in the practical, everyday details of life, not in times of intimate fellowship with God. And when we come in contact with things that create confusion and a flurry of activity, we find to our own amazement that we have the power to stay wonderfully poised even in the center of it all.
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Peace

One of the great truths of the Christian life is that you and I can know the peace of God in our lives because we have peace with God.  As believers, we need not live our lives without God's peace.

Are you worried right now about anything?  Finances?  Kids?  Marriage?  Job security?  Your health?  What somebody said about you?  How a situation is going to turn out?

If you are worried about anything, here are some instructions for you found in Philippians 4:6-7,

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything [that means in every circumstance] by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Let me leave you with these words from Dr. Stanley Jones:

"I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear.  Fear is not my native land; faith is.  I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil....  A Johns Hopkins University doctor says, 'We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than non-worriers, but that is a fact.'  But I who am simple of mind think I know;  We are inwardly constructed...for faith and not for fear.  God made us that way.  To live by worry is to live against reality."

Talk to the Lord about your problems, offering thanks along with your requests.  He promises to give you peace if you will.

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Oh Death, Where is Your Victory?

In 1 Corinthians 15:56, the Apostle Paul explains that the sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law.  Jesus' death satisfied God's divine law to overcome the problem of sin and the condemnation of death.


All the sin of the world for all time was placed on the person of Jesus Christ at Calvary.  In His resurrection, He rose victorious over sin and death.  Death no longer has authority over us.

I encourage you to reflect on what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.  He shares His resurrection victory with all who believe in Him.  This victory is a gift of grace: God forgives the sins of all who trust in Christ alone.

You don't have to be afraid of death because it has no power over you.  For those who trust in Christ, death is not the end - it is only the beginning.

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 


God bless

[Judy Harder]

September 21, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
The Missionary's Predestined Purpose
Now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant . . . -Isaiah 49:5


The first thing that happens after we recognize our election by God in Christ Jesus is the destruction of our preconceived ideas, our narrow-minded thinking, and all of our other allegiances- we are turned solely into servants of God's own purpose. The entire human race was created to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Sin has diverted the human race onto another course, but it has not altered God's purpose to the slightest degree. And when we are born again we are brought into the realization of God's great purpose for the human race, namely, that He created us for Himself. This realization of our election by God is the most joyful on earth, and we must learn to rely on this tremendous creative purpose of God. The first thing God will do is force the interests of the whole world through the channel of our hearts. The love of God, and even His very nature, is introduced into us. And we see the nature of Almighty God purely focused in

John 3:16

- "For God so loved the world. . . ."

We must continually keep our soul open to the fact of God's creative purpose, and never confuse or cloud it with our own intentions. If we do, God will have to force our intentions aside no matter how much it may hurt. A missionary is created for the purpose of being God's servant, one in whom God is glorified. Once we realize that it is through the salvation of Jesus Christ that we are made perfectly fit for the purpose of God, we will understand why Jesus Christ is so strict and relentless in His demands. He demands absolute righteousness from His servants, because He has put into them the very nature of God.

Beware lest you forget God's purpose for your life
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The Prayer of Faith

Today I want to help you understand the prayer of faith.  This kind of prayer is found in Mark 11:22-24,

So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."

With the prayer of faith, at the moment you pray you are to believe that you receive what you pray for.  Not when the circumstances look different, not at some point in the future, but when you pray.  The Amplified Bible says, Believe that it is granted to you.

When you pray, believe that God hears you and that He has sent the answer, whether you feel differently or not.  Before you ever get up off your knees, believe that heaven has sent the answer.

1 John 5:14-15 says it this way,

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

The prayer of faith is prayed when you know and understand God's will.  Friend, the Bible is a revelation of the will of God.  Prayer will not reach beyond the will of God, and God's Word reveals His will to us.

So pray the prayer of faith according to His will, and you can be assured He hears you and heaven has sent the answer to your prayer.


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What is Your Legacy?

Whether it's a high school competition or the Olympics, audiences get excited watching athletes compete in a relay race.  The key point of the relay is the passing of the baton.  No matter how fast the runners are, if one of them drops the baton, the team loses the race.



Leaving a legacy to the people in your life is a lot like passing the baton.  Legacy is about transfer, and what you leave behind can help someone else go further than you did.  What kind of legacy are you leaving behind?  Developing and passing on a true spiritual legacy doesn't just happen.  Like Elijah passing on the prophet's mantle to Elisha, you can share a Christian legacy. 



Think about the price Jesus paid to leave His legacy.  Because of His death and resurrection, you and I have the privilege and duty to pass this legacy on to everyone around us.



Scripture Reading: Acts 20:16-24


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

September 22, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     

The Missionary's Master and Teacher
You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am . . . . I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master . . .-John 13:13, 16


To have a master and teacher is not the same thing as being mastered and taught. Having a master and teacher means that there is someone who knows me better than I know myself, who is closer than a friend, and who understands the remotest depths of my heart and is able to satisfy them fully. It means having someone who has made me secure in the knowledge that he has met and solved all the doubts, uncertainties, and problems in my mind. To have a master and teacher is this and nothing less- ". . . for One is your Teacher, the Christ . . ." (Matthew 23:.

Our Lord never takes measures to make me do what He wants. Sometimes I wish God would master and control me to make me do what He wants, but He will not. And at other times I wish He would leave me alone, and He does not.

"You call Me Teacher and Lord . . ."- but is He? Teacher, Master, and Lord have little place in our vocabulary. We prefer the words Savior, Sanctifier, and Healer. The only word that truly describes the experience of being mastered is love, and we know little about love as God reveals it in His Word. The way we use the word obey is proof of this. In the Bible, obedience is based on a relationship between equals; for example, that of a son with his father. Our Lord was not simply God's servant- He was His Son. ". . . though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience. . ." (Hebrews 5:. If we are consciously aware that we are being mastered, that idea itself is proof that we have no master. If that is our attitude toward Jesus, we are far away from having the relationship He wants with us. He wants us in a relationship where He is so easily our Master and Teacher that we have no conscious awareness of it-a relationship where all we know is that we are His to obey.
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Clean and Committed

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him.  For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).

When God looks at us, the first thing He sees is the state of our heart.  In the next few devotionals we are going to look at several different aspects of the heart-things that must be present in order to experience the richer blessings of God.

·        A clean heart.  Psalm 51:10 says, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

Every once in a while I have to clean out the drains throughout our house.  It is amazing how quickly they become clogged.  If I do not clean them, before long, the sinks get stopped up and the water will not flow through anymore.

If we don't periodically take time before God to have our hearts purified and cleansed, pretty soon His blessings can no longer flow to us or through us.

·        A committed heart.  2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV) says, "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."

I believe it is important to be committed to God before seeking His blessings.

God told Moses to tell Pharaoh, "Let my people go, that they may serve me."  Most people want to be delivered from their captivity, but they are not so keen on the "serving God" part of the deal.

The Lord is looking for committed hearts.  Does your heart belong fully to Him?  If not, commit it to Him today!
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The Importance of Prayer



Most people are fascinated by magic tricks, which are simply fantastic illusions.  What God is able to do and anything He purposes to accomplish in His Kingdom are never illusions.  And how He answers our prayers is no illusion.  When God's people commit to faithful prayer, the world will see God's power. 



To pray powerfully and effectively, we must first deal with sin in our lives.  We must turn and flee from sin, understanding that as God responds to our cries, people will give Him greater glory.



We must pray expectantly, knowing that God will ultimately change us.  Isaiah 65:24 says, "... before [you] call, I will answer ..."  God gave us prayer to connect us with His plan for our lives to make an impact on all creation!



Scripture Reading: Philippians 4:4-7; Colossians 4:2-6 



God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

September 23, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
The Missionary's Goal
He . . . said to them, 'Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem . . . ' -Luke 18:31

In our natural life our ambitions change as we grow, but in the Christian life the goal is given at the very beginning, and the beginning and the end are exactly the same, namely, our Lord Himself. We start with Christ and we end with Him?". . . till we all come . . . to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ . . ." (Ephesians 4:13), not simply to our own idea of what the Christian life should be. The goal of the missionary is to do God's will, not to be useful or to win the lost. A missionary is useful and he does win the lost, but that is not his goal. His goal is to do the will of his Lord.

In our Lord's life, Jerusalem was the place where He reached the culmination of His Father's will upon the cross, and unless we go there with Jesus we will have no friendship or fellowship with Him. Nothing ever diverted our Lord on His way to Jerusalem. He never hurried through certain villages where He was persecuted, or lingered in others where He was blessed. Neither gratitude nor ingratitude turned our Lord even the slightest degree away from His purpose to go "up to Jerusalem."

"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master" (Matthew 10:24). In other words, the same things that happened to our Lord will happen to us on our way to our "Jerusalem." There will be works of God exhibited through us, people will get blessed, and one or two will show gratitude while the rest will show total ingratitude, but nothing must divert us from going "up to [our] Jerusalem."

". . . there they crucified Him . . ." (Luke 23:33). That is what happened when our Lord reached Jerusalem, and that event is the doorway to our salvation. The saints, however, do not end in crucifixion; by the Lord's grace they end in glory. In the meantime our watchword should be summed up by each of us saying, "I too go 'up to Jerusalem.'
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Search the Scriptures

After Paul preached the gospel to the Bereans, they did something that others had not done-they searched the Scriptures.

These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so (Acts 17:11).

According to the next verse, the result of their search was that many of them believed.

Jesus said in John 5:39, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me."

I once heard a Jewish believer share his testimony.  His daughter, who had become a Christian, challenged him to read through the New Testament.

He began in Matthew and was astonished to find so many Old Testament references to the Messiah being fulfilled by Jesus.

His initial reason for searching the Scriptures was to prove that his daughter was wrong, but instead, he ended up giving his heart to Christ.  The Scriptures testified of Jesus!

Look for Him as you read the Holy Scriptures, and encourage others to do the same.


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A Lesson About Faith

Have you ever taken a stress test to evaluate your heart's health?  One component of the stress test monitors your heart while you walk on a sloped treadmill at a fast pace.  It's not easy, but you keep going to get an accurate reading of your heart's strengths and weaknesses.


God has stress tests.  They're called trials, and through them God evaluates how well you've learned the lessons of life.  The prophet Elijah passed the tests on several occasions.  Once he had to help a widow and her son survive a famine.  The next test was the boy's death.  The widow's faith was shaken, but Elijah's faith remained firm.



Through that faith, God saved the boy.  That day the widow and her son receive a valuable lesson: In your trials, remember God's truths.  In spite of your circumstances, you can prevail!

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

September 26, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
The "Go" of Reconciliation
If you . . . remember that your brother has something against you . . . -Matthew 5:23


This verse says, "If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you . . . ." It is not saying, "If you search and find something because of your unbalanced sensitivity," but, "If you . . . remember . . . ." In other words, if something is brought to your conscious mind by the Spirit of God- "First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:24). Never object to the intense sensitivity of the Spirit of God in you when He is instructing you down to the smallest detail.

"First be reconciled to your brother . . . ." Our Lord's directive is simple- "First be reconciled . . . ." He says, in effect, "Go back the way you came- the way indicated to you by the conviction given to you at the altar; have an attitude in your mind and soul toward the person who has something against you that makes reconciliation as natural as breathing." Jesus does not mention the other person- He says for you to go. It is not a matter of your rights. The true mark of the saint is that he can waive his own rights and obey the Lord Jesus.

". . . and then come and offer your gift." The process of reconciliation is clearly marked. First we have the heroic spirit of self-sacrifice, then the sudden restraint by the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit, and then we are stopped at the point of our conviction. This is followed by obedience to the Word of God, which builds an attitude or state of mind that places no blame on the one with whom you have been in the wrong. And finally there is the glad, simple, unhindered offering of your gift to God.

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The Sixth Commandment of Marriage: 
Don't Destroy Your Spouse But Learn to be Gentle

Today we are going to look at the sixth commandment of marriage, based on the sixth commandment God gave to Israel in Exodus 20:13,



"You shall not murder."


Jesus helps us understand this principle in Matthew 5.  He said, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment."

Jesus went right to the root of murder:  anger and hatred.  If you are going to have a good, healthy, lasting marriage, you need to learn to be gentle.  People who are easily angered...who are violent or have an explosive temper...destroy relationships.

If you are dating someone who blows up easily, you ought to take it as a warning sign.  If they get mad at things at the drop of a hat, that anger can be turned on you very easily.

Anger erodes relationships.  If you have a hot temper, get it under control, or the devil will control you through it.

Another way anger is expressed is by going stone cold...using silence and angry moodiness to punish your mate.  Again, not a healthy thing for a marriage.  If you anger quickly and forgive slowly, you are a hard person to live with.  Work at being quick to forgive, and make the controlling of your anger a serious matter of prayer.  God will help you.

If you do not master your temper, it will master you.  And it will not only decay and destroy a marriage relationship, it will harm every other meaningful relationship you have in life.

While you might think this commandment is not too applicable, I believe it is vital.  It is telling you not to destroy your spouse!

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Blessed are the Spiritually Famished

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:6; Psalm 107:1-9 

We've all seen the televised images of starving children in countries experiencing food and water shortages.  Mothers, holding their babies with bellies bloated from severe malnutrition, desperately seek food and water.  If they can't find what they seek, their children will die.

This kind of desperation is what Jesus was talking about when He told us to hunger and thirst for righteousness.  He wants us to be as passionate about doing God's will as parents in developing countries are about getting food or clean water.  Our bodies can't survive without food, and our souls can't live without righteousness.

So how do we hunger and thirst for righteousness?  It is the passionate pursuit of God's righteousness in our own lives.  His righteousness is living in God's will day in and day out.

When we passionately pursue His will, other things become less of a priority and we will remove any distractions that do not contribute to that pursuit.   


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

September 27, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
The "Go" of Renunciation
. . . someone said to Him, 'Lord, I will follow You wherever You go' -Luke 9:57


Our Lord's attitude toward this man was one of severe discouragement, "for He knew what was in man" (John 2:25). We would have said, "I can't imagine why He lost the opportunity of winning that man! Imagine being so cold to him and turning him away so discouraged!" Never apologize for your Lord. The words of the Lord hurt and offend until there is nothing left to be hurt or offended. Jesus Christ had no tenderness whatsoever toward anything that was ultimately going to ruin a person in his service to God. Our Lord's answers were not based on some whim or impulsive thought, but on the knowledge of "what was in man." If the Spirit of God brings to your mind a word of the Lord that hurts you, you can be sure that there is something in you that He wants to hurt to the point of its death.

Luke 9:58 . These words destroy the argument of serving Jesus Christ because it is a pleasant thing to do. And the strictness of the rejection that He demands of me allows for nothing to remain in my life but my Lord, myself, and a sense of desperate hope. He says that I must let everyone else come or go, and that I must be guided solely by my relationship to Him. And He says, ". . . the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

Luke 9:59 . This man did not want to disappoint Jesus, nor did he want to show a lack of respect for his father. We put our sense of loyalty to our relatives ahead of our loyalty to Jesus Christ, forcing Him to take last place. When your loyalties conflict, always obey Jesus Christ whatever the cost.

Luke 9:61 . The person who says, "Lord, I will follow You, but . . .," is the person who is intensely ready to go, but never goes. This man had reservations about going. The exacting call of Jesus has no room for good-byes; good-byes, as we often use them, are pagan, not Christian, because they divert us from the call. Once the call of God comes to you, start going and never stop.
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The Second Commandment of Marriage:  Don't Love a Substitute

In the second commandment recorded in Exodus 20:4-6, we are given the second principle for a strong marriage,



"You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.  For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."


Religion has made pictures, statues, and idols and then called them holy.  They are all imitations.  They are all substitutes.  And in marriage we should have no substitutes either.

Love your husband only.  Love your wife only.  Do not look for fulfillment in some other relationship or in some other thing.  Find your fulfillment in that relationship.

Pornography is a substitute.  When a man watches pornography, he is loving a substitute.  He is directing his passion and his sexuality toward those images.  That is a substitute, and he is robbing his wife of that intimacy.

Do not allow any substitute, no matter what it might be, to take the place of intimacy with your spouse.

God commanded that there be no carved images, whether in heaven, in earth, or in the sea.  He wanted to make sure everything was covered.  And He said not to bow down to them and worship them.  God said, "Do not make images of Me and then worship them.  Do not love or worship a substitute for Me.  Love Me."

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Blessed are the Pure in Heart

Scripture Reading: Exodus 33:18-19; Matthew 5:8; 2 Corinthians 4:1-6,16; 7:1

Eating organic food is a big health craze right now.  No one wants to eat the stuff that's been sprayed with pesticides or pumped full of steroids and preservatives.  Why?  Because it's a proven fact that the extra stuff will contaminate our bodies and make us sick.  When we eat food that man has messed with, we keep our bodies from functioning as God intended.

The same principle applies to our hearts.  When we feed our hearts what the world dishes out, we keep them from doing what they were meant to do.

But when we focus our hearts on God's Word and worship God with our thoughts and actions, He will keep our hearts pure.  Only then will our hearts be capable of doing what they were meant to do - help us see God.


God bless

[Judy Harder]

September 28, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     

The "Go" of Unconditional Identification
Jesus . . . said to him, 'One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor . . . and come, take up the cross, and follow Me' -Mark 10:21


The rich young ruler had the controlling passion to be perfect. When he saw Jesus Christ, he wanted to be like Him. Our Lord never places anyone's personal holiness above everything else when He calls a disciple. Jesus' primary consideration is my absolute annihilation of my right to myself and my identification with Him, which means having a relationship with Him in which there are no other relationships. Luke 14:26  has nothing to do with salvation or sanctification, but deals solely with unconditional identification with Jesus Christ. Very few of us truly know what is meant by the absolute "go" of unconditional identification with, and abandonment and surrender to, Jesus.

"Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him . . ." (Mark 10:21). This look of Jesus will require breaking your heart away forever from allegiance to any other person or thing. Has Jesus ever looked in this way at you? This look of Jesus transforms, penetrates, and captivates. Where you are soft and pliable with God is where the Lord has looked at you. If you are hard and vindictive, insistent on having your own way, and always certain that the other person is more likely to be in the wrong than you are, then there are whole areas of your nature that have never been transformed by His gaze.

"One thing you lack . . . ." From Jesus Christ's perspective, oneness with Him, with nothing between, is the only good thing.

". . . sell whatever you have . . . ." I must humble myself until I am merely a living person. I must essentially renounce possessions of all kinds, not for salvation (for only one thing saves a person and that is absolute reliance in faith upon Jesus Christ), but to follow Jesus. ". . . come. . . and follow Me." And the road is the way He went.
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The Third Commandment of Marriage: Speak Well of Your Mate

Exodus 20:7 gives us our third commandment of marriage, 

"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain."


When we speak flippantly or lightly about someone, we erode our respect for that person.  Some people are just far too casual in the way they speak of their spouse, and it erodes your respect for him or her.

In marriage, few things can affect the relationship like words.  Words are containers.  They can contain love; they can contain hate; they can contain joy; they can contain bitterness.

The book of James says that our tongue is like a rudder on a ship.  It will send the ship of your marriage in whatever direction your words go.  Some people are on the brink of divorce because they talk divorce.  Just listen to the words they say.  Are they negative or positive?  Critical or encouraging?

One night I was out with a couple of friends diving for lobster.  Some guys were out in one of those big, long speedboats drinking and zooming back and forth at 60 miles an hour. All of a sudden, BANG! The boat hit the rocks.

But it did not hit the rocks by itself.  It was steered into the rocks.  Just like the driver of that boat, some people are steering their marriage into the rocks of divorce, into the rocks of heartache, by the words they speak.

Think about what you say.  Are you building up your partner?  Learn to speak well of your mate.  Build them up with your words.  Be lavish with your praise.  You will be pleased with where those words will take your relationship.

Many misunderstand the term, in vain.  It means empty, meaningless, insincere, not showing due respect. 
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Created for Eternity

Scripture Reading: Psalm 90:1-12

Many people live their entire lives not really understanding why they were put on earth.  What a tragedy and grave state of existence.  It's even possible to be successful, happy and popular but miss the point of living.

The moment we become the center of life is the moment we miss the true meaning and the reason that God created us.  It's important for us to realize that God has created us for Him, not for our own benefit.  God has created all of us for eternity.  In fact, Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God has placed eternity in our hearts.

When we begin seeing life through the lens of eternity, we will live differently.  Our choices, decisions, values and priorities will line up with God's Word and His plan for our lives. 

God bless