Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


What Do You Want?
Do you seek great things for yourself? -Jeremiah 45:5


Are you seeking great things for yourself, instead of seeking to be a great person? God wants you to be in a much closer relationship with Himself than simply receiving His gifts- He wants you to get to know Him. Even some large thing we want is only incidental; it comes and it goes. But God never gives us anything incidental. There is nothing easier than getting into the right relationship with God, unless it is not God you seek, but only what He can give you.

If you have only come as far as asking God for things, you have never come to the point of understanding the least bit of what surrender really means. You have become a Christian based on your own terms. You protest, saying, "I asked God for the Holy Spirit, but He didn't give me the rest and the peace I expected." And instantly God puts His finger on the reason-you are not seeking the Lord at all; you are seeking something for yourself. Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given to you . . ." (Matthew 7:7). Ask God for what you want and do not be concerned about asking for the wrong thing, because as you draw ever closer to Him, you will cease asking for things altogether. "Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him" (Matthew 6:. Then why should you ask? So that you may get to know Him.

Are you seeking great things for yourself? Have you said, "Oh, Lord, completely fill me with your Holy Spirit"? If God does not, it is because you are not totally surrendered to Him; there is something you still refuse to do. Are you prepared to ask yourself what it is you want from God and why you want it? God always ignores your present level of completeness in favor of your ultimate future completeness. He is not concerned about making you blessed and happy right now, but He's continually working out His ultimate perfection for you- ". . . that they may be one just as We are one . . ." (John 17:22).
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Confounding the Wise
In 1 Corinthians 1:20, 27-29, the apostle Paul provides a very powerful word,

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

We are often enamored with what the world considers wise and mighty, but God isn't. In fact, He chooses things that are foolish and weak, things the world considers insignificant, and things the world even despises, to put to shame the things that people consider wise.

I really like the King James Version when it states that God does these things to confound the wise.

We need to understand that sometimes God turns human conventional wisdom on its head. And I believe Scripture shows us three ways in which He does that.

First, there are times that God turns conventional wisdom on its head with the people He chooses for His purposes. Second, He will confound human wisdom with the plans He unfolds. Whether they are for your deliverance, or plans to further His kingdom and expand His work.

And then, third, God will truly confound the wise of this world with the pardon that He provides.

Through people, plans, and pardon, God does confound the wise!


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Overcoming Temptation

In His Presence: Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above (James 1:17).

When we sin, the consequence is separation from God. When we sin, we break fellowship with Him. Paul conveyed his struggle with sin in Romans 7:19: "The good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want." Paul wanted us to know that he understood our struggle against sin and temptation, and he too wanted the victory but would fall to sin time and again. And if it happened to Paul, it can happen to us. But there is a solution to the struggle with temptation. The way you get rid of sin is not simply dealing with or focusing on the sin. It's like being on a diet and deciding to focus on food all the time-it's not to your benefit. Instead, to deal with temptation we must shift our focus.

One Minute Please

"Count your blessings, name them one by one; count your many blessings see what God has done.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


Spontaneous Love
Love suffers long and is kind . . . -1 Corinthians 13:4


Love is not premeditated-it is spontaneous; that is, it bursts forth in extraordinary ways. There is nothing of precise certainty in Paul's description of love. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by saying, "Now I will never think any evil thoughts, and I will believe everything that Jesus would have me to believe." No, the characteristic of love is spontaneity. We don't deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standard, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live according to His standard without even realizing it. And when we look back, we are amazed at how unconcerned we have been over our emotions, which is the very evidence that real spontaneous love was there. The nature of everything involved in the life of God in us is only discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past.

The fountains from which love flows are in God, not in us. It is absurd to think that the love of God is naturally in our hearts, as a result of our own nature. His love is there only because it "has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit . . ." (Romans 5:5).

If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don't love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us. And when we look back, we will not be able to determine why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us. The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit.

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The Most Important Quality
In 1 Samuel 16:6-7, when Samuel came to Jesse's house to anoint the next king of Israel, we see the criteria God uses to choose people for service to Him,

So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him." 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."

This is a fascinating story with a very strong lesson I want you to understand. Right after these verses, Jesse parades each of his sons before Samuel...except for David. Jesse knows why Samuel is there, but he doesn't even bother to get David.

David's own father had written him off. His own father didn't see enough potential in him to call him before Samuel.

But David was anointed king that day. Not based on what Jesse thought was important, but on what God thought was important...David's heart.

Maybe your own father has written you off. Maybe your parents said you would never amount to anything. Maybe your teacher said, "Look, you're not going to amount to much. You just better get yourself a minimum wage job."

Only God can see things in your heart that your father can't see, that your mother can't see, that your teachers didn't see, that your family doesn't see, that the people around you don't see.

It is not that God overlooks ability or talent or training. All of those things are important. But God looks first at the most important quality for service, and that is the heart.

Don't let someone else write your history before it happens.


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God's Faithfulness

In His Presence: No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able (1 Corinthians 10:13).

To overcome temptation, James also encouraged believers to focus on the faithfulness of God's character. In James chapter one, verse 17 tells us that good things are coming down from the Father of lights, so doesn't it make sense that we should be looking up at Him? That's why David can say: "Call upon [Him] in the day of trouble" (Psalm 50:15). We can know with confidence that He will be there for us.

One Minute Please

God allowed the Israelites to go through the wilderness to teach them to trust in Him; He allows us to wander in the wilderness for the same reason.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


Faith- Not Emotion
We walk by faith, not by sight -2 Corinthians 5:7


For a while, we are fully aware of God's concern for us. But then, when God begins to use us in His work, we begin to take on a pitiful look and talk only of our trials and difficulties. And all the while God is trying to make us do our work as hidden people who are not in the spotlight. None of us would be hidden spiritually if we could help it. Can we do our work when it seems that God has sealed up heaven? Some of us always want to be brightly illuminated saints with golden halos and with the continual glow of inspiration, and to have other saints of God dealing with us all the time. A self-assured saint is of no value to God. He is abnormal, unfit for daily life, and completely unlike God. We are here, not as immature angels, but as men and women, to do the work of this world. And we are to do it with an infinitely greater power to withstand the struggle because we have been born from above.

If we continually try to bring back those exceptional moments of inspiration, it is a sign that it is not God we want. We are becoming obsessed with the moments when God did come and speak with us, and we are insisting that He do it again. But what God wants us to do is to "walk by faith." How many of us have set ourselves aside as if to say, "I cannot do anything else until God appears to me"? He will never do it. We will have to get up on our own, without any inspiration and without any sudden touch from God. Then comes our surprise and we find ourselves exclaiming, "Why, He was there all the time, and I never knew it!" Never live for those exceptional moments- they are surprises. God will give us His touches of inspiration only when He sees that we are not in danger of being led away by them. We must never consider our moments of inspiration as the standard way of life- our work is our standard.
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When God's Plan Doesn't Make Sense
In Joshua 6:1-5 we find one of the most bizarre battle plans, but one with an important lesson for you and me,

Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. And the LORD said to Joshua: "See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him."

When you and I read that today it is easy for us to think, "Oh, that must have been pretty normal and natural to Joshua." But it wasn't. It did not make any more sense to him than it would have to you and me.

Imagine God taking Joshua aside and telling him that all they need to do is march around the city one time for six days. Then on the seventh day march around seven times and shout. It made no sense. Naturally speaking, it was ridiculous!

All of us will face our Jerichos, and sometimes God's plans won't seem to make sense. Our part is to listen and obey-even when God's instructions don't make sense to our natural minds. He has had a lot more experience winning battles than we have!


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Focus on God's Word
In His Presence: In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth (James 1:18).

In addition to focusing on God's character, we must also focus on God's Word in order to resist temptation. Sometimes we don't understand the importance of the Word and the fact that it is alive and active. We view Scripture like the Queen of England: She holds the top position in the country, but she has absolutely no power. She can't pass any laws or enforce any decrees. Many of us hold God's Word in high esteem, but it has no power in our lives. The Bible wasn't meant to decorate your coffee table or be held under your arm at church. The Word of God was written because of what it can do in our lives. James 1:18 explains that we were brought forth by the word of truth; the Word brought us spiritual life.

The Word saved us, and it can also sanctify us. God's Word works in the spiritual realm. Temptation exists in the spiritual realm, and only God's words have power and authority in that arena. When the Devil tempted Christ in the wilderness, he told Christ to "command that these stones become bread" (Matthew 4:3). He offered a physical temptation to meet a physical desire for food. But Jesus resisted the temptation by calling on the Word of God. He said: "Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). This is a direct quote from Deuteronomy 8. Jesus knew the Scripture so well that He could employ it to resist the temptation the Devil was throwing at Him. He stood on the authority of God's Word to recognize that He would trust in God and God's Word.

One Minute Please

God's Word is our sure guide to weather the clouds of life, no matter what our senses or emotions tell us.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


The Patience To Wait for the Vision
Though it tarries, wait for it . . . -Habakkuk 2:3


Patience is not the same as indifference; patience conveys the idea of someone who is tremendously strong and able to withstand all assaults. Having the vision of God is the source of patience because it gives us God's true and proper inspiration. Moses endured, not because of his devotion to his principles of what was right, nor because of his sense of duty to God, but because he had a vision of God. ". . . he endured as seeing Him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:27). A person who has the vision of God is not devoted to a cause or to any particular issue- he is devoted to God Himself. You always know when the vision is of God because of the inspiration that comes with it. Things come to you with greatness and add vitality to your life because everything is energized by God. He may give you a time spiritually, with no word from Himself at all, just as His Son experienced during His time of temptation in the wilderness. When God does that, simply endure, and the power to endure will be there because you see God.

"Though it tarries, wait for it . . . ." The proof that we have the vision is that we are reaching out for more than we have already grasped. It is a bad thing to be satisfied spiritually. The psalmist said, "What shall I render to the Lord . . . ? I will take up the cup of salvation . . ." (Psalm 116:12-13). We are apt to look for satisfaction within ourselves and say, "Now I've got it! Now I am completely sanctified. Now I can endure." Instantly we are on the road to ruin. Our reach must exceed our grasp. Paul said, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on . . ." (Philippians 3:12). If we have only what we have experienced, we have nothing. But if we have the inspiration of the vision of God, we have more than we can experience. Beware of the danger of spiritual relaxation.

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Pursue Peace
In 1 Peter 3:10-11, Peter provides an important command in our relationships with other people,

For "He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it."

I want to focus your attention on the last part of verse 11, "Seek peace and pursue it." This means we are to pursue peace with people.

This command is reinforced by the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 12:14,

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

I want you to take note of the first part of that verse, Pursue peace with.... How many people are we to pursue peace with? All people. Does that include your neighbor? How about your mom? How about your dad? How about your kids? Your boss? Your relatives? How about that individual who seems to have a gift for getting on your nerves? What about those who are rude and obnoxious?

We are told that we are to pursue peace with all people. That is not a suggestion. That is a command. And that command is clarified further in Romans 14:19, which says,

Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.

Things that edify (or build up) create peace. Things that tear down shatter peace. Keep that in mind next time you are having a heated discussion with your husband or wife. Ask yourself, "Are the things that I am sharing at this moment building up my partner? Or, are they tearing them down?"

Pursue peace with all people by choosing words and deeds that will build them up.


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Focus on God's Plan
In His Presence: . . . so we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures (James 1:18).

To overcome temptation, the final element we must focus on is God's plan. James 1:18 refers to believers as the "first fruits" among God's creatures. First fruits are things of utmost value. In the Old Testament, the first fruits refers to the tithe to bring to the Lord. The first ten percent of what was accumulated went to Him. Giving the first fruits to God shows that He is the priority because He receives the best portion. Here, God says in His Word that we are the first fruits of His creation. Nothing God ever made is more important to Him than His saints, His people.

God has mighty plans for us, and we shouldn't let the devil convince us otherwise. To believe the devil's lies is to live beneath what God has in store for us. If we want our behavior to change, we must believe the truth that we are special to God. That will impact the way we live and the choices we make. We will want to please and obey Him.

Dogs are trained using the tool of temptation. The dog's master will throw a piece of red meat in front of the dog. The first time the dog sees the meat, he goes after it because that's his nature. The master corrects the dog and says, "No, look at me." The master throws some more meat down, and the dog moves to get it, but the master says, "Stay! Look at me!" You know that the dog is trained when it stops looking at the meat and keeps his focus on the master. The dog can handle the presence of the meat because his focus is on the master.

One Minute Please

Christians can overcome temptation when their eyes are focused not on the temptation, but on God's character, Word, and plan.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


Vital Intercession
. . . praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit . . . -Ephesians 6:18


As we continue on in our intercession for others, we may find that our obedience to God in interceding is going to cost those for whom we intercede more than we ever thought. The danger in this is that we begin to intercede in sympathy with those whom God was gradually lifting up to a totally different level in direct answer to our prayers. Whenever we step back from our close identification with God's interest and concern for others and step into having emotional sympathy with them, the vital connection with God is gone. We have then put our sympathy and concern for them in the way, and this is a deliberate rebuke to God.

It is impossible for us to have living and vital intercession unless we are perfectly and completely sure of God. And the greatest destroyer of that confident relationship to God, so necessary for intercession, is our own personal sympathy and preconceived bias. Identification with God is the key to intercession, and whenever we stop being identified with Him it is because of our sympathy with others, not because of sin. It is not likely that sin will interfere with our intercessory relationship with God, but sympathy will. It is sympathy with ourselves or with others that makes us say, "I will not allow that thing to happen." And instantly we are out of that vital connection with God.

Vital intercession leaves you with neither the time nor the inclination to pray for your own "sad and pitiful self." You do not have to struggle to keep thoughts of yourself out, because they are not even there to be kept out of your thinking. You are completely and entirely identified with God's interests and concerns in other lives. God gives us discernment in the lives of others to call us to intercession for them, never so that we may find fault with them
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Winning an Offended Brother
Proverbs 18:19 tells us,

A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle.

When this verse refers to a "strong city," it means a fortified or a guarded city. You cannot just waltz up to the gate of a fortified city and say "give up." It takes strategic planning to take such a city. You have to think things through and have a plan.

It also means there is going to be strenuous effort involved. And, more than likely, you will be in a vulnerable position. In fact, you don't take a strong city without taking risks, without becoming vulnerable.

The same things come into play when a brother is offended. It takes thoughtful planning, it takes effort, and sometimes you have to become vulnerable when you do not want to be.

Perhaps you are struggling with a damaged relationship today, and you haven't pursued healing this relationship because you don't know how to do it. It always starts with prayer. You talk to God about them and about yourself, and then you need to go and talk to them.

When you do, I want you to listen carefully, it should not be with a view to prove that you are right. Being right is not the goal. Peace is. Most of the time it is more important to be kind than it is to be right.

If you try to work something out, but only with the intention of having them understand your point of view so that you can prove you are right, you may win the argument, but you will never make peace.

So when you are endeavoring to win an offended brother, listen carefully to them, and endeavor to understand where they are coming from. Seek to hear and not just be heard. Though it may be difficult, you can win peace and see a broken relationship restored.


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Maturity Is a Process
In His Presence: Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:13-14).

God's goal for all of us is Christlikeness, or spiritual maturity. When He saved you, He put everything necessary for this process inside you. But maturity takes time. Growing up and becoming a spiritual adult is a process, not a single event.

Spiritual adulthood is the process of God bringing us to the place where we are consistently living life from the perspective of the Spirit rather than the perspective of the flesh. Maturity in Christ means you normally look at and react to things from a spiritual perspective. God wants us to get to this place of maturity, to live as we were created to be. But many of us are not yet living the Christlike life, which means we are immature. If we are living like that, we are children, tossed here and there by every new fad that comes along.

Becoming a mature believer takes time. You don't become mature overnight. A baby doesn't hop, skip, and jump into adulthood. The Bible tells us that maturity is a process: "He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). In a very real sense, this maturing process will go on for the rest of your natural life, but there is a point you can reach where you are consistently responding to things from a spiritual perspective.

One Minute Please

Rate multiplied by time equals distance. God has made maturity possible for every believer, but what you do with your time determines the rate of your progress in arriving at the destination of maturity.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


Vicarious Intercession
. . having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus . . . -Hebrews 10:19


Beware of thinking that intercession means bringing our own personal sympathies and concerns into the presence of God, and then demanding that He do whatever we ask. Our ability to approach God is due entirely to the vicarious, or substitutionary, identification of our Lord with sin. We have "boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus."

Spiritual stubbornness is the most effective hindrance to intercession, because it is based on a sympathetic "understanding" of things we see in ourselves and others that we think needs no atonement. We have the idea that there are certain good and virtuous things in each of us that do not need to be based on the atonement by the Cross of Christ. Just the sluggishness and lack of interest produced by this kind of thinking makes us unable to intercede. We do not identify ourselves with God's interests and concerns for others, and we get irritated with Him. Yet we are always ready with our own ideas, and our intercession becomes only the glorification of our own natural sympathies. We have to realize that the identification of Jesus with sin means a radical change of all of our sympathies and interests. Vicarious intercession means that we deliberately substitute God's interests in others for our natural sympathy with them.

Am I stubborn or substituted? Am I spoiled or complete in my relationship to God? Am I irritable or spiritual? Am I determined to have my own way or determined to be identified with Him?
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Listen... to Understand
In Proverbs 18:2, we are given an important word of warning,

A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.

It is so easy to play the role of such a fool when we are dealing with a strained or broken relationship. Rather than seeking to understand the other person, we will often feel the need to make the other person understand our hurt.

Like me, you have probably said, "You need to hear me. You need to understand why I'm hurt. You need to understand why I reacted the way I reacted. You need to see that I'm right. I need to convince you that I'm justified in the things I've said and the things I've done."

When we say those things, we are not interested in understanding the other person's point of view to reach a mutual peace. We just want to express our opinions, our hurt, and our reasons.

The Bible says that is the way a fool behaves. I am going to stand at the front of the line and say, "I've been that fool more than once." But we must learn to listen and understand.

Once you have listened and understood, here is an important phrase to learn, "I see what you're saying, and I'm sorry." That does not mean, "I see what you're saying, and I'm sorry you're such an idiot." That means, "I've listened to you, I've heard you, and I'm sorry." Period. "Forgive me."

It is amazing how some people choke on those words. In fact, it is shocking to realize how few people know how to give a proper apology. They offer the rose of an apology by handing it thorn-end first.

Don't play the fool. Listen...to understand.


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Maturity Based on Relationship

In His Presence: We are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love (Ephesians 4:15-16).

Spiritual maturity is facilitated by spiritual relationship. Second Peter 3:17-18 discusses this factor in our growth: "You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity." Peter said we have two choices: to go forward or to go backward. But what we can't do is stand still. Often people will try to define their Christian life in terms of what they are not doing wrong. But the Christian life is more than that-it is also what we are doing right.

Spiritual growth, just like human growth, is not a mechanical process. People think if they follow a five-step or twelve-step program, they will get where they want to be spiritually. But nothing could be further from the truth. Spiritual development is a relational process, not a legal one. The law shows us our sin and has the power to condemn. Only the grace of Christ has the power to enable us to overcome sin. We grow into Christ by the knowledge of Him as a person, not by the fulfillment of a program. To do that, we must focus on what God is doing in the midst of what we are doing.

One Minute Please

We must connect what is happening in our lives with how God is using it to transform us into the image of His Son.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


Building For Eternity
Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it . . . -Luke 14:28


Our Lord was not referring here to a cost which we have to count, but to a cost which He has already counted. The cost was those thirty years in Nazareth, those three years of popularity, scandal, and hatred, the unfathomable agony He experienced in Gethsemane, and the assault upon Him at Calvary- the central point upon which all of time and eternity turn. Jesus Christ has counted the cost. In the final analysis, people are not going to laugh at Him and say, "This man began to build and was not able to finish" (Luke 14:30).

The conditions of discipleship given to us by our Lord in verses 26, 27, and 33 mean that the men and women He is going to use in His mighty building enterprises are those in whom He has done everything. "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple " (Luke 14:26). This verse teaches us that the only men and women our Lord will use in His building enterprises are those who love Him personally, passionately, and with great devotion- those who have a love for Him that goes far beyond any of the closest relationships on earth. The conditions are strict, but they are glorious.

All that we build is going to be inspected by God. When God inspects us with His searching and refining fire, will He detect that we have built enterprises of our own on the foundation of Jesus? (see 1 Corinthians 3:10-15). We are living in a time of tremendous enterprises, a time when we are trying to work for God, and that is where the trap is. Profoundly speaking, we can never work for God. Jesus, as the Master Builder, takes us over so that He may direct and control us completely for His enterprises and His building plans; and no one has any right to demand where he will be put to work.

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Seeing God Through Nature
Hosea 6:3 gives us something we should pursue every day of our lives,

Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.

What a great pursuit! When you pursue the knowledge of God, He will come to you. He will refresh you like the rain, like the early and the latter rain.

These rains would cause the crops to ripen and bear fruit. Scripture is seeking to tell us that when you seek the knowledge of God, a personal knowledge of God, it will cause your life to become abundantly fruitful. It will cause your life to prosper. It will bring refreshment into your life because God will come to you.

The question is: How do you pursue the knowledge of God?

One way is through nature. Psalm 19:1 says, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. Creation screams, "There must be a Creator! I'm too perfect, I'm too intricate, I'm too glorious to have just happened. There must be a Master Sculptor. There must be a Master Painter. There must be a Creator behind it all."

The stars in the heavens and the moon literally declare God's glory. When you look at the sunset over the Pacific ocean, or look at the mountains, or you look at the grass in your backyard, they scream that there is a Creator.

Take some time to pursue the knowledge of God this week by just observing nature. When you do, you will come to a deeper knowledge of God as you see and understand the beauty and majesty of Him in a fresh, new way.


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Maturity Involves Development
In His Presence: According to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love (Ephesians 4:16).

When a baby matures, it also develops. The baby learns coordination, and its body parts develop, grow, and work together. Babies move from milk to solid food. Paul compared this development to that of a Christian: "Everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity" (Hebrews 5:13-6:1).

There is a developmental progression in Christian maturity, and one concept depends on understanding another. Elementary principles must be mastered before you can move on to deeper things, but we're not supposed to dwell on elementary things forever. Spiritual growth takes place on the playing field of life, not in the classroom. If you never make the connection between the things you learn in Scripture and the way you live your life, you will never mature into anything beyond a Sunday Christian. You are to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12-13).

Development is marked by change. If you give earthly excuses about why things are happening in your life, you are living as a natural man. But if your reaction to your situation is to focus on Christ at work in you, you are becoming a mature believer. When you are mature, you will react, think, and act like Christ because you are being conformed into His image.

One Minute Please

Do you consistently live life looking through the eyes of Christ or are you still a natural man or a natural woman?

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


Faith- Not Emotion
We walk by faith, not by sight -2 Corinthians 5:7


For a while, we are fully aware of God's concern for us. But then, when God begins to use us in His work, we begin to take on a pitiful look and talk only of our trials and difficulties. And all the while God is trying to make us do our work as hidden people who are not in the spotlight. None of us would be hidden spiritually if we could help it. Can we do our work when it seems that God has sealed up heaven? Some of us always want to be brightly illuminated saints with golden halos and with the continual glow of inspiration, and to have other saints of God dealing with us all the time. A self-assured saint is of no value to God. He is abnormal, unfit for daily life, and completely unlike God. We are here, not as immature angels, but as men and women, to do the work of this world. And we are to do it with an infinitely greater power to withstand the struggle because we have been born from above.

If we continually try to bring back those exceptional moments of inspiration, it is a sign that it is not God we want. We are becoming obsessed with the moments when God did come and speak with us, and we are insisting that He do it again. But what God wants us to do is to "walk by faith." How many of us have set ourselves aside as if to say, "I cannot do anything else until God appears to me"? He will never do it. We will have to get up on our own, without any inspiration and without any sudden touch from God. Then comes our surprise and we find ourselves exclaiming, "Why, He was there all the time, and I never knew it!" Never live for those exceptional moments- they are surprises. God will give us His touches of inspiration only when He sees that we are not in danger of being led away by them. We must never consider our moments of inspiration as the standard way of life- our work is our standard.

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Suppressing the Truth
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).

A truth that is suppressed is a truth that has addressed itself to someone, but they do not want to be confronted by it. They do not want it to force them to change, so they keep it down and refuse to look at or deal with it.

What kind of a truth is it that men suppress? Romans 1:19 tells us,

Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.

People are suppressing a knowledge or truth about God. Where did they learn that truth about God that they are suppressing? Verse 20 tells us,

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

Creation speaks of a Creator. God is understood, it says, by the things that are made. There comes a point in every human's life as they observe nature, where a voice whispers to them, "This didn't just happen. There has to be a hand behind this."

At that point, each person has a choice: Whether or not to suppress that truth. If they do not suppress the truth, I believe God will move heaven and earth to get the knowledge of the gospel to that person.

This is so profound because even on Judgment Day no one is going to be able to stand and say, "Well, I never heard. I didn't have a chance." They will be without excuse, because God is going to take them right back to that experience where He spoke to them through nature.
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A Metaphor for America
In His Presence: Hebrews 1:1-2

A while ago, a crack appeared in the Evans' bedroom wall. We called in a professional who replaced the plaster around the crack and repainted the wall. But the crack reappeared not long after that. We called the painter back, he repaired the crack, and he repainted the wall again. Everything looked fine until about a couple months later when the crack came back. And this time it brought its aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews!

We called in another professional and he gave the verdict. The cracks in the wall were due to a much deeper problem. We were experiencing a shifting foundation. He told us that until we stabilized our foundation, we would forever be repairing cracks in the walls. What a perfect metaphor for the condition of American society today.

Until we stabilize the foundation, no number of programs, government grants, or elections will be able to repair the cracks in our cultural walls. There is no place where the foundation of America needs to be stabilized more than in the home. The breakdown of the family is the single greatest contributor to the deterioration of our country. Strong families hold the key to a strong society, while weak families lead to a weak society. This is true because every other institution in society depends on strong families. You can't have strong families without God as their foundation.

"No man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ"(1 Corinthians 3:11).

One Minute Please

Christians can strengthen America by stabilizing their own homes on the foundation of God's Word.

Source: Are Christians Destroying America? Pp. 139-141.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


The Patience To Wait for the Vision
Though it tarries, wait for it . . . -Habakkuk 2:3


Patience is not the same as indifference; patience conveys the idea of someone who is tremendously strong and able to withstand all assaults. Having the vision of God is the source of patience because it gives us God's true and proper inspiration. Moses endured, not because of his devotion to his principles of what was right, nor because of his sense of duty to God, but because he had a vision of God. ". . . he endured as seeing Him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:27). A person who has the vision of God is not devoted to a cause or to any particular issue- he is devoted to God Himself. You always know when the vision is of God because of the inspiration that comes with it. Things come to you with greatness and add vitality to your life because everything is energized by God. He may give you a time spiritually, with no word from Himself at all, just as His Son experienced during His time of temptation in the wilderness. When God does that, simply endure, and the power to endure will be there because you see God.

"Though it tarries, wait for it . . . ." The proof that we have the vision is that we are reaching out for more than we have already grasped. It is a bad thing to be satisfied spiritually. The psalmist said, "What shall I render to the Lord . . . ? I will take up the cup of salvation . . ." (Psalm 116:12-13). We are apt to look for satisfaction within ourselves and say, "Now I've got it! Now I am completely sanctified. Now I can endure." Instantly we are on the road to ruin. Our reach must exceed our grasp. Paul said, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on . . ." (Philippians 3:12). If we have only what we have experienced, we have nothing. But if we have the inspiration of the vision of God, we have more than we can experience. Beware of the danger of spiritual relaxation.
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Pursue Hospitality
Romans 12:9-14 says,

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

At the end of verse 13, Paul says we are to be "given to hospitality." The word given is the Greek word translated "pursue" everywhere else in the New Testament. This could be translated "pursuing hospitality."

Hospitality is actually a compound word in the Greek language. The first part of the word means to be fond of. The second part means guests. So hospitality means to be friendly to strangers, to open your heart and open your home to others.

The Scripture is very strong when it says we are to pursue hospitality. It is one of the greatest ways in all the world to demonstrate the love of God to people who are in need.

I remember like it was yesterday a time I was preaching at a church. It was over 20 years ago, when I was a newlywed. After the service was done, Janet and I were standing around not knowing what to do. No one was speaking to us and the church had made no provision for our lodging or meals.

Just then an elderly couple came up to us and invited us to their home for lunch, which we gratefully accepted.

And you know what? I don't remember what I preached that day, but to this day I remember eating roast in that couple's home. I remember their graciousness, their hospitable spirit, and how much they made us feel welcome.

Pursue hospitality! 
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How to Save a Nation in Trouble
In His Presence: 2 Chronicles 7:11-22

"[If] My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land"(2 Chronicles 7:14).

King Solomon reigned over Israel. In 2 Chronicles 6, Solomon had just finished building God's temple and had offered up a prayer of dedication. In this prayer, Solomon was basically saying that he wanted to lead this people as God wanted him to lead. After the prayer, God's glory came down to the temple and filled it. The people offered sacrifices and held a feast. Later that night, the Lord appeared to Solomon and told him that if the people ever rejected His ways and turned away from Him, the prayers of His people would be heeded.

God will deal with a nation that turns its back on Him. If a culture wants to be free of God, He will let it have that freedom. But freedom from God brings dire consequences. Pagans do not normally turn to God when things get rough. But this Scripture isn't addressing pagans; it is addressing "My people who are called by My name" (v. 14). The people who are supposed to pray for their nation are God's covenant people. In the Old Testament, His covenant people were the Jews. In the New Testament, the covenant people are the church-the body of true believers who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Sin-bearer and Redeemer.

One Minute Please

God will pay attention to our prayers when we come to Him humbly, seek His face, and turn from our ungodly behavior.

God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


Vital Intercession
. . . praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit . . . -Ephesians 6:18


As we continue on in our intercession for others, we may find that our obedience to God in interceding is going to cost those for whom we intercede more than we ever thought. The danger in this is that we begin to intercede in sympathy with those whom God was gradually lifting up to a totally different level in direct answer to our prayers. Whenever we step back from our close identification with God's interest and concern for others and step into having emotional sympathy with them, the vital connection with God is gone. We have then put our sympathy and concern for them in the way, and this is a deliberate rebuke to God.

It is impossible for us to have living and vital intercession unless we are perfectly and completely sure of God. And the greatest destroyer of that confident relationship to God, so necessary for intercession, is our own personal sympathy and preconceived bias. Identification with God is the key to intercession, and whenever we stop being identified with Him it is because of our sympathy with others, not because of sin. It is not likely that sin will interfere with our intercessory relationship with God, but sympathy will. It is sympathy with ourselves or with others that makes us say, "I will not allow that thing to happen." And instantly we are out of that vital connection with God.

Vital intercession leaves you with neither the time nor the inclination to pray for your own "sad and pitiful self." You do not have to struggle to keep thoughts of yourself out, because they are not even there to be kept out of your thinking. You are completely and entirely identified with God's interests and concerns in other lives. God gives us discernment in the lives of others to call us to intercession for them, never so that we may find fault with them.

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In the Balance
1 Thessalonians 5:15 is a powerful verse that speaks to everyone,

See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

Notice the apostle Paul makes sure no one is excluded. That means you can't get out of this. You are either a "no one," or an "anyone" in this verse!

Paul's point about pursuing what is good for both yourselves and for all can be looked at two ways. First, he could be talking about the worshiping community as a whole. His point: Pursue what is good for the church, but also for all those outside the church. You need to think of the welfare of the church and the community in which you exist.

On a more personal level, Paul could be speaking to the need for you and I to weigh how our words, our actions, and our pursuit of that which is good for us affects others. I have to weigh that in the balance.

While a certain thing may be good for me, I need to think of how it is going to affect others. It is not just about pursuing what is good for me, even if it is something I deserve. I need to ask, "How it is going to affect others...my spouse, my kids, my friends, my church, my neighbor." I have to factor that in.

Many times people pursue something and they defend their position by saying, "Well, it's time for me to start thinking about myself. I deserve this. This is good for me."

Well, this verse allows for that. In fact, it admonishes you to pursue what is good for you, but it adds the proviso "and for all."

Eagerly pursue the things that are beneficial for you, but also that which is good for others.
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Penetrate the Culture
In His Presence: Colossians 3:17

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world . . . Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:13-14, 16).

When we look closely at a culture that is deteriorating, we will probably see the people of God withdrawn from that culture. For example, when Christians began abandoning inner city and urban neighborhoods, taking their skills, resources, and moral influence with them, those neighborhoods deteriorated. When Christians left the public school system, moral values were systematically erased until they became almost illegal to teach. When Christians vacated the media, a spiritual approach to defining everything we hold dear went with them. When Christians decided to get out of politics, righteous political decisions left with them.

God's people have been called to penetrate society. Of course, evangelism is always first because without forgiveness of sins, anything else we give a person is temporary. We have been called first and foremost to win people to Christ. But after a person receives Christ for eternity, he must represent Christ in history. Christians must give out hope; no earthly institution offers real hope for the world.

One Minute Please

The absence of righteousness in our culture has everything to do with the absence of God's people penetrating the culture. When there is no yeast, the bread stays flat.

God bless