Devotional for the day

[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?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A More Excellent Way
In 1 Corinthians 14:1, we are given a foundational truth,

Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.

Notice that this verse leads off with a very direct command. We are to pursue love.

It is interesting that this command is given in the context of Paul's teaching on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In fact, 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14 deal with the gifts of the Spirit: the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, the discerning of spirits, the gift of faith, the working of miracles, the gifts of healing, the gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues, and the gift of prophecy.

Chapter 12 gives us the definition of those gifts, chapter 13 teaches us the spirit that should characterize their use, and chapter 14 gives us guidelines for their functioning within the context of the local church.

When it comes to the operation of the gifts of the Spirit, Paul is very clear. He tells us, "Desire the gifts. Seek to have these things operating in your life and operating in the life of the local church, but they need to be practiced in love."

It is with that thought in mind that Paul writes 1 Corinthians 12:31. Here is what he says,

But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

As we read the following verses we are told that the more excellent way is love. Again, Paul is giving us the spirit that should characterize the use of the gifts of the Spirit as they function within the context of the local church.

Desire the gifts. Earnestly covet them. But let them operate through a spirit of love.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Social Gospel?
In His Presence: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Instead of writing off our culture as hopelessly secular and doomed, God wants His people to have a redeeming and transforming impact on American society. But what is the relationship of the Gospel to social action? What is the Christian's responsibility in matters of social ills-injustice, poverty, and hunger?

In many evangelical circles, the terms "social action" and "social gospel" have negative connotations. But the question remains: what does the gospel of Jesus Christ have to say to the poor and the oppressed? This is an important question all Christians need to deal with.

The message of the Gospel is narrow, not broad. The issue of social action is not part of the gospel message. Whenever social action is made part of the Gospel, two problems arise: Social action obscures what the Gospel really is, and no one knows how much emphasis to give to the social aspect of the message.

Those who want to make social action a part of the Gospel's content make the same mistake repeatedly in biblical interpretation. They apply the non-technical use of the word Gospel as it is used in the first four books of the New Testament rather than applying its more specific use in the epistles, where the word has a much more limited meaning.

One Minute Please

When Paul spoke of the Gospel, he limited it to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for sin (see today's reading). In Matthew 4, Jesus used the term to refer to the good news of the kingdom. "Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom" (v. 23).


God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


The Habit of Enjoying Adversity
. . . that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body -2 Corinthians 4:10



We have to develop godly habits to express what God's grace has done in us. It is not just a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved so that "the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." And it is adversity that makes us exhibit His life in our mortal flesh. Is my life exhibiting the essence of the sweetness of the Son of God, or just the basic irritation of "myself" that I would have apart from Him? The only thing that will enable me to enjoy adversity is the acute sense of eagerness of allowing the life of the Son of God to evidence itself in me. No matter how difficult something may be, I must say, "Lord, I am delighted to obey You in this." Instantly, the Son of God will move to the forefront of my life, and will manifest in my body that which glorifies Him.

You must not debate. The moment you obey the light of God, His Son shines through you in that very adversity; but if you debate with God, you grieve His Spirit (see Ephesians 4:30). You must keep yourself in the proper condition to allow the life of the Son of God to be manifested in you, and you cannot keep yourself fit if you give way to self-pity. Our circumstances are the means God uses to exhibit just how wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure His Son is. Discovering a new way of manifesting the Son of God should make our heart beat with renewed excitement. It is one thing to choose adversity, and quite another to enter into adversity through the orchestrating of our circumstances by God's sovereignty. And if God puts you into adversity, He is adequately sufficient to "supply all your need" (Philippians 4:19).

Keep your soul properly conditioned to manifest the life of the Son of God. Never live on your memories of past experiences, but let the Word of God always be living and active in you.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Choose to Love
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust'" (Matthew 5:43-45).

These are not suggestions to be considered, they are commands to be obeyed. "A pretty tall order," you say. Perhaps, but definitely within the realm of possibility.

Jesus would never tell us to do something we could not do. That would be unjust. We can bless, we can do good, we can pray for and forgive those who have wronged us.

When people say, "I can't forgive," that generally means, "I won't forgive." The ability to love, bless and forgive is within us-because God is within us. Learn to let His nature of love dominate you. Choose to love. Let what God has put on the inside come out.

The world needs to see real love-the kind of unconditional love that brought us into God's family. And they need to see it in us. If we really are the children of God, then His nature should be displayed in us and through us. The most outstanding feature of God's nature is love. God is love.

One last thing. When you choose to love and forgive those who have wronged you, you set a prisoner free. The prisoner is you.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Taking Back American Culture
In His Presence: Jeremiah 29:4-14

"[He] is able to establish you according to [the] gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested . . . leading to obedience of faith" (Romans 16:25-26, emphasis added).

One major problem in America is that Christians often separate the personal message of salvation from its practical implications. As the Gospel-the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ-is proclaimed, a concern for human needs should flow naturally out of its effect on people and the community. Unfortunately, a trait of our individualistic age is that people care very little about the deterioration of our society.

When the Gospel has permeated a group of people, there should be a shift from social inertia to social sensitivity. This increases the importance of Jesus' statement: "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). Our testimony is enhanced by the social interactions that take place between Christians and the world. It is unbiblical to believe that our faith in Jesus Christ has no bearing on the needs of this world.

American culture will be reclaimed when Christians regain spiritual clarity. When the Jews were sent into exile, they ended up living within Babylonian culture-a clearly pagan culture. They had to work hard to establish themselves again as a set-apart, unique people.

One Minute Please

"Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce . . . seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile"(Jeremiah 29:5,7).
God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


The Habit of Rising to the Occasion
. . . that you may know what is the hope of His calling . . . -Ephesians 1:18

Remember that you have been saved so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in your body (see 2 Corinthians 4:10). Direct the total energy of your powers so that you may achieve everything your election as a child of God provides; rise every time to whatever occasion may come your way.

You did not do anything to achieve your salvation, but you must do something to exhibit it. You must "work out your own salvation" which God has worked in you already (Philippians 2:12). Are your speech, your thinking, and your emotions evidence that you are working it "out"? If you are still the same miserable, grouchy person, set on having your own way, then it is a lie to say that God has saved and sanctified you.

God is the Master Designer, and He allows adversities into your life to see if you can jump over them properly-"By my God I can leap over a wall" (Psalm 18:29). God will never shield you from the requirements of being His son or daughter. First Peter 4:12 says, "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you . . . ." Rise to the occasion-do what the trial demands of you. It does not matter how much it hurts as long as it gives God the opportunity to manifest the life of Jesus in your body.

May God not find complaints in us anymore, but spiritual vitality-a readiness to face anything He brings our way. The only proper goal of life is that we manifest the Son of God; and when this occurs, all of our dictating of our demands to God disappears. Our Lord never dictated demands to His Father, and neither are we to make demands on God. We are here to submit to His will so that He may work through us what He wants. Once we realize this, He will make us broken bread and poured-out wine with which to feed and nourish others.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Qualities of Love
For the last number of devotionals, we have focused our attention on how love is such a vital quality to the Christian life. We have seen that unless we love, any of the spiritual gifts are meaningless.

We have also seen that God has deposited His love in us already, and as a result, it is our responsibility to choose to express that love. It is not something we can put on God's shoulders. We must take on that obligation.

So what do those qualities of love really look like? I want to share with you 1 Corinthians 13 from theAmplified Bible, but I want to do it with a twist. I want to make it personal and show how, if we choose to love as God has asked us to love, it will look.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 from the Amplified Bible...personalized (read it out loud),

I endure long, and I am patient and kind. I am never envious or boil over with jealousy. I am not boastful or vainglorious. I do not display myself haughtily. I am not conceited, arrogant, or inflated with pride. I am not rude or unmannerly. I do not act unbecomingly. God's love in me does not insist on its own rights or its own way for I am not self-seeking. I am not touchy or fretful or resentful. I take no account of the evil done to me. I do not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but I rejoice when right and truth prevail. I bear up under anything and everything that comes, and I am ever ready to believe the best of every person. My hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and I endure everything without weakening. God's love in me never fails.

I challenge you to read this out loud to yourself every day for a month, and see if it does not change your life!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Satan the Deceiver
In His Presence: 1 Peter 5:8

In several places in the Bible, we are told who Satan is. He is called "the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world" (Revelation 12:9). We know what his future will be. "[The angel] laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed: after these things he must be released for a short time" (Revelation 20:2-3).

Before God created man, He created angels. Chief among the angels was one named Lucifer. His name meant "the shining one." Some of his story is told in Ezekiel 28:12-19. "You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of the stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you" (Ezekiel 28:14-15).

Some of Lucifer's story is also told in Isaiah 14:11-16. "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations" (v. 12). Lucifer desired to be equal with God, though God was his Creator. Since then, he has been the Deceiver on earth.

One Minute Please

One of Satan's first deceptions was to convince us that he doesn't exist or that he is inconsequential.

God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


The Habit of Recognizing God's Provision
. . . you may be partakers of the divine nature . . . -2 Peter 1:4

We are made "partakers of the divine nature," receiving and sharing God's own nature through His promises. Then we have to work that divine nature into our human nature by developing godly habits. The first habit to develop is the habit of recognizing God's provision for us. We say, however, "Oh, I can't afford it." One of the worst lies is wrapped up in that statement. We talk as if our heavenly Father has cut us off without a penny! We think it is a sign of true humility to say at the end of the day, "Well, I just barely got by today, but it was a severe struggle." And yet all of Almighty God is ours in the Lord Jesus! And He will reach to the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us if we will only obey Him. Does it really matter that our circumstances are difficult? Why shouldn't they be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge in the luxury of misery, we remove God's riches from our lives and hinder others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it removes God from the throne of our lives, replacing Him with our own self-interests. It causes us to open our mouths only to complain, and we simply become spiritual sponges- always absorbing, never giving, and never being satisfied. And there is nothing lovely or generous about our lives.

Before God becomes satisfied with us, He will take everything of our so-called wealth, until we learn that He is our Source; as the psalmist said, "All my springs are in You" (Psalm 87:7). If the majesty, grace, and power of God are not being exhibited in us, God holds us responsible. "God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you . . . may have an abundance . . ." (2 Corinthians 9:- then learn to lavish the grace of God on others, generously giving of yourself. Be marked and identified with God's nature, and His blessing will flow through you all the time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spiritual Metamorphosis

Romans 12:1-2 says this,

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

First, notice that it is your responsibility to present your body to God. God will not do it for you. You have to do it. But Scripture doesn't leave us there. We are shown how we are to do that in verse 2 above.

First, when it says, Do not be conformed, that word conform means to be pressed into a mold by outward pressures. Instead of being conformed we are told to be transformed. That is actually the Greek word from which we get our English word metamorphosis. It means to let what is on the inside come to the outside.

One day many years ago, my kids came home from school with some silk worms. We were supposed to put them in a box and feed them mulberry leaves. I couldn't believe how many leaves these worms ate! They ate leaves until they turned a translucent green!

Then they wove cocoons and went through a metamorphosis. They went from being these ugly ol' fat green transparent worms, to the most beautiful fuzzy huge white moths. It was amazing to see!

My friend, you renew your mind by feeding on God's Word, the same way that those silk worms fed on the mulberry leaves. As you are filled with His truth, it causes a metamorphosis to take place. It brings what is on the inside-God's nature-to the outside.

So feed on God's Word and watch your life be transformed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Satan Poses the Question

In His Presence: Genesis 3:1-7

Since God placed man on this planet, Satan has been determined to deceive man about the nature of God and God's words to us. In the Garden of Eden, Satan began his plan by talking to Eve. "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" (Genesis 3:1). Satan raised a question about God's command. Notice that he used the word "not." He skipped over the first part of God's statement and focused on the restriction. He didn't want Eve to be thinking about God's goodness. He wanted God to appear harsh and restrictive.

What God actually said was: "TheLord God commanded the man, saying, 'From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die' " (Genesis 2:16-17). The first thing God told Adam was what he could do. All the fruit was good for the picking, and Adam could eat freely of the trees. He could eat whatever he wanted to eat whenever he wanted to eat. Of all the trees in the garden, and there were probably hundreds of trees, he was only restricted from one tree.

Especially for those of us who live in the United States, we have so much that is good. As much as we are able, we are free to pursue a good life and liberty. We can go after what makes us happy.

One Minute Please

In spite of what Satan wants, we should be thinking about God's goodness.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


His Ascension and Our Access
It came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven -Luke 24:51


We have no experiences in our lives that correspond to the events in our Lord's life after the transfiguration. From that moment forward His life was altogether substitutionary. Up to the time of the transfiguration, He had exhibited the normal, perfect life of a man. But from the transfiguration forward- Gethsemane, the Cross, the resurrection- everything is unfamiliar to us. His Cross is the door by which every member of the human race can enter into the life of God; by His resurrection He has the right to give eternal life to anyone, and by His ascension our Lord entered heaven, keeping the door open for humanity.

The transfiguration was completed on the Mount of Ascension. If Jesus had gone to heaven directly from the Mount of Transfiguration, He would have gone alone. He would have been nothing more to us than a glorious Figure. But He turned His back on the glory, and came down from the mountain to identify Himself with fallen humanity.

The ascension is the complete fulfillment of the transfiguration. Our Lord returned to His original glory, but not simply as the Son of God- He returned to His father as the Son of Man as well. There is now freedom of access for anyone straight to the very throne of God because of the ascension of the Son of Man. As the Son of Man, Jesus Christ deliberately limited His omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience. But now they are His in absolute, full power. As the Son of Man, Jesus Christ now has all the power at the throne of God. From His ascension forward He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Love of Money

In 1 Timothy 6:9-11, Paul gives us a critical insight,

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

I want you to notice: Before Paul tells us to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness, he says we must first flee the love of money. You have to be willing to flee the wrong things before you can pursue the right things, because you cannot go in two directions at once.

If you are pursuing riches, and the gaining of wealth and the achievement of success have become your number one priorities, pushing everything else, including God, to the side, then you are pursuing the wrong thing.

You may be thinking, "Well, that's great for some people, but that doesn't apply to me." You need to understand that you can be eaten up with the love of money and not have a dime in your pocket. All of us are subject to such a temptation and such a trap.

It's fascinating that Paul uses the word "drown" here. I live by the Pacific Ocean, and generally people who drown do so because, (a) they overestimate their own abilities as a swimmer; or (b) they underestimate the power of the ocean.

If you overestimate your ability to be free from this type of a temptation, or you underestimate the power of this type of a temptation, you are setting yourself up for disaster.

Flee the wrong and pursue the right. Stay on course with God.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What Are We Thinking About?

In His Presence: 1 Chronicles 16:8

Why did God put a limitation on the tree in the Garden of Eden? Why do we have limitations at all? In order to enjoy freedom, there must be sufficient restriction so that we can maximize what freedom is. A baseball player isn't free to play baseball if there are no foul lines. A football player is not free to play football if there are no sidelines. God placed the restriction in the Garden of Eden to give us the ability to choose. In that way, freedom is better understood.

Another reason why God put a restriction in the Garden of Eden was to remind man that he is a created being. Restrictions make it clear who is in charge. God wanted it to be clear that there is a major difference between created man and the Creator God. God is transcendent. He is infinite and omniscient. We are not.

Satan used the presence of these restrictions to trick Eve into focusing on the negative. The apostle Paul said: "I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3). Satan led her thinking away from the goodness of God to focus on the restrictions of God. In doing that, Eve lost sight of the freedom God had given her.

One Minute Please

Adam and Eve lived in a home they didn't build and ate food they didn't have to grow. They lived in a perfect environment that had only one restriction. Does your mind focus only on the restrictions in your life?

God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


Living Simply- Yet Focused
Look at the birds of the air . . . . Consider the lilies of the field . . . -Matthew 6:26, 28

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin"- they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and the moon- all of these simply are as well- yet what a ministry and service they render on our behalf! So often we impair God's designed influence, which He desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. In essence, Jesus was saying, "Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me." In other words, pay attention to the Source, and out of you "will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). We cannot discover the source of our natural life through common sense and reasoning, and Jesus is teaching here that growth in our spiritual life comes not from focusing directly on it, but from concentrating on our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances, and if we will stay focused on Him, instead of our circumstances, we will grow spiritually- just as "the lilies of the field."

The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and "the lilies of the field"- simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.

If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every minute you live- yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



The Main Pursuit

Ezekiel 33:30-32 provides some pretty direct and challenging words from God,

"As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, 'Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD.' So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them."

I think, for some people, church is almost like going to a concert, especially if the preacher is flashy and the music is great. They are not listening with a view to imbibe God's truth and then put it into practice in their lives.

What is the reason for this disconnect? People are pursuing something else in their hearts. Sure, they are showing up at church, they are listening, they are even saying "amen" at the right time, but they are not applying God's truth to their lives. Why? Because they are pursuing something else in their heart.

This is the same thing that Paul talked to Timothy about in yesterday's devotional. Remember? Like Ezekiel, he said, Their hearts pursue their own gain.

It is very simple: If your focus is on the pursuit of things, your focus will never be on the One who has created all things. It really boils down to this one question: What is the main pursuit of your life?

If it is not God, then your life is going in the wrong direction!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Trees of Analogy

In His Presence: John 8:12

Have you ever thought about the restricted tree in the Garden of Eden? It was called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Was this a bad tree? No, there was nothing wrong with the tree itself. Good things could be learned from it. It would teach the difference between good and evil. Another tree in the Garden was the Tree of Life, but it had no restrictions. These two types of trees make a good analogy for today's Christians.

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil represents lists of good and bad things. We are to do the good things and not do the bad things. We could think of this as the Tree of the Law. This tree offered Adam and Eve death. The other tree, the Tree of Life, offered Adam and Eve intimate fellowship and relationship with God. It offered them life.

God wanted Adam and Eve and their descendents to live their lives based on a relationship with Him. He didn't want them to live by a list. The Tree of Life pictured Jesus Christ, who is life. It represents the abiding relationship we have with Him through which the grace of God flows into our lives. We enjoy walking with God in an intimate relationship. The problem with eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was that life had to be lived based on a set of rules, not on a relationship. The New Testament would call that the difference between Law and grace.

One Minute Please

Eating from the Tree of Life meant that there was no need for the Tree of Knowledge.


God bless

[Judy Harder]

Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


Having God's "Unreasonable" Faith
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you -Matthew 6:33

When we look at these words of Jesus, we immediately find them to be the most revolutionary that human ears have ever heard. ". . . seek first the kingdom of God . . . ." Even the most spiritually-minded of us argue the exact opposite, saying, "But I must live; I must make a certain amount of money; I must be clothed; I must be fed." The great concern of our lives is not the kingdom of God but how we are going to take care of ourselves to live. Jesus reversed the order by telling us to get the right relationship with God first, maintaining it as the primary concern of our lives, and never to place our concern on taking care of the other things of life.

". . . do not worry about your life. . ." (Matthew 6:25). Our Lord pointed out that from His standpoint it is absolutely unreasonable for us to be anxious, worrying about how we will live. Jesus did not say that the person who takes no thought for anything in his life is blessed- no, that person is a fool. But Jesus did teach that His disciple must make his relationship with God the dominating focus of his life, and to be cautiously carefree about everything else in comparison to that. In essence, Jesus was saying, "Don't make food and drink the controlling factor of your life, but be focused absolutely on God." Some people are careless about what they eat and drink, and they suffer for it; they are careless about what they wear, having no business looking the way they do; they are careless with their earthly matters, and God holds them responsible. Jesus is saying that the greatest concern of life is to place our relationship with God first, and everything else second.

It is one of the most difficult, yet critical, disciplines of the Christian life to allow the Holy Spirit to bring us into absolute harmony with the teaching of Jesus in these verses.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strengthening Your Faith

Romans 10:17 is the verse I would like for you to read today. It says,

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

To fully understand this verse, you need to know that if you are saved, faith has already been deposited in your heart. It is part of your spiritual DNA. Romans 12:3 says that, God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. Faith is something He has already given.

It is up to you to develop that faith. It is up to you to do something with it. How do you develop it? You develop it first by hearing the Word of God.

The Bible-God's Word-is the food. As you feed upon it, your faith will be strengthened.

You know those body builders, men and women who are constantly pumping weights? Well, if you talk to any serious body builder, one of the first things they will refer to is diet. You have to eat the right kind of diet if you are going to build muscle mass. Usually, their diet is protein-rich.

They faithfully drink their protein shakes and eat their tuna fish sandwiches, which, when they are consumed and digested, become the raw materials that build muscle mass.

As you feed upon and digest God's Word, that truth becomes the raw material that will build faith. It is faith food.

Most people who struggle with their faith are feeding on the wrong things. Faith comes unconsciously when you feed upon God's Word.

So today, if you feel like you are struggling in your faith, then change your diet. Start feeding more on God's Word!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Relationship vs. Rules

In His Presence: John 10:14-15

"My brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God . . . What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law''(Romans 7:4, 7).

Romans 7 tells us that the Law is good. But the problem with the Law is that it can't help us deal with sin. While it can show us what is wrong, it can't empower us to improve. Only a relationship abiding in the presence of Jesus Christ can transform our lives. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was irrelevant to Adam and Eve. They had abundant life already. "I came that [you] may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). It was a life based on a relationship with God.

So how do we combat what Satan wants us to believe-that restrictions and "do's" and "don'ts" are unfair? We should focus on the goodness of God. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith" (Romans 3:23-25). This demonstration of grace is what the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden was all about.

One Minute Please

"From any tree of the garden you may eat freely"(Genesis 2:16).



God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


The Explanation For Our Difficulties

. . . that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us . . . -John 17:21

If you are going through a time of isolation, seemingly all alone, read John 17 . It will explain exactly why you are where you are- because Jesus has prayed that you "may be one" with the Father as He is. Are you helping God to answer that prayer, or do you have some other goal for your life? Since you became a disciple, you cannot be as independent as you used to be.
God reveals in John 17 that His purpose is not just to answer our prayers, but that through prayer we might come to discern His mind. Yet there is one prayer which God must answer, and that is the prayer of Jesus- ". . . that they may be one just as We are one . . ." (John 17:22). Are we as close to Jesus Christ as that?

God is not concerned about our plans; He doesn't ask, "Do you want to go through this loss of a loved one, this difficulty, or this defeat?" No, He allows these things for His own purpose. The things we are going through are either making us sweeter, better, and nobler men and women, or they are making us more critical and fault-finding, and more insistent on our own way. The things that happen either make us evil, or they make us more saintly, depending entirely on our relationship with God and its level of intimacy. If we will pray, regarding our own lives, "Your will be done" (Matthew 26:42), then we will be encouraged and comforted by John 17, knowing that our Father is working according to His own wisdom, accomplishing what is best. When we understand God's purpose, we will not become small-minded and cynical. Jesus prayed nothing less for us than absolute oneness with Himself, just as He was one with the Father. Some of us are far from this oneness; yet God will not leave us alone until we are one with Him- because Jesus prayed, ". . . that they all may be one . . . ."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Exercising the Muscle of Faith

Yesterday we looked at the importance of God's Word to strengthen our faith. Yet there is something more we need to do to see our faith grow. We must use it.

In 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul says this about faith,

Fight the good fight of faith.

Faith is made for conflict. It does not grow without conflict. It does not grow without pressure. You need to use it.

Remember our illustration of the body builders and how a proper diet is essential to building muscle mass? Well, they will also tell you that it is not enough to drink protein shakes and eat tuna fish, you have to work those muscles if they are going to grow. They work those weights every day in order to build their muscles.

The same thing is true when it comes to faith. Faith is a muscle that you have to use. It is not enough just to listen to your Bible teaching CDs all day long. Hearing alone is not enough to develop faith. You must use your faith muscle.

That is what the fight of faith is all about. You exercise your faith when you are standing in the midst of your storm, and you are assailed by temptations and every kind of trial that tells you you're not going to make it, that you are going down with the ship.

As you stand in the midst of your storm, and the wind is howling around you, and the lightning is flashing, and the waves are breaking over the bow of your little ship, stand up and say, "I believe God, that it is going to be just as it was told me." That is where the fight of faith comes in.

No matter what you may be going through today, exercise that muscle of faith. Trust God to do just as He has promised.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cultivating the Gratitude Mindset

In His Presence: Romans 9:14-24

"Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called . . . Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy"(1 Timothy 6:11-12, 17).

Cultivating a godly perspective of our spiritual state and our physical circumstances does not happen naturally. To fight against overlooking God's grace and lovingkindnesses toward us instead of complaining about our losses takes a great deal of energy and persistence. We need to develop a mindset that looks for God's graciousness at all times.

An attitude of thanksgiving should dominate the life of the believer. Ingratitude is the mark of the devil. Satan whispers in our ears to make us think about what God has taken away from us. God wants us to look at what He has freely given to us. "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32). We have so much to be thankful for!

When the nation of Israel moved out of Egypt en masse into the wilderness of Sinai, the first thing they did was complain. They complained about the conditions, the lack of water and meat, and their vulnerability to the Egyptians. God had set them free from slavery, but already they had forgotten.

One Minute Please

When we set our eyes on our misfortunes, we soon forget to express gratitude.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Our Careful Unbelief

. . . do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on -Matthew 6:25

Jesus summed up commonsense carefulness in the life of a disciple as unbelief. If we have received the Spirit of God, He will squeeze right through our lives, as if to ask, "Now where do I come into this relationship, this vacation you have planned, or these new books you want to read?" And He always presses the point until we learn to make Him our first consideration. Whenever we put other things first, there is confusion.

". . . do not worry about your life . . . ." Don't take the pressure of your provision upon yourself. It is not only wrong to worry, it is unbelief; worrying means we do not believe that God can look after the practical details of our lives, and it is never anything but those details that worry us. Have you ever noticed what Jesus said would choke the Word He puts in us? Is it the devil? No- "the cares of this world" (MatthewMatthew 13:22). It is always our little worries. We say, "I will not trust when I cannot see"- and that is where unbelief begins. The only cure for unbelief is obedience to the Spirit.

The greatest word of Jesus to His disciples is abandon.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Understanding Faith

In the last two devotionals, we have been talking about faith and the importance of both the proper diet of God's Word, and exercising our faith if we are to see it grow.

The natural question is, "What is faith?" Most Christians probably know the technical definition for faith from Hebrews 11:1,

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The New International Version says, Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. That is pretty clear. But it becomes even more clear when you plug that definition into 1 Timothy 6:12,

Fight the good fight of [the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Fight the good fight of being sure of what you hope for and being convinced of what you do not see.]

When the answer to your prayers is not on the horizon, when you don't feel differently, you need to fight the good fight and say, "You know what? God's Word says it and that's all the evidence I need. It is the evidence of things not seen, and I'm going to stand on that truth. I don't care what the world says, I don't care what circumstances say, I am going to fight the good fight of the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of what I do not see."

And you stay with it until, as they say, "Faith turns to sight."

What are you struggling with today? What challenge is testing your faith? Stand firm on the truth of God's Word. Trust Him, no matter what others may say.

Real faith is standing firm in the midst of the storm. So stand firm!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Living in Gratitude
In His Presence: Acts 16:16-34

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6).

In even the worst situations there's always a reason to give thanks. There was a man who needed his dress pants ironed. While his wife was ironing them she burned them. The man began to get angry, but then he paused a moment to think about it. He realized he could thank the Lord that his leg wasn't in that pair of pants when they were burned!

The apostles Paul and Silas were falsely accused, arrested, and put into jail. They were beaten with rods and thrown into the inner prison, their feet placed in stocks. "But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them" (Acts 16:25). Even in pain, they were singing and praising God. Later, because of their testimony the jailor was saved.

Job was a righteous man. He prayed and offered sacrifices not only for himself but also for his children. One day, disaster struck his family and possessions, and he lost everything. Job grieved and mourned, but he also fell down in worship of God and said these words: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21).

One Minute Please

"The Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly" (Psalms 84:11). How diligent are you in giving thanks to God?

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

May 24, 2012

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     


The Delight of Despair
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead -Revelation 1:17

It may be that, like the apostle John, you know Jesus Christ intimately. Yet when He suddenly appears to you with totally unfamiliar characteristics, the only thing you can do is fall "at His feet as dead." There are times when God cannot reveal Himself in any other way than in His majesty, and it is the awesomeness of the vision which brings you to the delight of despair. You experience this joy in hopelessness, realizing that if you are ever to be raised up it must be by the hand of God.

"He laid His right hand on me . . ." (Revelation 1:17). In the midst of the awesomeness, a touch comes, and you know it is the right hand of Jesus Christ. You know it is not the hand of restraint, correction, nor chastisement, but the right hand of the Everlasting Father. Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it gives inexpressible peace and comfort, and the sense that "underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27), full of support, provision, comfort, and strength. And once His touch comes, nothing at all can throw you into fear again. In the midst of all His ascended glory, the Lord Jesus comes to speak to an insignificant disciple, saying, "Do not be afraid" (Revelation 1:17). His tenderness is inexpressibly sweet. Do I know Him like that?

Take a look at some of the things that cause despair. There is despair which has no delight, no limits whatsoever, and no hope of anything brighter. But the delight of despair comes when "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells . . ." (Romans 7:18). I delight in knowing that there is something in me which must fall prostrate before God when He reveals Himself to me, and also in knowing that if I am ever to be raised up it must be by the hand of God. God can do nothing for me until I recognize the limits of what is humanly possible, allowing Him to do the impossible.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your Professional Trainer

As we continue to look at faith, I want you to read Hebrews 12:1-2,

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

What this passage teaches about faith is vital for you to understand if you are to progress in your faith. That truth is simply this: Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He not only authors it, He is the One who is the developer of our faith.

Remember the analogy of the body builder from the last two devotionals? Well, if your faith is like a body builder, Jesus is your weight trainer. Many of the people who are seriously into body building have a professional trainer who will work with them to be more effective in building muscle mass and sculpting their body.

Just like the professional weight trainer for a body builder, Jesus is your professional faith trainer. No one knows more about faith than Jesus. If you want to learn about faith, you need to listen to Jesus. You need to follow His guidance on how to build your faith.

Over the next few devotionals, I will show you three levels of faith Jesus talks about. Through that process, I pray you will discover where you are at, and see where you need to go and what you need to pursue in order for your faith to grow.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Satan's Lies

In His Presence: John 17:17

Satan convinced Eve that he was harmless, not a creature to fear or be wary of. Today, he wants us to believe that we don't need to fear him and to think that he may not even exist. Second, Satan convinced Eve that God was holding out on her. Satan wants us to focus on our misfortunes.

"The woman said to the serpent, 'From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die." ' The serpent said to the woman, 'You surely will not die!' ''(Genesis 3:2-3). He was saying that God's word could not be trusted.

Satan discovered that Eve had lost sight of what God actually said. First, she minimized God's goodness by leaving out the word "freely" in God's command to Adam. He had said: "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely" (Genesis 2:16). Second, she made God look stricter than He was by saying they could not touch the fruit of the restricted tree. God had not said anything about touching it. Third, she lessened God's judgment by saying "lest you die." She was implying an uncertainty. Instead, God had said: "From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die" (Genesis 2:17).

One Minute Please

When Eve distorted God's word, she was receptive to Satan's lie that God's word could not be trusted.

God bless