Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
The Price of the Vision

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord . . . -Isaiah 6:1

Our soul's personal history with God is often an account of the death of our heroes. Over and over again God has to remove our friends to put Himself in their place, and that is when we falter, fail, and become discouraged. Let me think about this personally- when the person died who represented for me all that God was, did I give up on everything in life? Did I become ill or disheartened? Or did I do as Isaiah did and see the Lord?

My vision of God is dependent upon the condition of my character. My character determines whether or not truth can even be revealed to me. Before I can say, "I saw the Lord," there must be something in my character that conforms to the likeness of God. Until I am born again and really begin to see the kingdom of God, I only see from the perspective of my own biases. What I need is God's surgical procedure- His use of external circumstances to bring about internal purification.

Your priorities must be God first, God second, and God third, until your life is continually face to face with God and no one else is taken into account whatsoever. Your prayer will then be, "In all the world there is no one but You, dear God; there is no one but You."

Keep paying the price. Let God see that you are willing to live up to the vision.


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The Slippery Spiritual Slope

The slippery slope to spiritual decline is one that is almost imperceptible. One day you are on fire for God, and then before you know it, you are dull and lethargic.

How does spiritual decline happen? I think there are at least four ways:

Through neglect. If you neglect a garden, the weeds grow. If you don't water the garden, it will eventually dry up. Sometimes we get into a state where we need to be revived due to neglect.
Through the storms of life. Life can sometimes beat you up. Some people have been so beaten up that they are just worn down; and when you couple that with neglect, it is a recipe for spiritual disaster.
Through the influence of wrong company or wrong relationships. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, Do not be deceived. Evil company corrupts good habits. ." And the very next word is awake. Awake to righteousness, and do not sin. Do not be deceived. Evil company, bad company, corrupts good habits.
Through willful disobedience. I don't know anyone who hasn't been guilty at one time or another of willful disobedience. And when that is not repented of, when it is not taken care of, it brings us into a state of spiritual decline that can be very dangerous.
So what do you do if you find yourself in spiritual decline? Let me leave you with this verse, Hosea 6:1,

Come, and let us return to the LORD; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.

The same Spirit that convicts also comforts. If you are convicted, repent. Repentance is an inward change of heart resulting in an outward change of direction. Return to the Lord and let Him heal you and bind you up.
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Worship the King
In His Presence: "Let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:15).

As you open up a hymnal on Sunday and sing along with the choir, remember, God is not listening to the tone of your voice or the words you sing. He is listening to your heart. Is it turned to Him in worship and praise and adoration? Or is tuned to the distractions of the world? Are you thinking about His goodness or about the person you promised to meet at the mall later in the afternoon?

When life suddenly falls apart, people begin to search for answers. At times, it seems as if they are willing to search anywhere but in the presence of God. Recently, an actor was on television telling why the cult he was involved with was the only one that could actually help people get in touch with themselves. However, his approach was very vain, empty, and naïve-and totally devoid of God.

Unless we have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, we can't know our true identity. This is because our identity is in Christ. Each one of us was created in the image of God-not by a human philosophy or culture. We were shaped for His worship-to stand in the presence of God's holiness and not in the drafty, dark, and lonely halls of sin and fear.

The songs of our lives need to reflect our love and faith in the Savior who died so that we might have eternal life. Praise hymns are wonderful to sing, but much of our deep Spiritual truth and theology can be found in the hymns of old. One of these is "O Worship the King" by Robert Grant.

O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise. . . .
Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.

One Minute Please
When it comes to worship, sometimes we spend so much time on the appetizers that we forget to enjoy the main course.


God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 

The Concept of Divine Control


. . . how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! -Matthew 7:11

Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct in this passage for those people who have His Spirit. He urges us to keep our minds filled with the concept of God's control over everything, which means that a disciple must maintain an attitude of perfect trust and an eagerness to ask and to seek.

Fill your mind with the thought that God is there. And once your mind is truly filled with that thought, when you experience difficulties it will be as easy as breathing for you to remember, "My heavenly Father knows all about this!" This will be no effort at all, but will be a natural thing for you when difficulties and uncertainties arise. Before you formed this concept of divine control so powerfully in your mind, you used to go from person to person seeking help, but now you go to God about it. Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct for those people who have His Spirit, and it works on the following principle: God is my Father, He loves me, and I will never think of anything that He will forget, so why should I worry?

Jesus said there are times when God cannot lift the darkness from you, but you should trust Him. At times God will appear like an unkind friend, but He is not; He will appear like an unnatural father, but He is not; He will appear like an unjust judge, but He is not. Keep the thought that the mind of God is behind all things strong and growing. Not even the smallest detail of life happens unless God's will is behind it. Therefore, you can rest in perfect confidence in Him. Prayer is not only asking, but is an attitude of the mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural. "Ask, and it will be given to you . . ." (Matthew 7:7).


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Waiting on God

To get out of a pit, it's really not complicated.  Psalm 40:1-2 tells us the first step,

I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.  He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.

The first step in getting out of the pit of despair is to cry out to God.  He will hear your cry, and He will bring you up and out.

But His answer is not always instant.  Notice David said, I waited patiently for the Lord.  The answer to his cry wasn't apparent for a while.  If you've spent a long time getting yourself into a mess, it may take some time for your deliverance.

A number of years back I went hunting with a friend.  I was to fly on a little plane into a meadow about 20 miles into the wilderness where he was going to meet me.

For a variety of reasons, I ended up being six hours late to the drop-off point.  My friend wasn't there, so for 20 minutes the pilot of that little plane tried to convince me not to stay.  He said there were mountain lions, grizzly bears, packs of wolves...I would get eaten alive!

He finally left, and at about two in the morning I heard a noise.  It wasn't a grizzly bear; it was my friend with the horses!

I think the devil is like that airplane pilot.  He is always trying to talk us into quitting and giving up.  But we can miss the greatest blessings in our lives when we are not patient.

Cry out to God, He will answer you.  Period!  But be prepared to exercise patience.
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A Pattern for Worship
In His Presence "Even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary" (Hebrews 9:1).

Many of us can remember watching our mothers make dresses when we were children. Patiently, they would cut out a pattern, pin it to the fabric, and then carefully cut out the pieces so they could be sewn together. The pattern was a guideline for something greater-a dress, skirt, pair of slacks, or blouse.

When we plan the construction of a building, we begin with a blueprint as well. It becomes the pattern we follow in building the structure. In fact, anyone who has ever undertaken a building project knows the importance of architectural drawings. The goal in using these is to achieve a greater result.

If you are going to do anything well in this life, you must begin with a design. The same is true of worship. God outlined a precise pattern for Israel to follow in their worship of Him. The nation had witnessed His miraculous deliverance and their release from Egyptian bondage. However, over time they forgot His goodness and waned in their devotion to Him. The pattern He had given them was meant to lead them to a greater, closer relationship with the God of the universe. But they did not understand this principle and strayed.

The same is true for us today. God loves us with an everlasting love and has provided a pattern for our worship. It is one that, if we use it, will guide us into a close, personal relationship with the Savior. We find His pattern for worship in His Word and through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus told His followers, "When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13). The Spirit of God is the one who lays a pattern for us to follow in worship and praise. Ask God to develop within you a heart of devotion to Him. Then you will experience not only the fullness of His blessings but also the outpouring of His delight in your life.

One Minute Please
Worship requires a basic design, but it produces a glorious result-one that leads us straight into the throne room of God

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 

The Miracle of Belief
My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom . . . -1 Corinthians 2:4

Paul was a scholar and an orator of the highest degree; he was not speaking here out of a deep sense of humility, but was saying that when he preached the gospel, he would veil the power of God if he impressed people with the excellency of his speech. Belief in Jesus is a miracle produced only by the effectiveness of redemption, not by impressive speech, nor by wooing and persuading, but only by the sheer unaided power of God. The creative power of redemption comes through the preaching of the gospel, but never because of the personality of the preacher.

Real and effective fasting by a preacher is not fasting from food, but fasting from eloquence, from impressive diction, and from everything else that might hinder the gospel of God being presented. The preacher is there as the representative of God- ". . . as though God were pleading through us . . ." (2 Corinthians 5:20). He is there to present the gospel of God. If it is only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never get close to Jesus Christ. Anything that flatters me in my preaching of the gospel will result in making me a traitor to Jesus, and I prevent the creative power of His redemption from doing its work.

"And I, if I am lifted up. . . , will draw all peoples to Myself" (John 12:32).


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Have You Dug a Pit for Others?

In order to get out of the pits, you need to make sure you haven't dug any pits for others.  Psalm 7:14-16 tells us,

Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.  He made a pit and dug it out, and has fallen into the ditch which he made.  His trouble shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.

Then there is Psalm 9:15-16,

The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; in the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.  The LORD is known by the judgment He executes; the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.

Finally, Psalm 57:6,

They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they have dug a pit before me; into the midst of it they themselves have fallen.

When people dig a pit for somebody else, they end up falling into it themselves.  In fact, Proverbs 26:27 says it most directly,

Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.

Pretty plain, isn't it?  If you are asking God to get you out of a pit, you need to take time to consider if it is a pit of your own construction.  If you have done something to get someone else in trouble-even if you think you are justified in doing it because that person has hurt you-you need to repent.  Until there is repentance, God will not intervene.

God is not going to get you out of your pit while you have a shovel in your hand
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The Privilege of Being in God's Presence

In His Presence: "The Lord has blessed the house of Obededom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God" (2 Samuel 6:12).

In 2 Samuel, we read how David decided to bring the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem. However, he did not move it the way God commanded that it should be transported in Exodus 25. The Levities were commissioned by God to be the ones to carry this important part of Israel's worship. Instead of following what he knew was right, David decided the ark, which represented the very presence of God, would be more secure on a new cart with the Levities walking in front of it. He ignored God's instructions!

Whenever we sidestep what we know is right before the Lord, we end up getting into serious trouble. This situation was no different. David had also ordered an elaborate display for the ark's arrival-all of Israel was to be on hand for the event. However, as the procession crested a small hill, the oxen became upset and the ark started to slide.

Without thinking, Uzzah reached out and touched the ark, and the anger of the Lord burned against him. God struck him down because of his irreverent attitude, and suddenly the celebration came to a halt (2 Samuel 6:7). David was stunned. His plans had failed. So he took God's ark from the threshing floor of Nacon to the house of Obed-edom. It wasn't until three months later that God allowed the ark to be moved to Jerusalem. This time, David got it right and sent the Levities to personally move the ark to its new home.

When it comes to worship, God does not kid around. We may laugh and sway to the music being played in our worship services, but God wants our hearts to reflect the purity and holiness that His Word commands.

As the ark entered Jerusalem, David danced "before the Lord with all his might" (2 Samuel 6:14). This time He knew that he had done what was right from God's perspective rather than his own. Do you limit your worship of God to Sundays or other religious events? If so, you could be moving dangerously toward touching something that God has said for you to keep holy.

One Minute Please
How you handle the things of God goes a long way in determining the character of your worship and whether you will be blessed or cursed.


God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
The Mystery of Believing

He said, "Who are You, Lord? -Acts 9:5

Through the miracle of redemption, Saul of Tarsus was instantly changed from a strong-willed and forceful Pharisee into a humble and devoted bondservant of the Lord Jesus.

There is nothing miraculous or mysterious about the things we can explain. We control what we are able to explain, consequently it is only natural to seek an explanation for everything. It is not natural to obey, yet it is not necessarily sinful to disobey. There can be no real disobedience, nor any moral virtue in obedience, unless a person recognizes the higher authority of the one giving the orders. If this recognition does not exist, even the one giving the orders may view the other person's disobedience as freedom. If one rules another by saying, "You must do this," and, "You will do that," he breaks the human spirit, making it unfit for God. A person is simply a slave for obeying, unless behind his obedience is the recognition of a holy God.

Many people begin coming to God once they stop being religious, because there is only one master of the human heart- Jesus Christ, not religion. But "Woe is me" if after seeing Him I still will not obey (Isaiah 6:5 , also see Isaiah 6:1). Jesus will never insist that I obey, but if I don't,I have already begun to sign the death certificate of the Son of God in my soul. When I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and say, "I will not obey," He will never insist. But when I do this, I am backing away from the recreating power of His redemption. It makes no difference to God's grace what an abomination I am, if I will only come to the light. But "Woe is me" if I refuse the light (seeJohn 3:19-21)
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Are You Rebelling Against Authority?

If you are in the pits, you need to make sure you are not in rebellion against God's established authority, or aligned with those who are.

In Numbers 16 there is an instructive story of Korah and his followers.  They openly confronted Moses and Aaron, and challenged whether they were really God's ordained leaders.

Moses and Aaron were flawed and fallible just like every one of us, but Korah wanted to usurp authority that did not belong to him.

God had placed Moses and Aaron in their position of authority, but Korah tried to undermine that authority and lead people against them.

Look at the result of Korah's rebellion.  Moses is speaking in verses 30 and 31,

"But if the LORD creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the LORD."  Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.

Notice that it was not just Korah who was destroyed.  All those who were aligned with him also went into the pit.

I don't think the ground is going to open up under you if you rebel against the authority that God has set up.  But you may find yourself in an emotional, physical, or financial pit that you cannot get out of until you get the rebellion out of you.

If you are in a pit today, check your heart and make sure you are not in rebellion against God's ordained authority.

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The Light of Worship
In His Presence: "If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship" (1 John 1:7).

In his classic book, The Pursuit of God, pastor and author A. W. Tozer writes:

When we sing, "Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord," we are not thinking of the nearness of place, but of the nearness of relationship. It is for increasing degrees of awareness that we pray, for a more perfect consciousness of the divine Presence. We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts.

Why do some persons "find" God in a way that others do not? . . . Of course, the will of God is the same for all. He has no favorites within His household. All He has ever done for any of His children He will do for all of His children. The difference lies not with God but with us.

In Old Testament times, there was a spiritual distance between the people and God. Before entering His presence, the priests were required to wash ceremonially and offer a sacrifice for their sins. Only after doing this could they enter the temple. Women could only worship in a certain area of the temple. Their husbands could travel a little further toward the altar of God, but the priests were the ones who offered sacrifices for the people. This is not so today.

The coming of Jesus Christ ended this rigid form of worship and tore away the veil that separated God from His people. Today, we are never outside of His presence. Therefore, it is even more important to be sensitive to His holiness and our need for purity.

The Israelites ritually washed in order to be clean before God. However, after Christ's resurrection, they did not understand that the gift of God's grace could live with them and cleanse them completely. Today, we can bow our heads in prayer, ask God to forgive our sins, and be completely assured that He does. We are cleansed-not because we are special but because His Spirit lives within us. Isn't this enough to stir your heart to worship and praise?

One Minute Please

The Word of God cleans you and prepares you for worship, even when you do not know it is at work in your life.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
The Submission of the Believer
You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am -John 13:13

Our Lord never insists on having authority over us. He never says, "You will submit to me." No, He leaves us perfectly free to choose- so free, in fact, that we can spit in His face or we can put Him to death, as others have done; and yet He will never say a word. But once His life has been created in me through His redemption, I instantly recognize His right to absolute authority over me. It is a complete and effective domination, in which I acknowledge that "You are worthy, O Lord . . ." (Revelation 4:11). It is simply the unworthiness within me that refuses to bow down or to submit to one who is worthy. When I meet someone who is more holy than myself, and I don't recognize his worthiness, nor obey his instructions for me, it is a sign of my own unworthiness being revealed. God teaches us by using these people who are a little better than we are; not better intellectually, but more holy. And He continues to do so until we willingly submit. Then the whole attitude of our life is one of obedience to Him.

If our Lord insisted on our obedience, He would simply become a taskmaster and cease to have any real authority. He never insists on obedience, but when we truly see Him we will instantly obey Him. Then He is easily Lord of our life, and we live in adoration of Him from morning till night. The level of my growth in grace is revealed by the way I look at obedience. We should have a much higher view of the word obedience, rescuing it from the mire of the world. Obedience is only possible between people who are equals in their relationship to each other; like the relationship between father and son, not that between master and servant. Jesus showed this relationship by saying, "I and My Father are one" (John 10:30). ". . . though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered" (Hebrews 5:. The Son was obedient as our Redeemer, because He was the Son, not in order to become God's Son.
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Are You Obeying God's Warnings?

The third thing you should check in your life, if indeed you are in the pits, is to make sure you have obeyed God's warnings.

God does warn us, but we must listen to those warnings.  As Job 33:14-18 says,

For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it.  In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds, then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction.  In order to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man, He keeps back his soul from the Pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.

God always tries to warn us to keep us out of the pits and to keep our lives from danger.  And He speaks in many different ways.  Sometimes, as we read here, God will speak to us even through a dream.

As I look at my own life, I can see that I have fallen into pits at various times because I did not listen to God's warnings.  There have been times I have been too busy to perceive the fact that God was talking to me.  It wasn't that God wasn't warning me.  He was.  I just had a bunch of other things going on in my life and was not taking time to listen to Him.

He is always faithful to warn us.   It's just that we are not always faithful to listen.  So if you find yourself in a pit today because you did not heed God's warning, just say, "God, I'm sorry."  Repent.  God will forgive you.  And you will be in the position to receive His deliverance.
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A Love That Will Not Let You Go

In His Presence: "Though He slay me, I will hope in Him" (Job 13:15).

When he was eighteen years old, author and theologian George Matheson went blind. Yet, he continued his studies and entered college where he became an outstanding student. Later, he was ordained as a preacher in the Church of Scotland. Throughout his early years, his sister remained at his side, helping him to study and learn Greek and Hebrew-which added spiritual depth to his writings.

He was, however, destined to suffer an even greater loss. His sister married and he was forced to confront his impending loneliness. A broken marriage engagement in his own life left him questioning God's personal love and divine care.

It was during this period of his life that he wrote a well-known hymn proclaiming the one thing that he believed was still true. God's love for us will never let us go. He writes:

"O Love that wilt not let me go,

I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine's blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be."

Some believe that Matheson wrote these words on the day that his sister was married. He confessed, "Something happened to me on that day, which was known only to myself and which caused me the most severe mental suffering. This hymn was the fruit of that suffering."

Perhaps you have suffered a great loss, and you don't know how you will ever worship God again. Your dreams are shattered and your heart is broken. Worship does not always come as a result of overflowing joy. It also can pour out of a heart that is hurting. After all, it was Job who wrote, "Though He slay me, I will hope in Him" (Job 15:13). God understands, and you can still worship Him because He will never let you go.

One Minute Please
Worship is simply our response to a loving God who refuses to let go of us.


God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
Dependent on God's Presence
Those who wait on the Lord . . . shall walk and not faint -Isaiah 40:31

There is no thrill for us in walking, yet it is the test for all of our steady and enduring qualities. To "walk and not faint" is the highest stretch possible as a measure of strength. The word walk is used in the Bible to express the character of a person- ". . . John . . . looking at Jesus as He walked. . . said, 'Behold the Lamb of God!' " (John 1:35-36). There is nothing abstract or obscure in the Bible; everything is vivid and real. God does not say, "Be spiritual," but He says, "Walk before Me. . ." (Genesis 17:1).

When we are in an unhealthy condition either physically or emotionally, we always look for thrills in life. In our physical life this leads to our efforts to counterfeit the work of the Holy Spirit; in our emotional life it leads to obsessions and to the destruction of our morality; and in our spiritual life, if we insist on pursuing only thrills, on mounting up "with wings like eagles" (Isaiah 40:31), it will result in the destruction of our spirituality.

Having the reality of God's presence is not dependent on our being in a particular circumstance or place, but is only dependent on our determination to keep the Lord before us continually. Our problems arise when we refuse to place our trust in the reality of His presence. The experience the psalmist speaks of- "We will not fear, even though . . ." (Psalm 46:2)- will be ours once we are grounded on the truth of the reality of God's presence, not just a simple awareness of it, but an understanding of the reality of it. Then we will exclaim, "He has been here all the time!" At critical moments in our lives it is necessary to ask God for guidance, but it should be unnecessary to be constantly saying, "Oh, Lord, direct me in this, and in that." Of course He will, and in fact, He is doing it already! If our everyday decisions are not according to His will, He will press through them, bringing restraint to our spirit. Then we must be quiet and wait for the direction of His presence.
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The Pit of Immorality

In the last several devotionals, we have discovered a variety of ways to get out of the pits.  Today, I want you to focus on something that is an increasing problem in the Church today.  Immorality.

Solomon tells us in Proverbs 22:14,



The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; he who is abhorred by the LORD will fall there.

And he says in Proverbs 23:27,

For a harlot is a deep pit, and a seductress is a narrow well.

Immorality is a deep pit.  A pit that is difficult to get out of once you have gotten yourself into it.  Not only do you get physically involved with another, there is an emotional entanglement that is not that easy to get out of.

Solomon also says immorality is a narrow well.  It is binding, restrictive, and it suffocates your spiritual life.  If you are seeking God for deliverance while continuing to engage in immoral behavior, your effort is fruitless.

If you are in the pits today because of an immoral relationship, you must cut off that relationship before seeking God's deliverance.  If you will ask God for help after you have repented and cut off that relationship, He will help you beyond anything you could imagine.

God is a merciful God.  And He has the ability to work something for good even in a situation like this.  If you are truly repentant and broken, God can do something good.

God is the only One who can break something and make it more valuable.  I break things, and they lose their value.  But when God breaks something, it becomes more valuable.

If you are in an immoral relationship, stop it, repent, and He will forgive you, and bring you out of your pit.
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Are You Shouting?
In His Presence: "Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones" (Psalm 33:1).

Shirley Caesar sings a song entitled "Hold My Mule." Itis a song about a man who was called Shouting John because he loved to worship God. The problem was that he ended up going to a city church whose members did not appreciate his form of worship. However, this did not stop John. When he felt the Spirit move, he shouted all over the church.

It wasn't long before he had irritated some of the members, and the deacons decided they needed to have a talk with Shouting John. Standing in one of John's fields-where the old man had been plowing with his mule-they explained why he could not continue his antics. "We're a quiet church," one of the men said, "and you can't be doing all this."

Shouting John listened for a moment, and then he said, "Just a minute. Look out there." He pointed to his fields. "You see all that land? I'm a [former] slave; I'm not supposed to have anything. Yet, I got all this land. Whenever I see that land or think about it, Shouting John gotta shout!"

He paused a moment and then continued, "Look at my chillen. All my chillen are alive. All my chillen are saved. All my chillen are doing fine. Whenever Shouting John thinks about the goodness of God to his chillen, Shouting John gotta shout!"

Then he said, "I get up every morning when the rooster crows and Shouting John get on the back of this mule, and it pulls that plow so Shouting John will have food all year long. When I think about God giving Shouting John a mule and the strength to plow when he is 85 years old, Shouting John gotta shout!" It was then that Shouting John turned to one of the deacons and said, "Hold my mule, I feel a shout coming on."

When we realize where God has brought us from and the plans He has for our future, we will want to shout and never stop!

One Minute Please

The thing that determines whether or not a person is a true worshiper of Jesus Christ is the gratitude that overflows from his or her heart.


God bless

[Judy Harder]

July 23, 2012

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 

Sanctification
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us . . . sanctification . . . -1 Corinthians 1:30

The Life Side. The mystery of sanctification is that the perfect qualities of Jesus Christ are imparted as a gift to me, not gradually, but instantly once I enter by faith into the realization that He "became for [me] . . . sanctification . . . ." Sanctification means nothing less than the holiness of Jesus becoming mine and being exhibited in my life.

The most wonderful secret of living a holy life does not lie in imitating Jesus, but in letting the perfect qualities of Jesus exhibit themselves in my human flesh. Sanctification is "Christ in you . . ." (Colossians 1:27). It is His wonderful life that is imparted to me in sanctification- imparted by faith as a sovereign gift of God's grace. Am I willing for God to make sanctification as real in me as it is in His Word?

Sanctification means the impartation of the holy qualities of Jesus Christ to me. It is the gift of His patience, love, holiness, faith, purity, and godliness that is exhibited in and through every sanctified soul. Sanctification is not drawing from Jesus the power to be holy- it is drawing from Jesus the very holiness that was exhibited in Him, and that He now exhibits in me. Sanctification is an impartation, not an imitation. Imitation is something altogether different. The perfection of everything is in Jesus Christ, and the mystery of sanctification is that all the perfect qualities of Jesus are at my disposal. Consequently, I slowly but surely begin to live a life of inexpressible order, soundness, and holiness- ". . . kept by the power of God . . ." (1 Peter 1:5).


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Falling into Crisis

In 1 Kings we have the story of the prophet Elijah.  In chapter 18, we see a great victory over the priests of Baal, an incredible victory that demonstrated the power of the one true God for all to see.

In the next chapter, we see Elijah on the run (1 Kings 19:1-3),

And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword.  Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time."  And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

How could Elijah, a prophet of God who had been used in such a powerful way, now be on the run?  (He eventually even became suicidal.)  While there are a number of things we could look at, I want to give you one truth today to consider.

After any great spiritual victory, it is always wise to keep your armor on.  Over and over, there are examples of tremendous trials and temptations after great victories.

King David, after God had supernaturally spoken to him, fell morally, and committed adultery with Bathsheba.  Or there is Samson who, after God used him to bring great deliverance, got messed up with Delilah.  Then there is Jesus who, after being with the Father on the mount of transfiguration, came to the bottom of the mountain and was met by a demon-possessed boy.

Sometimes we are the most vulnerable after the highest and brightest times we have with God.  So today, let me encourage you to always keep your armor on (see Ephesians 6:11).

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At the Savior's Feet

In His Presence "I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but [this woman] has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair" (Luke 7:44).

It was customary for the master of the house to provide water at the door so that those who entered could wash their dusty feet. Simon, a Pharisee, had obviously overlooked this important detail. However, the Savior used this oversight as a point to teach His disciples an important lesson about God's forgiveness, grace, and personal worship.

A woman who was a prostitute had been waiting for the right moment to express her devotion to God. We are not told how she got into Simon's house, only that she suddenly began to worship at the feet of the Savior, and every man in the room was aware of it. Without hesitation, she bowed before the Lord and broke the seal on a priceless bottle of perfumed oil. Obviously, she had heard Him teach at some point in the past and had repented of her sin. Nothing is so sweet to the Savior as the fragrance of our repentance.

This was her opportunity to say thank you to God for what He had done in her life. The perfumed oil she poured over His feet was very costly. Yet, Jesus did not stop her from worshiping Him or question where she had gotten the money to buy such an expensive gift. He knew her actions where motivated by pure devotion to God. He also realized that it was a steep sacrifice and something that she would remember for the rest of her life.

Though she did not know it, she was anointing the Savior for his burial. Simon, however, did not even offer a simple pan of water so Jesus could wash His feet. Instead, the Pharisee acted in a typically legalistic fashion. He questioned why Jesus would allow such a display of affection to happen, especially knowing that this woman was a sinner.

God is not ashamed to be with us. This woman fell at Christ's feet knowing that He had forgiven her many sins. She was there to worship Him. And today is the day that you can do the same.

One Minute Please
When you realize the grace of God that has been given to you, you will bow down before Him.


July 24, 2012

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     

His Nature and Our Motives

. . . unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven -Matthew 5:20

The characteristic of a disciple is not that he does good things, but that he is good in his motives, having been made good by the supernatural grace of God. The only thing that exceeds right-doing is right-being. Jesus Christ came to place within anyone who would let Him a new heredity that would have a righteousness exceeding that of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus is saying, "If you are My disciple, you must be right not only in your actions, but also in your motives, your aspirations, and in the deep recesses of the thoughts of your mind." Your motives must be so pure that God Almighty can see nothing to rebuke. Who can stand in the eternal light of God and have nothing for Him to rebuke? Only the Son of God, and Jesus Christ claims that through His redemption He can place within anyone His own nature and make that person as pure and as simple as a child. The purity that God demands is impossible unless I can be remade within, and that is exactly what Jesus has undertaken to do through His redemption.

No one can make himself pure by obeying laws. Jesus Christ does not give us rules and regulations- He gives us His teachings which are truths that can only be interpreted by His nature which He places within us. The great wonder of Jesus Christ's salvation is that He changes our heredity. He does not change human nature- He changes its source, and thereby its motives as well
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The Power of Zero

Perhaps you are in a very stressful time in your life right now, and you feel you can't go on.  I want you to know that you are not alone.  In fact, some of the greatest men and women of God have gone through what you are going through right now.

One of those individuals is the prophet Elijah whom I mentioned in yesterday's devotional.  After a great spiritual victory over the priests of Baal, we find him on the run, wondering whether life is even worth it.

We catch the story in 1 Kings 19:4-6,

But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree.  And he prayed that he might die, and said, "It is enough!  Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!"  Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, "Arise and eat."  Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water.  So he ate and drank, and lay down again.

Elijah had reached that "zero" place in his life.  There was nothing left.  He had given it all and the tank was empty.

Maybe that describes you right now, you are on the verge of quitting.  You figure, "I've had enough.  I'm done.  Enough pressures, enough hassles, I cannot ride this thing out anymore.  My strength is gone!"

Well, did you notice that when Elijah was at the end of his strength, that was when God intervened?  Being out of strength, being at zero, is not a bad place to be. If you will look to God, He is prepared to meet you in your moment of need.


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Let the Waters Flow

In His Presence: Psalm 19:14

"Jesus stood and cried out, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, "From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water." ' But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified"(John 7:37-39).

We know God wants Christians to grow. Spiritual growth takes place deep down inside us. It comes from the Holy Spirit, whose job is to make the "waters flow." However, most Christians have a home improvement mentality, where we depend on ourselves to produce the development we know we ought to have. But if we could do it ourselves, we wouldn't need the Holy Spirit. The assumption of the work of the Holy Spirit is that we can't do it ourselves. Just as air enables a horn to make a sound, or wind enables a sailboat to move, the Holy Spirit enables the spiritual life to work.

Many Christians do not realize what they have within them. If we were riding on a bus and it broke down, we would all look pretty foolish if we got out to push the bus while Clark Kent was sitting inside it. Christians tend to want to row themselves to spiritual progress. We row and row until we are so tired that we want to give up. But God wants us to use the speedboat with the motor, and He provides it for us.

One Minute Please

Without the power of the Holy Spirit, there would be no spiritual progress.





God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
Am I Blessed Like This?
Blessed are . . . -Matthew 5:3-11

When we first read the statements of Jesus, they seem wonderfully simple and unstartling, and they sink unnoticed into our subconscious minds. For instance, the Beatitudes initially seem to be merely soothing and beautiful precepts for overly spiritual and seemingly useless people, but of very little practical use in the rigid, fast-paced workdays of the world in which we live. We soon find, however, that the Beatitudes contain the "dynamite" of the Holy Spirit. And they "explode" when the circumstances of our lives cause them to do so. When the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance one of the Beatitudes, we say, "What a startling statement that is!" Then we must decide whether or not we will accept the tremendous spiritual upheaval that will be produced in our circumstances if we obey His words. That is the way the Spirit of God works. We do not need to be born again to apply the Sermon on the Mount literally. The literal interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount is as easy as child's play. But the interpretation by the Spirit of God as He applies our Lord's statements to our circumstances is the strict and difficult work of a saint.

The teachings of Jesus are all out of proportion when compared to our natural way of looking at things, and they come to us initially with astonishing discomfort. We gradually have to conform our walk and conversation to the precepts of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit applies them to our circumstances. The Sermon on the Mount is not a set of rules and regulations- it is a picture of the life we will live when the Holy Spirit is having His unhindered way with us.
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Your Weakness, God's Power

2 Corinthians 12:9 is a powerful reminder of God's provision for you and me when we reach the end of our strength.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

When Paul wrote these words, he was being harassed everywhere he went by an evil spirit that he referred to as "a thorn in the flesh."  It was a messenger sent from Satan to buffet him, to constantly harass him.

The constant harassment of this spirit finally got to him, and he begged God three times to take it away.  Paul was clearly at the end of his rope.

But, even though Paul prayed for God's intervention three times, the spirit did not depart.  And God's response to Paul was the verse we read above.  His strength is made perfect in weakness.

What does perfect mean?  It means that His power comes to full maturity...it blossoms...it is fully expressed in our weakness.

What was Paul's response?  He went on to say in verses 9-10 of that same chapter,

Therefore most gladly I would rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions and distresses for Christ's sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.

It seems that sometimes we have to get to the end of ourselves before we will look fully to God.  But when we do, we find that He is more than enough.  If you are there today or close to that point, take hold of God's strength.

Put your trust in Him.  He will bring you to the place of your breakthrough, and you will find the strength and direction you need.
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The Person of the Holy Spirit

In His Presence: John 14:16-29

Our God is a triune Being, three Persons in One. The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Spirit. They are distinct from one another in Their personhood, but They are one in their essence. They are like pretzels, which have three holes but are all tied together by the same dough. The Three are distinct in their functions, but They are essentially one God.



God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
The Way to Purity
Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart . . . . For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man . . . -Matthew 15:18-20

Initially we trust in our ignorance, calling it innocence, and next we trust our innocence, calling it purity. Then when we hear these strong statements from our Lord, we shrink back, saying, "But I never felt any of those awful things in my heart." We resent what He reveals. Either Jesus Christ is the supreme authority on the human heart, or He is not worth paying any attention to. Am I prepared to trust the penetration of His Word into my heart, or would I prefer to trust my own "innocent ignorance"? If I will take an honest look at myself, becoming fully aware of my so-called innocence and putting it to the test, I am very likely to have a rude awakening that what Jesus Christ said is true, and I will be appalled at the possibilities of the evil and the wrong within me. But as long as I remain under the false security of my own "innocence," I am living in a fool's paradise. If I have never been an openly rude and abusive person, the only reason is my own cowardice coupled with the sense of protection I receive from living a civilized life. But when I am open and completely exposed before God, I find that Jesus Christ is right in His diagnosis of me.

The only thing that truly provides protection is the redemption of Jesus Christ. If I will simply hand myself over to Him, I will never have to experience the terrible possibilities that lie within my heart. Purity is something far too deep for me to arrive at naturally. But when the Holy Spirit comes into me, He brings into the center of my personal life the very Spirit that was exhibited in the life of Jesus Christ, namely, the Holy Spirit, which is absolute unblemished purity.
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Lightening the Load

When we get into the storms of life, it is often difficult to know what to do.  It can feel like the noise of our troubles drowns out everything else.

In Acts 27 we find the apostle Paul caught in the midst of a horrible storm.  The ship was being tossed all over the place, and the situation was becoming quite serious.

Embedded in this story is a spiritual truth that can guide you and me when we get caught in the storms of life.  It is found in verses 18-19,

And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship.  On the third day we threw the ship's tackle overboard with our own hands.

Notice that when the storm got bad and threatened to capsize the ship, they lightened the load.

Sometimes in a storm you need to throw some things overboard.  In fact, it is a great time to evaluate any baggage that you are carrying in your life.  There are some things that may not be a sin to you, but they are a weight to you.

One of the things you need to carefully evaluate is your relationships.  There are some relationships you need to cut loose because they are hanging you up, holding you back, and they are hindering you from getting to where God wants you to go.

Or maybe it's something as simple as too much TV.  Watching TV may not be a sin, but it can sure be a weight!  It can sure be a hindrance to you hearing from God, especially when you are in a time of crisis.

If you really want to hear from God and get yourself unstuck, lighten your ship.
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Filled with the Holy Spirit

In His Presence: Psalm 63:1

"Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord"(Ephesians 5:18-19).

Jesus tells His disciples that the Holy Spirit "abides with you and will be in you" (John 14:17). But how do we engage this personal Helper? How does His power become real for us? We are to become filled with the Spirit; another way to express this is to be full of Him. When a person drinks too much liquor, they become intoxicated. When a person is drunk, they are under the influence of the drink. The alcohol dictates the agenda. They don't get drunk by looking at the liquor or talking about it. They drink it. The more they drink, the more drunk they get.

God tells us that it is like that with the Holy Spirit. To see the Helper develop us, He must have control. We must come under the influence of the Holy Spirit. We must become full of Him. So how do we drink the Holy Spirit? Remember, the Holy Spirit is a spirit, not a being we can see. He functions in the spiritual world, so that's what we drink-spiritual worship. The Holy Spirit fills up the environment that is filled with worship-songs, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with our hearts to the Lord.

One Minute Please
Worship fuels us with the Holy Spirit's presence, operating in us to engage the new nature.


God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
 
The Way to Knowledge

If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine . . . -John 7:17

The golden rule to follow to obtain spiritual understanding is not one of intellectual pursuit, but one of obedience. If a person wants scientific knowledge, then intellectual curiosity must be his guide. But if he desires knowledge and insight into the teachings of Jesus Christ, he can only obtain it through obedience. If spiritual things seem dark and hidden to me, then I can be sure that there is a point of disobedience somewhere in my life. Intellectual darkness is the result of ignorance, but spiritual darkness is the result of something that I do not intend to obey.

No one ever receives a word from God without instantly being put to the test regarding it. We disobey and then wonder why we are not growing spiritually. Jesus said, "If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23-24). He is saying, in essence, "Don't say another word to me; first be obedient by making things right." The teachings of Jesus hit us where we live. We cannot stand as impostors before Him for even one second. He instructs us down to the very last detail. The Spirit of God uncovers our spirit of self-vindication and makes us sensitive to things that we have never even thought of before.

When Jesus drives something home to you through His Word, don't try to evade it. If you do, you will become a religious impostor. Examine the things you tend simply to shrug your shoulders about, and where you have refused to be obedient, and you will know why you are not growing spiritually. As Jesus said, "First . . . go . . .." Even at the risk of being thought of as fanatical, you must obey what God tells you.


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Rest

In the last several devotionals, we have looked at how we respond to the storms of life.  Today and tomorrow we will look at two more principles for handling life when the storms hit.

Today, I want to go back to the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19.  In verses 5-6 we read,

Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, "Arise and eat."  Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water.  So he ate and drank, and lay down again.

Notice that in the midst of his crisis, Elijah rested and ate.  He took care of his body.

Some of the crises you experience come because you are sleep deprived and you don't eat right.  And you know what?  Your body, your soul, and your spirit are all tied together.  What you do to one affects the other two.  It affects the whole.

We are intricately woven together.  And the wisest thing you can do when you get into a crisis is just give your body a rest, because it affects every other part of your life.

When you are exhausted and physically weak, it is easy for everything to be blown out of proportion.  When you are tired, it can look like your whole world is falling apart when it really is not.  It is like Mark Twain said, "I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened."

You and I do need to rest.  If you are in the midst of a storm today, make sure not to neglect the rest you need.
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Keep Your Tank Full
In His Presence: Psalm 27:14

"Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand" - (Psalm 95:6-7).

Most Christians view worship as an event instead of a lifestyle. But our day of worship is not supposed to replace our weekday and weekend worship. Sunday is supposed to launch us into our week of worship. Worship is meant to be a lifestyle, not an event.

To be filled with the Holy Spirit and with a heart full of worship for our great God and King, we must be like a car pulling up to a filling station to receive a full tank of gasoline. Once we are filled up, do we park our vehicle and sit there the rest of the week? No, we go to a filling station to get what we need to leave the station. We have a destination and need full tanks to get there.

A problem occurs when we leave the station. As soon as we walk out of our Sunday worship, people begin to burn up that fuel inside them. Our mates, children, and work burn it up. When we leave our church, we are full of God's presence and glory from our time in corporate worship. But Satan's job is to burn up that fuel. The worst thing we can do is to wait until next Sunday to worship. We need to drink continually to stay filled.

One Minute Please

What we do on Sunday must become a way of life to remain filled with the Holy Spirit.


God bless