Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
   

The Vision and The Reality

. . . to those who are . . . called to be saints . . . -1 Corinthians 1:2

Thank God for being able to see all that you have not yet been. You have had the vision, but you are not yet to the reality of it by any means. It is when we are in the valley, where we prove whether we will be the choice ones, that most of us turn back. We are not quite prepared for the bumps and bruises that must come if we are going to be turned into the shape of the vision. We have seen what we are not, and what God wants us to be, but are we willing to be battered into the shape of the vision to be used by God? The beatings will always come in the most common, everyday ways and through common, everyday people.

There are times when we do know what God's purpose is; whether we will let the vision be turned into actual character depends on us, not on God. If we prefer to relax on the mountaintop and live in the memory of the vision, then we will be of no real use in the ordinary things of which human life is made. We have to learn to live in reliance upon what we saw in the vision, not simply live in ecstatic delight and conscious reflection upon God. This means living the realities of our lives in the light of the vision until the truth of the vision is actually realized in us. Every bit of our training is in that direction. Learn to thank God for making His demands known.

Our little "I am" always sulks and pouts when God says do. Let your little "I am" be shriveled up in God's wrath and indignation-"I AM WHO I AM . . . has sent me to you" (Exodus 3:14). He must dominate. Isn't it piercing to realize that God not only knows where we live, but also knows the gutters into which we crawl! He will hunt us down as fast as a flash of lightning. No human being knows human beings as God does.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Proof Your Marriage with Positive Affirmation



The first way to affair-proof your marriage is to season your marriage with affirming communication.

In Song of Solomon 7:1-6 we read of how Solomon affirmed his bride,

How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O prince's daughter!  The curves of your thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a skillful workman.  Your navel is a rounded goblet; it lacks no blended beverage.  Your waist is a heap of wheat set about with lilies.  Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle.  Your neck is like an ivory tower, your eyes like the pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bath Rabbim.  Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus.  Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel, and the hair of your head is like purple; a king is held captive by your tresses.  How fair and how pleasant you are, O love, with your delights!

Solomon knew it was vital for him to compliment his bride's body, because, as you read in chapter 1, it is evident that it was an area of insecurity for her.

This Shulamite was a country girl.  She said, "Do not look on me for I am dark."  She was tan from working out in the vineyards.  And compared with the fair-skinned, pampered ladies of the court, she felt very insecure.

So Solomon very wisely builds her up in the area where she feels most insecure.

Speak affirming words to your mate rather than tear him or her down.  If your spouse is starved for positive affirmation, and it does not come from you, it opens a door of temptation.  The devil will send someone to give insincere compliments, and if a person is starved for it, they gravitate towards it.

Praise one another lavishly.  It is an important thing to do


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

Blessed are the Pure in Heart

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

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

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

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



God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
   

Coming to Jesus


Come to Me . . . -Matthew 11:28

Isn't it humiliating to be told that we must come to Jesus! Think of the things about which we will not come to Jesus Christ. If you want to know how real you are, test yourself by these words- "Come to Me . . . ." In every dimension in which you are not real, you will argue or evade the issue altogether rather than come; you will go through sorrow rather than come; and you will do anything rather than come the last lap of the race of seemingly unspeakable foolishness and say, "Just as I am, I come." As long as you have even the least bit of spiritual disrespect, it will always reveal itself in the fact that you are expecting God to tell you to do something very big, and yet all He is telling you to do is to "Come . . . ."

"Come to Me . . . ." When you hear those words, you will know that something must happen in you before you can come. The Holy Spirit will show you what you have to do, and it will involve anything that will uproot whatever is preventing you from getting through to Jesus. And you will never get any further until you are willing to do that very thing. The Holy Spirit will search out that one immovable stronghold within you, but He cannot budge it unless you are willing to let Him do so.

How often have you come to God with your requests and gone away thinking, "I've really received what I wanted this time!" And yet you go away with nothing, while all the time God has stood with His hands outstretched not only to take you but also for you to take Him. Just think of the invincible, unconquerable, and untiring patience of Jesus, who lovingly says, "Come to Me. . . ."


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

Affair-Proof Your Marriage Through Intimacy

In the last two devotionals, we have learned that we can affair-proof our marriages through positive affirmation and companionship.  The third way to affair-proof your marriage is by making intimacy a priority.     

Let me take you back to the Scripture we read yesterday, Song of Solomon 7:10-13,

I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.  Come, my beloved, let us go forth to the field; let us lodge in the villages.  Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine has budded, whether the grape blossoms are open, and the pomegranates are in bloom.  There I will give you my love.  The mandrakes give off a fragrance, and at our gates are pleasant fruits, all manner, new and old, which I have laid up for you, my beloved.

These verses paint a beautiful picture of intimacy between a husband and wife.  Couples need to have physical intimacy.  In fact, the New Testament commands the husband and wife not to deprive one another except by mutual consent, and then only if they are going to fast and pray.

So how do you create an atmosphere of intimacy?  It starts with affirming your spouse.  Notice that Solomon has been affirming his wife, complimenting her, building her up.

Now guys, you need to understand that women are wired differently than you.  In order for a woman to be intimate, she needs to speak and be spoken to.  You have to create an atmosphere for intimacy.

For most husbands, they just catch a glimpse of their wife in the shower and they are ready to go.  But for women, it starts differently than that.  She is aroused by words, sincere words, and it usually starts around breakfast time.

Take time today to create an atmosphere of intimacy.  If you do, you will be on your way to experiencing true intimacy, as we will see in tomorrow's devotional.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
God Used Rahab, "the Harlot"

Scripture Reading: Joshua 2

Rahab was a lady of the evening.  She was known as "Rahab, the prostitute," yet her name is included both in the Gospel of Matthew's genealogy of Jesus and the book of Hebrew's "Hall of Faith."  Her story demonstrates the power of faith to transform lives and overcome difficult circumstances.

Rahab lived at the wall of Jericho, and when the two Hebrew spies stayed at her house, she placed her trust in the protection of their God.  She'd heard the stories of the God of Israel, and she chose to appeal to His goodness instead of giving in to the threats of Jericho's ruler.  Because of her faith, she was adopted into the people of God and she became a symbol of remarkable faith.

Not only did Rahab's faith change her life, but it moved God to protect everyone in her family and household when Jericho was destroyed.  One woman's faith changed an entire family's destiny.



God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
   

Building on the Atonement

. . . present . . . your members as instruments of righteousness to God -Romans 6:13

I cannot save and sanctify myself; I cannot make atonement for sin; I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what is wrong, purify what is impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the sovereign work of God. Do I have faith in what Jesus Christ has done? He has made the perfect atonement for sin. Am I in the habit of constantly realizing it? The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe things. The redemption of Christ is not an experience, it is the great act of God which He has performed through Christ, and I have to build my faith on it. If I construct my faith on my own experience, I produce the most unscriptural kind of life- an isolated life, with my eyes focused solely on my own holiness. Beware of that human holiness that is not based on the atonement of the Lord. It has no value for anything except a life of isolation- it is useless to God and a nuisance to man. Measure every kind of experience you have by our Lord Himself. We cannot do anything pleasing to God unless we deliberately build on the foundation of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.

The atonement of Jesus must be exhibited in practical, unassuming ways in my life. Every time I obey, the absolute deity of God is on my side, so that the grace of God and my natural obedience are in perfect agreement. Obedience means that I have completely placed my trust in the atonement, and my obedience is immediately met by the delight of the supernatural grace of God.

Beware of the human holiness that denies the reality of the natural life- it is a fraud. Continually bring yourself to the trial or test of the atonement and ask, "Where is the discernment of the atonement in this, and in that?"


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

Affair-Proof Your Marriage Through Intimacy-Part 2

Yesterday we learned the first step in experiencing intimacy in marriage...by creating an atmosphere for that intimacy.  Today, I want us to see the results of that deliberate effort.

As we mentioned yesterday, Solomon has been complimenting his wife and affirming her.  Look at her response to that affirmation in Song of Solomon 7:10,

I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.

She is digging it!  She is saying, "He really loves me!"  Solomon's affirmation of his bride has created this atmosphere of intimacy.  And look what she says next in verse 11,

Come, my beloved, let us go forth to the field; let us lodge in the villages.

She is grabbing Solomon's hand and saying, "Let's get a hotel room!"  Then there are verses 12-13,

Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine has budded, whether the grape blossoms are open, and the pomegranates are in bloom.  There I will give you my love.  The mandrakes give off a fragrance, and at our gates are pleasant fruits, all manner, new and old, which I have laid up for you, my beloved.

Friend, catch what is going on.  Solomon has affirmed his wife saying, "Honey, you are beautiful!  I am so glad I married you.  I married out of my league.  You are wonderful.  Your body is great.  I am so happy!"

Her response?  "Wow, he loves me.  I'll tell you what, let's go away and have a little love vacation.  Let's take a few days off."  That is enough to get any husband inspired to rent a hotel room!

If you want to affair-proof your marriage, make intimacy a priority!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
God Used Jacob, "the Liar"

Scripture Reading: Genesis 25:26-34 

The name "Jacob" means deceiver. Jacob was crafty, tricky and skilled in the ways of manipulation.  He was the kind of person who had big dreams and ambitions and was always looking for an angle.  He wanted a blessing.

The Bible's reference to "blessing" describes the transfer of divine favor and authority.  To be blessed means that we receive from God something that we have no ability to generate on our own.  However, the only way we can get that kind of blessing is through brokenness . . . the realization that our self-sufficiency, our willpower and our talents are not enough.



Jacob learned this the hard way. He got his blessing, but it was more than he bargained for.  God blessed him by wrestling with him, shaping his character and changing his name from deceiver to Israel, which means "wrestles with God."  Jacob realized that the blessing was about more than what he got; it was about passing this blessing on to the next generation.  You'll be ready to receive the blessing of God when you realize it's about what you give to others, not just what God gives to you

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
   

How Will I Know?


Jesus answered and said, 'I thank You, Father . . . that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes' -Matthew 11:25

We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step- we either have a relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin- "But if we walk in the light," we are cleansed "from all sin" (1 John 1:7). It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly perfected. But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again.

All of God's revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Let God's truth work into you by immersing yourself in it, not by worrying into it. The only way you can get to know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as sunlight. Don't say, "I suppose I will understand these things someday!" You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming one of the "wise and prudent." "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know . . ." (John 7:17).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Eighth Commandment of Marriage:  Be a Person of Integrity

Exodus 20:15 gives us the eighth commandment for marriage,

You shall not steal.

You may be wondering how stealing applies to marriage.  Simple.  Not to steal is to be a person of integrity.

If you are always cheating or cutting corners, it will be hard for your spouse to respect you.  Your uprightness should make your marriage partner feel proud.  Your spouse and your family ought to testify of your integrity.  This is really one of the things at the heart of a good marriage.

If you are married to somebody, and you know they cheat their customers, it is just hard to respect that person.  You cannot respect someone who does not have integrity.

This is a big issue that many people fly right by.  But it is vital to a healthy and vibrant marriage because it is hard to fully give yourself to someone who does not have integrity.

If you find that your spouse is holding back, if you feel like he or she does not respect you, take a look inside and see if you are compromising with your integrity.  Do you cheat on your taxes?  Do you tell that "little white lie" to protect yourself or gain an advantage?

Do you represent yourself one way, when in fact in your heart you believe something totally different?  Are you like the man Solomon speaks of in Proverbs 23:7?

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.  "Eat and drink!" he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

If this is an issue in your life, take it to God today.  He will help you become the person of integrity He desires you to be.  And when you do, you will find your spouse will come to respect you, and your marriage will be strengthened!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
God Used Samson, "the Player"

Scripture Reading: Judges 13 

Samson was every woman's dream and every man's nightmare.  He had supernatural strength, heroic bravery and the fighting spirit of a warrior. God gave him these gifts because his parents dedicated him to the Lord from his birth.  In time, Samson's love for women caused him to compromise his call.  When he lost his purity, he also lost the strength and power that God had given him.  Chasing the pleasures of the world left him powerless, defeated and humiliated.

However, in his  brokenness at the end of his life Samson rediscovered the call God had given  him to liberate his people. When he used  the blessings of God to serve others he changed history.

Don't chase the pleasures of the world but dedicate your life to serving God and others.  No matter where you are, it's not too late.  When you realize God's purpose for your life isn't just about you, He will use you in a mighty way.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
   

God's Silence- Then What?



When He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was -John 11:6
Has God trusted you with His silence- a silence that has great meaning? God's silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any further without them, but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible- with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him- He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes. The actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God's sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you may have said, "I asked God to give me bread, but He gave me a stone instead" (see Matthew 7:9). He did not give you a stone, and today you find that He gave you the "bread of life" (John 6:35).

A wonderful thing about God's silence is that His stillness is contagious- it gets into you, causing you to become perfectly confident so that you can honestly say, "I know that God has heard me." His silence is the very proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will always bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of His silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, then He will give you the first sign of His intimacy- silence.


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

The Ninth Commandment of Marriage:  Be Truthful

The ninth commandment for marriage speaks to the heart of any marriage, trust.  It is found in Exodus 20:16,

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."

Someone who would lie about their neighbor, for whatever reason, is not going to make a good marriage partner.  Honesty and trust are at the heart of a good marriage.

If you take advantage of people for your own gain, speaking untruthfully to get ahead, you are not a person to be trusted.  And you ultimately are the loser.

I am reminded of the guy who was in a fender bender, and he feigned an injury, pretended like he hurt his arm and his shoulder.  As a result, the poor little lady who had run into his car was subjected to a truly horrible situation.  She was grilled by attorneys, had to give depositions, and ended up in court.

But this guy continued trying to take her for all she was worth.  He didn't care because he knew she had money.  He didn't care if she had to give up her house.  He was looking at an opportunity to get rich.

The attorney for the lady's insurance company put him on the stand and said, "I would like to know, since the accident, since you injured your arm and your shoulder, how far can you now raise your arm?"

With great pain etched on his face, he said, "Well...'bout here.  That's it.  Just to here."  Then the attorney asked, "Well, how far could you lift it before the accident?"  The guy responded, raising his arm with ease, "I could lift it up to here."

Needless to say, he lost.

Anyone who is not truthful will ultimately lose.  And if your spouse will lie to someone else, he or she will lie to you.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Authority of Christ over Circumstances

You may never have to feed 5,000 people like Jesus did in the story in Mark 6, but you may still experience seemingly impossible situations.  Remember these seven keys as you trust in Christ to overcome the insurmountable circumstances in your life.

- Rest and prepare yourself for God's service.
- Make sure you have a compassionate attitude. 
- Remember that God is interested in building His Kingdom through your situations. 
- Live so that non-believers can see Jesus through for you.
- Always give thanks for what God has given you, so He can use you to bless others.   
- Trust God during the impossible circumstances of life.   
- Remember that He works through weak things to make miraculous things.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
   

Getting into God's Stride



Enoch walked with God . . . -Genesis 5:24

The true test of a person's spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person's worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight (seeJohn 1:35-37 and John 3:30). It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him- it means getting your second wind spiritually. In learning to walk with God, there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride, but once we have done so, the only characteristic that exhibits itself is the very life of God Himself. The individual person is merged into a personal oneness with God, and God's stride and His power alone are exhibited.

It is difficult to get into stride with God, because as soon as we start walking with Him we find that His pace has surpassed us before we have even taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways. It was said of Jesus- "He will not fail nor be discouraged . . ." (Isaiah 42:4) because He never worked from His own individual standpoint, but always worked from the standpoint of His Father. And we must learn to do the same. Spiritual truth is learned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning. It is God's Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and then things begin to be possible which before were impossible. Getting into God's stride means nothing less than oneness with Him. It takes a long time to get there, but keep at it. Don't give up because the pain is intense right now- get on with it, and before long you will find that you have a new vision and a new purpose.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Tenth Commandment of Marriage:  Be Content with What You Have

Today we come to the final commandment for marriage. That commandment is based on the tenth commandment given to the nation of Israel in Exodus 20:17,

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."

This command is very direct.  Do not covet.  Don't be discontent with what you have.  Do not make what you don't have the focus of your life.  Accentuate what you do have and what God has blessed you and your spouse with.

You do this by celebrating your husband's or wife's strengths and giftings rather than thinking, "Oh, I wish he was this way," or, "I wish she had that."

If Janet compared me to her brothers, I would be in big trouble.  Her brothers are these "Mr. Fix-It" guys who can do anything mechanical.  If you are with me and our car breaks down on a desolate road, we are going to be in some serious trouble.  I can pray, but do not expect me to fix the car.

Her brothers are another story.  One just built a house from the ground up; and if anything mechanical breaks down, he can fix it.

While I am not a Mr. Fix-It, there are other things I am good at.  I am so grateful that Janet wants to pull those out of me and give wings to those gifts.  And I want to do the same thing for her.

You will always get into trouble if you think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.  Just water your own grass.  Because on the other side of the fence, it's just Astroturf anyway.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Authority of Christ over Satan

Scripture Reading: 1 John 5:1-20 

The Bible says that God tempts no man to sin (James 1:13).  Whenever you sin, don't blame God.  God never tempts us, but He does tests us.  Do you understand the difference?

Testing is designed to validate your victory in Christ.  Temptation is Satan's attempt to defeat you spiritually.  Ironically, the test and the temptation can be the same event.  God can use something - a circumstance, a situation, a problem - that is a test.  Yet Satan is using it as a temptation.

Your response can be a testimony to God's power, so Satan works to discredit your testimony in an effort to dishonor God.  Our heavenly Father wants to know whether your "amen" on Sunday works on Monday, and Satan wants you to leave the sermon at the church. Remember Christ has ALL authority over Satan, so you can win every time.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     
   

The Key to the Missionary's Work 

He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world -1 John 2:2

The key to the missionary's message is the propitiation of Christ Jesus- His sacrifice for us that completely satisfied the wrath of God. Look at any other aspect of Christ's work, whether it is healing, saving, or sanctifying, and you will see that there is nothing limitless about those. But- "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"- that is limitless (John 1:29). The missionary's message is the limitless importance of Jesus Christ as the propitiation for our sins, and a missionary is someone who is immersed in the truth of that revelation.

The real key to the missionary's message is the "remissionary" aspect of Christ's life, not His kindness, His goodness, or even His revealing of the fatherhood of God to us. ". . . repentance and remission of sins should be preached . . . to all nations . . ." (Luke 24:47). The greatest message of limitless importance is that "He Himself is the propitiation for our sins . . . ." The missionary's message is not nationalistic, favoring nations or individuals; it is "for the whole world." When the Holy Spirit comes into me, He does not consider my partialities or preferences; He simply brings me into oneness with the Lord Jesus.

A missionary is someone who is bound by marriage to the stated mission and purpose of his Lord and Master. He is not to proclaim his own point of view, but is only to proclaim "the Lamb of God." It is easier to belong to a faction that simply tells what Jesus Christ has done for me, and easier to become a devotee of divine healing, or of a special type of sanctification, or of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But Paul did not say, "Woe is me if I do not preach what Christ has done for me," but, ". . . woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Corinthians 9:16). And this is the gospel- "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gaining the Victory

We live in a society of addictions, of bondage to so many things.  Maybe you are in bondage to cigarettes, or alcohol, or pornography, or anger, or any number of other things.

Whatever the condition that has you in bondage today, God's hand and God's arm can lift you up and untangle you and set you free.  In Psalm 98:1 we are told,

His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.

We find repeatedly throughout the Old Testament how, through God's mighty hand and His outstretched arm, He redeemed His people out of slavery and out of bondage.

Now here is the question.  Does it just sort of randomly happen?  Do we have to wait and see if we are one of the lucky ones God will choose to extend His mighty arm to help?  Or, is there anything that we can do to cooperate with God to see His arm extended in our behalf?

The answer is yes, we can, and we must cooperate with God.

In Isaiah 51:5 God tells us,

"My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, and My arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands will wait upon Me, and on My arm they will trust."

The way we cooperate with God is to trust in His arm; not in our own arm, but in His.  If you want to see God's mighty arm move on your behalf, then trust Him alone!  Do not trust your intelligence, your ingenuity, your education, your status in life, your wealth, or any other thing.

Trust in God alone.  And you will have the victory.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maturity is a Process

Scripture Reading: John 14:25-27; Luke 10:38-42 

As we grow in our relationship with God, so does our spiritual maturity.  Growing isn't always fun - in fact, it can be pretty painful - but during our trials and hard times, we must never forget a simple truth.

We can choose to learn from life's difficulties and hardships and mature into the man or woman God has created us to be, or we can choose to be upset and learn nothing.

James 1:2-4 tells us to consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (NIV).

The next time you face a trial or difficult situation, look to God for your joy and strength and know that He is using it to usher you into a new level.



God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers   
The Key to the Master's Orders
Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest -Matthew 9:38

The key to the missionary's difficult task is in the hand of God, and that key is prayer, not work- that is, not work as the word is commonly used today, which often results in the shifting of our focus away from God. The key to the missionary's difficult task is also not the key of common sense, nor is it the key of medicine, civilization, education, or even evangelization. The key is in following the Master's orders- the key is prayer. "Pray the Lord of the harvest . . . ." In the natural realm, prayer is not practical but absurd. We have to realize that prayer is foolish from the commonsense point of view.

From Jesus Christ's perspective, there are no nations, but only the world. How many of us pray without regard to the persons, but with regard to only one Person- Jesus Christ? He owns the harvest that is produced through distress and through conviction of sin. This is the harvest for which we have to pray that laborers be sent out to reap. We stay busy at work, while people all around us are ripe and ready to be harvested; we do not reap even one of them, but simply waste our Lord's time in over-energized activities and programs. Suppose a crisis were to come into your father's or your brother's life- are you there as a laborer to reap the harvest for Jesus Christ? Is your response, "Oh, but I have a special work to do!" No Christian has a special work to do. A Christian is called to be Jesus Christ's own, "a servant [who] is not greater than his master" (John 13:16), and someone who does not dictate to Jesus Christ what he intends to do. Our Lord calls us to no special work- He calls us to Himself. "Pray the Lord of the harvest," and He will engineer your circumstances to send you out as His laborer.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T-R-U-S-T 

In our last devotional, we talked about the need to trust God.  You may wonder, what does trust really mean?  Let me help you understand by using the word T-R-U-S-T as an acronym.

"T" stands for trust...which means that if you are going to trust Him, you have to take Him at His word.  Even if it seems like it is not true, you take Him at His word.  If we will take Him at His word, He will guide us through the course of life and bring us across the finish line safely.

"R" stands for rest.  The Bible tells us to rest in the Lord.  1 Peter 5:7 says, Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.  Do not worry.  Worry is like a rocking chair.  It gives you something to do, but you don't get anywhere.

"U" stands for understanding.  Proverbs 3:5 says, Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  Sometimes things just won't make sense to your understanding.

"S" stands for speech.

The final "T" stands for thanksgiving.  We offer thanks to God in advance.  Philippians 4:6 says, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.  When we offer thanks to God, it is an expression of our faith.

That's T-R-U-S-T!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transformed by Trials

Scripture Reading: John 14:25-27; Luke10:38-42 

One of the primary means God uses to make you and me like Jesus Christ is by sending trouble our way.  You see, reshaping us to the image of Christ is not minor surgery; it takes a major transformation. 

Just like a sculptor takes a piece of marble slab and chips away at it in order to bring out an image, God uses troubles to reshape us.   

We just need to remember, when we are going through trials, we must change what we are looking at.  We have to come at it from the right perspective.  "Lord, this is a rough time right now.  I am not sure why you sent this to me, but I want to give you thanks and I rejoice at the fact that this is going to be a transforming event in my life.  I am going to be more like Christ when we finish this one.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers   
The Key of the Greater Work
. . . I say to you, he who believes in Me, . . . greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father -John 14:12

Prayer does not equip us for greater works- prayer is the greater work. Yet we think of prayer as some commonsense exercise of our higher powers that simply prepares us for God's work. In the teachings of Jesus Christ, prayer is the working of the miracle of redemption in me, which produces the miracle of redemption in others, through the power of God. The way fruit remains firm is through prayer, but remember that it is prayer based on the agony of Christ in redemption, not on my own agony. We must go to God as His child, because only a child gets his prayers answered; a "wise" man does not (see Matthew 11:25).

Prayer is the battle, and it makes no difference where you are. However God may engineer your circumstances, your duty is to pray. Never allow yourself this thought, "I am of no use where I am," because you certainly cannot be used where you have not yet been placed. Wherever God has placed you and whatever your circumstances, you should pray, continually offering up prayers to Him. And He promises, "Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do . . ." (John 14:13). Yet we refuse to pray unless it thrills or excites us, which is the most intense form of spiritual selfishness. We must learn to work according to God's direction, and He says to pray. "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest" (Matthew 9:38).

There is nothing thrilling about a laboring person's work, but it is the laboring person who makes the ideas of the genius possible. And it is the laboring saint who makes the ideas of his Master possible. When you labor at prayer, from God's perspective there are always results. What an astonishment it will be to see, once the veil is finally lifted, all the souls that have been reaped by you, simply because you have been in the habit of taking your orders from Jesus Christ.

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


The Power of Humility

One of the greatest dangers of the Christian life is spiritual arrogance.

When pride wells up in our heart, it can absolutely take our spiritual legs out from under us, and keep the strong arm of the Lord from being revealed in our lives.

In 1 Peter 5:6, we are given the antidote to pride.  It says,

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.

It is unfortunate, but there are some who emphasize the message of faith that at times do so with a touch of arrogance rather than humility.  The result is that it has really turned some people off to the whole message of faith.

Our faith always needs to be coupled with humility.

There are only two people in the Bible Jesus said had great faith.  One of them was the Roman centurion whom we find in Luke 7.  When you study his story, you find that because of his good works, the elders of the Jews said he deserved Jesus' help.  But the centurion had a far different view of himself.  He said he was not worthy for Jesus to enter under his roof.

The other person that Jesus said had great faith was the woman with the possessed daughter in Matthew 15.  Two elements stand out about her as we read her story.  She was persistent and she was humble.

Great faith cannot be divorced from great humility.  Humility is a necessary ingredient for the soil of our heart, without which a healthy faith cannot grow.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just Like Jesus

Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:1-14 

God's divine purpose for every believer is that each of us be conformed to the image of His Son.  God wants us to reflect His character.  But what does God look like?  Although we can't see God or touch Him, we know His character because it's reflected in the Son.  Jesus told His followers, when you look at Me, you are looking at My Father.

As Christians, we are committed to Jesus Christ.  And as a result, God promises that He is going to take all the pieces of our lives - the good, the bad and the ugly - and work them all together for our maximum benefit. 

You must make a decision to make conforming to His image your passionate pursuit in life.  This is God's purpose for you.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers   


The Key to the Missionary's Devotion
. . . they went forth for His name's sake . . . -3 John 7

Our Lord told us how our love for Him is to exhibit itself when He asked, "Do you love Me?" (John 21:17). And then He said, "Feed My sheep." In effect, He said, "Identify yourself with My interests in other people," not, "Identify Me with your interests in other people." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 shows us the characteristics of this love- it is actually the love of God expressing itself. The true test of my love for Jesus is a very practical one, and all the rest is sentimental talk.

Faithfulness to Jesus Christ is the supernatural work of redemption that has been performed in me by the Holy Spirit- "the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit . . ." (Romans 5:5). And it is that love in me that effectively works through me and comes in contact with everyone I meet. I remain faithful to His name, even though the commonsense view of my life may seemingly deny that, and may appear to be declaring that He has no more power than the morning mist.

The key to the missionary's devotion is that he is attached to nothing and to no one except our Lord Himself. It does not mean simply being detached from the external things surrounding us. Our Lord was amazingly in touch with the ordinary things of life, but He had an inner detachment except toward God. External detachment is often an actual indication of a secret, growing, inner attachment to the things we stay away from externally.

The duty of a faithful missionary is to concentrate on keeping his soul completely and continually open to the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. The men and women our Lord sends out on His endeavors are ordinary human people, but people who are controlled by their devotion to Him, which has been brought about through the work of the Holy Spirit.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Face of God

The psalmist says in Psalm 30:7,

You hid Your face, and I was troubled.

One thing we should never want to experience is for God to hide His face, because the face of God represents His favor, friendship, and fellowship.

Now there is only one thing that causes God to hide His face from us.  It is found in Isaiah 59:1-2,

Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.  But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

Sin is the one thing that causes God's face to be hidden.  The Bible says we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, which means the sin of mankind had hidden God's face.

But that is not the end of the story, thank goodness!  In Isaiah 50:6 we are told,

"I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting."

Because Jesus did not hide His face from shame and spitting, because He took your place and died for your sins, God's face can shine upon you.

He could have hidden His face; He could have avoided the whole crucifixion, but He didn't. He bore a shame that was not His as God the Father laid the sin of the world on Him.

Because Jesus did not hide His face, the face of God need not be hidden from any of us. The light of God's countenance can shine upon every one of us, and we can indeed be the friends of God.

Thank you, Jesus, for what you did!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saved Without a Doubt

Scripture Reading: John 3:34-36; 17:3 

Every member of the human race has fallen into an abyss, and no matter how hard we try, we can't get out; the hole is just too deep. The good news is, we don't have to get ourselves out. The heart of the Gospel, Jesus' sacrifice, is strong enough to lift us from those pits. With His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus offered deliverance and assurance.

When Jesus confronted the Samaritan woman at the well, He offered her a drink of living water from a well that would never run dry. Jesus offers the gift of salvation to everyone who chooses to drink His Water.

Eternal life is living water. We take the first drink, and our Savior produces the well of living water that doesn't run dry.  Place your confidence in Jesus and His finished work, and He will create an oasis in your soul that keeps producing living water. 


God bless