Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers   

God's Overpowering Purpose

I have appeared to you for this purpose . . .-Acts 26:16

The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was not a passing emotional experience, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him. And Paul stated, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19). Our Lord said to Paul, in effect, "Your whole life is to be overpowered or subdued by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine." And the Lord also says to us, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go . . ." (John 15:16).

When we are born again, if we are spiritual at all, we have visions of what Jesus wants us to be. It is important that I learn not to be "disobedient to the heavenly vision"-not to doubt that it can be attained. It is not enough to give mental assent to the fact that God has redeemed the world, nor even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in my life. I must have the foundation of a personal relationship with Him. Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim. He was brought into a vivid, personal, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ.Acts 26:16 is tremendously compelling ". . . to make you a minister and a witness . . . ." There would be nothing there without a personal relationship. Paul was devoted to a Person, not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ's. He saw nothing else and he lived for nothing else. "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2).
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The Coming Reward

Today brings an end to our consideration of "The Seven Cs of Soul Winning."  The final "C" is the coming reward.  Let me quote to you from Daniel 12:3, which says,

"Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever."

There is a coming reward for those who turn people to righteousness.

The dearest thing to God's heart is winning humanity and bringing them into His family.  Nothing is more important to God.  He bankrupted heaven and gave His only begotten Son to save humanity.

The Bible teaches us that there will be a reward, my friend:  authority in heaven, a place in heaven, honor in heaven.

In addition to that, I want to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Someday there is going to be a joy and a fullness in heaven, but there are some who will not experience that level of joy.

The story is told that Cyrus, the king of Persia who had defeated Babylon and set the captive Jews at liberty, was walking through his garden one day with a visitor.  The visitor was looking at all of the beautiful trees and shrubs and exclaimed how much pleasure the garden was giving him.

Cyrus said, "Not nearly the pleasure it gives to me for, you see, I have planted every one of these trees myself."

I think there is going to be something about being in heaven and seeing your fingerprints on people who are there because you shared, because you gave, and because you prayed.  I believe there is going to be a greater joy for some because they did more for heaven while on earth than others.

There is a coming reward!


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A Purposeless Life

In His Presence: God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Genesis 1:27-28).

We exist for God; He does not exist for us. God loves doing things for His people, but the reason we get up in the morning is to fulfill His purpose for our lives, not merely to ask Him to bless our purpose for our lives. God does not want to be our vending machine, where we put in a coin and He dispenses what we demand. Until we understand that we exist for Him, we will never know our purpose for being.

Purposelessness is everywhere. I would compare a purposeless existence with the life of a dog. Dogs bark a lot, and most of the time they are just making noise and not really telling you anything important. Purposeless people talk a lot just because they want to be heard.

Dogs also like to run in circles. They move, but they're not really going anywhere. When they finish running in circles, they are right back where they started. Purposeless people live like this, running around trying to find fulfillment in activities, only to find themselves not really moving toward anything.

Dogs also function on the level of the external. They like to be petted and rubbed, feeling good for the moment on the outside, but no real impact is felt on the inside. Purposeless people "put on the dog" by getting dressed up to look good and make themselves feel better. If this describes your purposeless wanderings, God's design and desire is to release you from that, but it must be on His terms.

One Minute Please

God has a plan for our lives that will bring Him glory and bring us the greatest good.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers   


Leave Room for God

When it pleased God . . . -Galatians 1:15

As servants of God, we must learn to make room for Him-to give God "elbow room." We plan and figure and predict that this or that will happen, but we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our preaching in a way we had never expected Him to come? Do not look for God to come in a particular way, but do look for Him. The way to make room for Him is to expect Him to come, but not in a certain way. No matter how well we may know God, the great lesson to learn is that He may break in at any minute. We tend to overlook this element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way. Suddenly-God meets our life ". . . when it pleased God . . . ."

Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides
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Worry About Work

In 2 Corinthians 11:28, the apostle Paul says something very interesting,

Besides the other things, what comes upon me daily:  my deep concern for all the churches.

You may be wondering, "Bayless, what does this have to do with my life?"  Let me show you.

The phrase "deep concern" literally means anxiety and worry.  And that phrase "to come upon" in the original language literally means "it conspires against me in order to overthrow me."

The apostle Paul's job was to oversee the churches that God had used him to establish, and in this verse he is confessing, "I daily have to battle with worry over these churches.  How are they doing?  Are they being misled by false prophets?  Are they staying true to good doctrine?"

He was dealing with worry about those churches.  Every day he grappled with that worry, and he had to throw it down.

It is easy for all of us to worry about our job.  Some people, even though they are at home, never leave their job.  They carry the burden around with them twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

They are always worrying about the job, even when they are home with their family.  "How are things going at work?  I wonder what they're saying.  I wonder about the competition.  What about sales?  What about my job security?  What's going to happen tomorrow?"

Consequently, when they get home from work, they are carrying this burden of work around with them, and they are robbing their family.  Their own spiritual life is robbed, many times almost to the point of bankruptcy.

Do not let your family be robbed.  Do not let your own personal and spiritual life be robbed because you carry the care of your job around with you.  Instead, give it to God.


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No Mistakes

In His Presence: I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well - (Psalm 139:14).

The God who created you for Himself has never made any mistakes. There have been no failures or flaws in His plan and program for you. Genesis 1:1 says: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Since this is true, there can be no such thing as an accident. In this first verse of the Bible, the theory of naturalism is proven incorrect. Naturalism states that the supernatural does not exist, and that by chance, the world and its inhabitants evolved into what they are today.

There is no room for chance if you believe God is Creator and Sustainer. People who believe the world came about by chance are simply saying that nobody and nothing existed, and yet somehow that produced everything! It's important that we see the flaws in this worldview because many of us live by a philosophy of luck or chance, when actually God sovereignly allows things to happen in our lives for His purpose. And when we don't connect with His purpose, the components of our lives have no meaning.

How does this all relate to the topic of living a purposeful life? If we know that God purposefully created and sustains us, we know we are not a mistake. We are not the coming together of random forces in the universe; rather we are the direct result of God's power and work.

Psalm 139:1, 13 says: "O Lord, You have searched me and known me . . . .You formed my inward parts." God formed you and determined your existence.

One Minute Please

The God of the Bible is perfect and makes no mistakes. He made you; therefore, you can't be a mistake!


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers   

How Could Someone So Persecute Jesus!

 
Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? -Acts 26:14

Are you determined to have your own way in living for God? We will never be free from this trap until we are brought into the experience of the baptism of "the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11). Stubbornness and self-will will always stab Jesus Christ. It may hurt no one else, but it wounds His Spirit. Whenever we are obstinate and self-willed and set on our own ambitions, we are hurting Jesus. Every time we stand on our own rights and insist that this is what we intend to do, we are persecuting Him. Whenever we rely on self-respect, we systematically disturb and grieve His Spirit. And when we finally understand that it is Jesus we have been persecuting all this time, it is the most crushing revelation ever.

Is the Word of God tremendously penetrating and sharp in me as I hand it on to you, or does my life betray the things I profess to teach? I may teach sanctification and yet exhibit the spirit of Satan, the very spirit that persecutes Jesus Christ. The Spirit of Jesus is conscious of only one thing- a perfect oneness with the Father. And He tells us, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29). All I do should be based on a perfect oneness with Him, not on a self-willed determination to be godly. This will mean that others may use me, go around me, or completely ignore me, but if I will submit to it for His sake, I will prevent Jesus Christ from being persecuted.


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No Fear

People tend to worry in these days about world events.  In Matthew 24:6-7, Jesus tells us this,

"And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.  See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places."

Jesus said, "When these things happen, don't be troubled.  Don't worry.  They must come to pass."  Think about some of those things.

Earthquakes in various places.  I have been told that around the world earthquakes are increasing both in frequency and in size.  They are happening more and more, and they are getting worse and worse.  It is a sign, my friend.

Jesus mentions pestilences-diseases without cures.  Ring any bells?  There are certain nations where it is reported that 50 percent of the population is infected with AIDS.  It is rampant in many countries of the world.  It is an incredible problem even in our own country.

Jesus points to famines.  There is drought, which is causing famines, which is causing starvation around the world.

Then Jesus talks about wars, rumors of wars, nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom.  You can't turn on the news without hearing about some terrorist attack.  There are countries today aggressively pursuing nuclear capabilities.  Nations are poised against one another.

The leaders of our nation and other nations make decisions that affect literally the whole world.  It seems like the world is on fire!  Things are hanging in the balance.

Our response?  It should not be fear, but rather recognition that these things must come to pass before Christ returns!


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The Right Purpose

In His Presence: None of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions (Luke 14:33).

Are you living for the right purpose? If you experience an emptiness that never goes away, or an aimless meandering that dominates your life, these are indicators that you are not on task in pursuing God's purpose for your life. What is getting in the way of pursuing God's purpose for you? Satan fakes us out with the wrong purpose, distracting from the real purpose by influencing us to chase meaningless pursuits.

The apostle Paul said: "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12). God saved Paul for a reason, and Paul's goal is to live out that reason. This is true of all believers-we are saved for a reason. Satan doesn't want you to know that, so he uses distractions to keep us focused on our own pursuits.

What are the main distractions that keep us from realizing and experiencing God's purpose for our lives? One distraction is materialism, or being consumed by our possessions. Jesus made very clear that if we are to follow Him, we must give up our possessions. We can have a house, a car, or whatever, but we shouldn't make things of the physical world more important than things of the spiritual world. We shouldn't let the gifts of God become more important than the God who gave the gifts.

One Minute Please

King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, had more money than he could ever spend, but in the book of Ecclesiastes, he said the pursuit of money is empty.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers   


How Could Someone Be So Ignorant!

Who are You, Lord? -Acts 26:15

"The Lord spoke thus to me with a strong hand . . ." (Isaiah 8:11). There is no escape when our Lord speaks. He always comes using His authority and taking hold of our understanding. Has the voice of God come to you directly? If it has, you cannot mistake the intimate insistence with which it has spoken to you. God speaks in the language you know best- not through your ears, but through your circumstances.

God has to destroy our determined confidence in our own convictions. We say, "I know that this is what I should do"-and suddenly the voice of God speaks in a way that overwhelms us by revealing the depths of our ignorance. We show our ignorance of Him in the very way we decide to serve Him. We serve Jesus in a spirit that is not His, and hurt Him by our defense of Him. We push His claims in the spirit of the devil; our words sound all right, but the spirit is that of an enemy. "He . . . rebuked them, and said, 'You do not know what manner of spirit you are of' " (Luke 9:55). The spirit of our Lord in His followers is described in 1 Corinthians 13 .

Have I been persecuting Jesus by an eager determination to serve Him in my own way? If I feel I have done my duty, yet have hurt Him in the process, I can be sure that this was not my duty. My way will not be to foster a meek and quiet spirit, only the spirit of self-satisfaction. We presume that whatever is unpleasant is our duty! Is that anything like the spirit of our Lord- "I delight to do Your will, O my God . . ." (Psalm 40:.


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Could it be Today?

In yesterday's devotional, we looked at Matthew 24 and some of the things people worry about today that are going on in our world-earthquakes, famine, pestilence, war, and rumors of war.

Now, it is easy to be concerned about these things, but earlier in that passage-in verse 3-we find out why we should not worry, 

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

Jesus was answering the question about the signs of His return, and what will point to the end of the age.  That is why He said, "When you see these things begin to come to pass, it is not time to start worrying."

It is time to lift up your head because He is coming soon!  Hallelujah!

Think about it.  When you open up the paper today and read about the things happening in the Middle East, it seems like Bible prophecy is being fulfilled almost on a weekly basis.  What a time we are living in!

Beloved, Christ is going to return, and from the way things are shaping up, it is not far off at all.  I want to live like He is coming back today, and I want to plan and work like He won't be back for a hundred years.

But it could be any day.

Jesus is coming soon.  Are you ready to meet Him?  Think about it.  Are you living in a way that you know when Jesus Christ comes, you won't be ashamed at His coming?  I pray you will be able to look up with a joyful face and heart and say, "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!"


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Custom Made

In His Presence: The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does no dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things (Acts 17:24-25).

Psalm 139:15-16 says: "My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me." God has put all the parts of your life in order; He's got your whole life in His hands. This means you can stop trying to be somebody else and be satisfied with the unique person God made you to be. You are custom-made.

One of my shirts is custom-made, not off the rack like most shirts. It is made especially for me. And to make sure there is no question about it, my initials are embroidered on the cuff. When something is custom-made, it is fitted to your uniqueness. It was crafted with you in mind. Every man or woman reading this today has been custom-made by almighty God. Your days were ordained before any of them even came into being. Why is there chaos and calamity in the world today? Because we have a generation of people who want to live life their way and want God to adjust to their desires. But there is going to be discontinuity between you and God and a lack of purpose in your life unless you exist for Him.

God made the world and all things in it. He is the Lord of heaven and earth, and He doesn't need us. But He wants our service and He deserves it.

One Minute Please

God gives life and breath to all things at their appointed times. He has the world under control.


God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers   


The Dilemma of Obedience
January 30, 2013
Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision -1 Samuel 3:15

God never speaks to us in dramatic ways, but in ways that are easy to misunderstand. Then we say, "I wonder if that is God's voice?" Isaiah said that the Lord spoke to him "with a strong hand," that is, by the pressure of his circumstances (Isaiah 8:11). Without the sovereign hand of God Himself, nothing touches our lives. Do we discern His hand at work, or do we see things as mere occurrences?

Get into the habit of saying, "Speak, Lord," and life will become a romance (1 Samuel 3:9). Every time circumstances press in on you, say, "Speak, Lord," and make time to listen. Chastening is more than a means of discipline- it is meant to bring me to the point of saying, "Speak, Lord." Think back to a time when God spoke to you. Do you remember what He said? Was it Luke 11:13 , or was it 1 Thessalonians 5:23? As we listen, our ears become more sensitive, and like Jesus, we will hear God all the time.

Should I tell my "Eli" what God has shown to me? This is where the dilemma of obedience hits us. We disobey God by becoming amateur providences and thinking, "I must shield 'Eli,' " who represents the best people we know. God did not tell Samuel to tell Eli- he had to decide that for himself. God's message to you may hurt your "Eli," but trying to prevent suffering in another's life will prove to be an obstruction between your soul and God. It is at your own risk that you prevent someone's right hand being cut off or right eye being plucked out (see Matthew 5:29-30).

Never ask another person's advice about anything God makes you decide before Him. If you ask advice, you will almost always side with Satan. ". . . I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood . . ." (Galatians 1:16).


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Guarding Your Ways

In Psalm 39:1, we are given an important warning,

I said, "I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me."

The Hebrew word translated "ways" in this passage literally means a well-trodden path.  It paints the picture of a pathway that has been walked down so many times that a groove has been worn in that path.

The psalmist is drawing our attention to something that has been repeated again and again, a response that has been so often repeated that it has become engrained in our behavior-a  habit.

You have probably heard the saying, "He's set in his ways," meaning it is not likely you are going to change the way a person acts in certain instances.  The "ways" are habits, attitudes, and responses that aren't likely to change without a very powerful motivation or without some sort of an encounter with God.

I think virtually every habit we have  initially began with a thought.  Sow a thought; reap an action.  Sow an action; reap a habit.  Sow a habit; reap a character.  Sow a character; reap a destiny.  It all goes back to a thought that perhaps should have been dealt with, but wasn't.

Take some time today to consider your thoughts.  Are you giving way to thoughts that will lead to ungodly habits?  If so, give those thoughts to God and ask Him to help you think the thoughts that will lead to godly habits.


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Distracted from God's Purpose

In His Presence: Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ (Philippians 3:7).

Position is a distraction-everybody wants to be somebody. When you accepted Christ you became somebody, but if you are seeking position independently of God's purpose, you have been duped by the deceiver. Your name may be up in lights today, but years from now people won't remember your name. Remember the apostle Paul was quite a man in his day and age, but he said that his claim to fame was only that he was a bondservant of Jesus Christ.

People also become distracted from their purpose when they spend their lives living for other people. People are very important to God; we are to serve, love, and minister to people. But pleasing God is more important than pleasing men. God wants us to live for Him and His glory, and to do that we must sometimes go against what other people want. When it comes to fulfilling our calling, what matters is what God wants us to do.

Another distraction from moving forward in God's purpose is dealing with the past. Paul said: "I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I d forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14). We all have regrets, but Paul said we are not to allow our yesterdays to determine our tomorrows. Instead of living with a rear-view mirror mentality, we should focus on the windshield and the big picture that is in front of us.

One Minute Please

Don't let yesterday mess up today, which will ruin tomorrow.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers   


Do You See Your Calling?
 
. . . separated to the gospel of God. . . -Romans 1:1

Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the gospel of God. The one all-important thing is that the gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality. Reality is not human goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell- it is redemption. The need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker today. As workers, we have to get used to the revelation that redemption is the only reality. Personal holiness is an effect of redemption, not the cause of it. If we place our faith in human goodness we will go under when testing comes.

Paul did not say that he separated himself, but "when it pleased God, who separated me . . ." (Galatians 1:15). Paul was not overly interested in his own character. And as long as our eyes are focused on our own personal holiness, we will never even get close to the full reality of redemption. Christian workers fail because they place their desire for their own holiness above their desire to know God. "Don't ask me to be confronted with the strong reality of redemption on behalf of the filth of human life surrounding me today; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes." To talk that way is a sign that the reality of the gospel of God has not begun to touch me. There is no reckless abandon to God in that. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character. Paul was not conscious of himself. He was recklessly abandoned, totally surrendered, and separated by God for one purpose- to proclaim the gospel of God (see Romans 9:3).


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Uniquely You

Each of us possesses strengths which God has given us.  Psalm 18:32 says,

It is God who arms me with strength.

And in Philippians 4:13,

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

And King David said this in 1 Chronicles 29:12,

...in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

God gives us all strength, yet I believe there are specific things He gives each of us that make you and me strong individually.  The book of Psalms says in 33:14-15, From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually.  In the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 12:27 it says, Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

We are collectively the body of Christ, but God has wired us each differently.  God has formed our hearts individually.  He has put certain deposits in one person that may not be in another person.  He has given one person a certain kind of strength that may not be another person's strength.

Here is what I am getting at.  I believe there is something uniquely you that gives you strength and character and presence, something that makes you a person to be reckoned with, something that God has put in you.  It is a foundation, a seat of strength that He wants to move through in order to influence and to bless others.

Rather than coveting someone else's unique giftings and strength, discover and develop your own.  Remember, God individually fashioned you.  There is something wonderfully unique about you, through which God wants to bring blessing to others.


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In His Presence: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10).

Have you been duped when it comes to purpose? The only purpose worth living for is God's purpose. Paul said: "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14). If you live with this goal in mind, God will change the way you live. You will stop just being alive and you will start to really live. You will live the abundant life through God's grace because you aren't just living for yourself anymore. You are not here for you, but for God.

You will have stability. You can get off the roller coaster of emotions that comes when you live according to your circumstances. Even when things are bad, you are good because God is good. When Jesus was asleep on the boat in the middle of the storm, His disciples asked, "How can He sleep at a time like this?" Jesus could sleep peacefully because He knew where He was going-He was going to the other side. One of the great blessings of living in purpose is that you can rest. You can rest because you know all things will be used for God's purpose, and you can rest because you know you are going toward God.

You will be provided for. God always supplies that which He has ordained. If you are outside of His purpose, you have to take care of yourself. But if you are walking in His purpose, He will meet all your needs.

One Minute Please

Following God's purpose may not change your place in life, but it will change the way you live your life.


The Only Worthwhile Purpose 




God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers   


The Call of God
Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel . . . -1 Corinthians 1:17

Paul states here that the call of God is to preach the gospel. But remember what Paul means by "the gospel," namely, the reality of redemption in our Lord Jesus Christ. We are inclined to make sanctification the goal of our preaching. Paul refers to personal experiences only by way of illustration, never as the end of the matter. We are not commissioned to preach salvation or sanctification- we are commissioned to lift up Jesus Christ (see John 12:32). It is an injustice to say that Jesus Christ labored in redemption to make me a saint. Jesus Christ labored in redemption to redeem the whole world and to place it perfectly whole and restored before the throne of God. The fact that we can experience redemption illustrates the power of its reality, but that experience is a byproduct and not the goal of redemption. If God were human, how sick and tired He would be of the constant requests we make for our salvation and for our sanctification. We burden His energies from morning till night asking for things for ourselves or for something from which we want to be delivered! When we finally touch the underlying foundation of the reality of the gospel of God, we will never bother Him anymore with little personal complaints.

The one passion of Paul's life was to proclaim the gospel of God. He welcomed heartbreak, disillusionment, and tribulation for only one reason- these things kept him unmovable in his devotion to the gospel of God.


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Promises, Promises

God has given us His promises because He wants to fulfill them.  Be they promises of peace, restoration, healing, or for material supply, we must keep in mind that the Lord would not have made the promise if He did not want to do it.

Here are four thoughts to help you when it comes to experiencing the benefit of God's promises:

1.      Find a promise from the Bible that covers your need.  Faith begins here.

2.      Consider the promises.

Hebrews 10:23 says, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

And Hebrews 11:11 says, By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.

3.      Act on the promise, fulfilling all necessary conditions.  God is not a respecter of persons, but He is a respecter of conditions.

4.      Start thanking God and exercising patience.

Hebrews 10:36 says, For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.

And Hebrews 6:12 says, That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

If you will do these four things, you are on your way to experiencing the fulfillment of God's promises in your life.


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The Benefits of Purpose

In His Presence: Teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12).

When you are living out God's purpose for your life, your attitude towards time will change. You will find that you no longer waste time. We are only given so much time on earth; the average lifespan today is 75 years. We are all running out of time. But if you are operating in your purpose, you are utilizing your time rather than just going through the motions. Your purpose clarifies your use of time. Ephesians 5:16 says: "[Make] the most of time, because the days are evil." We are to redeem, or buy back, our time. We can't reverse the clock, but we can purchase time back. How do we do this? You can change the speed in which you are operating; you can pick up the pace to buy up the time you lost.

When you live out your purpose, you will live with passion. One of the ways you can recognize your purpose is that it will enflame you, ignite you, and stir up your heart. God's purpose for you isn't some dull, empty thing that makes you dread getting up every morning. It is a fire within the soul.

When you are living out your purpose, you will live with direction. Paul said: "I box in such a way, as not beating the air" (1 Corinthians 9:26). In other words, he's not punching at nothing; his efforts are not just for show or out of obligation. Rather, he has direction, clarity, and focus that allow him to strike the target.

One Minute Please

Are you ready to kick your purposeful living into second gear to make up for lost time?

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers   

The Compelling Majesty of His Power
 
The love of Christ compels us . . . -2 Corinthians 5:14

Paul said that he was overpowered, subdued, and held as in a vise by "the love of Christ." Very few of us really know what it means to be held in the grip of the love of God. We tend so often to be controlled simply by our own experience. The one thing that gripped and held Paul, to the exclusion of everything else, was the love of God. "The love of Christ compels us . . . ." When you hear that coming from the life of a man or woman it is unmistakable. You will know that the Spirit of God is completely unhindered in that person's life.

When we are born again by the Spirit of God, our testimony is based solely on what God has done for us, and rightly so. But that will change and be removed forever once you "receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . ." (Acts 1:. Only then will you begin to realize what Jesus meant when He went on to say, ". . . you shall be witnesses to Me . . . ." Not witnesses to what Jesus can do- that is basic and understood- but "witnesses to Me . . . ." We will accept everything that happens as if it were happening to Him, whether we receive praise or blame, persecution or reward. No one is able to take this stand for Jesus Christ who is not totally compelled by the majesty of His power. It is the only thing that matters, and yet it is strange that it's the last thing we as Christian workers realize. Paul said that he was gripped by the love of God and that is why he acted as he did. People could perceive him as mad or sane-he did not care. There was only one thing he lived for- to persuade people of the coming judgment of God and to tell them of "the love of Christ." This total surrender to "the love of Christ" is the only thing that will bear fruit in your life. And it will always leave the mark of God's holiness and His power, never drawing attention to your personal holiness.


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Tithing

In Matthew 23:23, Jesus speaks about the issue of tithing in this way,

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone."

Jesus tells us, "These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone."  Yes, they should tithe, but the things He lists are the most important issues.

While we will touch on these issues in later devotionals, I want to point out the fact that Jesus does say we should tithe.   

The Living Bible paraphrase of this verse is helpful,  "For you tithe down to the last mint leaf in your garden, and ignore the important things-justice and mercy and faith.  Yes, you should tithe, but you shouldn't leave the more important things undone."

You should tithe.  The first ten percent of your income, or the first ten percent of the increase that God brings to you, is called a tithe.  The Bible says in the last chapter of Leviticus that the tithe is holy, and it belongs to the Lord.

So you should tithe.  That is very important.  In fact, I believe it is the first step in getting God involved in your finances, and an important step in you getting control of your finances.

If you are not tithing, I want to encourage you to open your heart to God's Word in this area and consider the possibilities that He sets before you.


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Living in Light of Eternity

In His Presence: It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart (Ecclesiastes 7:2).

Eternity is a long period of time! It's hard to grasp that eternity is never-ending. But let me give you a little illustration to help you understand. Imagine that we could empty the largest body of water in the world, the Pacific Ocean, and fill it up with sand as tall as the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. Now imagine that a bird flies by and takes one grain of sand off that sand pile once every 100 billion years. How long will it take for that sand pile to disappear? We can consider that amount of time to be equal to one second in eternity.

We weren't just created for sixty or eighty years of life on earth. We were created for eternity. Every baby born on earth is headed toward its dying day; that's just reality. But we were made for more than that. We are meant to experience eternity in the fullness of life with the Father. Death is simply the doorway we must pass through to transfer into the realm of the eternal.

Paul understood this and said: "We also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body" (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). Paul said that because he was a creature of eternity, he would live his earthly life for God. He would live in time in a way that pleased God.

One Minute Please

If you're living in time and for time, you're wasting time.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers   


Are You Ready To Be Poured Out As an Offering? (1)
If I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all-Philippians 2:17

Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the work of another believer-to pour out your life sacrificially for the ministry and faith of others? Or do you say, "I am not willing to be poured out right now, and I don't want God to tell me how to serve Him. I want to choose the place of my own sacrifice. And I want to have certain people watching me and saying, 'Well done.' "

It is one thing to follow God's way of service if you are regarded as a hero, but quite another thing if the road marked out for you by God requires becoming a "doormat" under other people's feet. God's purpose may be to teach you to say, "I know how to be abased . . ." (Philippians 4:12). Are you ready to be sacrificed like that? Are you ready to be less than a mere drop in the bucket-to be so totally insignificant that no one remembers you even if they think of those you served? Are you willing to give and be poured out until you are used up and exhausted-not seeking to be ministered to, but to minister? Some saints cannot do menial work while maintaining a saintly attitude, because they feel such service is beneath their dignity.


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Tithing Today?

In Malachi 3:10-11, God says,

"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.  And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," says the LORD of hosts.

Those are pretty amazing promises!  God says when we bring the first tenth to Him, He will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing we cannot contain.  He even invites us to test Him in this area!  (As far as I know there is no other place in the Bible where God does that.)

Notice, too, that He says He will rebuke the devourer.  While this was written to an agrarian society whose prosperity was measured in vineyards, crops, and their livestock, you can transpose this principle right into the era in which we live.  God will still bless us, and He will still rebuke the devourer for our sakes.

Years ago, in a small church in Mexico, a friend of mine was teaching on tithing.  A poor man in the church got angry and stormed out.  Later that day, he read the verses from Malachi again and decided to put God to the test.  "Could God fulfill His promise-even in my circumstance?" he thought.

That poor villager later testified-interrupting a service and demanding that tithing needed to be taught again-"because these people need it!"  He told how he had been blessed like never before since he started giving one-tenth of his earnings to the church.

God is not limited by the circumstances that surround us.  He can bless us no matter where we are if we will "try Him" and bring all the tithe into His storehouse.


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Created for Eternity

In His Presence: He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

God created you for Himself, and He created you for eternity. You weren't created simply for time. God has placed eternity in our hearts, and there is something about us that wants to live forever. Second Corinthians 5:1-4 says: "If the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, . . . we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life." Our bodies are groaning and aching because we are looking for the eternal reality to take place.

If we have been made for eternity, yet we are limiting ourselves to thinking temporally, we are not fulfilling our potential. You see, 2 Corinthians 5:10 tells us that we must all appear before Christ's judgment seat, and this conveys that eternity exists on the other side of death. We will be held accountable; we must answer to God. This kind of thinking affects the way we live because if God is the center of our existence and eternity is our goal, this will change our choices, decisions, values, and priorities.

But many Christians have been deceived. We believe in eternity, but we're committed to time. We don't understand that what we do now should be affected by what is to come.

One Minute Please

God has given you a slice of time to prepare you for the reality of eternity.

God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers   


Are You Ready To Be Poured Out As an Offering? (2)
I am already being poured out as a drink offering . . . -2 Timothy 4:6

Are you ready to be poured out as an offering? It is an act of your will, not your emotions. Tell God you are ready to be offered as a sacrifice for Him. Then accept the consequences as they come, without any complaints, in spite of what God may send your way. God sends you through a crisis in private, where no other person can help you. From the outside your life may appear to be the same, but the difference is taking place in your will. Once you have experienced the crisis in your will, you will take no thought of the cost when it begins to affect you externally. If you don't deal with God on the level of your will first, the result will be only to arouse sympathy for yourself.

"Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar" (Psalm 118:27). You must be willing to be placed on the altar and go through the fire; willing to experience what the altar represents-burning, purification, and separation for only one purpose-the elimination of every desire and affection not grounded in or directed toward God. But you don't eliminate it, God does. You "bind the sacrifice . . . to the horns of the altar" and see to it that you don't wallow in self-pity once the fire begins. After you have gone through the fire, there will be nothing that will be able to trouble or depress you. When another crisis arises, you will realize that things cannot touch you as they used to do. What fire lies ahead in your life?

Tell God you are ready to be poured out as an offering, and God will prove Himself to be all you ever dreamed He would be.


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Robbing God-of What?

Malachi 3:8-9 gives us a sober warning,

"Will a man rob God?  Yet you have robbed Me!  But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?'  In tithes and offerings.  You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation."

Now if you think about this statement, you have to ask, "How do you rob God?  I mean, really, what does that mean?"

There are two ways we rob God when we refuse to tithe:

1.      We rob God of honor that is due Him.  In Proverbs 3:9 it says to, Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase.  By giving God the first part of our income, we are honoring Him as being first in our lives.  We demonstrate faith in His promise to supply our needs as well-and God is honored by our faith.

2.      We rob God of the opportunity to bless us.  In Malachi 3:10, God promises to bless us if we bring Him the first tenth of our income (the tithe).

The promise in Proverbs is that our barns will be filled with plenty if we will honor the Lord with our firstfruits (Proverbs 3:9-10).

He can bless us.  He desires to bless us.  Let us not rob Him of the opportunity to do so, nor of the honor that is due Him.


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The Reality of Eternity

In His Presence: Abraham said, "Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony" (Luke 16:25).

At the end of time, we will all face the Lord and He will want to know how we used our time on earth to get ready for eternity. If we only live for earth, all we will receive is earth. But once we start living for heaven, earth is just a bonus to the eternal existence we will enjoy.

It is foolish to try to run from death. Instead, we must decide to be creatures of eternity. Paul said to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:. If you are in Christ you have no reason to fear death because when you die, you will instantly be with God.

Since we were made for eternity, what are we doing in light of what we were made for? Paul set the example when he said: "Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:2). Paul's mind was on heaven, but he was still functioning for the Lord here on earth. He was heavenly minded but still did earthly good. Because he lived in light of His eternal purpose, he made his life decisions in light of the reference point of eternity.

Everybody you know is headed toward eternity; nobody has any other choice. This life is not all there is, so we share Jesus Christ with our unsaved neighbors. We live for God's glory because this life is not all there is.

One Minute Please

"Lord, clarify our eternal perspective and help us to see Your purpose for our lives because we don't know when we will leave this world."



God bless