Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chamber


Complete and Effective Divinity
If we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection . . . -Romans 6:5
Co-Resurrection. The proof that I have experienced crucifixion with Jesus is that I have a definite likeness to Him. The Spirit of Jesus entering me rearranges my personal life before God. The resurrection of Jesus has given Him the authority to give the life of God to me, and the experiences of my life must now be built on the foundation of His life. I can have the resurrection life of Jesus here and now, and it will exhibit itself through holiness.

The idea all through the apostle Paul's writings is that after the decision to be identified with Jesus in His death has been made, the resurrection life of Jesus penetrates every bit of my human nature. It takes the omnipotence of God- His complete and effective divinity- to live the life of the Son of God in human flesh. The Holy Spirit cannot be accepted as a guest in merely one room of the house- He invades all of it. And once I decide that my "old man" (that is, my heredity of sin) should be identified with the death of Jesus, the Holy Spirit invades me. He takes charge of everything. My part is to walk in the light and to obey all that He reveals to me. Once I have made that important decision about sin, it is easy to "reckon" that I am actually "dead indeed to sin," because I find the life of Jesus in me all the time (Romans 6:11). Just as there is only one kind of humanity, there is only one kind of holiness- the holiness of Jesus. And it is His holiness that has been given to me. God puts the holiness of His Son into me, and I belong to a new spiritual order.


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The Way Up May Be Down

It is not unusual for God's promotion to look like a demotion at first, to feel like you are going backward rather than forward.

There are a couple of great examples of this in the Bible.  For instance, do you remember how Joseph in Genesis 37 dreamt he would one day rule over his brothers?  That God was going to promote him to a place of prominence?

So what happened?  His brothers threw him into a pit, he was sold to Midianite traders as a slave, and then he was put on the auction block and sold again in Egypt.  On top of that, he ended up in prison on false charges and spent several years there, seemingly forgotten.

But without those experiences, Joseph would have never been ready to rule.  Preparation comes before promotion.  The way up may go down for awhile at first.

David is another example of how God will "demote" in order to promote.  Do you remember in 1 Samuel 16:12-13 how David was anointed king while still just a shepherd?

Now he [David] was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking.  And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!"  Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward.  So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

This is a pretty big promotion for a shepherd boy, don't you think?  But for years, David lived a fugitive's life-moving from place to place, living in caves, being hunted.  He was separated from everyone and all the things that he loved.

His promotion ended up looking more like a demotion, which is often the way God works.  In the process of your promotion, He will take you through difficult times to prepare you for that promotion.

Just remember, the way up is often down.


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Resigned to the Word


In His Presence: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God (James 1:19-20 ).



Many Christians today are suffering from spiritual anorexia and starving to death spiritually. Even though they may have plenty of Bibles in their homes for spiritual nourishment, and even though the church-a spiritual supermarket-is right down the street, these Christians suffer from spiritual malnutrition. One primary reason for this is that they have not decided to make becoming like Christ their sole purpose. If He is not your passionate purpose, everything else you do will be wasted. God's purpose for us is to be conformed to the image of His Son, to be transformed by His glory, and to be made holy and righteous like Christ.

One Minute Please

We must make the Bible the first place we go to find truth, not the last. We must be quick to hear His truth.



God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chamber

 
Complete and Effective Dominion
 
Death no longer has dominion over Him. . . . the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God . . . -Romans 6:9-11

Co-Eternal Life. Eternal life is the life which Jesus Christ exhibited on the human level. And it is this same life, not simply a copy of it, which is made evident in our mortal flesh when we are born again. Eternal life is not a gift from God; eternal life is the gift of God. The energy and the power which was so very evident in Jesus will be exhibited in us by an act of the absolute sovereign grace of God, once we have made that complete and effective decision about sin.

"You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . ." (Acts 1:- not power as a gift from the Holy Spirit; the power is the Holy Spirit, not something that He gives us. The life that was in Jesus becomes ours because of His Cross, once we make the decision to be identified with Him. If it is difficult to get right with God, it is because we refuse to make this moral decision about sin. But once we do decide, the full life of God comes in immediately. Jesus came to give us an endless supply of life- ". . . that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). Eternal life has nothing to do with time. It is the life which Jesus lived when He was down here, and the only Source of life is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Even the weakest saint can experience the power of the deity of the Son of God, when he is willing to "let go." But any effort to "hang on" to the least bit of our own power will only diminish the life of Jesus in us. We have to keep letting go, and slowly, but surely, the great full life of God will invade us, penetrating every part. Then Jesus will have complete and effective dominion in us, and people will take notice that we have been with Him.

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At Just the Right Time

It is easy for us to get anxious when it seems like God is moving more slowly than we would like.  But Scripture is clear, God's purposes have their appointed times.  They are fulfilled in their season.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says,

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.

And there is 1 Peter 5:6-7, which says,

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Humility and God's exalting of you are two things that are tied together.  Perhaps you are feeling pretty frazzled, wondering, "God, when's it going to happen?"  Just continue to cast your cares on Him.  He will promote you in due time.  Do not worry about it.

In fact, the phrase that says, that He may exalt you in due time, literally means "at the set time" or "at the time prearranged by God."

When your character has been shaped and molded enough, and when other events are ready and in their proper place, then God will promote and exalt you.

Think about Moses who had it in his heart to be a deliverer and a judge, but when he first acted on it he failed miserably.  He was 40 years early! (See Acts 7:23-34).  The Israelites were not ready to be delivered yet.  God had to work at the other end of the line.

Remember, God may have put some things in your heart, but the timing may not be quite right.  There may be some work He needs to do in your life, or there may be some other factors God is working on.  Until those things come together, God will not push you into that position.

So, focus on being faithful and let God worry about just the right time.


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Slow to Speak


In His Presence: Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation (1 Peter 2:2 ).



In resigning ourselves to God's Word, we must also be "slow to speak." This means after we are quick to listen to what God says, we don't argue with it. Many of us are too busy listening to ourselves talk to hear what God is really saying to us, and when we do hear Him, we don't want to believe Him-we try to argue with Him!

One Minute Please

We must resign ourselves to the pure truth of God's Word without adding our own perspective

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

April 15, 2013

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Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chamber

 
The Failure To Pay Close Attention
 
The high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was loyal all his days -2 Chronicles 15:17

Asa was not completely obedient in the outward, visible areas of his life. He was obedient in what he considered the most important areas, but he was not entirely right. Beware of ever thinking, "Oh, that thing in my life doesn't matter much." The fact that it doesn't matter much to you may mean that it matters a great deal to God. Nothing should be considered a trivial matter by a child of God. How much longer are we going to prevent God from teaching us even one thing? But He keeps trying to teach us and He never loses patience. You say, "I know I am right with God"- yet the "high places" still remain in your life. There is still an area of disobedience. Do you protest that your heart is right with God, and yet there is something in your life He causes you to doubt? Whenever God causes a doubt about something, stop it immediately, no matter what it may be. Nothing in our lives is a mere insignificant detail to God.

Are there some things regarding your physical or intellectual life to which you have been paying no attention at all? If so, you may think you are all correct in the important areas, but you are careless- you are failing to concentrate or to focus properly. You no more need a day off from spiritual concentration on matters in your life than your heart needs a day off from beating. As you cannot take a day off morally and remain moral, neither can you take a day off spiritually and remain spiritual. God wants you to be entirely His, and it requires paying close attention to keep yourself fit. It also takes a tremendous amount of time. Yet some of us expect to rise above all of our problems, going from one mountaintop experience to another, with only a few minutes' effort.

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Sour, Angry, and Negative

We are looking at how we make the gospel unattractive.  I believe one of the main ways this occurs is when Christians are sour, angry and negative.

Some people live right but they always look like they have spent the night in a bottle of lemon juice.

If you struggle in this area, you need to listen carefully.  Your salvation should be the source of great joy, and that joy and happiness should be expressed in your life in a dynamic way.

For example, Jesus said this in John 15:11,

"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."

And in John 16:22, He said,

"Your joy no one will take from you."

In Romans 14:17, Paul said,

For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Finally, James 1:2 says,

Count it all joy when you fall into various trials.

Joy is one of the hallmarks of the Kingdom of God.  Even when we are going through a rough patch, the Bible says we are to be full of joy.

Joy makes the gospel attractive.  If you put on a sour face all the time and you have a negative disposition, you will scare people away from church. You make the gospel seem like something people would never want.

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Receive the Word


In His Presence: Putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves

(James 1:21-22 ).



When we resign ourselves to the truth of God's Word, we must next receive the Word as God's message for our lives. We must put aside all our filthiness and sin, confessing, acknowledging, and agreeing with God about our sin. Sin blocks the working of God through the Word, so it must be dealt with properly.

One Minute Please

We must receive the Word in humility, which means we come under its authority. This shows our reverence for God's authority.

God Bless

[Judy Harder]

April 16, 2013
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Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chamber

 
Can You Come Down From the Mountain?
 
While you have the light, believe in the light . . . -John 12:36

We all have moments when we feel better than ever before, and we say, "I feel fit for anything; if only I could always be like this!" We are not meant to be. Those moments are moments of insight which we have to live up to even when we do not feel like it. Many of us are no good for the everyday world when we are not on the mountaintop. Yet we must bring our everyday life up to the standard revealed to us on the mountaintop when we were there.

Never allow a feeling that was awakened in you on the mountaintop to evaporate. Don't place yourself on the shelf by thinking, "How great to be in such a wonderful state of mind!" Act immediately- do something, even if your only reason to act is that you would rather not. If, during a prayer meeting, God shows you something to do, don't say, "I'll do it"- just doit! Pick yourself up by the back of the neck and shake off your fleshly laziness. Laziness can always be seen in our cravings for a mountaintop experience; all we talk about is our planning for our time on the mountain. We must learn to live in the ordinary "gray" day according to what we saw on the mountain.

Don't give up because you have been blocked and confused once- go after it again. Burn your bridges behind you, and stand committed to God by an act of your own will. Never change your decisions, but be sure to make your decisions in the light of what you saw and learned on the mountain.

 

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Remember

Titus 3:1-7 says,

Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.  For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.  But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Paul tells us to remember where we have come from.  Notice he said to show humility to all men and speak evil of no one.  Why?  Because we also used to be foolish and deceived and disobedient.

I thank God I am a new creation in Christ, but I still blush when I think about some of the stuff I got involved in before I was saved!  Disobedient?  Been there.  Serving various lusts and pleasures?  Up to my eyeballs!  Plus all the other things Paul mentions in this passage and a few more!

It is amazing how people in the church forget what they were like before the grace of God came into their life.  When that happens they tend to get very haughty and judgmental towards those still lost in their sin.  A harsh, judgmental church that lacks humility while verbally lashing out at sinners is one of the ugliest garments you can dress the beautiful gospel in.


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Respond to the Word


If anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was (James 1:23-24 ).



In a mirror you see what you really look like. A mirror shows who you are physically, and it gives you messages about yourself.  James said that going to the Word of God is like looking in a mirror. But if you only go to the mirror with the intent of looking in and not doing anything about what you see, if you only go to the Word of God to hear and not do anything about what you hear, you are deceiving yourself.

One Minute Please

We may think we don't have the power to change, but we're not alone. The Holy Spirit will change us!

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chamber

 
All or Nothing?
 
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment . . . and plunged into the sea -John 21:7

Have you ever had a crisis in your life in which you deliberately, earnestly, and recklessly abandoned everything? It is a crisis of the will. You may come to that point many times externally, but it will amount to nothing. The true deep crisis of abandonment, or total surrender, is reached internally, not externally. The giving up of only external things may actually be an indication of your being in total bondage.

Have you deliberately committed your will to Jesus Christ? It is a transaction of the will, not of emotion; any positive emotion that results is simply a superficial blessing arising out of the transaction. If you focus your attention on the emotion, you will never make the transaction. Do not ask God what the transaction is to be, but make the determination to surrender your will regarding whatever you see, whether it is in the shallow or the deep, profound places internally.

If you have heard Jesus Christ's voice on the waves of the sea, you can let your convictions and your consistency take care of themselves by concentrating on maintaining your intimate relationship to Him.

 

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What's Your Motive?

The Bible says in James 4:3,

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

James says that you ask, but you do not receive, because you ask amiss.  The word amiss here comes from the Greek root word that means to harm or to injure.  His point is:  God will not grant you anything that is going to harm or injure your spiritual life, whether in the short term or in the long term.

When you pray, God is looking out for your best interests.

But then he also said, You ask amiss that you may spend it on your pleasures.  The word pleasures has the idea of sensuality, which means, if I am asking for something just to stroke my fleshly ego, then I short-circuit the prayer by my wrong motivation.

For example, it is great to pray for a car.  I live in Southern California where we need a car to get around.  And I think God will give you a car that you like.  After all, the Bible says He gives us richly all things to enjoy.  Jesus said, "Ask, that your joy might be full."  So I think God wants us to be happy, and He generally has no problems granting your request for a car you would like.

Yet some people go a step beyond that, and their real motivation is, "Man, I want that car because I would look good in that car!  If I came to work in that car, I would really show up so-and-so.  People would think I'm pretty fine if I had that car.  If I had that car, the chicks would dig me."

Be careful when you pray to not slip over into a motivation that is not really pure.  Because you will short-circuit your faith and you will not receive an answer-except "no". 


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A Relationship with the Word


In His Presence: One who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does (James 1:25 ).



The final step in being transformed into the image of Christ by the Word of God is maintaining a relationship with the Word. James said the one who looks into the mirror of Scripture intently will not only read what it says, he will do it.

One Minute Please

Carry the Bible everywhere; look intently into it, abide in it, and you will change.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chamber

 
Readiness
 
God called to him . . . . And he said, 'Here I am' -Exodus 3:4

When God speaks, many of us are like people in a fog, and we give no answer. Moses' reply to God revealed that he knew where he was and that he was ready. Readiness means having a right relationship to God and having the knowledge of where we are. We are so busy telling God where we would like to go. Yet the man or woman who is ready for God and His work is the one who receives the prize when the summons comes. We wait with the idea that some great opportunity or something sensational will be coming our way, and when it does come we are quick to cry out, "Here I am." Whenever we sense that Jesus Christ is rising up to take authority over some great task, we are there, but we are not ready for some obscure duty.

Readiness for God means that we are prepared to do the smallest thing or the largest thing- it makes no difference. It means we have no choice in what we want to do, but that whatever God's plans may be, we are there and ready. Whenever any duty presents itself, we hear God's voice as our Lord heard His Father's voice, and we are ready for it with the total readiness of our love for Him. Jesus Christ expects to do with us just as His Father did with Him. He can put us wherever He wants, in pleasant duties or in menial ones, because our union with Him is the same as His union with the Father. ". . . that they may be one just as We are one . . ." (John 17:22).

Be ready for the sudden surprise visits of God. A ready person never needs to get ready- he is ready. Think of the time we waste trying to get ready once God has called! The burning bush is a symbol of everything that surrounds the person who is ready, and it is on fire with the presence of God Himself.

 

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Overcoming Barrenness

I Samuel 1:10-11 says,

And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish.  Then she made a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head."

These words are written about Hannah, who was barren.  But God answered her prayer by giving her a son, and he became one of the most prominent figures in Biblical history-Samuel.

Perhaps there is a "barrenness" in some area of your life, and like Hannah, who was tormented by her adversary-so it is with you.  Prayer can change things.  It did in Hannah's life, and it can in yours.  But there are several things about Hannah's prayer that we need to consider:

1. Hannah's prayer was not casual.  It was heartfelt and deep.  Too much of our praying is "skin deep."  Only prayers that originate from deep within us get God's attention.  James 5:16 declares that the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

2. Hannah's prayer was specific. She asked for a male child.  Too much of our praying is too general.  Don't be afraid to be specific in your requests.

3. Hannah wanted the answer to her prayer to glorify God.  Her boy would be dedicated to God's service.  When our prayers take on the purpose of glorifying God, we have moved into a higher realm.

If you are experiencing a barrenness in any arena of life, pray.  And let your prayers be heartfelt, specific, and for the glory of God.


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Transformed by Trials


In His Presence: Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials (James 1:2 ).



The television show "Extreme Makeover" puts people through all kinds of adverse circumstances so that they might look better than they did when they started the makeover process. They undergo surgical procedures, grueling workouts, and physical pain in order to be transformed into something beautiful.

One of the primary ways God makes us more like Christ is by allowing us to face trouble. To conform us into the image of Christ, we don't just need minor surgery--we require major transformation. In fact, God has to put a brand new nature inside us.  Just as a sculptor chips away at a piece of marble to turn it into a beautiful sculpture, God uses trials to chip away at us, sculpting us to resemble the image of Christ.

One Minute Please

Like a photographer developing his film in a darkroom, God develops a beautiful photograph of Christlikeness in us when we go through dark times.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chamber

 
Beware of the Least Likely Temptation
 
Joab had defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom -1 Kings 2:28

Joab withstood the greatest test of his life, remaining absolutely loyal to David by not turning to follow after the fascinating and ambitious Absalom. Yet toward the end of his life he turned to follow after the weak and cowardly Adonijah. Always remain alert to the fact that where one person has turned back is exactly where anyone may be tempted to turn back (see 1 Corinthians 10:11-13). You may have just victoriously gone through a great crisis, but now be alert about the things that may appear to be the least likely to tempt you. Beware of thinking that the areas of your life where you have experienced victory in the past are now the least likely to cause you to stumble and fall.

We are apt to say, "It is not at all likely that having been through the greatest crisis of my life I would now turn back to the things of the world." Do not try to predict where the temptation will come; it is the least likely thing that is the real danger. It is in the aftermath of a great spiritual event that the least likely things begin to have an effect. They may not be forceful and dominant, but they are there. And if you are not careful to be forewarned, they will trip you. You have remained true to God under great and intense trials- now beware of the undercurrent. Do not be abnormally examining your inner self, looking forward with dread, but stay alert; keep your memory sharp before God. Unguarded strength is actually a double weakness, because that is where the least likely temptations will be effective in sapping strength. The Bible characters stumbled over their strong points, never their weak ones.

". . . kept by the power of God . . ."- that is the only safety. (1 Peter 1:5).

 

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Power in Numbers

I believe the Bible teaches us that when we join together the impact is multiplied far beyond just the addition of those who join together.  One plus one equals far more than two.  Let me show you what I mean.     

In Deuteronomy 32:30, it says,

How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had surrendered them?

While this verse deals with Israel's disobedience to God and subsequent retreat from their enemies, think of what might be possible when God's people obey Him!  It says that one could chase a thousand, but two could put ten thousand to flight.

While one person can impact a thousand, two people can impact ten thousand.  That is a ten-fold multiplied effect!

Leviticus 26:7-8, when God was giving promises to His people if they would walk in His ways, states this,

You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you.  Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight;  your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.

Notice God says five will chase a hundred, and a hundred will chase ten thousand.  By increasing the number of people times 20, their effectiveness would increase times 100.  Again, that is a multiplied effect.

You have probably heard of the Clydesdale horses, those big, strong workhorses that can pull a lot of weight.  One horse by itself can pull two tons, but if you yoke two together they can pull 23 tons!  That is incredible!

And that is how it works when we pray together with one another. When we join our forces in prayer and connect with heaven, that is what happens. There is a multiplied effect.

 

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Count It as Joy


In His Presence: In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your  ( 1 Peter 1:6-7 ).



How are we supposed to react to trials when they come our way? Trials are inevitable for the Christian; we must all face trials of some kind at some point in our lives. James told us the first thing we should do is to consider, or count in some versions, our trials as joy. The Greek word used for "count" is an accounting term meaning to add up. Why must we count trials as joy? Because sometimes when we are going through trials, they just don't add up. They don't make sense. It doesn't seem fair to have to face what we must deal with.

One Minute Please

We can't ignore the pain of a trial, but we must focus on the purpose.

[Judy Harder]

April 22, 2013


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Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chamber

 
The Light That Never Fails
 
We all, with unveiled face, beholding . . . the glory of the Lord . . . -2 Corinthians 3:18

A servant of God must stand so very much alone that he never realizes he is alone. In the early stages of the Christian life, disappointments will come- people who used to be lights will flicker out, and those who used to stand with us will turn away. We have to get so used to it that we will not even realize we are standing alone. Paul said, ". . . no one stood with me, but all forsook me . . . . But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me . . ." (2 Timothy 4:16-17). We must build our faith not on fading lights but on the Light that never fails. When "important" individuals go away we are sad, until we see that they are meant to go, so that only one thing is left for us to do- to look into the face of God for ourselves.

Allow nothing to keep you from looking with strong determination into the face of God regarding yourself and your doctrine. And every time you preach make sure you look God in the face about the message first, then the glory will remain through all of it. A Christian servant is one who perpetually looks into the face of God and then goes forth to talk to others. The ministry of Christ is characterized by an abiding glory of which the servant is totally unaware- ". . . Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him" (Exodus 34:29).

We are never called on to display our doubts openly or to express the hidden joys and delights of our life with God. The secret of the servant's life is that he stays in tune with God all the time.


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God promises He will answer every



Pray Through Your Trial

In His Presence: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:5).



Wisdom can be defined as knowing how to apply truth to problematic situations. When we are going through trials, we must pray that God would give us wisdom to see how to apply the truth of His Word to what we are facing. Then and only then can He show us how to become more like His Son. We can ask God how to apply what is true about Him so that we can reap the maximum benefit from our situation.

One Minute Please

prayer without reproach when we are being conformed into the image of Christ.

 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chamber

 
Do You Worship The Work?
We are God's fellow workers . . . -1 Corinthians 3:9

Beware of any work for God that causes or allows you to avoid concentrating on Him. A great number of Christian workers worship their work. The only concern of Christian workers should be their concentration on God. This will mean that all the other boundaries of life, whether they are mental, moral, or spiritual limits, are completely free with the freedom God gives His child; that is, a worshiping child, not a wayward one. A worker who lacks this serious controlling emphasis of concentration on God is apt to become overly burdened by his work. He is a slave to his own limits, having no freedom of his body, mind, or spirit. Consequently, he becomes burned out and defeated. There is no freedom and no delight in life at all. His nerves, mind, and heart are so overwhelmed that God's blessing cannot rest on him.

But the opposite case is equally true-once our concentration is on God, all the limits of our life are free and under the control and mastery of God alone. There is no longer any responsibility on you for the work. The only responsibility you have is to stay in living constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your cooperation with Him. The freedom that comes after sanctification is the freedom of a child, and the things that used to hold your life down are gone. But be careful to remember that you have been freed for only one thing-to be absolutely devoted to your co-Worker.

We have no right to decide where we should be placed, or to have preconceived ideas as to what God is preparing us to do. God engineers everything; and wherever He places us, our one supreme goal should be to pour out our lives in wholehearted devotion to Him in that particular work. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might . . ." (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

 

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Real Goodness

Romans 2:4 declares,

The goodness of God leads you to repentance.

Ephesians 2:4-6 says,

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

God is not holding your sins against you.  He sent His Son to pay a debt that had to be paid in order to liberate you from sin.  God extends His mercy and forgiveness to you and me even when we do not deserve it.

It was His goodness that arrested my attention and that brought me to the foot of the cross, even when I was in my darkest sin, doing terrible things, abusing my body with drugs and alcohol, and doing things that should have put me in an early grave.  In fact, a number of times I nearly died.  But God loved me right in the middle of all of that.

I want to tell you, wherever you are right now, God loves you.  You may be in the depths of the darkest sin you have ever been involved in, you just feel wretched, but God loves you right where you are.

He loves you so much He doesn't want to leave you there.  His grace can reach you, change you and lift you out of any sin or situation if you will turn to Him with all of your heart.

There is no reason to fear or hesitate. Entrust yourself to the goodness of God and say yes to Him today.


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Praise God During Trials


In His Presence: The brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation . . . Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him - (James 1:9-10, 12

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Since God uses trials for our benefit and He is always in control, we can praise Him for who He is no matter what we are going through. Scripture says we should give thanks in everything. In every situation, we can count it as joy that God has decided to use a trial in our life to make us more like His Son.

One Minute Please

You may be in the fire of a trial, but God is using it to refine and purify you to be more like His Son.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chamber

 
The Warning Against Desiring Spiritual Success
Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you . . . -Luke 10:20

Worldliness is not the trap that most endangers us as Christian workers; nor is it sin. The trap we fall into is extravagantly desiring spiritual success; that is, success measured by, and patterned after, the form set by this religious age in which we now live. Never seek after anything other than the approval of God, and always be willing to go "outside the camp, bearing His reproach" (Hebrews 13:13). In Luke 10:20  , Jesus told the disciples not to rejoice in successful service, and yet this seems to be the one thing in which most of us do rejoice. We have a commercialized view- we count how many souls have been saved and sanctified, we thank God, and then we think everything is all right. Yet our work only begins where God's grace has laid the foundation. Our work is not to save souls, but to disciple them. Salvation and sanctification are the work of God's sovereign grace, and our work as His disciples is to disciple others' lives until they are totally yielded to God. One life totally devoted to God is of more value to Him than one hundred lives which have been simply awakened by His Spirit. As workers for God, we must reproduce our own kind spiritually, 4and those lives will be God's testimony to us as His workers. God brings us up to a standard of life through His grace, and we are responsible for reproducing that same standard in others.

Unless the worker lives a life that "is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3), he is apt to become an irritating dictator to others, instead of an active, living disciple. Many of us are dictators, dictating our desires to individuals and to groups. But Jesus never dictates to us in that way. Whenever our Lord talked about discipleship, He always prefaced His words with an "if," never with the forceful or dogmatic statement- "You must." Discipleship carries with it an option.

 

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The First Step Toward Freedom

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" (John 5:2-6).

Jesus asked this man a seemingly ridiculous question, "Do you want to be made well?"  It's obvious isn't it?  He is at the ool, isn't he?  The only reason people went there was to be healed.  What kind of a question is that to be asking?  Of course, he wanted to be healed.

But Jesus was not convinced.  This man had been stuck in his condition for a long time.  He was not only lying down on the outside, he was lying down on the inside.

Sometimes people get used to living in their problems.  While they may outwardly be going through the motions to get free (generally because they know that is what is expected of them), inwardly they have given up.

The first step toward getting free from your problems and that which binds and restricts your life is wanting it-really wanting it.

You have to stand up on the inside before you can ever stand up on the outside.

Let me be very bold and ask you:  Do you want to be made well?  Do you really want things to change?  Or have you grown accustomed to living under the devil's heel?

If you are tired of defeat, mediocrity and bondage, then stand up on the inside and say, "Enough is enough!"

It is the first step toward freedom.


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Matured by Trials

In His Presence: You have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith . . . may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:6-7

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Adverse circumstances are designed to help us develop spiritually. Every time we face a trial we have an opportunity to move to another level of spiritual growth. James 1:12 pronounces persevering through a trial as a blessing. To be blessed is to be spiritually satisfied with the results of something. A blessed man does not quit or throw in the towel during a tough time; rather he perseveres because he knows one day he will receive the crown of life.

One Minute Please

Temptations are circumstances designed to defeat you while trials are circumstances designed to develop you.