Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

June 24, 2013


Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
Reconciling Yourself to the Fact of Sin
 
This is your hour, and the power of darkness -Luke 22:53

Not being reconciled to the fact of sin- not recognizing it and refusing to deal with it- produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks your life, instead of reconciling yourself to it, you will compromise with it and say that it is of no use to battle against it. Have you taken this "hour, and the power of darkness" into account, or do you have a view of yourself which includes no recognition of sin whatsoever? In your human relationships and friendships, have you reconciled yourself to the fact of sin? If not, just around the next corner you will find yourself trapped and you will compromise with it. But if you will reconcile yourself to the fact of sin, you will realize the danger immediately and say, "Yes, I see what this sin would mean." The recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship- it simply establishes a mutual respect for the fact that the basis of sinful life is disastrous. Always beware of any assessment of life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin.

Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical nor suspicious, because He had absolute trust in what He could do for human nature. The pure man or woman is the one who is shielded from harm, not the innocent person. The so-called innocent man or woman is never safe. Men and women have no business trying to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child. Any person is deserving of blame if he is unwilling to reconcile himself to the fact of sin.


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Delivered!

Do you realize that the devil has absolutely no authority over you?         

In Colossians 1:12-13, the apostle Paul tells us,

Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.  He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.

You and I have been delivered from the power of darkness.  We are out from under the authority of the devil.

That was a happy day for me when I realized this truth. After I was saved, I was afraid of the devil because I had been so deeply involved in the occult.  I literally had a fear that hung upon me and followed me everywhere I went.  So I just prayed over and over, "God, please make me so I'm not afraid of the devil."

I started to constantly read the New Testament. As I did, I realized what Christ had done for me, and I was set free.

As I thought about this truth, I was reminded of being in elementary school.  We had this kid who terrorized a lot of other kids.  I was so afraid of him.  One day, he just pushed one of my buttons.  All of a sudden I was on top of him holding his arms down, and I was thinking, "Why in the world was I ever afraid of this kid?"  He was absolutely helpless!

Just like that bully, the devil is a defeated foe. And part of your inheritance is authority over all the power of the enemy.  It is a happy day when you realize it.


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Jailed but Not Bound

In His Presence "Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison" (Acts 12:6).

Has there ever been a time when you felt so bound by your circumstances that you thought you would never be released? Without a doubt, Peter's situation, from a human standpoint, seemed impossible. However, from God's perspective nothing was further from the truth. It was an opportunity for Him to display His awesome power through Peter's life.

While the church was praying for his release, Peter was resting. In fact, he was asleep! Most of us would have been awake, anxiously watching the door and wondering what was going to happen next. But not Peter. He was in the center of God's loving will. Life is not void of trouble and heartache. Sometimes His plan for us includes difficulty.

When trouble strikes and you feel as though your world is falling apart, do you have this same type of faith? Many of us don't. We may start out thinking, "Now Lord, You know my needs. Please help me." However, when time drags on and the door to freedom remains closed, we begin to wonder what has happened to God. Has He left the scene? The answer is no. He is right where He always is-beside you, with you, and living His life out through you.

Peter was not worried about tomorrow because his eyes were set on Christ. Being handcuffed to him was probably similar to being chained to the apostle Paul. We can imagine that at every opportunity, those who were guarding him had the opportunity to hear about the unconditional love of Jesus Christ.

"The Lord is not slow about fulfilling His promises" (2 Peter 3:9). What may seem like forever to you is not even a moment to God who is infinite and eternal. Peter's amazing release came at just the right time-the middle of the night. When life appears the darkest, the light of God's hope will find you. Your Savior is working on your behalf, and He will answer your prayer.

One Minute Please
If Satan has hemmed you in on all sides, if he has handcuffed you and you see no way out, then you are a good candidate for a miracle!

[Judy Harder]

 

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow
 
. . . what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 'Father, glorify Your name' -John 12:27-28
As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.

We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.

Sorrow removes a great deal of a person's shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people


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Blessed to Be a Blessing

Our capitalistic society is geared toward one purpose...people accumulating wealth. While there is nothing wrong with material abundance, many Christians today have lost sight of why God has blessed them with prosperity.

They believe it is for their own good and benefit, but God's perspective is quite different. For example, here is what the writer of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 13:16,

But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Now the phrase "to share" means to share with others. One translation says, Share what you have.  Another version translates this, Be generous. Another says, Contribute to the needy.

You see, God blesses us to make us a blessing! That ought to be the main motivation for desiring and praying for God's blessing in our lives. God told Abraham, "I'm going to bless you, and you will be a blessing." God says the fringe benefit is that, "I will give you richly all things to enjoy." But the main flow of God's purpose in blessing us is so we can help other people.

It is also the reason we should desire the inheritance that Christ has given to us, all of those Holy Spirit-conferred blessings, which we discussed on day 14. Why? Because we can't give what we don't have. You can't bless someone if you don't have anything to bless them with!

God is well pleased to see us walk in our inheritance as sons, but He is also well pleased to see us share what He has blessed us with.

 

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Worship the Lord with Your Life

In His Presence: "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy" - (Jude 24).

Faith is at the heart of worship. In Streams in the Desert, Mrs. Charles E. Cowman records a story that focuses on giving God praise. The story is of a woman who had very little. She made a "precarious living by hard daily labor; but [she] was a joyous, triumphant Christian." One day, a gloomy friend said to her, "Ah, it is well enough to be happy now, but I should think the thought of your future would sober you. Only suppose, for instance, you should have a spell of sickness and are unable to work. Or suppose your present employer moves away and no one else gives you anything to do. Suppose . . ."

Nancy knew where the conversation was going and raised her hand to interrupt her friend. "Stop! I never use the word suppose. The Lord is my Shepherd, and I know that I shall not want. And, Honey, it is all your 'supposing' that is making you so miserable. You had better give them up and just trust the Lord."

We worship God with our lives. Not just with the songs we sing on Sunday morning, but with the way we live each day-including the way we greet others and talk about what God is doing in us. Some people may have an abundance of money while others appear to have very little. It does not matter. If they know the Savior, they have a wealth that this world cannot understand.

Fame and riches mean nothing to God. Some of the wealthiest people in the world are also the loneliest. However, if you have a personal relationship with the Savior, you are never alone. Instead of thinking about what could happen, enjoy the goodness of this day, and worship Him for His faithfulness. He stands watch over your life and gives you promises that will hold true for eternity. Therefore, worship the Lord, and He will bless you in ways that are far greater than you can imagine.

One Minute Please
It takes faith to worship God and faith to grow in His love each day.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
Always Now

 
We . . . beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. - 2 Corinthians 6:1

The grace you had yesterday will not do for to-day. Grace is the overflowing favour of God; you can always reckon it is there to draw upon. "In much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses" - that is where the test for patience comes. Are you failing the grace of God there? Are you saying - Oh, well, I won't count this time? It is not a question of praying and asking God to help you; it is taking the grace of God now. We make prayer the preparation for work, it is never that in the Bible. Prayer is the exercise of drawing on the grace of God. Don't say - I will endure this until I can get away and pray. Pray now; draw on the grace of God in the moment of need. Prayer is the most practical thing, it is not the reflex action of devotion. Prayer is the last thing in which we learn to draw on God's grace.

"In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours" - in all these things manifest a drawing upon the grace of God that will make you a marvel to yourself and to others. Draw now, not presently. The one word in the spiritual vocabulary is Now. Let circumstances bring you where they will, keep drawing on the grace of God in every conceivable condition you may be in. One of the greatest proofs that you are drawing on the grace of God is that you can be humiliated without manifesting the slightest trace of anything but His grace.

"Having nothing . . ." Never reserve anything. Pour out the best you have, and always be poor. Never be diplomatic and careful about the treasure God gives. This is poverty triumphant.


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You Can't Out-Give God
Tucked away in the pages of the New Testament is a very powerful promise to those who are generous givers. It is found in Philippians 4:18-19,

Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.  And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

The Philippian church had made the financial support of the apostle Paul a priority.  In these verses Paul acknowledges their generosity and also states a vital principle for every believer to grasp...you can't out-give God!       

Not too long ago I came across a letter from a lady who had sacrificially given to the work of God.  Here is what she said in her letter:

"My husband and I were in dire straits. He is a Vietnam War veteran who was exposed to Agent Orange.  Due to his benefit claims being denied and his being unemployed for three years, we lost nearly everything.  We had to put our home up for sale, but nothing was happening.  During this time, I gave every penny I could get my hands on and always prayed.  So one miracle after another began to take place.  First, we were able to move into my husband's deceased mother's home. Then we signed papers for the sale of our former home.  Next, my husband's claim for benefits was approved and awarded, and the award was backdated three years. Then he found a job!  Our income has tripled, and God continues to do miraculous things for us."

My friend, become a generous giver today. Because you can't out-give God!


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Acceptable to God

In His Presence: "Abel . . . brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard" (Genesis 4:4-5).

As consumers, we have little interest in leftovers. We don't like to spend our money on flawed products. When we pay for an item or a service, we feel that it should be the best that company has to offer. This is true of God, but to an even greater extent.

Adam and Eve taught their sons Cain and Abel how to worship God in an acceptable manner. Yet when it came time to do this, the quality of Cain's offering was not pleasing, and it was not given with the same passion as Abel's. God does not have favorites. He did not choose one over the other because He liked one brother better than the next.

Abel simply understood the principle of worship and offered God the very best that he had. Cain, on the other hand, offered what he could gather quickly-an apple from here, a pear from there, and a clump of grapes. It is also interesting to note that Cain's life is one that was filled with a desire and passion for what God had cursed in the garden at the fall of mankind-the land. Abel offered God the very best of His flocks-the fattest lambs-because he understood that worship came from a heart of love and devotion.

This concept is not just about giving money to the Lord on Sunday. He established guidelines for our giving in order for us to remember that He is the One who enables us to make a living. More importantly, it is about how we live our lives. Are we totally committed to the Savior? Do we love Him and want to worship Him on a regular basis? Or do we just pray when we have a need of Him and go to His house when it is convenient? Those who worship out of convenience have hearts that contain a character flaw-a bent toward Cain's nature.

This does not have to be true of your life. Ask God to show you any area where you are not fully devoted to Him. Remember, worship is something we do with our entire life.

One Minute Please
A character flaw always leads to a content flaw.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
The Overshadowing of God's Personal Deliverance
 
. . . I am with you to deliver you,' says the Lord -Jeremiah 1:8

God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally- ". . . your life shall be as a prize to you . . ." (Jeremiah 39:18). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God's personal deliverance.

The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, "Don't worry about whether or not you are being treated justly." Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, "Why should I be treated like this?" If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, "Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance." Even the most devout among us become atheistic in this regard- we do not believe Him. We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God's name to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6).


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The Priority of Purity

We live in a highly sexualized society.  It is amazing the number of people, even pastors, who fall to sexual temptation.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 we are told straight out,

For this is the will of God, your sanctification:  that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God.

God expects for you and me to live in sexual purity.  You need to know how to possess your body in sanctification and honor; otherwise your body will possess you.

God has created a strong sexual drive that is an awesome blessing in marriage!  But, you know, it is so strong that sometimes it just wants to flow out of the banks and go somewhere it shouldn't go.

We must learn how to possess our bodies in sanctification and honor, and live morally pure lives that bring pleasure to God.  Here are three practical ways:

Avoid temptation.  2 Timothy 2:22 says, Flee youthful lusts.  Avoid the very scenes of temptation.  Stay away when you know you might get in trouble.
Feed your spirit, not your flesh.  In Romans, we are told of the great war every Christian experiences, the war between our spirit and our flesh.  Whatever you feed is going to be stronger, so make sure to feed your spirit.
Rely on the Holy Spirit and His power.  If you will acknowledge Him and look to Him for strength, you will find He is a very present help in your time of need.
Make a commitment today to practice these three principles for purity.  If you do, you will live in the sexual purity God desires.


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The Lifestyle of Worship

In His Presence: "You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel" (Psalm 22:3).

Worship is not simply an event or a place. It is an orientation. It is a way of life. It is the result of a decision that we make-one that exalts God above everything else. It is also a way of thinking. We come to a point where we realize and acknowledge that God is truly great and worthy of all praise.

One of the major benefits of worship is that when we draw near to God, He draws near to us. This is why worship is crucial to the life of a believer. If we do not worship God on a regular basis, we will not sense His closeness and will not know which way to go when trouble comes. We will not experience the joy of living free lives because we will not be in tune with His Spirit. Instead, we must learn how to walk each day in the light of His grace and unconditional love.

Israel learned the importance of worship in the desert, where they were prepared by God to enter the Promised Land. They carried the altar of God with them. When they stopped to make camp, the first thing they did was to set up the altar and the surrounding tent. They didn't say anything about needing to wait until the Sabbath to worship. They realized the importance of worshiping the One who held their lives fast within His hands.

Do you have this same attitude toward worship? Do you go to church on Sunday with a grateful heart, longing to sing and praise God for His goodness? Or are you one of the missing who rarely shows up to worship the Lord?

Sadly, while God longs for our fellowship, the one that loses out in this case is the person who fails to enter His gates with thanksgiving. He does not need us, but we definitely need Him.

The one place where you can learn the most about God's infinite love and care for you is through times of worship. You don't have to put on your finest clothes in order to worship Him. He just wants you to come and worship with a heart that sincerely wants to be with Him.

One Minute Please
Make worship to God your heart's passion, and He will renew your faith.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
Held by the Grip of God
 
I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me -Philippians 3:12

Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you "turn aside to the right hand or to the left" (Deuteronomy 5:32). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has "laid hold of" us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, "Well, I'm really not suited for this." What you are to preach is also determined by God, not by your own natural leanings or desires. Keep your soul steadfastly related to God, and remember that you are called not simply to convey your testimony but also to preach the gospel. Every Christian must testify to the truth of God, but when it comes to the call to preach, there must be the agonizing grip of God's hand on you- your life is in the grip of God for that very purpose. How many of us are held like that?

Never water down the Word of God, but preach it in its undiluted sternness. There must be unflinching faithfulness to the Word of God, but when you come to personal dealings with others, remember who you are- you are not some special being created in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace.

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do. . . I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14)


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Perfect and Complete

Your faith in God has incredible potential to make your life complete.  To take you from the place of deficiency, to the place of being perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

James puts it this way in James 1:2-4,

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Faith in God can make you complete, but your faith will be contested.  It will be opposed, even as we read here.  Your faith will go through the fire of trial.

If you lack spiritually in your life, you can get to the place of holiness.  If you are lacking materially, you can get to a place where your needs are met.  Whatever your lack, your faith in God has the potential to take you from where you are, and where you are lacking, to this place that the Bible speaks of...being perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

But, the path to that completeness is one of trial.  Your faith will not get you there until it first goes through testing.  You do have an adversary.  You will be opposed.  The Bible says, Your adversary, the devil, walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

The devil knows what is at stake, and he will do all he can to keep you from trusting God.  So as your faith encounters the turbulence of trials, do what James says, and count it all joy.  You are on your way to becoming perfect and complete in Christ.


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Worship That Comes From the Heart

In His Presence: "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering" (Genesis 22:.

Usually, there will come a time when God will test the depth of your devotion to Him. In Genesis 22, He tested Abraham's faith beyond anything imaginable. The Lord instructed Abraham to take his only son, Isaac, and offer him as a sacrifice.

For a moment, draw this parallel in your mind: God sent His own Son to earth and willingly offered Him as a sacrifice for our sins. Was God's request of Abraham a foreshadowing of what would come? Perhaps. However, the one thing we want to focus on here is that Abraham was willing to obey God. He did not talk back, make excuses, or turn away from God. He just obeyed-knowing in his heart that the Lord would provide the right sacrifice.

When they had reached their destination, Abraham spoke with words of faith as he told his servants, "I and the lad will . . . worship and return to you" (v.5). When it came to the actual moment of sacrifice, God stopped him. "Abraham! . . . Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me" (vv. 11-12). God did not want Abraham to harm his son. He was just checking Abraham's devotion.

How often have you faced a difficult situation and thought, "Lord, You can have anything, but please, just don't take ______." You can fill in the blank for yourself. In this situation, Abraham would have written in the name of his son Isaac-the answer to the promise God had given him years earlier.

Is there something that you are withholding from God? Could it be a relationship, dream, idea, or pursuit? Worship begins in the heart. Therefore, always be willing to obey the Lord by letting go of anything you deem more valuable than your relationship with Him. When you do, His goodness and mercy will be poured out in abundance for you.

One Minute Please
God never sends a test our way just because He's in a testing mood. He has a specific purpose in mind. Usually, it is to draw us closer to Himself.

[Judy Harder]

July 1, 2013
 
Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
The Inevitable Penalty

 
Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the uttermost farthing. - Matthew 5:26
There is no heaven with a little corner of hell in it. God is determined to make you pure and holy and right; He will not allow you to escape for one moment from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit. He urged you to come to judgment right away when He convicted you, but you did not; the inevitable process began to work and now you are in prison, and you will only get out when you have paid the uttermost farthing. "Is this a God of mercy, and of love?" you say. Seen from God's side, it is a glorious ministry of love. God is going to bring you out pure and spotless and undefiled; but He wants you to recognize the disposition you were showing - the disposition of your right to yourself. The moment you are willing that God should alter your disposition, His recreating forces will begin to work. The moment you realize God's purpose, which is to get you rightly related to Himself and then to your fellow men, He will tax the last limit of the universe to help you take the right road. Decide it now - "Yes, Lord, I will write that letter to-night"; "I will be reconciled to that man now."

These messages of Jesus Christ are for the will and the conscience, not for the head. If you dispute the Sermon on the Mount with your head, you will blunt the appeal to your heart.

"I wonder why I don't go on with God?" Are you paying your debts from God's standpoint? Do now what you will have to do some day. Every moral call has an "ought" behind it.


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The Requirement for Receiving God's Wisdom

In yesterday's devotional, we talked about how, when you ask for God's wisdom, He reveals it in your spirit...that hidden place.  But there is a critical requirement for God to reveal that wisdom to you.  You have to ask for it in faith.

James 1:6-8 tells us,

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

You can't vacillate between two opinions.  If you don't anchor yourself on God's promise that He will give you His wisdom, you will be blown about by the opinions of others, by your feelings, by the way the circumstances look, and you won't receive anything from God.

Not too long ago I went with some friends in a small boat to Catalina (an island 26 miles off the coast of Southern California).  Just as we were arriving at about eight in the evening, the engine seized. We paddled in to a depth where we could drop the anchor.

After calling Vessel Assist, a storm came up and the wind began to blow and the rain began to fall.  We had to wait a couple of hours before help arrived.

You know what?  If we hadn't dropped anchor, the wind would have blown us somewhere out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

My friend, you have to drop your anchor.  You have to ask in faith.  You can't vacillate.  You can't be double-minded if you are going to receive the wisdom of God.


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A Call of Devotion

In His Presence: "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife . . . and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26).

God calls us to a total commitment-nothing less will do. He called Abraham to complete devotion, and the same was true for Moses, David, all of the disciples, and the apostle Paul. We can't be halfhearted in our love for the Lord and expect to fully experience His joy and peace in our lives. In fact, until we make a full, uncompromising commitment to Him, there will always be distracting factors at work in our lives. We'll constantly be tempted to step away from His very best for us.

In order to be His disciple, you must be willing to deny-not only yourself and your personal desires and passions-but also your love for anyone or anything that could possibly take His place in your heart. Nothing can be more important than Him.

For many people, this concept is hard to accept. They want to say, "Lord, surely You don't want me to give up my only dream for the future?" Or, "Lord, I really want to marry this person. I love her. I know she's not a believer, but I need her. Besides, if I walked away, who would help her know You? Isn't my love for her a testimony about Your love for us?"

To make her point clear, a Christian counselor climbed up on a chair and asked her client to pull her down. The object lesson? It is easy to pull someone down but next to impossible to pull another up-especially if that person resists the truth. God wants you to be solely devoted to Him so that He can bless you with His very best.

The Enemy of your soul, however, wants you to settle for much less. In fact, his goal is for you to step out of God's will through disobedience. He knows if you do, you will not only miss a blessing, but your life will become shrouded with feelings of guilt and disappointment. When that happens you become ineffective as a witness for Christ. God has a great plan in mind for you. When you dedicate yourself fully to Him, you will see it unfold.

One Minute Please
True worship always gives God the nearest, dearest, and most treasured thing in our lives.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
The Conditions of Discipleship
 
If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also . . . . And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me . . . . So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple -Luke 14:26-27, 33
If the closest relationships of a disciple's life conflict with the claims of Jesus Christ, then our Lord requires instant obedience to Himself. Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person- our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a vast difference between devotion to a person and devotion to principles or to a cause. Our Lord never proclaimed a cause- He proclaimed personal devotion to Himself. To be a disciple is to be a devoted bondservant motivated by love for the Lord Jesus. Many of us who call ourselves Christians are not truly devoted to Jesus Christ. No one on earth has this passionate love for the Lord Jesus unless the Holy Spirit has given it to him. We may admire, respect, and revere Him, but we cannot love Him on our own. The only One who truly loves the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit, and it is He who has "poured out in our hearts" the very "love of God" (Romans 5:5). Whenever the Holy Spirit sees an opportunity to glorify Jesus through you, He will take your entire being and set you ablaze with glowing devotion to Jesus Christ.

The Christian life is a life characterized by true and spontaneous creativity. Consequently, a disciple is subject to the same charge that was leveled against Jesus Christ, namely, the charge of inconsistency. But Jesus Christ was always consistent in His relationship to God, and a Christian must be consistent in his relationship to the life of the Son of God in him, not consistent to strict, unyielding doctrines. People pour themselves into their own doctrines, and God has to blast them out of their preconceived ideas before they can become devoted to Jesus Christ


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True Faith

James 2:14-20 tells us the substance of true faith,

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?  Can faith save him?  If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?  Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works."  Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.  You believe that there is one God.  You do well.  Even the demons believe-and tremble!  But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

My favorite translation of this last verse is, "Faith without actions that correspond is dead."  Faith must have actions that correspond with it.

You can talk about catching fish, about what lures you are going to use, and how you are going to cook them after you catch them, but if you never throw a line in the water, you are not going to catch a fish.

Or it's like the golfer who comes to a 3-par hole with a lake right in front of the green and says, "No problem, I can hit that green with my six iron."  Then he digs out an old ratty golf ball.  If he truly believes he can hit the green, he will hit his brand new $3 golf ball!

For faith to be genuine, it has to have corresponding actions.


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The Reach of Love

In His Presence: "I who speak to you am He" (John 4:26).

Jesus knew exactly what He was doing when He decided to pass through Samaria. He was returning to Jerusalem and the disciples could not believe He wanted to travel into the region. Even though it was the shorter route home, the Samaritans were considered to be unclean by most Jews. Therefore, the area was generally avoided. But not by Jesus. He had an appointment with a woman at a well. Only, He did not let His disciples in on His plans.

As He stopped to rest beside the well, they urged Him to keep moving. Finally, He sent them into the city to buy food. When a woman showed up to draw water, Jesus asked her for a drink. He violated a long list of Jewish rules by talking with this woman-a person whose life was far from pure. Only women who lived sinful lifestyles came to the well at midday. Yet, this was exactly when and where she met the Savior.

The bottom line of their discussion was focused on God's unconditional love. He is willing to go anywhere to meet us, and Jesus proves this by traveling into Samaria. Until we come to know and experience His personal love for us, we will never understand how to worship Him.

Perhaps, like this woman, you have found yourself living in a situation that is rooted deeply in sin. Guilt and fear are wrapped around your heart and are now weighing your life down-causing you to wonder if God could ever love you. The answer is yes. Not only does He love you with an unconditional love, He wants you to be free of anything and everything that would prevent you from truly loving and worshiping Him.

This woman became a believer, and her joy and faith were so powerful that those who heard her speak couldn't wait to meet the Savior. You are never outside the reach of God's love. When you turn to Him, He turns toward You with hope and restoration.

One Minute Please
There is more to worship than finding the right location. It has to do with a heart that is repentant and turned toward the Savior.

 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
The Concentration of Personal Sin
 
Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips . . . -Isaiah 6:5

When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, "Oh yes, I know I am a sinner," but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God. There is never any vague sense of sin, but a focusing on the concentration of sin in some specific, personal area of life. God begins by convicting us of the very thing to which His Spirit has directed our mind's attention. If we will surrender, submitting to His conviction of that particular sin, He will lead us down to where He can reveal the vast underlying nature of sin. That is the way God always deals with us when we are consciously aware of His presence.

This experience of our attention being directed to our concentration of personal sin is true in everyone's life, from the greatest of saints to the worst of sinners. When a person first begins climbing the ladder of experience, he might say, "I don't know where I've gone wrong," but the Spirit of God will point out some definite and specific thing to him. The effect of Isaiah's vision of the holiness of the Lord was the directing of his attention to the fact that he was "a man of unclean lips." "He touched my mouth with it, and said: 'Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged' " (Isaiah 6:7). The cleansing fire had to be applied where the sin had been concentrated.


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The Motive of Faith

When speaking of faith, it is critical to talk about the motive of our faith.  James 4:2-3 tells us what a wrong motive is,

You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

God is very concerned about the "why" behind our prayers of faith.  He is very interested in the state of our hearts. And I think it is good to check our motives from time to time.

Why do we want what we want? Is it ego driven? Am I asking for it because I want to impress someone?  Are my motives right?

Now, you don't have to overdo it.  You can overanalyze things to the point that you become spiritually frozen and don't do anything.  I think if you will get honest and lay your heart out before God, He will very quickly put the spotlight on the things that should not be there.

Our dog always stands at the back door and scratches on the glass like he really loves us and wants to come in and be with us.  But the moment you open the door he runs right by you into the kitchen looking for food.

Why do you want the thing you want?  What is the purpose behind asking?  Is it for the glory of God?  Is it to help people?  Is there a pure motive there?

When your motive is right, God will not be long in answering.  But if your motive is not right, God won't answer until it gets right.


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In Your Father's Presence

In His Presence: "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me" (John 14:11).

One day, as Abraham Lincoln's son was walking in a park near the White House, he saw a young soldier sitting on a bench crying. The man was greatly distressed, and the young Lincoln stopped to ask what was wrong.

Looking up through his tears, the soldier explained that his brother had been placed in jail for something he did not do. He had been told that the only person who could help was the President of the United States. The problem, of course, was that he could not get a message to the president because no one in the White House would listen to him.

Lincoln's son thought for a moment and then asked, "Mister, will you go with me?" Even though he did not know the younger Lincoln's identity, he agreed. The two walked across the street and through the White House gate. They passed the guards and Lincoln's personal secretary. In fact, they didn't stop walking until they crossed the threshold of Lincoln's office where his son finally spoke up and said, "Hello, Dad. This soldier needs to talk with you."

The president looked up from what he was doing and smiled. Then he listened as the solider explained his situation. This story certainly proves that when you have the right relationship, you can go a lot further, a lot faster.

The same is true of our relationship with Jesus Christ. He is God's Son, and He has direct access to His heavenly Father. We don't have to spend time praying to others, hoping that we tapped into the right source. When you pray to Jesus, you have all the access you need. No one can prevent you from coming into His presence, and nothing can stop Him from answering your prayers.

You can take your heartaches, sorrows, and disappointments to God in prayer. Whatever concerns you also concerns Him. He is your heavenly Father, and He has full control over the entire universe.

One Minute Please
When you come to worship, you are worshiping the God of the universe who is also your Daddy.

 

[Judy Harder]

July 4, 2013

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers

My Utmost for His Highest
 
One of God's Great "Don'ts"
 
Do not fret- it only causes harm -Psalm 37:8

Fretting means getting ourselves "out of joint" mentally or spiritually. It is one thing to say, "Do not fret," but something very different to have such a nature that you find yourself unable to fret. It's easy to say, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (Psalm 37:7) until our own little world is turned upside down and we are forced to live in confusion and agony like so many other people. Is it possible to "rest in the Lord" then? If this "Do not" doesn't work there, then it will not work anywhere. This "Do not" must work during our days of difficulty and uncertainty, as well as our peaceful days, or it will never work. And if it will not work in your particular case, it will not work for anyone else. Resting in the Lord is not dependent on your external circumstances at all, but on your relationship with God Himself.

Worrying always results in sin. We tend to think that a little anxiety and worry are simply an indication of how wise we really are, yet it is actually a much better indication of just how wicked we are. Fretting rises from our determination to have our own way. Our Lord never worried and was never anxious, because His purpose was never to accomplish His own plans but to fulfill God's plans. Fretting is wickedness for a child of God.

Have you been propping up that foolish soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God to handle? Set all your opinions and speculations aside and "abide under the shadow of the Almighty" (Psalm 91:1). Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about whatever concerns you. All our fretting and worrying is caused by planning without God.


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The Prayer of Faith

Over the last few devotionals, we have looked at faith-what true faith looks like, and the motive behind the faith that pleases God. 

In James 5:15 we are told,

And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.  And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Clearly, James wants us to know that when we pray a prayer of faith, God will answer it.  In this passage, we are told that through that prayer God will indeed heal those who are sick, and raise them up.

So what is it that makes up the prayer of faith?  There are three components, all of which we have touched on in the last few days.

The prayer of faith is a prayer that:

Does not waver.  It doesn't vacillate, moving back and forth.  It is anchored on the promise of God.
Is followed by corresponding actions.
Is prayed from right motives.
The example James cites of someone who prayed a prayer of faith is Elijah.  I encourage you to read his story in 1 Kings 17.  There you find that, through the prayer of faith, God shut up the heavens and there was no rain.  And then, by another prayer of faith, the heavens were opened and rain came down.

Elijah expressed his faith when he said he heard the sound of abundance of rain.  He made that statement before there was a cloud in the sky or before a drop of rain ever fell!

When you and I don't waver in our faith, when we show our faith by corresponding action, and when we pray with right motives, God will act.  As surely as Elijah heard that rain by faith, you can hear the rain...whatever that represents in your life.  That is the prayer of faith.


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On Holy Ground

In His Presence "I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple" (Isaiah 6:1).

Isaiah probably felt as though he had been hit by a hurricane. King Uzziah had died. With his death came the end of a great era for Israel, which had become a mighty nation under his rule. Now that the king was dead, the people were in an emotional upheaval. Their security was compromised because it was in a man rather than in God.

What is your King Uzziah? Many people place their trust in savings accounts, jobs, and relationships. Shortsightedly, they mistakenly believe that if they have money and good health today, they will be fine tomorrow. While we don't need to live our lives in fear, we do need to develop a strong, unshakeable faith in the One who will never fail us-the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, when life does take a downward turn, we will rest secure in His loving care.

How do you handle a crisis-when you receive the news that your income will be cut in half or that the relationship you believed would lead to marriage falls apart? What do you do when your Uzziah dies and your dreams fall apart? If the focus of your devotion is set on the things of this world, then when trouble comes, you will be shaken. However, if it is on God, you will remain steadfast and sure.

Our greatest vision and understanding of God often comes in times of crisis. Isaiah stepped out of a national whirlwind into the security of the temple where God's presence appeared before him in full glory. Suddenly, the hurricane that had been ripping at his heart vanished, and he fell on his face and worshiped the Lord.

Are the winds of adversity blowing hard against your life? If so, turn your sense of worry into worship because you are standing on holy ground. F. B. Meyer writes, "A storm is only the outskirts of His robe-the symptom of His advent and the environment of His presence."

One Minute Please
Ask God to help you to see your situation from His perspective. When you do, you will understand that He has a perfect plan and that it involves His goodness poured out in abundance for you.

 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
Don't Plan Without God
 
Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass -Psalm 37:5
Don't plan without God. God seems to have a delightful way of upsetting the plans we have made, when we have not taken Him into account. We get ourselves into circumstances that were not chosen by God, and suddenly we realize that we have been making our plans without Him- that we have not even considered Him to be a vital, living factor in the planning of our lives. And yet the only thing that will keep us from even the possibility of worrying is to bring God in as the greatest factor in all of our planning.

In spiritual issues it is customary for us to put God first, but we tend to think that it is inappropriate and unnecessary to put Him first in the practical, everyday issues of our lives. If we have the idea that we have to put on our "spiritual face" before we can come near to God, then we will never come near to Him. We must come as we are.

Don't plan with a concern for evil in mind. Does God really mean for us to plan without taking the evil around us into account? "Love . . . thinks no evil" (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). Love is not ignorant of the existence of evil, but it does not take it into account as a factor in planning. When we were apart from God, we did take evil into account, doing all of our planning with it in mind, and we tried to reason out all of our work from its standpoint.

Don't plan with a rainy day in mind. You cannot hoard things for a rainy day if you are truly trusting Christ. Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled . . ." (John 14:1). God will not keep your heart from being troubled. It is a command- "Let not. . . ." To do it, continually pick yourself up, even if you fall a hundred and one times a day, until you get into the habit of putting God first and planning with Him in mind.


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The Importance of Revival

Psalm 85:6 asks a powerful question,

Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?

Notice that the psalmist says, "again."  This tells me that the nation of Israel was once in a state of revival, but that had waned, it had declined, and they had come again to the place where they needed to be revived.

Perhaps today you are in a place where you need to be revived.

Revival has been described as the inrush of the Spirit into the body that threatens to become a corpse.  That is a good definition.  Something needs to be revived when it is dying or when it has lost its strength or momentum.

Revival brings new life.  It brings fresh vigor.  It brings renewed momentum to that which is in a weakened or dying state.

In 2 Timothy 1:6, Paul writes to Timothy, Stir up the gift of God which is in you. The word for stir up literally means to rekindle.  In other words, a fire was there at one time, but it has begun to burn low.  And now it needs to be refueled and tended to.

The Amplified Bible says, Rekindle the embers, fan the flame and keep burning the gracious gift of God, the inner fire.

Maybe you have felt spiritually flat lately.  Maybe the fire that once burned white hot for God is now just a glowing ember.  If so, it is time to rekindle those embers and fan to flame what He has put within you. 

As God goes to work in your life, you will find that once again your life will be filled with purpose, and you will once again rejoice in God.


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Out of a Whirlwind

In His Presence: "When Elijah heard [a gentle whisper of wind], he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave" (1 Kings 19:13).

Huddled in a cave and miles away from his home, Elijah tried to warm himself and remember how he got to this place. The memory of Queen Jezebel and her violent threats against him came rushing back to his mind. By then, he had almost forgotten the miracle God had done on Mount Carmel and the spiritual victory that had been gained there. Instead, he hid out in fear (1 Kings 19).

At some point, many of us have done the same thing. God breaks into our lives through answered prayer, and we are left speechless. Then, some little sign of trouble appears on the horizon, and we begin to break down emotionally. Instead of sleeping soundly at night, we wake up, toss and turn, and wonder if God will help us. Of course, He always does.

Elijah's first mistake was to believe that he was the only one left in Israel who had a pure heart before God. Pride always leads to feelings of fear, loneliness, and discouragement. As Elijah waited in the cave, God began to demonstrate His mighty ability to His prophet. First, He did so through a strong wind that tore at the mountain, then through an earthquake, and finally, through a mighty fire. God's presence, however, was not in any of these. Then the prophet heard a gentle wind blowing around him, and he knew that he was standing in the presence of God.

God doesn't have to lift a finger in order to deal with the problems you face each day. He spoke the world into existence, and at His command, the storms surrounding your life will cease. Perhaps as He did with Elijah, He will gain your full attention by allowing the storm to blow a little longer. If this is the case, let the earthquake, fire, and wind come, knowing that you have a loving heavenly Father whose only desire is to draw you nearer to Himself. Take time to worship Him and tell Him that you are listening for His voice.

One Minute Please
When thoughts of fear surround your life, remember, God is still on the throne.