Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

August 5, 2013

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
The Bewildering Call of God
 
'. . . and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.' . . . But they understood none of these things . . . -Luke 18:31, 34

God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster. And Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death, leading every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. His life was an absolute failure from every standpoint except God's. But what seemed to be failure from man's standpoint was a triumph from God's standpoint, because God's purpose is never the same as man's purpose.

This bewildering call of God comes into our lives as well. The call of God can never be understood absolutely or explained externally; it is a call that can only be perceived and understood internally by our true inner-nature. The call of God is like the call of the sea- no one hears it except the person who has the nature of the sea in him. What God calls us to cannot be definitely stated, because His call is simply to be His friend to accomplish His own purposes. Our real test is in truly believing that God knows what He desires. The things that happen do not happen by chance- they happen entirely by the decree of God. God is sovereignly working out His own purposes.

If we are in fellowship and oneness with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, then we will no longer strive to find out what His purposes are. As we grow in the Christian life, it becomes simpler to us, because we are less inclined to say, "I wonder why God allowed this or that?" And we begin to see that the compelling purpose of God lies behind everything in life, and that God is divinely shaping us into oneness with that purpose. A Christian is someone who trusts in the knowledge and the wisdom of God, not in his own abilities. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the calm, relaxed pace which should be characteristic of the children of God.


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Growing Up


1.      1 Thessalonians 3:12 and 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 teach us that we should grow in our love for others.  I would hate to think that I have plumbed the depths of love for my wife, for my children, for my friends, or for God.

2.      Ephesians 2:21 speaks to us of growing in unity.  You and I ought to grow better and better at getting along with other believers, especially those in our church.

3.      Luke 2:52 speaks of growing in wisdom.  God is so anxious to provide you and me with His wisdom, but it is something we need to seek.  Are you growing in wisdom?

4.      Luke 2:52 also speaks of growing in favor.  Are you obnoxious and hard to get along with?  Do you find it difficult to get along with others?  I challenge you, if that is true, to consider the model of Jesus for our lives.  He grew in favor with both God and men.

5.      2 Peter 3:18 says that we can grow in grace.  I don't know about you, but I am deeply grateful for God's grace in my life. And for those who extend me grace when I blow it.  Is grace a hallmark of your life?

According to Scripture, these ten areas-the five from yesterday and the five today-are vital areas in which you and I are to grow.  I challenge you to read each Scripture and take each area before the Lord and ask Him to reveal where you need to grow.

You will be amazed at the change for good that will come about in your life


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Biblical Saints Living in Carnality

In His Presence: Proverbs 24:14

It is possible to be a genuine Christian and be carnal. The Bible gives us several examples of such men and women. One of these examples is Saul, son of Kish, the first king of Israel. We know that he was redeemed because the Bible says: "God changed his heart" (1 Samuel 10:9). Yet here was a man who, because of his rebellion against God, eventually sought the counsel of witches and committed suicide.

King Solomon is another example of a king who was redeemed by God but turned away from Him. At first, he was a tremendous king. The Lord appeared to him in a dream one night and said to Solomon: "Ask what you wish me to give you" (1 Kings 3:5). King Solomon replied: "Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child . . . Give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil" (vv. 7-9). Yet later in the same book it says: "King Solomon loved many foreign women" (1 Kings 11:1). When King Solomon entered the life of carnality, he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, which is about the emptiness of life.

The sons of Jacob lived in carnality for 11 years after they sold Joseph into slavery. King David lived in a state of carnality when he committed adultery and murder. When David tried to hide his sin, he covered it up until Nathan the prophet confronted him.

One Minute Please

God gives us new life. It is up to us to make it meaningful.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
The Cross In Prayer

 
At that day ye shall ask in My name. - John 16:26
We are too much given to thinking of the Cross as something we have to get through; we get through it only in order to get into it. The Cross stands for one thing only for us - a complete and entire and absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ, and there is nothing in which this identification is realized more than in prayer.

"Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him." Then why ask? The idea of prayer is not in order to get answers from God; prayer is perfect and complete oneness with God. If we pray because we want answers, we will get huffed with God. The answers come every time, but not always in the way we expect, and our spiritual huff shows a refusal to identify ourselves with Our Lord in prayer. We are not here to prove God answers prayer; we are here to be living monuments of God's grace.

"I say not that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father Himself loveth you." Have you reached such an intimacy with God that the Lord Jesus Christ's life of prayer is the only explanation of your life of prayer? Has Our Lord's vicarious life become your vital life? "At that day" you will be so identified with Jesus that there will be no distinction.

When prayer seems to be unanswered, beware of trying to fix the blame on someone else. That is always a snare of Satan. You will find there is a reason which is a deep instruction to you, not to anyone else.


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Focus

In Philippians 3:13, Paul says,

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.

The phrase I want to direct you to today is Paul's statement, One thing I do.  These are echoes of words King David spoke when he said, "One thing I desire," and Jesus, who said to the rich young ruler, "There is one thing you lack."

Then there is the blind man, who had been blind from birth, whom Jesus healed.  When he was questioned, he said, "There is one thing I know:  I was blind, now I see."  One thing I do; one thing I desire; one thing you lack; one thing I know.

Each of these statements points to a vital thing needed if you are to grow in your spiritual life:  FOCUS.

The problem with many people is they are far too scattered.  They are trying to do everything and be everything.  They try to be a jack-of-all-trades and end up being a master of none.

If that describes you today, let me ask you a question:  What is the one main thing that should be the focus of your life?

I have a very gifted friend who drives me crazy.  We can spend an hour in the car; and, in that hour, he has shared 21 new ideas with me.  He is trying to be so many things and do so many things that he is not as effective as he could be at anything!

My question to you is this:  If you died and stood before God today, what is the one thing He is going to ask you about?  Paul said, "One thing I do."  What is that one thing for you?


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Stagnant Christians

In His Presence: Colossians 4:2

The carnal Christian is a stagnant Christian. The apostle Paul told the church in Corinth: "Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly" (1 Corinthians 3:2-3). Even though a carnal Christian is saved, he has had little or no development over time. It is dismaying as a pastor to watch Christians who come to church week after week, month after month, year after year, making no progress even though they may be performing. They commit the same old sins the same way. They are not overcoming these sins that in time they should be mature enough to overcome. They refuse to think biblically.

What marks a stagnant Christian is their persistence in the milk of the word. We can call them the "A B C" Christians. "A B C" Christians are still learning how to read, while their peers are graduating from high school. The difference between the stagnant and growing Christian is that the stagnant Christian does not use the time since salvation to grow spiritually.

A carnal Christian is like a vehicle that has stalled because it has run out of gasoline. We are stalled if we still measure success in our spiritual lives purely by how much we were entertained in church. The Holy Spirit is there to provide the power, but your spiritual life needs gas. There's nothing wrong with the engine, but the gasoline needed for this car to run is our commitment to grow. It needs our persistence.

One Minute Please

We have to make a decision on our own to move from the milk of the Word to solid food.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
Prayer in the Father's House
 
. . . they found Him in the temple . . . . And He said to them, '. . . Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?' -Luke 2:46, 49
Our Lord's childhood was not immaturity waiting to grow into manhood- His childhood is an eternal fact. Am I a holy, innocent child of God as a result of my identification with my Lord and Savior? Do I look at my life as being in my Father's house? Is the Son of God living in His Father's house within me?

The only abiding reality is God Himself, and His order comes to me moment by moment. Am I continually in touch with the reality of God, or do I pray only when things have gone wrong- when there is some disturbance in my life? I must learn to identify myself closely with my Lord in ways of holy fellowship and oneness that some of us have not yet even begun to learn. ". . . I must be about My Father's business"- and I must learn to live every moment of my life in my Father's house.

Think about your own circumstances. Are you so closely identified with the Lord's life that you are simply a child of God, continually talking to Him and realizing that everything comes from His hands? Is the eternal Child in you living in His Father's house? Is the grace of His ministering life being worked out through you in your home, your business, and in your circle of friends? Have you been wondering why you are going through certain circumstances? In fact, it is not that you have to go through them. It is because of your relationship with the Son of God who comes, through the providential will of His Father, into your life. You must allow Him to have His way with you, staying in perfect oneness with Him.

The life of your Lord is to become your vital, simple life, and the way He worked and lived among people while here on earth must be the way He works and lives in you.


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Forgetting the Past

Yesterday we looked at Philippians 3:13.  I want to draw our attention to this verse again today, but for another reason.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.

The key word I want to have you focus on today is forgetting.  I want you to understand the importance of forgetting the past so you can move forward.

Some people-perhaps you-cannot reach forward because they are continually looking backwards.  Their focus is on their past sins, their past mistakes, their past failures, their past hurts.

God does not want you to live in the past, but rather focus on the future.

A while back I was visiting a friend who had a great impact on my life as a young believer.  As I was sitting at a meal with him and his wife, he began to share with me a great personal failure.

About ten years earlier, when he was pioneering a church, he fell into an adulterous relationship.  It rocked the foundation of his marriage; but he repented, got out of the relationship, and over time, God healed his marriage.  But he has not been in ministry since.

As he told me, tears began to stream down his face.  He got up from the table, went to the bathroom, and his wife looked at me and said, "Bayless, if you can help him, please do.  My husband has lived a holy life for the last ten years.  God has forgiven him, I have forgiven him, but he hasn't forgiven himself."

This man chained himself to this one past failure, and he can't get on with what God had called him to do.

Bury your past so you can uncover your future.


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Carnality by Choice

In His Presence: Galatians 6:2

"Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called 'Today,' so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin"(Hebrews 3:12-13).

When God saved us, He saved us to serve Christ. Occasional lapses into sin do not imply carnality. Everyone sins. Carnality is the state where the person has the mindset of seeking to gratify themselves rather than please Christ.

No Christian has to be carnal. Being carnal is a decision of the will. Carnal Christians have grown up physically and should be able to feed themselves. But they can't. That is because a carnal Christian is a person who has developed a mindset of disobedience. They willfully live in sin, controlled by the old person they used to be. They are saved and the Holy Spirit is in them, but they are not allowing the Holy Spirit to grow them.

There is a difference between a baby Christian and a carnal Christian. Baby Christians are young in the Lord and do not yet have the capacity to eat on their own. Someone else has to feed them-to give them the Word. A young Christian desires the milk of the Word of God. "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).

One Minute Please

Have you become hardened to sin in your life? Are you a carnal Christian?

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
Prayer in the Father's Honor
 
. . . that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God -Luke 1:35
If the Son of God has been born into my human flesh, then am I allowing His holy innocence, simplicity, and oneness with the Father the opportunity to exhibit itself in me? What was true of the Virgin Mary in the history of the Son of God's birth on earth is true of every saint. God's Son is born into me through the direct act of God; then I as His child must exercise the right of a child- the right of always being face to face with my Father through prayer. Do I find myself continually saying in amazement to the commonsense part of my life, "Why did you want me to turn here or to go over there? 'Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?' " (Luke 2:49). Whatever our circumstances may be, that holy, innocent, and eternal Child must be in contact with His Father.

Am I simple enough to identify myself with my Lord in this way? Is He having His wonderful way with me? Is God's will being fulfilled in that His Son has been formed in me (see Galatians 4:19), or have I carefully pushed Him to one side? Oh, the noisy outcry of today! Why does everyone seem to be crying out so loudly? People today are crying out for the Son of God to be put to death. There is no room here for God's Son right now- no room for quiet, holy fellowship and oneness with the Father.

Is the Son of God praying in me, bringing honor to the Father, or am I dictating my demands to Him? Is He ministering in me as He did in the time of His manhood here on earth? Is God's Son in me going through His passion, suffering so that His own purposes might be fulfilled? The more a person knows of the inner life of God's most mature saints, the more he sees what God's purpose really is: to ". . . fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ . . ." (Colossians 1:24). And when we think of what it takes to "fill up," there is always something yet to be done.


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Running Inside the Lines

In Philippians 3:14, Paul provides a powerful insight into his passion.  Here is what he says,

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul clearly had a goal in mind, a sense of his destiny.  And he was undaunted in seeking to reach it.

In fact, the phrase "I press toward the goal" could literally be translated from the Greek text this way,  "I run within the lines."  It paints the picture of a runner, running down a track, staying in his lane.

He is not overreaching his bounds, running in someone else's lane.  Rather, as he goes for the goal, he is running within the lines with the goal in mind.

In a little mission in Medford, Oregon, many years ago, there was a young man with a terrible drug and alcohol problem.  One night God got a hold of his life.  It was a truly dramatic conversion.

I was that young man.  And for several decades now, I have been seeking to lay hold of the reason for which He laid hold of me.  I knew that night that God had a destiny for my life.  And that is the goal I strive and press forward to achieve.

God has a destiny for your life, too.  God laid hold of your life just like He did mine, for a purpose.  If you have not already done so, you must understand and press forward to fulfill the destiny God has for your life.


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God Wants to Amaze You

In His Presence: Luke 5

How do you respond when you get a tremendous blessing?  We all want to be blessed.  Do you accept with gratitude? Do you let the blessing absorb you?

In the gospels, at Jesus' direction Peter let down his net in the water, and the blessing was so huge that the abundance of fish tore holes in Peter's net.  His boat was dangerously close to capsizing.

In Luke 5:8, it reads, When Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!"Peter saw beyond the blessing.  Peter saw Jesus and recognized his own limitations and his need for the Savior.

Jesus amazed Peter with the overload of fish because He wanted Peter to follow Him and get to know Him better.  God wants to amaze you so that you can better understand who He is and love Him even more.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
Prayer in the Father's Hearing
 
Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, 'Father, I thank You that You have heard Me' -John 11:41
When the Son of God prays, He is mindful and consciously aware of only His Father. God always hears the prayers of His Son, and if the Son of God has been formed in me (see Galatians 4:19) the Father will always hear my prayers. But I must see to it that the Son of God is exhibited in my human flesh. ". . . your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit . . . " (1 Corinthians 6:19), that is, your body is the Bethlehem of God's Son. Is the Son of God being given His opportunity to work in me? Is the direct simplicity of His life being worked out in me exactly as it was worked out in His life while here on earth? When I come into contact with the everyday occurrences of life as an ordinary human being, is the prayer of God's eternal Son to His Father being prayed in me? Jesus says, "In that day you will ask in My name . . ." (John 16:26). What day does He mean? He is referring to the day when the Holy Spirit has come to me and made me one with my Lord.

Is the Lord Jesus Christ being abundantly satisfied by your life, or are you exhibiting a walk of spiritual pride before Him? Never let your common sense become so prominent and forceful that it pushes the Son of God to one side. Common sense is a gift that God gave to our human nature- but common sense is not the gift of His Son. Supernatural sense is the gift of His Son, and we should never put our common sense on the throne. The Son always recognizes and identifies with the Father, but common sense has never yet done so and never will. Our ordinary abilities will never worship God unless they are transformed by the indwelling Son of God. We must make sure that our human flesh is kept in perfect submission to Him, allowing Him to work through it moment by moment. Are we living at such a level of human dependence upon Jesus Christ that His life is being exhibited moment by moment in us?
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Your Lane

Yesterday we discovered that God has given each of us a call...a destiny designed by God for His glory.

In Philippians 3:12, Paul gives us some additional insight into that call,

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

Paul-when he was still an unbeliever and on the road to Damascus-had an encounter with Jesus.  Our Lord laid hold of him and Paul realized God had not only put a call on his life, but that the call was unique.

He was driven to fulfill that call.  He states it this way,  "Since that day, I have been trying to lay hold of the reason for which He laid hold of me."

You also have a unique call.  And whatever it is, you need to stop comparing yourself to others and competing with others.  That is a terrible way to live.  Find out what your lane is, what your gifting is, your calling, and run in that lane.

You are unique!  God has not called anyone else to do exactly what you do.  Find out who you are and forget about what anybody else thinks.  God is not comparing you to another person.  You do not have to compete with anyone or be compared to anyone.  Just do what He has asked you to do.

That is running in your lane.  Do not run in somebody else's lane.  Now you can certainly learn from others, but you don't want to copy them.  You were born an original; you don't want to die a copy. 

Determine God's unique design for your life and run in the lane of that design.  That is when you will know satisfaction, blessing, and contentment.


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The Natural Man

In His Presence: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

"A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised"(1 Corinthians 2:14).

It's important to understand that when the apostle Paul talks about the natural man he is referring to an unbeliever. The non-Christian does not accept the things of the Spirit of God. They seem like foolishness to him. He cannot understand it. A Christian is supposed to be supernatural man, because the Spirit of God is living within him. Non-Christians can pretend to be Christians, but can only carry spiritual things so far. They do not want spiritual things controlling their lives.

The natural man can be moral, kind-hearted, filled with good intentions and good works. Yet the non-believer does not accept spiritual things as part of his everyday life. He doesn't know what to do with them. Spiritual truth is not very important to this person. He wants to talk about everything but spiritual things. The mindset of the unbeliever is that everyone else is doing it so it must be all right. The Bible uses the word sensual to describe him.

If we could draw an analogy of the natural man and the Christian, we could compare the natural man to a surround-sound entertainment center that is not hooked up to cable or satellite. While the entertainment center is expensive and of good quality, without a signal it won't do very much. In the same way, the natural man will not get the same signals as the Christian.

One Minute Please

The natural man is not a carnal Christian even though they may appear to be similar.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
The Discipline of the Lord
 
My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him -Hebrews 12:5

It is very easy to grieve the Spirit of God; we do it by despising the discipline of the Lord, or by becoming discouraged when He rebukes us. If our experience of being set apart from sin and being made holy through the process of sanctification is still very shallow, we tend to mistake the reality of God for something else. And when the Spirit of God gives us a sense of warning or restraint, we are apt to say mistakenly, "Oh, that must be from the devil."

"Do not quench the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19), and do not despise Him when He says to you, in effect, "Don't be blind on this point anymore- you are not as far along spiritually as you thought you were. Until now I have not been able to reveal this to you, but I'm revealing it to you right now." When the Lord disciplines you like that, let Him have His way with you. Allow Him to put you into a right-standing relationship before God.

". . . nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him." We begin to pout, become irritated with God, and then say, "Oh well, I can't help it. I prayed and things didn't turn out right anyway. So I'm simply going to give up on everything." Just think what would happen if we acted like this in any other area of our lives!

Am I fully prepared to allow God to grip me by His power and do a work in me that is truly worthy of Himself? Sanctification is not my idea of what I want God to do for me- sanctification is God's idea of what He wants to do for me. But He has to get me into the state of mind and spirit where I will allow Him to sanctify me completely, whatever the cost (see 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)


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The True Grace of God

Yesterday we read Jude 1:4 which states,

For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Before we move away from this verse, I want to point out a phrase that I believe is very dangerous ground for the Church in America today.  It is the phrase, "Ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness."

Lewdness literally means unrestrained lust, wickedness, and immorality.  These people believed that once you were saved, you could live however you wanted.

There are people in the Church today with this type of thinking.  They believe that if you are saved by grace, and good works do not merit salvation, then you can do whatever you want.           

You can sleep around, commit adultery, get drunk, the sky's the limit.  It's grace, baby!  Your works don't have anything to do with it.  You can live however you want!

One of the things that I have heard throughout the years is, "Hey, it doesn't matter.  It's grace.  God will forgive me, so I'm going to go ahead and do this anyway."

You do not want to live that way.  Believe me, something begins to break down inside of you, and you will pay the piper eventually.

If you are turning the grace of God into lewdness through immorality, or any other sin, I challenge you to stop today.  Confess your sin to God, turn from whatever it is that you have been doing, and ask God to help you live for Him.  If you do, you will experience the true grace of God, which teaches us that we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present age (Titus 2:11-12).


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Newborn Christians

In His Presence: Proverbs 19:20

"I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ"(1 Corinthians 3:1).

There are people who are Christians but are not mature. They are neither carnal Christians nor unbelievers. These are people who are brand-new to faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. They have not been saved long enough to become spiritual. A baby Christian cannot be mature. They can be Spirit-controlled, but they cannot be mature because maturity requires time.

When Paul addresses Christians about their infancy, he is referring to weak, brand-new Christians. We cannot condemn a person because he or she is a baby. Neither does the apostle Paul condemn new Christians because they are immature. New Christians should not get frustrated because they are not mature. They should allow the Holy Spirit control over what they have, and He will make it increase with time. When a baby Christian desires to become mature, we should rejoice that they have listened to the Holy Spirit's voice and have developed a desire for a deeper and more satisfying relationship with God.

"I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it"(v. 2). New Christians grow by feeding on the basics of Christianity. They learn who God is and how much He loves us. They learn who Jesus Christ is, and why it was necessary for Him to become the Lamb of God.

One Minute Please

A baby Christian learns to love God with all his heart, mind, and soul.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
The Evidence of the New Birth
 
You must be born again -John 3:7
The answer to Nicodemus' question, "How can a man be born when he is old?" is: Only when he is willing to die to everything in his life, including his rights, his virtues, and his religion, and becomes willing to receive into himself a new life that he has never before experienced (John 3:4). This new life exhibits itself in our conscious repentance and through our unconscious holiness.

"But as many as received Him. . ." (John 1:12). Is my knowledge of Jesus the result of my own internal spiritual perception, or is it only what I have learned through listening to others? Is there something in my life that unites me with the Lord Jesus as my personal Savior? My spiritual history must have as its underlying foundation a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ. To be born again means that I see Jesus.

". . . unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God " (John 3:3). Am I seeking only for the evidence of God's kingdom, or am I actually recognizing His absolute sovereign control? The new birth gives me a new power of vision by which I begin to discern God's control. His sovereignty was there all the time, but with God being true to His nature, I could not see it until I received His very nature myself.

"Whoever has been born of God does not sin. . ." (1 John 3:9). Am I seeking to stop sinning or have I actually stopped? To be born of God means that I have His supernatural power to stop sinning. The Bible never asks, "Should a Christian sin?" The Bible emphatically states that a Christian must not sin. The work of the new birth is being effective in us when we do not commit sin. It is not merely that we have the power not to sin, but that we have actually stopped sinning. Yet 1 John 3:9 does not mean that we cannot sin- it simply means that if we will obey the life of God in us, that we do not have to sin.


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Six Times We Should Seek God

But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 4:29).

In today's devotional, I want to show you the first three of six times we should seek the Lord:

1.  When we have sinned.

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

If you sin, do not run from God, run to Him.  Do not allow shame to keep you away.

2.  When we are feeling dry spiritually.

O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water (Psalm 63:1).

When you sense a distance between you and God, or if you feel dry spiritually, do not delay!  Seek Him early.

When my potted plants feel dry, I water them.  I do not wait until they turn brown and are almost dead.  If the soil is dry and the leaves begin to droop, they are in need of water right then, and so it is when you are feeling spiritually dry.

One of the keys to keeping potted plants-and our spiritual lives-healthy is to tend to them early.

3.  When we are fearful.

I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears (Psalm 34:4).

When you are fearful or anxious, it is time to seek the Lord.  When you seek Him you can expect to be delivered from all of your fears! 


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God Has a Purpose for Us

In His Presence: Jeremiah 29:11

"David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid among his fathers"(Acts 13:36).

Men, the worst thing in the world is to live out our 75 or so years of life not knowing why we were put here in the first place. When God placed Adam in this world, He told him to fill the earth and tame it. He was to create a culture out of the wild. Adam knew he had a purpose for his life. The tragedy today is that men have settled for the mundane and become satisfied by emptiness. They haven't gotten around to exploring God's reason for their existence. If we don't know why we have a life to live, then anyone who whispers in our ear can distract us from our divinely ordained reason for being.

God has a purpose for each of us; we need to pursue God's special future. But if we just settle for the definition of manhood given us by society, the entertainment industry, the sports industry, and our buddies, then we will never discover the purpose God has for us. Real living is when we are completing the work that God has called us to do.

Satan is seeking to overrun this world with evil. But God is ready to partner with us when we take up the mantle of manhood. Through the Holy Spirit, He will work in and through us, but it requires taking a risk.

One Minute Please

Are you going to settle for the ordinary, or are you going to be God's man doing God's business?

[Judy Harder]

 
Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
Does He Know Me . . . ?
 
He calls his own . . . by name . . . -John 10:3
When I have sadly misunderstood Him? (see John 20:11-18). It is possible to know all about doctrine and still not know Jesus. A person's soul is in grave danger when the knowledge of doctrine surpasses Jesus, avoiding intimate touch with Him. Why was Mary weeping? Doctrine meant no more to her than the grass under her feet. In fact, any Pharisee could have made a fool of Mary doctrinally, but one thing they could never ridicule was the fact that Jesus had cast seven demons out of her (see Luke 8:2); yet His blessings were nothing to her in comparison with knowing Jesus Himself. ". . . she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. . . . Jesus said to her, 'Mary!' " (John 20:14, 16). Once He called Mary by her name, she immediately knew that she had a personal history with the One who spoke. "She turned and said to Him, 'Rabboni!' " (John 20:16).

When I have stubbornly doubted? (see John 20:24-29). Have I been doubting something about Jesus- maybe an experience to which others testify, but which I have not yet experienced? The other disciples said to Thomas, "We have seen the Lord" (John 20:25). But Thomas doubted, saying, "Unless I see . . . I will not believe" (John 20:25). Thomas needed the personal touch of Jesus. When His touches will come we never know, but when they do come they are indescribably precious. "Thomas . . . said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!' " (John 20:28).

When I have selfishly denied Him? (see John 21:15-17). Peter denied Jesus Christ with oaths and curses (see Matthew 26:69-75), and yet after His resurrection Jesus appeared to Peter alone. Jesus restored Peter in private, and then He restored him publicly before the others. And Peter said to Him, "Lord . . . You know that I love You" (John 21:17).

Do I have a personal history with Jesus Christ? The one true sign of discipleship is intimate oneness with Him- a knowledge of Jesus that nothing can shake.


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Six Times We Should Seek God (Part Two)

In yesterday's devotional, we looked at three times we should seek God. Today we will look at three more:

4.  When we are in trouble.

In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my hand was stretched       out in the night without ceasing; my soul refused to be comforted (Psalm 77:2).

In Hosea 5:15 the Lord says, "...in their affliction they will earnestly    seek me."

I don't like to admit it, but the truth is that at times I have sought God more earnestly when I have been in trouble.  Problems have a way of getting us on our knees.  If you are in trouble today - seek Him!

5.  When all is well.

Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face evermore! (Psalm 105:4).

If you will carefully read the preceding verses of this psalm, you will find that the context is one of blessing and not trouble.

This may be the most important time of all to seek Him.  May we never become smug and think that we do not need God when all is well.

6.  Continually.

Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face evermore!

(1 Chronicles 16:11).

The word evermore in this verse means continually or at all times.

When you have sinned, when you are dry, when you are afraid, when you are in trouble, when all is well, and in any other situation - you need to seek God!


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Man Must Lead
In His Presence: Ecclesiastes 3:9-12

"I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ"(1 Corinthians 11:3).

God has created a systematic chain of command by which He operates. He expects this chain of command to become part of our lives as well. Even Jesus Christ, the Son of God, comes under the authority of God the Father. A man is to place himself under the lordship of Jesus Christ. This is not a statement of equality, but of function. God ordained this order at creation. Further, a woman comes under the authority of her husband as a statement of submission to God.

What happens when we break the chain of command? Satan began his plan of attack on man right in the Garden of Eden. He got Eve and Adam to switch roles. Eve took the lead and Adam became the follower. It was a disastrous experience. Sin was introduced to the world along with its companions, death and disobedience.

God has stitched women in such a way that they are built to be responders. When the man leads the home by placing himself under the lordship of Jesus Christ, the woman will follow. But for a follower to be a good follower, they must have someone worth following. If the man refuses to recognize the authority of Jesus in his life, then the woman will step into the leadership role.

One Minute Please
The biblical definition of real manhood is a man who leads his family in the worship of God by submitting to his Lord.

 

[Judy Harder]

August 19


Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
Self-Awareness
 
Come to Me . . . -Matthew 11:28
God intends for us to live a well-rounded life in Christ Jesus, but there are times when that life is attacked from the outside. Then we tend to fall back into self-examination, a habit that we thought was gone. Self-awareness is the first thing that will upset the completeness of our life in God, and self-awareness continually produces a sense of struggling and turmoil in our lives. Self-awareness is not sin, and it can be produced by nervous emotions or by suddenly being dropped into a totally new set of circumstances. Yet it is never God's will that we should be anything less than absolutely complete in Him. Anything that disturbs our rest in Him must be rectified at once, and it is not rectified by being ignored but only by coming to Jesus Christ. If we will come to Him, asking Him to produce Christ-awareness in us, He will always do it, until we fully learn to abide in Him.

Never allow anything that divides or destroys the oneness of your life with Christ to remain in your life without facing it. Beware of allowing the influence of your friends or your circumstances to divide your life. This only serves to sap your strength and slow your spiritual growth. Beware of anything that can split your oneness with Him, causing you to see yourself as separate from Him. Nothing is as important as staying right spiritually. And the only solution is a very simple one- "Come to Me . . . ." The intellectual, moral, and spiritual depth of our reality as a person is tested and measured by these words. Yet in every detail of our lives where we are found not to be real, we would rather dispute the findings than come to Jesus.


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Search the Scriptures

After Paul preached the gospel to the Bereans, they did something that others had not done-they searched the Scriptures.

These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so (Acts 17:11).

According to the next verse, the result of their search was that many of them believed.

Jesus said in John 5:39, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me."

I once heard a Jewish believer share his testimony.  His daughter, who had become a Christian, challenged him to read through the New Testament.

He began in Matthew and was astonished to find so many Old Testament references to the Messiah being fulfilled by Jesus.

His initial reason for searching the Scriptures was to prove that his daughter was wrong, but instead, he ended up giving his heart to Christ.  The Scriptures testified of Jesus!

Look for Him as you read the Holy Scriptures, and encourage others to do the same.


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Carnality in Action
In His Presence: Proverbs 21:21

The apostle Paul had spent several years teaching and preaching at the church in Corinth. He was concerned because there was division among the members. "I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren . . . that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, 'I am of Paul,' and 'I of Apollos,' and 'I of Cephas,' and 'I of Christ.' Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he?" (1 Corinthians 1:10-13).

The Corinthians had time to mature, but they were distracted and began to argue among themselves. Instead of growing, they were regressing. "You are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? For when one says, 'I am of Paul,' and another, 'I am of Apollos,' are you not mere men?" (1 Corinthians 3:3-4).

Have you ever said, "I'm only human"? That's non-Christian talk-talking like "mere men." Paul was saying that these Christians were acting like everyone else around them. And Corinth was known to be a wicked city. Paul was not complimenting these Christians. Instead of acting like the new man or woman they had become, they were rebellious believers.

One Minute Please
Behaving like "mere men" is an act of the will. Carnality is perpetuated by the will.

[Judy Harder]

 

Daily Devotion by Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
 
Christ-Awareness
 
. . . and I will give you rest -Matthew 11:28

Whenever anything begins to disintegrate your life with Jesus Christ, turn to Him at once, asking Him to re-establish your rest. Never allow anything to remain in your life that is causing the unrest. Think of every detail of your life that is causing the disintegration as something to fight against, not as something you should allow to remain. Ask the Lord to put awareness of Himself in you, and your self-awareness will disappear. Then He will be your all in all. Beware of allowing your self-awareness to continue, because slowly but surely it will awaken self-pity, and self-pity is satanic. Don't allow yourself to say, "Well, they have just misunderstood me, and this is something over which they should be apologizing to me; I'm sure I must have this cleared up with them already." Learn to leave others alone regarding this. Simply ask the Lord to give you Christ-awareness, and He will steady you until your completeness in Him is absolute.

A complete life is the life of a child. When I am fully conscious of my awareness of Christ, there is something wrong. It is the sick person who really knows what health is. A child of God is not aware of the will of God because he is the will of God. When we have deviated even slightly from the will of God, we begin to ask, "Lord, what is your will?" A child of God never prays to be made aware of the fact that God answers prayer, because he is so restfully certain that God always answers prayer.

If we try to overcome our self-awareness through any of our own commonsense methods, we will only serve to strengthen our self-awareness tremendously. Jesus says, "Come to Me . . . and I will give you rest," that is, Christ-awareness will take the place of self-awareness. Wherever Jesus comes He establishes rest- the rest of the completion of activity in our lives that is never aware of itself.


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God in Nature

God has made Himself known to mankind in a powerful way people often ignore...His creation.  Romans 1:18-20 tells us,

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

God speaks to people through nature...through His creation.  I am confident that there is a point in every person's life where there comes an awareness of God.  Whether it is looking at a shooting star, or at a sunset, or at a blade of grass, the thought occurs to them, "This didn't just get here.  This didn't just happen.  There must be a God."

Creation speaks to us of the Godhead.  It is a revelation of God.  The book of Psalms says, Night unto night shows forth knowledge.  And it says the heavens declare the glory of God.  The firmament shows His handiwork.  Creation speaks to us of God.

But notice what this passage says.  This revelation of God has come to men, but some have wanted to suppress it.  They came to that point and thought, "You know what?  If I find out about this, then I'm going to become responsible.  So I don't think I want to know."

The natural bent of men and women is to suppress the truth, but God is speaking loudly and clearly of His greatness and reality through His creation.  Praise Him today for revealing His beauty and power through nature, and use it to point people to Him.


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Apostasy

In His Presence: Deuteronomy 13:4

The carnal Christian is also characterized by rejection of the Christian faith. If the carnal Christian stays on the road to carnality long enough, he will apostatize-fall away from the life of faith. He or she may deny Christianity. Can a Christian go so far as to become a rank sinner in his actions? Yes, "for if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment" (Hebrews 10:26-27).

God will intervene on behalf of the carnal Christian, but He will also judge. Even the blood of Jesus will not save him from God's wrath. This does not mean that salvation will be lost, but God will judge that person. There will be emotional consequences. It may even mean an end to his life. The price tag for apostasy is staggering. "Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?" (vv. 28-29).

One Minute Please

A person is not beyond help if he is disinterested in the things of God, if his insensitivity to sin becomes normal, or if he withdraws from fellowship. But when he goes down the road of rejecting faith, he is close to the point of no return.