Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

Crosswalk the Devotional - Apr. 3, 2009

Let Go and Let God
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 8:5-6, NIV

I know what you're thinking.

Really? Is this going to be a devotional based on the tired Christian cliché, "Let go and let God"?

Why yes, it is. Because, while it's certainly tired, it's absolutely true! When we don't let go of what we're gripping so tightly, then we are stuck. And we cannot move. And then what good are we to God and his plan for our lives?

In a lot of ways, we're like monkeys (who, incidentally, I don't believe are our ancestors) who won't let go when they're caught in a trap. 

In order to catch them, cages are set up with something inside that is highly attractive to them (a banana, for example). A hole is constructed to be large enough for a monkey to fit in its hand. But after the monkey reaches inside the cage and clutches the banana, he cannot bring his hand back out of the hole, as it is not big enough to fit a fist that is now holding a banana.

So there the monkey sits, focused on its "prize" and refusing to let go. There is virtually no activity and a lot less living being done. And the monkey has no clue that destruction is on its way, namely in the form of a hunter who is ready to put the primate out of its misery. Forever. And ever. Amen.

Now monkeys are known to be a little quicker mentally than most of the other creatures of the animal kingdom. But in situations like this, they are as dumb as doorknobs. All it would take for a monkey to free itself would be to let go of the banana. But once it is in its grasp, a monkey will not let go of something it wants so desperately.

Hmmm. So, I guess we are a little more like monkeys than we might have first thought. 

Think about what in your life causes you to cling so tightly. What is it that you will not let go of? Is it an object? A life-long dream? A secret desire? How about a job? Or a relationship? Maybe a church leadership position?

As the verse for today says, "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires."

Now, let's get really honest about that. What is your mind set on right now? Is it set on "what the Spirit desires?" And if so, is it "life and peace?" Or is there chaos and confusion. Fearfulness and pride. Stubbornness and disobedience.

Just the like monkey, when we refuse to let go, we are immobile and certainly not going anywhere on our spiritual journeys. Because we are not available, God is waiting on us to do what he wills in our lives. We have no clue what life and peace we are missing! No clue. We are fixated and trapped in our own selfish desires. And what we think is "the prize" is not even close to the blessings of a life spent following Christ.

Remember today that HE is the One from whom all blessings flow. And there is no earthly comparison worth holding in our grip.


Intersecting Faith & Life: Use Philippians 3:18-20 to check your heart's desires (and their proper placement) today: "... Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. ..."


Further Reading

Proverbs 29:25
Proverbs 3:5-6
Psalm 22:8

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals April 5, 2009

The Measure Of Mercy
READ: Philippians 2:5-11
You were not redeemed with corruptible things, . . . but with the precious blood of Christ. -1 Peter 1:18-19

What is the distance from God's throne of splendor down to the abyss of Calvary's cross? What is the measure of the Savior's love for us? In Paul's letter to the Philippians, he described Jesus' descent from the heights of glory to the depths of shame and agony and back again (2:5-11).
Christ is the eternal Creator and Lord of all existence, exalted infinitely above earth's foulness and decay. He is the source of life, with myriads of angels to sing His praises and do His bidding. Yet, motivated by love for our lost human race, "He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" (v.. He came to our puny planet, was born in a cavelike barn with its smells and filth, and was placed as a helpless baby in a feeding trough.
When He grew to manhood, He endured homelessness (Matt. 8:20). Thirsty, He asked an adulteress for water (John 4:7-9). Weary, He fell asleep in a boat on a storm-tossed sea (Mark 4:37-38). Sinless, He was adored by the multitudes one day (Matt. 21:9), and then condemned as a criminal and died on a Roman cross in excruciating pain.
That's the distance from God's throne down to Calvary! That's the measure of His mercy and grace!  - Vernon C. Grounds


O the love that drew salvation's plan!
O the grace that brought it down to man!
O the mighty gulf that God did span
At Calvary! -Newell


God broke into human history to offer us the eternal gift of salvation.

  Preparation for Promotion

It is easy for us to be impatient with God's timeline of blessing, or to wonder why God is not prospering us as we think we should be.
In 1 Samuel 22:1-2, we are given a snapshot of how God prepared David, a little shepherd boy, to be king,
David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam.  So when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him.  And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him.  So he became captain over them.  And there were about four hundred men with him.
Just think how David must have felt.  God tells Him, "David, you're going to be Israel's next king!" but Saul is chasing him across the countryside and the people who are following him are all the outcasts, the people with problems, the people who are unhappy, the people who don't have any money.
On top of that, the next few verses of this passage talk about how David had to move his family to a foreign country just to keep them safe.  Some promotion!
But you know what?  Through it all David was learning how to trust God and how to manage people.  His character was being tested.  He was being fitted by God to wear the garments of a king:  the garment of mercy, fairness, and wisdom, the shoes of decisiveness, the belt of strength, covered with a robe of gentleness.
The fullness of his promotion came in due season, and so will yours.  David was not ready to be king when he walked out of the field as a young shepherd boy, so do not be surprised if you also need to be prepared for your promotion! 

4 Types of Christians
By Os Hillman

"But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law" (Galatians 5:18).
In his book Anointed for Business, Ed Silvoso provides a thoughtful look at the four types of Christians in the workplace. The following four categories provide an excellent tool for self-assessment:

The Christian who is simply trying to survive.

The Christian who is living by Christian principles.

The Christian who is living by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

The Christian who is transforming his or her workplaces for Christ.*

Category #1: Christians who are simply trying to survive have no purpose or zeal for integrating their faith at work. They have not seen the power or presence of God in their work lives. Such Christians segment their faith life from their work life. They lack purpose and meaning and they have little direction

.
Category #2: The second type of Christian in the workplace includes those who are living by Christian principles. We participate in 12-step programs and read books with guaranteed formulas to help us lose weight or improve our marriages. This programmed teaching can be beneficial to change negative patterns in our lives. However, it is important to recognize that the root of this type of teaching comes largely from a Greek-based system for attaining knowledge, as compared to the early church Hebraic model of experiential learning.


Category #3: Christians who are living by the power of the Holy Spirit understand the importance of developing a heart toward God through prayer, study of the Word of God and obedience. They realize that these are the three core ingredients to experiencing the power of God in their lives.


Category #4: A wonderful byproduct of living by the power of the Holy Spirit is that you can transform your workplace for God. Christians who passionately seek the manifestation of God's kingdom here on earth will be able to realize this transformation in their workplaces. When the kingdom of God is demonstrated on Earth, it can transform the workplace and society.
Start asking God to help you see how to transform your workplace today.
* Ed Silvoso, Anointed for Business (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2002), p.123.

His Agony and Our Access

Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples . . . . 'Stay here and watch with Me' -Matthew 26:36, 38

We can never fully comprehend Christ's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, but at least we don't have to misunderstand it. It is the agony of God and man in one Person, coming face to face with sin. We cannot learn about Gethsemane through personal experience. Gethsemane and Calvary represent something totally unique- they are the gateway into life for us.
It was not death on the cross that Jesus agonized over in Gethsemane. In fact, He stated very emphatically that He came with the purpose of dying. His concern here was that He might not get through this struggle as the Son of Man. He was confident of getting through it as the Son of God- Satan could not touch Him there. But Satan's assault was that our Lord would come through for us on His own solely as the Son of Man. If Jesus had done that, He could not have been our Savior (see Hebrews 9:11-15 ). Read the record of His agony in Gethsemane in light of His earlier wilderness temptation- ". . . the devil . . . departed from Him until an opportune time" ( Luke 4:13 ). In Gethsemane, Satan came back and was overthrown again. Satan's final assault against our Lord as the Son of Man was in Gethsemane.
The agony in Gethsemane was the agony of the Son of God in fulfilling His destiny as the Savior of the world. The veil is pulled back here to reveal all that it cost Him to make it possible for us to become sons of God. His agony was the basis for the simplicity of our salvation. The Cross of Christ was a triumph for the Son of Man. It was not only a sign that our Lord had triumphed, but that He had triumphed to save the human race. Because of what the Son of Man went through, every human being has been provided with a way of access into the very presence of God

GOD BLESS

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals April 2, 2009

Nothing Left But God
READ: 2 Chronicles 20:3-17
Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. -2 Chronicles 20:15

A wise Bible teacher once said, "Sooner or later God will bring self-sufficient people to the place where they have no resource but Him-no strength, no answers, nothing but Him. Without God's help, they're sunk."

He then told of a despairing man who confessed to his pastor, "My life is really in bad shape." "How bad?" the pastor inquired. Burying his head in his hands, he moaned, "I'll tell you how bad-all I've got left is God." The pastor's face lit up. "I'm happy to assure you that a person with nothing left but God has more than enough for great victory!"

In today's Bible reading, the people of Judah were also in trouble. They admitted their lack of power and wisdom to conquer their foes. All they had left was God! But King Jehoshaphat and the people saw this as reason for hope, not despair. "Our eyes are upon You," they declared to God (2 Chron. 20:12). And their hope was not disappointed as He fulfilled His promise: "The battle is not yours, but God's" (v.15).

Are you in a position where all self-sufficiency is gone? As you turn your eyes on the Lord and put your hope in Him, you have God's reassuring promise that you need nothing more.  - Joanie Yoder

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace. -Lemmel


When all you have is God, you have all you need.
 
At Just the Right Time

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

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Visit the Answers with Bayless Conley website for more ways to Connect with God
and
click here to listen to Bayless Conley at OnePlace.com.

Asa, a Model King Until.
By Os Hillman

"Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand" (2 Chron 16:7).

Asa was a godly King of Judah. There were two kingdoms during his reign - Judah and Israel. Israel's king was Baasha, who was a wicked king. To the east of Judah was Damascus, whose king was Ben-Hadad. Asa was an amazingly faithful and righteous king for thirty-five years. He got rid of the idol worship, and even deposed his mother for idol worship. God blessed his rule by allowing peace in the land for thirty-five years.

When Asa came into power the nation was lost. There was no godly ruler. There were many wars and the people began to cry out to God for deliverance. God sent them Asa.

When Judah was attacked by Zerah the Cushite who marched against them with a vast army and three hundred chariots, Asa called upon the LORD and God answered his prayer and delivered them from a larger and stronger army than Judah's.

However, thirty-five years later, Asa began to move away from trusting God and decided he could buy the favor of his enemy, the King of Ben-Hadad. Asa sent gold and silver to him as a bribe asking Ben-Hadad to cancel his treaty with King Baasha and go to war on behalf of Asa and Judah. Asa's strategy worked and he defeated Israel. However, there was a cost.

"In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians. Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his fathers" (2 Chron 16:12-14).

What we learn from Asa is that whenever we place our trust and obedience in the Lord, God becomes our source for security and prosperity. However, when we move away from trusting God, that security is removed and we fail to receive those things God intended us to have.

Contact Os Hillman at www.marketplaceleaders.org.


Making Godly Decisions
Making Godly Decisions
Through Scriptural teaching and his own years of many life and work experiences, Os Hillman provides a thorough look into Biblical principles of decision-making from a practical standpoint. This book is a priceless resource that will help you understand how to make Godly decisions

The Collision of God and Sin
READ:
. . . who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree . . . -1 Peter 2:24
The Cross of Christ is the revealed truth of God's judgment on sin. Never associate the idea of martyrdom with the Cross of Christ. It was the supreme triumph, and it shook the very foundations of hell. There is nothing in time or eternity more absolutely certain and irrefutable than what Jesus Christ accomplished on the Cross- He made it possible for the entire human race to be brought back into a right-standing relationship with God. He made redemption the foundation of human life; that is, He made a way for every person to have fellowship with God.

The Cross was not something that happened to Jesus- He came to die; the Cross was His purpose in coming. He is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" ( Revelation 13:8 ). The incarnation of Christ would have no meaning without the Cross. Beware of separating "God was manifested in the flesh. . ." from ". . . He made Him. . . to be sin for us. . ." ( 1 Timothy 3:16 ; 2 Corinthians 5:21  ). The purpose of the incarnation was redemption. God came in the flesh to take sin away, not to accomplish something for Himself. The Cross is the central event in time and eternity, and the answer to all the problems of both.

The Cross is not the cross of a man, but the Cross of God, and it can never be fully comprehended through human experience. The Cross is God exhibiting His nature. It is the gate through which any and every individual can enter into oneness with God. But it is not a gate we pass right through; it is one where we abide in the life that is found there.

The heart of salvation is the Cross of Christ. The reason salvation is so easy to obtain is that it cost God so much. The Cross was the place where God and sinful man merged with a tremendous collision and where the way to life was opened. But all the cost and pain of the collision was absorbed by the heart of God.

GOD BLESS

[Judy Harder]

April 7

Intimately Known by God

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." Psalm 139:14

Ever feel like the little girl who was endeavoring to pray what we call "The Lord's Prayer?" She said, "Our Father which art in Heaven, how does He know my name?"

I have, but, friend, He does know our names. He knows me. He knows you.

But you say, "How could God be interested in me? The great God who made the universes – how could He be interested in me, like a fleck of spray in an ocean of existence?"

Well, He is interested in you. You are not an accident. You are intimately known by God.

Read what Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:30:

"But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." 

What does this tell you about God?   
What does this tell you about yourself?   

GOD BLESS

[Judy Harder]

April 8, 2009 

I Am Pilate
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

"What is truth?" Pilate asked.
John 19:38

This week I met one of the most understandable yet guilty figures in the Bible. This man desperately tried to convince himself that he could control his circumstances. He had a vague intuition for what was right, but he was constantly torn between catering to the crowd and bullying them to show his power. He was overwhelmed by material consequences and implications. And in three simple words, he revealed the heart of his stubborn weakness.

As I again read Pontius Pilate's interview Jesus, I wondered how a man could stare the Son of God in the face, find Him not guilty, and yet condemn Him to death. Each Gospel offers some perspective on why. In reading their accounts, I found that Pilate's deep flaws were eerily similar to those I see in myself.

You see, I think Pilate had a modern mind. As a Roman, he wasn't very "into" religion. Belief in the gods -- and the emperor as a god -- were vestiges of an older system by his time, now adopted as a form of patriotism. His real religion would have been in the glorious Roman Empire, the unconquerable empire-without-end. This thoroughly material belief would have dominated the thoughts of a Roman procurator such as Pilate. He had no room in his world for the supernatural.

All that was called into question when they brought in Jesus. At that point, Pilate's religion showed its consequences in his character.

Demand for Material Answers

From first to last, Pilate's questions to Jesus involve politics and facts. Jesus' answers were unintelligible, because Pilate was asking the wrong questions. Pilate couldn't understand supernatural answers because he was thoroughly material. He thought the world could be interpreted through distinct movements and verifiable facts. He couldn't accept any mystery in faith, and so he rejected the Messiah as another man.


False Sense of Power


Pilate's religion of materialism forced him to rely on position. He told Jesus, "Don't you know that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you?" (John 19:10) I'm sure he fully believed that authority was his. Jesus corrected Pilate by telling him that his power was given "from above," which probably shook Pilate just a little. I think at that point Pilate realized that control was slipping away from him, and he did everything he could to regain it.


Blinded by Consequences


Pilate wanted to pretend that he wasn't really responsible for Jesus' death. He made a few feeble attempts to stick up for Jesus before the crowd, which probably counted as a good deed in Pilate's mind. But he ultimately backed down and washed his hands of Jesus' fate, because he "wished to satisfy the crowd." (Mark 15:22) He proclaimed the truth as "not dangerous" but chose not to intervene when it was attacked.

Refusal to See Truth


I think Pilate's most telling statement of all came right in the middle of the dialogue. Jesus says, "For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world -- to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." (John 18:37) I can just see Pilate throwing up his hands in exasperation and asking a rhetorical question: "What is truth!" Face to face with the reality of Jesus, the Son of God, Pilate chose to keep his relativism. The great empire with its power was enough for Pilate. And so he refused the Gospel.

I Am Pilate


How many times have I refused to believe a biblical promise because I don't see how it applies to my worldly situation? How often do I refuse to surrender my circumstances to God's plan for me, pretending I'm in control? How often have I made benign comments when the Gospel is attacked and then retreated? How many times have I refused to draw lines for what is right or to recognize sin for what it is in my life?

Ultimately, these "character flaws"--really, sins--tempt us to believe that Truth isn't Truth. We are tempted to deny that Christ had to die to free us from ourselves. I know that acknowledging the Gospel means my life has to change, and my human nature doesn't want that. But the glory of the cross is that we are changed, and thrown into a life far bigger than anything on this earth -- Jesus' incredible love. That's what Pilate refused to see. That's what we can't afford to miss.

Intersection of Faith & Life: Christ went to the cross because of the sin of the world, including Pilate and you and me. How much pain do we bring Him when we refuse to believe? As you head toward Good Friday and Easter this week, consider how often you respond like Pilate. Let's use this season to repent and start with a new framework.

Further Reading:

John 18:28-19:16
Luke 23:1-25
Mark 15:1-15
Matthew 27:11-31

[Judy Harder]

April 9, 2009

Killing Words
Mike Pohlman, Editor, Christianity.com

And their voices prevailed.
Luke 23:23 ESV


It's Maundy Thursday and four words are haunting me: "And their voices prevailed." With these four words Luke described the irreversible wave of fury that crashed on Jesus.

The multitudes had a choice. The crowd could have opted for Barabbas--the convicted insurrectionist and murderer. But instead they chose Jesus of Nazareth. Pilate's feeble attempts could not persuade the mob otherwise:

But they all cried out together, "Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas"--a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, "Crucify, crucify him!" A third time he said to them, "Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him." But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will (Luke 23:18-24).

It is easy for us to sit in judgment on those that cried out, "Crucify, crucify him!" We would like to think if we were there we would have acted differently. But honesty compels us to admit we would have done the same--by actively yelling or passively standing by and watching it happen. Either way we are complicit in the crucifixion of Jesus. 

But Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are not the whole story. We look through these awful days to the hope of Resurrection Sunday. We gaze through the cross to the resurrection and see that even as the voices of the multitude prevailed, God was prevailing.

The Apostle Paul declares the victory accomplished at the cross:

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him (Colossians 2:13-15).

What looked like utter defeat was actually God's cosmic victory over sin, death, and the devil. At the cross sin was atoned for and God's holy law fulfilled--all in the person of Jesus Christ. 

This victory finds its apex in the resurrection (and ascension) of Christ. Good Friday, thank God, gives way to Sunday. Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead the Christian can sing with the apostle: "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" It's gone because, "Death is swallowed up in victory!" (1 Corinthians 15:54-55).

Intersecting Faith & Life: 

I've been challenged this week to focus on what Jesus endured on my behalf at the cross. I've been living in Luke 23. As a means of preparing for he joys of Sunday take some time today through Saturday to meditate on the cross and what the sufferings of Christ accomplished for you.

Further Reading

Luke 23
The Intensity of Christ's Love and the Intentionality of His Death, John Piper
I Am Pilate, Katherine Britton

[Judy Harder]

April 10, 2009

Thank God it's Friday!
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor

If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.  For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
Romans 6:5-7, NIV

Last year on Good Friday, I attended a Tenebrae service at a small Lutheran church.

I am not a member of this congregation but had heard that its Good Friday service was very liturgical and solemn. And it was just what I was wanting to experience - something to help me remember what Christ did on the cross for us all.

As I sat in the service, I was taken to a dark place. Quite literally as the windows had been covered, and the lights had been dimmed. The robed ministers processed down the center aisle of the church, and I could see that a golden cross was being carried. But it was shrouded in a sheer black cloth.

The symbolism spoke volumes to me and helped to take me to a dark place internally as well. My heart was heavy as I reflected on my sins. They were why Jesus was nailed to the cross and crucified in my place.

During various Scripture readings, those in attendance were also reminded that because of the cross we are now set free. A way was made for us, because Christ died for us. He did what you and I could not do and cancelled payment for our sins with his life.

We then rejoiced that we need no longer fear the grave. We serve a Lord who conquered death through his crucifixion. His body was broken for you and me.

In the darkness of the sanctuary, it was this powerful message of the cross that shone so brightly in all of our hearts and minds. And at the end of our time together, still deep in reflection, we departed in silence. 

While doing so, it was almost as if I could hear the pounding of the nails. And I quickly figured out that it wasn't just in my mind. It was actual pounding. I looked around and wondered where this noise was coming from. "What is that?" I whispered to my friend who had attended with me. Neither of us knew what to think.

When we reached the church's narthex, we saw what was causing the commotion. Somehow, on our way into the service, we had missed seeing a very large, wooden cross that was situated between the two doorways leading into the sanctuary. I then saw people of all ages, one by one, walking up to the cross and driving in nails with a hammer. What a powerful picture! And what a vivid display of what Good Friday should represent to all of us. 

With a lump in my throat, I was greatly moved as I left the church building. I couldn't stop thinking about this cross. These are our sins - my sins - that have been nailed. They died with Christ. His blood has covered me and has washed me as white as snow. And now, because I have put my faith in our Savior and in what he has done, it is credited to me as righteousness.

If you have acknowledged your need for a Savior and have trusted in our risen Lord, won't you sincerely thank God it is Friday today? Thank him that it truly is a "Good Friday," because we are slaves no more and have been freed from the shackles and power of sin.

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory!

Intersecting Faith & Life: More than egg hunts, baskets of goodies and new Sunday suits or dresses, the real meaning of Easter is the reason you and I have hope in this world. A way was made for you and I to have eternal life! Have you accepted this free gift of salvation? If you would like to know more, please visit Crosswalk's "Who Is Jesus" section here. And make this Friday not only "good," but truly "life-changing."

Further Reading

Romans 6:23
1 Corinthians 15:56-57
Romans 6:10

[Judy Harder]

April 11

Today's Reading:  1 Samuel 17-18; Luke 11:1-28

Today's Thoughts:  Pray with Persistence

And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Luke 11:5-10

God tells us over and over in the Bible to pray. There are many reasons and advantages to praying: we develop a relationship with God, we know that God hears us, we can hear back from God, we can receive peace and we may receive what we want. God loves us and wants for us to tell Him all of our desires. The parable of Luke 11 gives us a different slant on prayer. Jesus is telling us "how" to pray, not "why" to pray. The key point in these verses is to be persistent in prayer and diligent to keep praying.

When my oldest child was a newborn, he would sleep all day. I would look at him and think such nice thoughts. I would have thoughts of unconditional love and dedication to commit my life to raising him. But as soon as all the lights were out in the house, he would wake me up by crying and screaming. My thoughts were not as nice then. I was tired from labor and my body did not want to get up to address his cries in a dark, quiet house leaving my soft, warm bed. If he had not screamed, I might have slept right through his cries. But because of his persistence, I got up and tried my hardest to meet his needs the fastest and easiest way possible. It was not always because I had a sacrificial love that I got up to meet his need, but often because of my need to get back to sleep. That is Jesus' point in Luke 11.

We all have those newborn cries and screams within us. The Lord tells us that He hears our prayers and will answer them according to His will and what is best for us. But sometimes we need to know the depths of our own desires, and we need to cry out to the Lord with an enduring persistence.  Keep asking, keep seeking and keep knocking...the key is persistence. When we see God answer those prayers, our faith is increased to continue praying for other things as well. Through persistence, we are rewarded.


Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.
Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.


GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

Devotionals April 11, 2009

The Day With No Name
READ: Romans 8:18-25
If we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. -Romans 8:25

In Louisiana, a woman lies buried beneath a grove of 150-year-old oak trees in the cemetery of an Episcopal church. Only one word is carved on her tombstone: "Waiting."

A friend of mine knows an elderly pastor who delivered a stirring Good Friday sermon titled "It's Friday, but Sunday's Comin'." In a cadence that increases in tempo and volume, his sermon contrasts how the world looked on Friday-when the forces of evil seemed to have triumphed-with how it looked on Sunday. The disciples who lived through both days never doubted God again. They learned that when God seems most absent, He may be closest of all.

The sermon skips one day, though-Saturday-the day with no name. What the disciples lived through in small scale, we now live through on cosmic scale. It's Saturday on planet earth; will Sunday ever come?

That dark, Golgothan Friday can only be called good because of what happened on Sunday. Easter opened up a crack in a universe winding down toward decay. And someday God will enlarge the miracle of Easter to cosmic scale.

Meanwhile, we wait in hopeful anticipation, living out our days on Saturday, the in-between day with no name.

It's Saturday. But Sunday's comin'.  - Philip Yancey

Dark was the night-sin warred against us!
Heavy the load of sorrow we bore;
But now we see signs of His coming-
Our hearts glow within us, joy's cup runneth o'er! -Camp
© Renewal 1941 Norman Camp.

God took the worst deed of history and turned it into the greatest victory.

What's Your Motive?

The Bible says in James 4:3,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Visit the Answers with Bayless Conley website for more ways to Connect with God
and
click here to listen to Bayless Conley at OnePlace.com.

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Being Promoted Beyond Your Anointing
By Os Hillman

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'" (2 Cor 12:9).

Have you ever done a job so well that you were promoted outside your skill set? The exceptional salesman gets promoted to manager and fails as a manager. The secretary gets promoted to office manager but fails for lack of management skills. Understanding your anointing will enable you to know when you are moving in a direction away from that which God has intended for your life.

I have seen this principle happen a lot over the years. There is a paradox between these two concepts that cannot be ignored. Sometimes God will place you in situations in which you have no natural gifting. In these cases, God puts you there to experience His power in order to accomplish your tasks. My wife, Angie, is a good example of this. Before she came to work with me full-time, she was a marketing and advertising manager for a non-profit organization. This organization hired a career consulting company to take all their employees through a series of tests to determine if each employee fit into his or her proper job function.

When the results of Angie's test were shared with the rest of her team, her profile revealed that one of her greatest weaknesses was lack of organization and focus. Her boss took exception to the assessment and publicly acknowledged that Angie was the most detailed and organized individual on the entire team. "How could that be true?" he asked.

The consultant said, "Oh, I am glad you asked that. Angie is a perfect example of someone who has overcome her weakness, because even though she recognizes this is her natural bent, she has overcome this by learning to be focused and detailed." In essence, she has yielded this area to the Holy Spirit and God has worked through her weakness.

God sometimes moves us beyond our natural gifting and allows us operate in a place where our natural gifts do not fit the job. Other times He is teaching us to acquire a new skill set for the given situation.

Contact Os Hillman at www.marketplaceleaders.org.


Making Godly Decisions
Making Godly Decisions
Through Scriptural teaching and his own years of many life and work experiences, Os Hillman provides a thorough look into Biblical principles of decision-making from a practical standpoint. This book is a priceless resource that will help you understand how to make Godly decisions--

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

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

GOD BLESS! 

[Judy Harder]

It's Bubbling In My Soul
READ: John 7:33-39
If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. . . . Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. -John 7:37-38

Decades ago, I visited a ministry center in West Africa and saw a little girl climb onto a truck that had a public address system. Smiling, she began to sing over the microphone:
It's bubbling, it's bubbling,
it's bubbling in my soul;
I'm singing and laughing
since Jesus made me whole.
Since Jesus came within,
and cleansed my heart from sin,
It's bubbling, bubbling, bubbling,
bubbling, bubbling in my soul!
I heard her sing that song only once. But the joy in her voice was so evident and powerful that I remember the lyrics and tune to this day. The parallel in the song between water and spiritual refreshment is a biblical one. During the Feast of Tabernacles, a Levite priest would pour out water as a symbol of God providing water for Israel in the wilderness. During that feast, "Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'?" (John 7:37-38). Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit promised to those who would believe in Him (v.39). This thirst-quenching water is a picture of the spiritual satisfaction that only He can provide.
Perhaps you've lost that joy you first experienced at salvation. Confess all known sin right now (1 John 1:9). Be filled with God's Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18), and let Him provide you with a "bubbling in your soul."  - Dennis Fisher


Christ departed so that the Holy Spirit could be imparted.


 
I believe the Bible teaches us that when we join together the impact is multiplied far beyond just the addition of those who join together.  One plus one equals far more than two.  Let me show you what I mean.       
In Deuteronomy 32:30, it says,
How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had surrendered them?
While this verse deals with Israel's disobedience to God and subsequent retreat from their enemies, think of what might be possible when God's people obey Him!  It says that one could chase a thousand, but two could put ten thousand to flight.
While one person can impact a thousand, two people can impact ten thousand.  That is a ten-fold multiplied effect! 
Leviticus 26:7-8, when God was giving promises to His people if they would walk in His ways, states this,
You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you.  Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight;  your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.
Notice God says five will chase a hundred, and a hundred will chase ten thousand.  By increasing the number of people times 20, their effectiveness would increase times 100.  Again, that is a multiplied effect.
You have probably heard of the Clydesdale horses, those big, strong workhorses that can pull a lot of weight.  One horse by itself can pull two tons, but if you yoke two together they can pull 23 tons!  That is incredible!
And that is how it works when we pray together with one another.  When we join our forces in prayer and connect with heaven, that is what happens.  There is a multiplied effect.   


The Work-a-holic
By Os Hillman

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship" (Romans 8:15).

Living a balanced life is evidence of a Spirit-led life. People work long hours for many reasons which can lead to significant problems in our lives.
One reason people over work is that they often think they must work longer hours to keep up with their workload. This is often the surface reason people give to the question of working long hours. Like any compulsive behavior, there is usually something beneath this behavior. As a former workaholic myself, I can tell you the root of overworking is often 1) a fear of loss, and 2) a need for self-acceptance created by performance.
The fear of loss issue can be a fear of what will happen if we don't work long hours. A fear that there may not be enough money if I don't work long hours can drive us to overwork. Often an inaccurate view of what is enough makes us drive ourselves to greater levels of achievement, believing a financial reward will insure us against potential financial disaster. This usually operates at a subconscious level. When one operates at this level you often find those around them will feel shamed if they do not work at the same level and can be intimidated by the unspoken or spoken directive that long hours are required. This leads to a whole new set of problems.
The second reason people work long hours is their need to gain self-acceptance and esteem from their jobs. It is rewarding to see something come from our efforts. However, when we begin to be driven to work, it becomes an unhealthy condition. We are looking to gain self-esteem needs from our performance instead of being secure in our position in Christ.
So, in order to avoid work becoming an idol and a compulsive behavior, we must maintain a balance that provides time to spend quality time with the Lord, our families and fellow believers. Sometimes the greatest exercise of faith is to work only forty hours a week. This insures that the outcome of our work is dependent upon God, nor our self-effort.


What To Do When Your Burden Is Overwhelming
Cast your burden on the Lord . . . -Psalm 55:22

We must recognize the difference between burdens that are right for us to bear and burdens that are wrong. We should never bear the burdens of sin or doubt, but there are some burdens placed on us by God which He does not intend to lift off. God wants us to roll them back on Him- to literally "cast your burden," which He has given you, "on the Lord . . . ." If we set out to serve God and do His work but get out of touch with Him, the sense of responsibility we feel will be overwhelming and defeating. But if we will only roll back on God the burdens He has placed on us, He will take away that immense feeling of responsibility, replacing it with an awareness and understanding of Himself and His presence.
Many servants set out to serve God with great courage and with the right motives. But with no intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, they are soon defeated. They do not know what to do with their burden, and it produces weariness in their lives. Others will see this and say, "What a sad end to something that had such a great beginning!"
"Cast your burden on the Lord . . . ." You have been bearing it all, but you need to deliberately place one end on God's shoulder. ". . . the government will be upon His shoulder" ( Isaiah 9:6 ). Commit to God whatever burden He has placed on you. Don't just cast it aside, but put it over onto Him and place yourself there with it. You will see that your burden is then lightened by the sense of companionship. But you should never try to separate yourself from your burden.

GOD BLESS!