Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals June 19, 2009
 
The Tempted Brothers
READ: Genesis 39:1-12
How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? -Genesis 39:9

Two brothers-both far from home -faced similar temptations. One, working away from the family, fell to the schemes of a younger woman. His sin led to embarrassment and family turmoil. The other, separated from loved ones because of family turmoil, resisted the advances of an older woman. His faithfulness led to rescue and renewal for the family.

Who are these brothers? Judah, who fell to the desperate scheme of his neglected daughter-in-law Tamar (Gen. 38). And Joseph, who ran from the arms of Potiphar's wife (Gen. 39). One chapter, an ugly story of irresponsibility and deception; the other, a beautiful chapter of faithfulness.

The stories of Judah and Joseph, presented back-to-back in the midst of "the history of Jacob" (37:2), show us that temptation itself is not the problem. Everybody faces temptation, even Jesus did (Matt. 4:1-11). But how do we face temptation? Do we demonstrate that faith in God can shield us from giving in to sin?

Joseph gave us one way of escape: Recognize sin as an affront to God and run from it. Jesus gave another: Answer temptation with truth from God's Word.

Facing temptation? See it as an opportunity to make God and His Word real in your life. Then run!  - Dave Branon

For Further Study
To gain insight into how to say no to temptation, check out Resisting The Lure: Recognizing The Dangers Of Sexual Temptation at www.discoveryseries.org/q0707


We fall into temptation when we don't stand against it.

You Can't Out-Give God

Tucked away in the pages of the New Testament is a very powerful promise to those who are generous givers.  It is found in Philippians 4:18-19,

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

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

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

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

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

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.

FEATURED RESOURCE

Godly Wisdom for a Great Marriage

Although it's God's plan for husband and wife to flourish in their marriage, it won't happen by accident. A great marriage takes work. In this 4-part series, Bayless and Janet explore God's Word relating to marriage and share personal insight from over 25 years of experience. You will learn about the specific roles that God gives to both husbands and wives along with how God's commandments can be applied to strengthen and improve your marriage, and much more!


Read: Habakkuk 2:12-20
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. - Habakkuk 2:14
TODAY IN THE WORD
One of the best-known statues in the world, found at many courthouses, features Lady Justice, often wearing a blindfold and holding a sword in one hand and balances in the other. This statue dates back to Greek and Roman times. The balances or scales represent impartiality or objectivity; the double-edged sword symbolizes the power wielded by judges and juries; and the blindfold indicates that justice does not play favorites based on status, wealth, or any other factor.
The scales of justice are divinely guaranteed to balance in the end, God told Habakkuk in today's reading. This is part two of His response to the prophet's second question, as well as the third, fourth, and fifth woes pronounced against the Babylonians. The third woe (vv. 12-14) focuses on the rotten foundations of the coming Babylonian empire. A city built on bloodshed cannot stand. A kingdom built on violence and military conquest will not endure. It is the plans of the sovereign God that prevail, not human endeavors and especially not wicked ones. Such things are merely "fuel for the fire," a chasing after the wind. In the end, history is about the earth being "filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord."

The fourth woe (vv. 15-17) addresses the issue of exploitation. Babylon will be like a person who gets someone else drunk in order to take advantage of them sexually. The picture here implies not just voyeurism but rape-a shameful, sinful, violent, and violating act. This is what it is like to conquer and plunder other nations, and this is why they'll reap what they sow. Just as they get others drunk, so to speak, so they themselves will drink the cup of God's wrath. The fifth and final woe (vv. 18-20) condemns idolatry. Instead of worshiping handmade "gods," people are created to worship their Creator. Idols are silent and powerless, but one day the whole earth will be silent before the power and majesty of the one true God.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
If the "problem of evil" is something you're interested in learning more about, several good books deal at length with this topic: How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil, by D. A. Carson, which emphasizes theology; The Problem of Evil in the Western Tradition: From the Book of Job to Modern Genetics, by Joseph F. Kelly, which has a more historical focus; and The Reality of God and the Problem of Evil, by Brian Davies, which deals with these issues from a philosophical standpoint.

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PRAY, PRAY, PRAY

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals June 20, 2009

A Happy Reunion
READ: Revelation 21:1-5
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. -Revelation 21:3

In 2002, Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her home in Utah. She lived a vagabond life in the constant presence of the couple accused of abducting her. However, 9 months after she was abducted she was found and returned home. It was the happy reunion her family had been longing for.

In the book of Revelation, John describes a vision of a new heaven and a new earth and our future reunion with the Lord (21:1-5). The context is not just geographic, but a context of life for God's people-a glorious reality of God and His people dwelling together for eternity.

John describes the benefits that come to God's people when He takes up His abode in their midst. Abolished forever are the debilitating consequences of sin. In John's vision, sorrow, death, pain, and separation are all part of the first things that are now gone. The old order gives way to the new and perfect order-a reunion of eternal blessedness. "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. . . . He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new'?" (Rev. 21:3,5).

One day, we'll rejoice over a happy reunion in heaven with our heavenly Father. We cannot imagine what a day of rejoicing that will be!  - Marvin Williams

Beyond the sunset, O glad reunion
With our dear loved ones who've gone before;
In that fair homeland we'll know no parting.
Beyond the sunset forevermore. -Brock
© Renewal 1964, The Rodeheaver Company.

Separation is the law of earth-reunion is the law of heaven.

The Priority of Purity

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

FEATURED RESOURCE

Godly Wisdom for a Great Marriage

Although it's God's plan for husband and wife to flourish in their marriage, it won't happen by accident. A great marriage takes work. In this 4-part series, Bayless and Janet explore God's Word relating to marriage and share personal insight from over 25 years of experience. You will learn about the specific roles that God gives to both husbands and wives along with how God's commandments can be applied to strengthen and improve your marriage, and much more!


Read: Habakkuk 3:1-7
I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. - Habakkuk 3:2
TODAY IN THE WORD
Keith and Kristyn Getty are a husband-and-wife team of Irish Christian songwriters who are committed to composing contemporary hymns. You may have sung some of their work in your church, including "How Deep the Father's Love for Us" and "In Christ Alone." Keith recently told an interviewer, "A song has to be easy and inspirational to sing, and lyrically it has to teach the truth of God in a way that is emotionally engaging and poetic." The Gettys also want their hymns to appeal to entire congregations: "We look for songs that bring all ages together because singing is an act of unity." They see worship as "singing with the generations that have gone before us, and we're singing as a foretaste of what will come after us."
The book of Habakkuk ends not with more questions, but with worship. The final chapter is a psalm of praise to the Lord! This is a helpful reminder: while we see the prophet can ask God tough questions, we also see that he knows when to stop. From a philosophical standpoint, the dialogue could continue, but theologically the time had come for a Job-like silence before the Lord (2:20). The key theme of this chapter, as one might expect, is justice, and the main point is that justice will be done, as guaranteed by the person and character of God. The opening invocation (v. 2) recalls His awesome deeds on Israel's behalf in history and pleads for a renewal of those inspiring days. Though wrath is coming, Habakkuk prayed and believed that mercy would win out.

Verses 3 through 7 present a poetic picture of God's coming. He is glorious, like the sunrise, with light flashing from His hand. He is powerful, as the earth shakes, the nations tremble, and the mountains crumble. If nature is brought low, fear and reverence by people is inevitable. "His ways are eternal"-nothing human, natural, or supernatural can stand against Him.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
he glory of God's coming in today's poetic reading should fill our hearts with joy and anticipation. Think of a time when He entered your life with just such power and awesomeness, a time when He made His love and presence known in unmistakable ways. Have you shared this story with your friends or family? God's work in our lives is not solely for our benefit; He gives us a story to tell in order to encourage others and bring glory to His name. If you have a testimony of His work, share it and praise Him!

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals June 21, 2009

Our Legacy
READ: Psalm 127
Children are a heritage from the Lord. -Psalm 127:3

A friend of mine wrote recently, "If we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family left behind would feel the loss for the rest of their lives. Why then do we invest so much in our work and so little in our children's lives?"

Why do we sometimes exhaust ourselves rising up early and going late to rest, "eating the bread of anxious toil" (Ps. 127:1-2 esv), busying ourselves to make our mark on this world, and overlooking the one investment that matters beyond everything else-our children?

Solomon declared, "Children are a heritage from the Lord"-an invaluable legacy He has bequeathed us. "Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth" (v.4) is his striking simile. Nothing is more worthy of our energy and time.

There is no need for "anxious toil," working night and day, the wise man Solomon proclaimed, for the Lord does take care of us (Ps. 127:2). We can make time for our children and trust that the Lord will provide for all of our physical needs. Children, whether our own or those we disciple, are our lasting legacy-an investment we'll never regret.  - David H. Roper

Our children are a heritage,
A blessing from the Lord;
They bring a richness to our lives-
In each, a treasure stored. -Fasick

Time spent with your children is time wisely invested.

Perfect and Complete

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

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

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

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

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

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

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

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.

FEATURED RESOURCE

Godly Wisdom for a Great Marriage

Although it's God's plan for husband and wife to flourish in their marriage, it won't happen by accident. A great marriage takes work. In this 4-part series, Bayless and Janet explore God's Word relating to marriage and share personal insight from over 25 years of experience. You will learn about the specific roles that God gives to both husbands and wives along with how God's commandments can be applied to strengthen and improve your marriage, and much more!


Read: Habakkuk 3:8-15
Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear. - Habakkuk 3:11

TODAY IN THE WORD
The children are restless. They bounce from toy to toy, occasionally running to the front window to look out at the empty street. They are full of questions: "When are they coming?" "Did they forget?" "What time is it now?" "Are they driving fast enough?" At last the moment arrives. The sun flashes off the windshield of a familiar green sedan as it turns into the driveway. "They're here, they're here!" the kids shout. Grandma and Grandpa smile and wave as they step out of the car.
Waiting impatiently for important people to show up makes their coming all the sweeter. That's the background feeling for today's reading, in which God Almighty arrives in power to save His people. Pictured as a Warrior, He fights on their behalf and wins the victory, just as He did during the conquest of the Promised Land. Some of the pictures are military, such as God riding in a chariot or shooting a bow and arrows. Others are supernatural, such as God splitting the earth with rivers and using other elements of nature as weapons. And some can only be called sovereign, such as God threshing the nations like a farmer harvesting wheat.

Many commentators see specific historical references in these verses. For example, the mention of rivers (v. alludes to when God turned the Nile to blood and later parted the Jordan so the Israelites could cross. The sun standing still (v. 11) recalls the victory at Gibeon. The sea (v. 15) brings to mind the miraculous parting of the Red Sea in the escape from Egypt. The verbs in this passage are powerful: God "rages" in righteous wrath in order to "deliver" or "save" His chosen people. He used a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to protect and guide them during the Exodus, and Habakkuk's continuing prayer is that those days would come again. His faith was strong-he believed that God would bring future restoration as surely He brought past deliverance!
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The book of Habakkuk, like many of the Psalms, uses the history of God's work with His people to inspire praise and worship. Do you ever review God's work in your own life as a source of praise? You could compose your own hymn of praise that acknowledges God's character and work. If writing words or music doesn't seem like your strong suit, you can at least approach the praise time during the next church service with a fresh perspective on reasons to give praise to the Lord.

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals June 22, 2009

Open Invitation
READ: Ephesians 2:14-22
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. -Hebrews 4:16

Versailles was made the capital of France by King Louis XIV in 1682 and remained the capital (except for a short time) until 1789 when it was moved back to Paris. The beautiful palace of Versailles included an opulent 241-foot-long Hall of Mirrors. When a visitor approached the king, he had to curtsy every five steps as he walked the entire distance to meet the king sitting on his dazzling silver throne!

Foreign emissaries to France submitted to that humiliating ritual to court the French monarch's favor toward their country. By contrast, our God, the King of kings, invites His people to come to His throne freely. We can come to Him anytime-no advance appointments and no bowing required!

How grateful we should be that our heavenly Father is so much more inviting! "Through [Christ] we . . . have access by one Spirit to the Father" (Eph. 2:18). Because of this, the writer of Hebrews urges us to "come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).

Have you responded to God's open invitation? Come in awe and gratitude, for the God of this universe is willing to hear your petitions anytime.  - C. P. Hia

You need to talk with God today,
Your heart's bowed down with care;
Just speak the words you have to say-
He'll always hear your prayer. -Hess


Access to God's throne is always open.

Passing the Test of Your Faith

In yesterday's devotional, we saw how God desires for us to be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing; but the road to that is the testing of our faith.

The natural question is, "What does it take to succeed when the test comes?"  There are two cooperating forces which must be at work.  James 1:4-5 shows us what those two forces are,

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

The first force is patience.  James' point is, "Don't quit before the answer comes.  Let patience have full play, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

Hebrews 10:36, says it this way,

For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.

You and I may actually have done the will of God, done what God wants us to do, but if we don't exercise endurance, we won't receive the promise.  That is the importance of patience.

The second cooperating force at work to pass the test of your faith is wisdom.  If you lack wisdom, if you can't see the forest for the trees in the midst of your trial, you can ask God and He will give it...liberally and without reproach.

God delights when you ask for wisdom.  And He won't belittle you or find fault with you for asking.

So if you find your faith on trial, if you are being sorely tested, ask God for wisdom and patiently endure.  Without these two forces, you will never know victory!

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.

FEATURED RESOURCE

Godly Wisdom for a Great Marriage

Although it's God's plan for husband and wife to flourish in their marriage, it won't happen by accident. A great marriage takes work. In this 4-part series, Bayless and Janet explore God's Word relating to marriage and share personal insight from over 25 years of experience. You will learn about the specific roles that God gives to both husbands and wives along with how God's commandments can be applied to strengthen and improve your marriage, and much more!

Read: Habakkuk 3:16-19
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines . . . yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. - Habakkuk 3:17-18
TODAY IN THE WORD
Are you having trouble remembering things? Try some blueberries! Scientists at the University of Reading in England have found that adding blueberries to a regular diet helps improve memory. It increases memory capacity and can even reverse memory loss. The key is flavonoids, which are known to boost the part of the brain that controls learning and memory. The researchers are planning to investigate next whether these findings might help people with Alzheimer's disease.
The Israelites could have used some blueberries in their diet, at least to judge from how frequently they forgot about all the incredible things God had done for them. Habakkuk was so overcome by the memory that his heart pounded and his legs trembled (v. 16). This physical picture shows a combination of awe-God's deeds are amazing and overwhelming-and holy fear-God's power and wrath are about to punish Judah's sins in the same ways as described in this chapter-as well as eagerness for the day when the prophesied judgment would be past and God would gather and restore His people.

Verses 17 and 18 are perhaps the best-known and best-loved verses in the book, and seem more relevant than ever in these difficult economic times. They are an unequivocal statement of faith in God despite circumstances. Things are as bad as they can possibly be. The trees do not bud, the crops do not ripen, and the livestock are dead. A modern paraphrase might read: "Though the cupboard be bare, the bills coming due, my car repossessed, a pink slip in my hand, and no jobs in town, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." To be clear: this isn't "grit your teeth and hang on" mentality, nor does it ignore the reality of the situation. Instead, this is joy! The bottom line is not circumstances but God (v. 19). He is our source of confidence and strength, the only Rock on which we can rely.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
This kind of hope and joy and faith is supernatural; we cannot bring it up out of ourselves on our own. Are you struggling to rejoice in the Lord because your situation seems overwhelming? God doesn't promise to sweep our problems under the rug, nor does He promise "health and wealth" to His followers. But He does promise to be faithful, and He promises to be with us (see John 14). He has given us His Holy Spirit, who comforts us and enables us to look at the very real trials of life and still be joyful in God our Savior.
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PRAY, PRAY, PRAY

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals June 23, 2009

A Powerful Message
READ: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
The gospel of Christ . . . is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. -Romans 1:16

Bible teacher Lehman Strauss was brought to Christ through the power of the Word when he was young. At his girlfriend's suggestion, he read Romans 3:23, 5:8, and 10:13. As he did, he was convicted of his sin. He wept and believed.

When his son Richard was 7 years old, he asked his father how to be saved. Lehman used the same verses that his girlfriend (who was now his wife) had used years earlier. His son believed too, and eventually became a pastor.

God's Word has tremendous power! The first recorded time God spoke, He created light (Gen. 1:3). He spoke a promise to Abraham (17:15-19) and enabled his 90-year-old wife Sarah to bear a child (21:1-2). God still speaks with power today, and all who hear and believe the gospel are saved (Rom. 1:16).

Yes, the message of Christ and His saving work on the cross can change the direction of a person's life. It has the power to reach the heart of that person you love and have prayed for many times.

So don't give up in your witness. Be consistent in your daily walk. Keep praying and sharing the gospel with others. It's a powerful message!  - David C. Egner

Sweetly echo the gospel call-
Wonderful words of life;
Offer pardon and peace to all-
Wonderful words of life. -Bliss

Our words have power to influence; God's words have power to save.

Gaining the Wisdom of God

I think every Christian desires wisdom from God.  But they don't get it because they don't understand how to receive it.

In Psalm 51:6, we are told,

...in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

When God communicates His wisdom to us, He does it in that secret part.  Whether it's as we read His Word and a Scripture speaks to us, or whether the Holy Spirit just whispers to us.  As Proverbs 20:27 tells us, The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord.  In other words, God illuminates us through our spirit.

For example, maybe you are in a difficult financial situation and you just don't know what to do.  You are working, you are tithing, you are trusting God, you are doing all you need to do, but it seems like you can't make ends meet.

Maybe what you need is wisdom.  If you ask for it, God may speak something as simple to your heart as, "Go talk to this person."  Or, "Advertise in this magazine."  Or, "Call so-and-so and ask them to forgive you for the way you treated them."  Or He may just say, "Hold steady."

Shortly after I was saved, I developed a physical condition I could not get any relief from.  So I went to God and I said, "God, give me wisdom."  God spoke to me and said, "You need to stop drinking coffee."

Now I did not want to hear that because I was a big coffee drinker.  But you know what?  After obeying God in that, almost immediately, that condition cleared up, and it has never been back.

God's wisdom.  He will speak to you.  If you ask, He will make His wisdom known in the hidden part.

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.

FEATURED RESOURCE

Godly Wisdom for a Great Marriage

Although it's God's plan for husband and wife to flourish in their marriage, it won't happen by accident. A great marriage takes work. In this 4-part series, Bayless and Janet explore God's Word relating to marriage and share personal insight from over 25 years of experience. You will learn about the specific roles that God gives to both husbands and wives along with how God's commandments can be applied to strengthen and improve your marriage, and much more!
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Read: Malachi 1:1-5
"I have loved you," says the Lord. - Malachi 1:2
TODAY IN THE WORD
After 70 years in exile, many Jews returned to their homeland following the decree of Cyrus in 538 B.C. By 515 B.C., the second temple was completed. The walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt by about 443 B.C. under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, who also led a period of spiritual revival. But in 433 B.C., Nehemiah returned to his position as cupbearer for the emperor, and a time of national backsliding followed his departure. It was in this historical context that Malachi began his prophetic ministry, probably about 430 B.C. The spiritual laxness, disobedience, and specific sins he condemned were also observed by Nehemiah when he returned for a visit (see Neh. 13:6-31).
"Malachi" means "my messenger," so possibly this is a title rather than a proper name, but we'll assume it's an actual prophet's name. He is not, though, mentioned anywhere else in Scripture and nothing is known about his background, family, or hometown. The themes of this book, placed last in the Old Testament canon, include worship, repentance, obedience, faithfulness, hope, and justice.

Many of these ideas are developed by means of a question-and-answer structure. Biblical scholar Charles Ryrie has identified 23 questions in the book's four chapters, many of them satirical. Satire is "the use of ridicule, sarcasm, or irony to expose, attack, or deride vices, follies, and sins." The book can be divided into six sections, generally beginning with a statement or question to which the people respond, followed by God proving or explaining the charge of wrongdoing embedded in the original statement or question. (These sections begin at 1:2; 1:6; 2:10; 2:17; 3:7; and 3:13.)

"How have you loved us?" is the opening question, asked by the people to God. History is the answer, as the Lord cited His election of Jacob over Esau and the fate of Edom as reminders of the Israelites' reasons to praise and worship Him (cf. Rom. 9:10-13).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The four centuries that passed between Malachi and Matthew are sometimes called the "silent years." They were "silent" in the sense that God did not send new prophets to speak His inspired words, but God was still at work in the world and history was continuing to unfold. If you have time for additional study, find out more about that history. Bible handbooks, commentaries, and New Testament survey textbooks are good places to read up on what was happening as the "B.C. clock" wound down.


PRAY, PRAY, PRAY

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals June 24, 2009

Postponement Problems
READ: Romans 12:4-13
We have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function. -Romans 12:4

Many of us struggle with them-postponement problems. A professor at the University of Calgary in Alberta studied the problem of procrastination for 5 years and reported that 95 percent of us put off doing one thing or another. One estimate showed that Americans lose approximately $400 million a year by putting off filing taxes! Because of fear of failure or other insecurities, we wait and wait before starting a project or making a decision.

Procrastination is a problem in the church too. Many of us postpone serving God. We know we should reach out to others, but we feel insecure or worried about what to do. Because we're unsure of our gifts or interests, we put off our involvement in the church. We worry, What if I do a poor job? What if I find out I can't even do it?

Romans 12 gives us some encouragement. Serving starts with presenting ourselves to God as "a living sacrifice" (v.1). Pray and give yourself anew to the Lord and His work. Then look around at what others are doing in your church and ask if you can join in. Start small if you need to, and try a number of things.

Your church needs you. Ask God to help you overcome your postponement problems.
  - Anne Cetas

Don't put off for tomorrow
What you can do today;
Postponement may bring sorrow,
Prompt action is the way. -Hess

For a healthier church, exercise your spiritual gifts.

The Requirement for Receiving God's Wisdom

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

James 1:6-8 tells us,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

FEATURED RESOURCE

Godly Wisdom for a Great Marriage

Although it's God's plan for husband and wife to flourish in their marriage, it won't happen by accident. A great marriage takes work. In this 4-part series, Bayless and Janet explore God's Word relating to marriage and share personal insight from over 25 years of experience. You will learn about the specific roles that God gives to both husbands and wives along with how God's commandments can be applied to strengthen and improve your marriage, and much more!


Read: Malachi 1:6-14
When you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands? - Malachi 1:13
TODAY IN THE WORD
Brian Doerksen is a Christian songwriter who has penned such classics as "Refiner's Fire" and "Come, Now Is the Time to Worship." To him, worship is truly what it's all about. He recently told an interviewer: "When I first felt called to do this over twenty years ago, I wanted to perform music on big stages. But God quickly called me to be all about worship, which is really 'Notice God, don't notice me.' I feel incredibly comfortable in my own way trying to live out the whole John the Baptist thing ('He must become greater, I must become less') especially when I look at what it means to be a worship leader-an artist who creates a 'window' for people to look through and see someone greater."
The importance of worship is one of Malachi's themes as well. Our readings for today and tomorrow combine to form the second message out of the six found in this book. The key truth here, shown through metaphors of family and authority, is that honor and respect are the Lord's due (v. 6). The priests, however, had failed in this essential responsibility. Worship is about honoring God's name, but they showed contempt for it.

Instead of offering the best, they offered the worst, putting crippled, blind, and diseased animals on the altar (vv. 7-8). Such sacrifices were forbidden by the Mosaic Law (see Lev. 1:3). Did they think God was a doddering old fool? They never would have dared to pull a stunt like that on a human ruler! Did they really think their pious-sounding prayers would be granted in response to insincere and disdainful hearts (v. 9)? Rather than continue such a mockery of "worship," God would rather they shut the temple doors and stopped faking it (v. 10). Despite their attitudes and behavior, God's name will be lifted up among the nations and pure, right-hearted worship will be given Him throughout all the earth (v. 11).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today, consider your attitude toward giving to God in light of Malachi's indictment of the Israelites. When they brought diseased and crippled animals as sacrifices, they showed profound disrespect for God. What about us? Instead of making giving to God a priority, do we "wait and see" what's left in the checkbook at the end of the month? Are we putting $20 in the offering plate every Sunday when our income indicates we could give much more? Being stingy with God is a sign of spiritual trouble in our hearts.
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PRAY, PRAY, PRAY

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals June 26, 2009

Chimp Eden
READ: Numbers 14:1-10
If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us. -Numbers 14:8

Eugene Cussons rescues chimpanzees. Orphaned by those in the business of bush-meat trade and taken from the jungle as infants, many have lived their entire lives confined in a space smaller than a prison cell. When Cussons arrives to take them to the game reserve he calls "Chimp Eden," he often finds them hostile and untrusting.

"These chimps don't realize that I am one of the good guys," Cussons says. When he tries to put them into a smaller crate for the trip to their new home, they put up quite a fight. "They don't know that I'm going to take them back to Chimp Eden and give them a life so much better."

On a much grander scale, God's offer to liberate us from the slavery of sin is often met with resistance. When He rescued the children of Israel from Egypt, God took them through difficult places that caused them to doubt His good intentions. "Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" they cried (Num. 14:3).

On our journey of faith, there are times when the "freedom" of sin that we left behind is more appealing than the restrictions of faith that lie ahead. We must trust the protective boundaries found in God's Word as the only way to get to the place of ultimate freedom.  - Julie Ackerman Link

Sin's lure may look like freedom
But in its grip we're bound;
It's when we're bound to Jesus
Real freedom will be found. -D. De Haan

Obedience to God is the key to freedom.

True Faith

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

FEATURED RESOURCE

Godly Wisdom for a Great Marriage

Although it's God's plan for husband and wife to flourish in their marriage, it won't happen by accident. A great marriage takes work. In this 4-part series, Bayless and Janet explore God's Word relating to marriage and share personal insight from over 25 years of experience. You will learn about the specific roles that God gives to both husbands and wives along with how God's commandments can be applied to strengthen and improve your marriage, and much more!



Read: Malachi 2:1-9
True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. - Malachi 2:6
TODAY IN THE WORD
Books are important to rural communities in Venezuela. They're so important, in fact, that one university is running a special mobile library program featuring bibliomulas, or book mules. These mules help take library books to isolated groups living in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The project leader said, "Spreading the joy of reading is our main aim." Both children and adults are often waiting to dive into the books as soon as they arrive. If only we as believers showed that much enthusiasm for reading God's Book!
In today's reading, Malachi was concerned about the careless teaching of Scripture. This is the second part of his second message, so it's the same priests who offered unacceptable sacrifices who are here condemned (vv. 1-2, 7-9). As spiritual leaders and guides for the nation, they were responsible to give instruction in the truths of Scripture and the knowledge of God. But they had neglected their duties and caused many to stumble. The term "partiality" indicates that their teachings were biased, self-serving, untrue, and/or unjust. This was a serious affront to God, and the Lord said they would be "despised and humiliated" for failing in this essential responsibility. The curse in store was shown in the shocking prediction that "offal" (guts) would be rubbed on their faces (v. 3). Both ceremonially unclean and disgusting, this is ironic justice-the priests would be defiled with the entrails of their own defiled sacrifices.

God's standard is covenant faithfulness, as exemplified in their forefather Levi (vv. 4-6). Historically, the Levites had earned the right to minister when rallied to God and stood for purity after the worship of the golden calf at Sinai (see Ex. 32:25-29; Num. 3:12-13). They understood that God's covenant was about life and peace and truth, and that the proper responses were awe, reverence, and personal holiness. Unlike their descendants here, they fulfilled their sacred responsibility of teaching covenant truths and calling the people to love and obey the Lord.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
An excellent tool for your library would be The Literary Study Bible, available in the English Standard Version (ESV) translation. Father-and-son team Leland and Philip Graham Ryken edited this unique resource, which focuses on highlighting and interpreting the literary features of Scripture, especially the literary forms and flow of individual books. Given the highly literary nature of the prophets we've been studying this month, and of the Bible in general, this tool can help provide you with a richer understanding of God's Word.
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PRAY, PRAY, PRAY

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals June 27, 2009

The Song Of The Saints
READ: Revelation 15
Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. . . . Your judgments have been manifested. -Revelation 15:4

We've all heard the expression, "I don't get mad; I just get even." Reading about the judgments described in Revelation, one might assume that God will get "even" with sinners for their phenomenal offenses throughout the history of mankind.

The truth is that God's final judgment is a necessary expression of His holy justice. He can't turn a blind eye to sin. In fact, if He doesn't finally carry out justice as described in Revelation, it would be a denial of His holy character. That's why in the midst of His judgments, the saints will sing His praise: "Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. . . . Your judgments have been manifested" (15:4). Those who know God best do not judge Him for His judgments; rather, they worship and affirm His actions.

What should surprise us is not the massive scale of God's judgments, but that He's waiting so long! Desiring that none should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), God is now mercifully restraining His judgment and giving maximum space to His marvelous mercy and grace. Now is the time to repent and take advantage of His patient love. And when we do, we'll join the saints in praising Him for all eternity!  - Joe Stowell

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure-
The saints' and angels' song. -Lehman
© Renewal 1945, Nazarene Publishing.

When God's justice is finally and fully revealed, His praises will resound!

The Motive of Faith

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

FEATURED RESOURCE

Godly Wisdom for a Great Marriage

Although it's God's plan for husband and wife to flourish in their marriage, it won't happen by accident. A great marriage takes work. In this 4-part series, Bayless and Janet explore God's Word relating to marriage and share personal insight from over 25 years of experience. You will learn about the specific roles that God gives to both husbands and wives along with how God's commandments can be applied to strengthen and improve your marriage, and much more!

Read: Malachi 2:10-16
Guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. - Malachi 2:15

TODAY IN THE WORD
The Internet is making divorce cheaper and easier. One Web site proclaims, "We are divorce specialists!" It claims over 250,000 satisfied users, gives step-by-step instructions for divorce in every state, and offers a money-back guarantee on court approval of documents prepared at the site. Another company advertises its low fees, convenience, free settlement agreement, and privacy guarantees. One customer boasted that the divorce took just three hours and $300. Some state governments have also set up popular do-it-yourself Web sites for legal matters, including divorce.
Like some Americans, the Israelites treated marriage and marital faithfulness with negligence. Today's reading is the third message in Malachi. Since the priests and Levites were condemned for covenant unfaithfulness, it makes sense that the prophet continued on this theme. The question was: "Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another?" (v. 10).

Idolatry and dishonoring marriage are woven together in this passage. Idolatry is spiritual unfaithfulness; running after other gods is spiritual prostitution (vv. 11-13). The people of Judah were guilty of this detestable sin and deserved harsh punishment. Malachi mocked their tears and prayers as disingenuous and hypocritical . . . as if they didn't know their own guilt!

The commonness of divorce and marriage with unbelievers was a parallel form of covenant unfaithfulness; they took marriage lightly because they took God lightly (vv. 14-16). As the creation narrative reveals, God Himself instituted marriage and stands as witness to the marriage covenant (Gen. 2:24). The union of husband and wife is intended to reflect the spiritual union of God and His people. Faithful marriage goes hand-in-hand with faithful worship and obedience within God's family. In order not to break faith with one's spouse or with God, we must guard our hearts against temptation. If we are faithful to His purposes for us, He will be faithful to help us live righteously.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Marital unfaithfulness and sexual immorality are still with us today, over two thousand years after Malachi was written. These are not just social or political issues; as Malachi makes clear, these are spiritual and theological issues. How Christians behave sexually reflects how seriously we take our covenants with each other and with God. Commit your own purity and faithfulness again to the Lord, and pray that the people of God will live in a way that reflects Christ's love for the church.
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PRAY, PRAY, PRAY

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals June 28, 2009

Advice For The Groom
READ: Proverbs 1:1-9
My son, hear the instruction of your father. -Proverbs 1:8

The custom of a bachelor party before a wedding is often characterized by drunkenness and carousing. The party-hearty attitude seems driven by the belief that the groom will soon be married and have to settle down to a life of domestic boredom.

Not long ago, one of my nephews got married. The best man planned a get-together for Joel, but with a refreshing difference. Those invited were asked to bring some thoughts to share that would help him in this new chapter of life.

When I arrived at the informal breakfast, I found a cheerful spirit of camaraderie. Fathers, uncles, brothers, and friends were animated in lively discussion. The father of the bride and the father of the groom were asked to share their advice on what they had learned in their own Christian marriage. Their thoughts were personal, realistic, and biblical.

The book of Proverbs mirrors this kind of mentoring in facing life's challenges and rewards. "My son, hear the instruction of your father . . . for [it] will be a graceful ornament on your head" (Prov. 1:8-9).

How God-honoring it would be if more couples began their marriage with an attitude that heeded the wisdom of those who walked the path before them.  - Dennis Fisher

Lord, give us ears to hear advice
From loved ones wise and humble,
So when life's challenges appear
We will not have to stumble. -Sper


He is truly wise who gains his wisdom from the experience of others.

The Prayer of Faith

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

In James 5:15 we are told,

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

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

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

The prayer of faith is a prayer that:

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

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

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

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.

FEATURED RESOURCE

Godly Wisdom for a Great Marriage

Although it's God's plan for husband and wife to flourish in their marriage, it won't happen by accident. A great marriage takes work. In this 4-part series, Bayless and Janet explore God's Word relating to marriage and share personal insight from over 25 years of experience. You will learn about the specific roles that God gives to both husbands and wives along with how God's commandments can be applied to strengthen and improve your marriage, and much more!

Read: Malachi 2:17-3:5
Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire. - Malachi 3:2

TODAY IN THE WORD
Last year, a man imprisoned for 27 years was freed by a DNA test showing he could not possibly have been guilty. James Lee Woodard, convicted of the murder of his girlfriend, was finally released from a Dallas prison. He had always maintained his innocence, and had even stopped going to parole hearings because he would have had to confess to the crime in order to be granted parole. He was the thirty-second person to have a conviction reversed in Texas.
While human justice can err, God's judgments are never wrong. Today's reading is the fourth message out of six in Malachi. The opening accusation, "You have wearied the Lord with your words," is somewhat unexpected and humorous. The response sounds like wide-eyed innocence, "How have we wearied him?" But the satire had already disrupted the leaders' pride and self-importance (2:17a). As the chuckling in the "courtroom" died down, so to speak, the accusation was elaborated by two specific charges: First, the leaders had dishonored God's moral standards by calling evil "good" and going so far as to assert that He was pleased with what He abhorred. Second, the leaders raised the question, "Where is the God of justice?" They implied that He's nowhere to be found, indicating unsubmissiveness and unbelief. They were slandering God's character!

God's response is personal (3:1-5). First, He would send a messenger, a prophecy fulfilled in John the Baptist. Second, He Himself would come-these verses conflate both His first and second comings. In hindsight it's clear this was a prophecy of Messiah and Incarnation. Though this was supposedly what the leaders wanted, it would not turn out the way they imagined. That day would come suddenly and unexpectedly. He would purify and cleanse the people and their worship practices like a fierce "refiner's fire" or a stinging "launderer's soap." Sins such as lying, adultery, witchcraft, and oppression would be rooted out, and justice and righteousness restored.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
One way to explore a fully biblical concept of justice is to volunteer with a prison or community-transition ministry. Chaplains regularly conduct Bible studies in jails around the country, and they are often looking for more volunteers to get involved with discipling those who come to Christ. When these men and women are released, transition ministries and "halfway houses" help them learn how to live out their faith outside the walls. Pray about how you could step forward and join these godly efforts!

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PRAY, PRAY, PRAY
GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals June 29, 2009

Are You Ready?
READ: Acts 13:1-5
As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work." -Acts 13:2

Three months before a planned missions trip, a friend and I were talking about the upcoming event. He said to me, "If anyone can't go, I'd be willing to step in and join you." This was not going to be an easy 8 days, for we would be painting, repairing, and fixing stuff in the July heat of Jamaica. Yet my friend seemed eager to go.

About 6 weeks before we were scheduled to leave, there was an opening. I e-mailed my friend-whom I hadn't seen in the interim-and asked if he was still interested. He immediately responded, "Sure! And I got a passport just in case you asked." He had made sure he was ready-just in case he got the call to go.

My friend's preparation reminds me of what happened back in the first century at Antioch. Paul and Barnabas were among a number of people getting themselves ready spiritually for whatever God might ask them to do, or wherever He might send them. They didn't prepare by getting a passport, but they "ministered to the Lord and fasted" (Acts 13:2). And when the Holy Spirit said, "Separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work" (v.2), they were all set for the journey.

Are you preparing for what God might want you to do? When the Spirit says, "Go," will you be ready?  - Dave Branon

Available for God to use me,
Available, if God should choose me;
Should it be here or there, it doesn't matter where;
My waiting heart prepare. -Anthony
© 1971, Dick Anthony.


Keep your tools ready-God will find work for you.

The Importance of Revival

Psalm 85:6 asks a powerful question,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

FEATURED RESOURCE

Godly Wisdom for a Great Marriage

Although it's God's plan for husband and wife to flourish in their marriage, it won't happen by accident. A great marriage takes work. In this 4-part series, Bayless and Janet explore God's Word relating to marriage and share personal insight from over 25 years of experience. You will learn about the specific roles that God gives to both husbands and wives along with how God's commandments can be applied to strengthen and improve your marriage, and much more!

Read: Malachi 3:6-12
See if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. - Malachi 3:10
TODAY IN THE WORD
A new study has found that American Christians are quite stingy. In Passing the Plate, three sociologists reported that more than one in four American Protestants give absolutely nothing. The median gift is $200 per year, or about one-half of one percent of after-tax income. People who make less than $10,000 per year give an average of 2.3 percent of their income, while those who make more than $70,000 average just 1.2 percent. Among evangelicals, only 27 percent tithe (give 10 percent). The researchers estimated that even considering people who cannot give due to illness or unemployment, believers could or should be giving at least $85.5 billion per year more to ministry than we currently do.
As Malachi taught in today's reading, giving is a good indicator of the spiritual condition of our hearts. This is the fifth message out of six in the book, and opens with a familiar theme-God's covenant faithfulness despite Judah's history of disobedience (vv. 6-7). He exhorted the nation with a call to repentance: "Return to me, and I will return to you." This was not an indication that He had abandoned them, but rather showed His desire for a closer relationship than was possible while they continued to sin.

"How are we to return?" they asked, a question that "played dumb" because the obvious answer was obedience. So God answered their question with another, "Will a man rob God?" (v. . Such a thing sounds impossible, yet the Lord Himself asserted it was true. No doubt the tone of their second question was startled and shocked: "How do we rob you?"

In response, God identified a lack of giving as a key area of sin and covenant-breaking (vv. 9-12; cf. 2 Cor. 9:6-12). They had failed to bring the tithes and offerings required by the Law, some of which went to support the priests and Levites. Obedience in this area would call forth blessing, but as things stood they were cursed.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Several days ago, we invited you to consider your attitude toward giving to God. Today, examine your practice of giving to God. Perhaps we do enjoy giving to the Lord, but is our giving in proportion to our income? Get out a calculator and go through your checkbook to find the numbers. Compare these to a recent paycheck stub or last year's tax return and calculate your giving as a percentage of your income. If the Holy Spirit challenges you in this area, commit to obey Him in willing, cheerful, generous giving to His work.
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PRAY, PRAY, PRAY
GOD BLESS!