Turning Point with David Jeremiah

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, June 7

Ready for Anything

Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming....
Luke 12:40a

Recommended Reading
Luke 12:40-44


Mike Yardley had just left his network's studios when his city collapsed around him. As the ground convulsed, a cloud of dust rose on all sides. Yardley noticed in horror that the city center of Christchurch, New Zealand, was raining down on the sidewalks. Looking back at his news building, he saw nothing but dust. Only later he realized that the dust was, in fact, the building he had just exited. It collapsed in the February 22 earthquake, killing seventeen of his colleagues. "My heart has been torn by the unwieldy weight of grief," he said, "as I reflect on 17 much-loved workmates who I will never share a TV studio with again."1

Jesus warned of famines, pestilences, and earthquakes as we grow closer to His return. We see all these things today and marvel at the disasters that are increasing as time draws shorter. But we shouldn't fear. We should take these things as reminders to be watching, waiting, and praying. We should be ready!

The world is in trouble, but Jesus came to rescue us from its final consequences.
Erwin Lutzer

1Mike Yardley, "CTV Reporter Torn with Grief" on February 24, 2011, at www.cnn.com.

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Psalm 26:1-31:24

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, June 8

Zealous for Souls

This Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:14

Recommended Reading
Proverbs 11:30


The Great Commission tells us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. But the fulfilling of the Great Commission is not necessarily a sign of Christ's imminent return. When we compare the prophetic events of Matthew 24 with the Book of Revelation, we learn that after the rapture of the Church, the task of world evangelism will continue under the ministry of the 144,000 Messianic Jewish preachers, leading to the salvation of multitudes of people during the Great Tribulation.

Just imagine! Only twelve Jews (the disciples) turned the world upside down after the resurrection and ascension of Christ in the first century. Think of what 144,000 Jewish evangelists can do after the return of Christ to rapture the church!

But until then, we can do our part. We're to be proclaimers of the Word and preachers to the world. If we're followers of Christ, we're to be fishers of men. Think of the value of one soul into whose heart you were able to drop the seed of the Gospel. Be zealous for souls in all you do!

The example of the grace of God in our lives allows others to see Christ in us, and they can be saved from the wrath to come.
David Jeremiah

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Psalm 32:1-35:28

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, June 9

Now!

"Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD.
Isaiah 1:18a

Recommended Reading
Isaiah 55:6-7


Leslie Flynn tells of a pastor who took a visiting evangelist to visit a farmer whose family had been converted during revival meetings. They hoped to witness to the man. But when they arrived, the farmer was offended. "I didn't ask you to bring anyone out here to preach to me," he said. "I know where the church is. Anytime I want to hear anybody preach, I'll go to church. I'm going to be saved sometime, but not till I'm good and ready."

The next Monday the phone rang with an urgent message to come to the farmer's house. In a freak accident, he had fallen from the hayloft and died instantly. He fell at the very spot where two days before he'd declared, "I'll get saved when I'm good and ready."1

We have no promise of tomorrow. Today is the day of salvation, and we must call upon the Lord while He is near. If you need Christ, don't wait another moment. Come to Him today, while there's still time. And don't delay in sharing God's grace with others who need to hear His plan of redemption.

The little word "now" is a very important word in God's vocabulary of salvation.
J. C. Macaulay

1Leslie B. Flynn, Come Alive with Illustrations (Ada, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 1987), 143.

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Psalm 36:1-39:13

[Judy Harder]

Friday, June 10

Let the Reader Understand

Therefore, when you see the "abomination of desolation," spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Matthew 24:15-16

Recommended Reading
Daniel 9:24-27


Many Bible readers are troubled by this passage because Jesus warns us to understand His words, yet they are mysterious. He's referring to an event in the future, when an abominable image will be erected in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. It's called the abomination of desolation, and it's going to trigger the horrific three-and-a-half years of Great Tribulation.

The prophet Daniel mentions this disgusting image in chapters 9, 11, and 12 of his book; Paul makes reference to it in 2 Thessalonians, as does John in Revelation 13. One day in the future, the Antichrist will desecrate the rebuilt Jewish temple with a vile image, setting in motion the events of the Great Tribulation.

Satan isn't waiting until then, however, to lead multitudes of people into idolatry. An idol isn't necessarily a statue or image; it's anything that we love more than we love Jesus Christ. Both now and then, both sooner and later, Jesus Christ must be the unrivaled Lord of our hearts.

Let Him rule and reign without equal in the temple of your life today.

Let Jesus be first and uppermost in thought and life and let all other things trail on after.
S. H. Hadley

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Psalm 40:1-45:17

[Judy Harder]

Weekend, June 11 & 12

Proclaimers of God's Word: Geoffrey Bull

Feed on His faithfulness.
Psalm 37:3

Recommended Reading
Psalm 37:1-5


The Book that missionaries proclaim is the Book that sustains them in the work of proclamation. Geoffrey Bull, a British missionary to Tibet, was imprisoned by Chinese Communists who seized his Bible and made him suffer terribly at their hands for three years. Bull was subjected to such mental and psychological torture that he feared he would go insane. But the missionary began to systematically go over the Scriptures in his mind. It took about six months to go all the way through the Bible mentally. He started at Genesis and recalled each Bible story as best he could, first concentrating on the content and then musing on certain points, seeking light in prayer. He reconstructed the books and chapters as best he could until he came to Revelation. Then he started over again. He later wrote, "The strength received through this meditation was, I believe, a vital factor in bringing me through, kept by the faith to the very end."

In all our labors and trials, the Book we proclaim is also the Book that restores our souls. It should be both our diet and our decree.

In the Bible God has given us thoughts of His power and His love, and He has given them to us that we may think about them and have food for our souls.
William Wilberforce Newton

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Psalm 46:1-50:23
Psalm 51:1-57:11

[Judy Harder]

Monday, June 13

History's Monster

But the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.
Daniel 11:32b

Recommended Reading
Daniel 11:36-39


In Daniel 11, we're given a prophecy about a man known to history as Antiochus IV, a Syrian general who is the biblical prototype of the coming Antichrist. Antiochus is among history's most despicable characters. He tried to force the people of Israel to forsake their religion, burn their Scriptures, paganize their children, and disavow their God. He desecrated the temple by stopping the daily sacrifices and setting up an altar or idol devoted to Zeus (the "abomination of desolation" that previewed the later actions of the Antichrist). In his fury at Jewish resistance, Antiochus massacred 80,000 men, women, and children. It was an indescribable reign of terror. But even then, there were faithful Jews (those who knew their God) who amid the carnage were strong and did great exploits. As a result, Israel regained her freedom until the days of the Roman Empire.

Every generation of believers faces opposition, hatred, persecution, and brutality. But those people who know their God will be strong and do great exploits. With Christ beside us, we cannot be conquered or cowed--never forget that the power of God working through a faithful servant is a mighty thing.

The right knowledge of God is, and will be, the strength of the soul, and, in the strength of that, gracious souls will do exploits.
Matthew Henry

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Psalm 58:1-64:10

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, June 14

Joy in the Morning

Unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.
Matthew 24:22

Recommended Reading
Psalm 13


The Great Tribulation will last three-and-a-half years, and not a moment longer. If this period of calamity were to last longer, no one would survive. For the elect's sake, there's a termination point; it will not go on forever.

That's true of our current troubles, too. Sometimes we feel our problems have no end. There's no light at the end of the tunnel, no dawn at the end of the night, and no joy at the end of our sadness. The psalmist expressed this when he cried, "How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?" (Psalm 13:1-2)  But keep reading. By verse 5, the psalmist wrote, "I have trusted in Your mercy," and in the final verse he exclaimed, "I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me."

In Christ, all our problems are temporary; all our blessings are eternal. Don't give up. There'll be joy in the morning.

O my soul, what need it trouble thee to have heaviness in the evening, so long as thou art sure to have joy in the morning?
Sir Richard Baker, seventeenth-century British writer, on Psalm 13

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Psalm 65:1-68:35

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, June 15

Jesus Has No Opinions

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing.
Matthew 7:15a

Recommended Reading
1 John 4:1-4


"Jesus does not offer an opinion," wrote A. W. Tozer, "for He never uttered opinions. He never guessed; He knew, and He knows. His words are not as Solomon's were, the sum of sound wisdom or the results of keen observation. He spoke out of the fullness of the Godhead, and His words are very Truth itself."1

Our world has lots of opinions, and most of them are wrong. In an increasingly secular society, we must guard against false teachers both inside and outside the church. Evolutionary theory saturates our scientific community. Humanism frames our laws and judicial decisions. Professors and educators exclude God and discriminate against Christian teachers. The entertainment industry churns out moral propaganda like ancient Rome. Popular preachers export a diluted message. And even our busses and subway cars declare there is no God.

Jesus warned that false teachers would dominate the last days. But secular opinion cannot withstand divine truth. And Jesus is very Truth itself. It is important to know Him and study His Word. How much more do you know Him today than you did yesterday? Know Him and study His Word.

It is well that He spoke... and it is good that we listen. His words are the essence of truth.
A. W. Tozer

1A. W. Tozer, Renewed Day by Day (Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, Inc., 1989), March 29.

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Psalm 69:1-72:20

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, June 16

There's Light for a Look at the Savior

Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
John 12:21

Recommended Reading
Hebrews 2:8-9


According to the news, scientists at the University of Michigan have developed the world's smallest computer system to help treat glaucoma patients. This tiny unit, about the size of a single letter on a penny, contains a microprocessor, sensor, memory, battery, solar cell, and a wireless radio with an infinitesimal antenna. Though it won't be available for actual use for years, it is designed to be implanted in a person's eye to track the progress of glaucoma and preserve vision.

According to the Bible, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the perishing, lest the light of glory of Christ shine on them (2 Corinthians 4:4). But as Christians, we have the Scriptures implanted in our vision. We look at the headlines through the computer of God's Word. We understand that Christ is coming again according to Scripture. Though the times are perilous, we have the peace of saying, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor" (Hebrews 2:9).

Look to Jesus for healthy I's.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full in His wonderful face.
Helen H. Lemmel

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Psalm 73:1-77:20

[Judy Harder]

Friday, June 17

To Live Below With Saints We Know

Why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Romans 14:10

Recommended Reading
Romans 14:1-13


One man recently observed that when he goes to work, everyone functions as a team and advances the cause of the corporation. But when he goes to church or to denominational meetings, he often finds a group that fusses, carps, complains, and criticizes one another.

Paul anguished over the same thing in Romans 14 and 15. He grieved over the fact that the early Christians fussed about whether to eat a Jewish or non-Jewish diet, whether to eat meat sacrificed to idols, and whether to keep certain holidays and holy days.

Having devoted much of Romans to the essential doctrine of justification by grace through faith, Paul devoted much of these two subsequent chapters to telling us to give room to one another to disagree on lesser matters. "Let each be fully convinced in his own mind," he advised in Romans 14:5b.

We don't have to agree about everything to be agreeable. Knowing that Christ is the ultimate judge, we should refrain from judging others and their motives, but instead love them, remaining steadfast in our faith and living out godly lives on earth.

To live above with saints we love, oh, that will be glory; to live below with saints we know, now that's another story.
An old anonymous rhyme

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Psalm 78:1-79:13