Turning Point with David Jeremiah

[Judy Harder]

The Thanksgiving Express: In Person


She fell at his feet and bowed before him, overwhelmed with gratitude.

2 Kings 4:37a (NLT)

Recommended Reading

2 Kings 4:32-37

A common rule of thumb among fundraisers is: "Say Thank You Seven Times." Effective fundraisers teach that it's important to say "thank you" in a variety of ways between when a gift is received and when the next is requested. This is based on an old Chinese custom of saying "thank you" seven times. Ancient Turkish protocol also involved seven "thank-you's" for special gifts. Stories from Nigeria mention that the words Na gode, meaning, "Thank you," are repeated seven times. A common phrase in other cultures is, "Thank you seven times over." 1


If the world is discovering the power of "thank you" in secular fundraising, shouldn't God's people, with simple and sincere gratitude, make it a common practice to say "thank you" at least once? Find one or two people today and tell them what a blessing they have been in your life. Intentionally say an extra "Thank you" to someone today. In doing so, you yourself will be blessed seven times over!

Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy.

Jacques Maritain, French philosopher


Read-thru-the-Bible
Galatians 3:1 -- 4:31

Galatians 5:1 -- Ephesians 1:23

1 Janet Hedrick, Effective Donor Relations (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2008), 63.

[Judy Harder]

Monday, November 21
Silver and Gold

The silver-haired head is a crown of glory ....
Proverbs 16:31a

Recommended Reading
Joshua 14
If you're 65 years or older like me, you're part of a record-breaking group! The U.S. Census Bureau reports there are 23 million senior citizens living in America--more than at any time in history. That number is projected to double by 2050, with golden-agers making up 21 percent of the American population.1

Listen to Today's
Radio Message
Now I don't plan on retiring from the Lord's service. And those of us who have been blessed with years should face the future with vision and faith like our friend Caleb in the Bible. Caleb's life teaches us two valuable lessons: A senior can accomplish life's greatest achievements in old age, and we never have to retire from the Lord's service (Joshua 14).

What is the attitude of your heart? You're old at 40 if you've stopped growing and accepting challenges. God's dimensions in life are not bound to the years of time. Servant opportunities abound for volunteers in churches as well as short-term and career ministry opportunities around the world. It's no mistake that the word "golden" is used for seasoned citizens. Your silver hair qualifies you for the best years in God's service.

Age is not all decay; it is the ripening, the swelling, of the fresh life within, that withers and bursts the husk.
George MacDonald


1usgovinfo.about.com/od/censusandstatistics/a/olderstats.htm (accessed 7/13/11).


Read-Thru-the-Bible
Ephesians 2:1-4:32

[Judy Harder]

Befriend


. . . there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

Recommended Reading

1 Samuel 18:1-4

The big news in spring 2008 was that Facebook removed a limitation restricting users to no more than 5,000 friend connections. Originally Facebook capped the number of friends because they wanted to make sure people only added "real" friends to their account. With millions of people using social networking, it seems loneliness would be obsolete. But the paramount question is: How many friends do you have in "real" life?


All of us have contacts we cross paths with at the grocery store or casual friends we converse with about sports or similar hobbies. But you'll probably find it hard to name more than one or two people in your life who qualify as a "committed friend" -- who sacrificially gives to your friendship.


David and Jonathan were committed friends. Their friendship didn't depend on status -- son of a sheepherder versus royalty. There was no manipulation or attempt to use the friendship for each other's selfish purposes. Through life-threatening trials, the relationship remained secure and steadfast.


God's human cure for loneliness is friendship -- committed and sacrificial. Do you just "friend" people on their Facebooks? Or befriend them in "real" life?

There is a scarcity of friendship, but not of friends.

Thomas Fuller


Read-thru-the-Bible
Ephesians 5:1 -- 6:24

1http://www.bigblueball.com/forums/general-other-im-news/42506-facebook-lift-5-000-friends-limit.html (accessed 7/13/11).

[Judy Harder]

Bearing Burdens


Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2


     

Recommended Reading

Romans 12:15-16





Medal of Honor recipient Leroy Petry was in a 2008 firefight in Afghanistan. Though already wounded in both legs, he grabbed a live grenade that landed amidst his team and attempted to throw it away. It exploded before he could release it, destroying his right hand and forearm and shredding him with shrapnel. Putting a tourniquet on his arm to stop the bleeding, he continued to direct his men until the fight was over. His actions saved his fellow soldiers from death and injury.


Sergeant Petry took upon himself the burden of injury that his fellow soldiers would certainly have suffered -- not unlike what Christ did on the cross to spare us from certain death for our sins. The power of one individual to come alongside and bear the burden of a discouraged soul is amazing -- perhaps even the power of life and death. We are in a spiritual battle, after all. And it may be a word of encouragement from the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) that saves a friend from the attack of the giant of despair.


Be a burden-sharer and -bearer today in the life of one who needs a word of encouragement from a friend like you.

Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Solomon



Read-thru-the-Bible
Philippians 1:1 -- 2:30

[Judy Harder]

Friday, November 25
High Praise

Praise Him in the heights!
Psalm 148:1 (ESV)

Recommended Reading
Psalm 148:1-4
How high is Mount Everest? For years, we've been taught that the highest peak in the world tops out at 29,028 feet. But critics have recently claimed that the exact height is 29,008. Others have suggested the summit rises to 29,035 feet. Earlier this year, the government of Nepal announced a new measurement would be made using the most modern satellite technology. So stay tuned. Those few disputed feet are important to the thousands of brave souls who have conquered the summit since Sir Edmund Hillary stood there in 1953.

Listen to Today's
Radio Message
Most of us will never hike to the top of Mount Everest, but we ascend to even greater heights whenever we're caught up in the joy of thanksgiving and praise. We're in rare air when we're breathing in the lofty atmosphere of joy and gratitude. We're dwelling above the heads of 99 percent of the world when we learn to see blessings amid the problems, count our mercies instead of our miseries, and thank God in all things knowing that this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us.

Live in the heights today. Be thankful.

From the depth of sin and sadness to the heights of joy and gladness Jesus lifted me.
Julia H. Johnston, hymnist


Read-Thru-the-Bible
Colossians 1:1-2:23

[Judy Harder]

The Thanksgiving Express: Gratitude All Year Long


...and be thankful.

Colossians 3:15

Recommended Reading

Colossians 3:12-15

Not long before James A. Garfield was elected President of the United States, he received a letter from his wife. She wanted to tell him how she had learned to be thankful for ordinary everyday tasks. "It came to me this morning while making bread," she said. "Why not consider this a very pleasant occupation and make it so by making perfect bread? After that the very sunshine seemed flowing down through my spirit into the loaves, and now my table has better bread than ever before." 1


Everyday gratitude is the elixir of life. Instead of groaning and moaning, we can smile. We can train ourselves to do it. We can practice it until it becomes a habit.


Many nations set aside a Thanksgiving Day to express gratitude, but for the Christian there's never a day after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a daily holiday for the believer. That's because goodness and mercy follow us all our days and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Christian belief and a downcast countenance are not appropriate companions.

John Thomson Faris



Read-thru-the-Bible
Colossians 3:1 -- 1 Thessalonians 1:10
1 Thessalonians 2:1 -- 4:18

1 John Thomson Faris, The Book of Joy (NY: George H. Doran Co., 1917), 48, 14.

[Judy Harder]

Never Lonely Again


For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Hebrews 13:5b

Recommended Reading

Deuteronomy 31:6-8
         
Have you noticed how the expression "always there for me" has made its way into our cultural conversation? People express gratitude for a friend, loved one, mentor, teacher, or other important person who "was always there for me." But "always" is a relative term -- no human friend can measure up to "always." One day they will not be there for us.


But there is another who is definitely always there: God's Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is sent by God to indwell all who have a relationship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ. It is the Spirit who makes real the life of Christ in us (Galatians 2:20). And it is the Spirit who gives us love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). What more could a person want in a time of loneliness or discouragement? The Holy Spirit is also our Counselor, or Helper, as described by Jesus (John 14:16-17). So in lonely moments, when we need comfort and counsel, the Spirit is there, never to leave us nor forsake us.


If you know Christ today, yet are in a lonely place, remember: The Spirit of God is with you -- never to leave.

Loneliness is the first thing which God's eye named not good.

John Milton



Read-thru-the-Bible
1 Thessalonians 5:1 -- 2 Thessalonians 3:18

[Judy Harder]

Pray Boldly


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

Recommended Reading

Matthew 6:5-8

Telephone calls used to be routed by operators, manually connecting circuits at a switchboard -- plugging and unplugging wires all day long to keep conversations going. Today, think how many millions of calls are handled by computerized routers every second of the day. Better yet, imagine how many countless prayer "calls" God receives every moment from all over the world.


It would be easy to be dissuaded from praying by thinking of our individual prayer requests getting lost amidst the millions God hears. Yet we are exhorted to "let [our] requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6), and to do so boldly (Hebrews 4:16). King David did (countless times in Psalms), and so did the apostle Paul -- the same request three different times! (2 Corinthians 12:7-8) They didn't feel bad or guilty for continually asking God for help, nor should we. In fact, not to pray is to portray God as less than He is -- a generous Father (Luke 11:11-13).


If you are in a stressful place today, stop now and tell God. Because ultimately He is the answer to our prayers, meeting with Him is the beginning of your answer.

Anxiety and prayer are more opposed to each other than fire and water.

J. A. Bengel


Read-thru-the-Bible
1 Timothy 1:1 -- 3:16

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, November 30
When There Is No Peace

They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, saying, "Peace, peace!" when there is no peace.
Jeremiah 6:14

Recommended Reading
Isaiah 9:6-7
The League of Nations (1920). The United Nations (1945). Countless regional, charitable, educational, and non-governmental organizations with "peace" in their title. None have actually promised peace, but they have all attacked the problem of war and discord like peace was possible. But all have been without permanent success. At any time of the day, somewhere in the world, a war is being waged.

Listen to Today's
Radio Message
How are we to live in a warring world without being influenced by such ever-present discord? How can we live in peace when there is no peace around us? How can we quell the internal discord we feel in times of loneliness, discouragement, and despair? The Bible points to the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, as the answer (Isaiah 9:6-7). With Him living in us as Lord, the fruit of His Spirit in our life is peace (Galatians 5:22). When we commit our anxieties and discord to Him in prayer, we receive His peace (Philippians 4:6)--regardless of what is going on around us or within us.

Don't wait for the world to give you a peace it has no ability to provide. Take the peace of Christ that is available today to calm your troubled soul.

Exchange your worries for His peace, and learn to lean on Jehovah-Shalom--"The Lord Who Calms our Fears."
David Jeremiah


Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Timothy 4:1-6:21

[Judy Harder]

Possibility of Peace


"Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, 'Peace!' when there is no peace. . ."

Ezekiel 13:10a

Recommended Reading

John 14:25-27

There was a reason World War I was called "the Great War" -- it was the largest, costliest war in human history. To ensure such a war never happened again, the Allied nations helped create the League of Nations (1920) whose principle responsibility was to maintain world peace through negotiations, disarmament, settling of disputes through the justice system, and other means. At the height of its existence the League had 58 members. Unfortunately, World War II proved the League lacked the ability to keep the peace and it was replaced in 1946 by the United Nations -- which has also failed to bring peace on earth.


There is nothing wrong with trying to create peace. Indeed, the apostle Paul wrote, "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men" (Romans 12:18). Whether others seek the same peace is beyond our control. But regardless of what is happening around us, we can have the peace of God "[guarding our] hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).


As attention is turned to the birth of Christ this month, let His peace be birthed in your heart. What is impossible with man is certainly possible with God.


Read-thru-the-Bible
2 Timothy 1:1 -- 3:17