Turning Point with David Jeremiah

[Judy Harder]

Weekend, April 21 & 22

   First Words: Mercy

  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
  Isaiah 55:7

    Recommended Reading
1 Timothy 1:12-17 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%201:12-17&version=NKJV )

God's mercy extends to our greatest sins as well as to our lesser shortcomings. As theologian Jonathan Edwards put it: "The mercy of God is as sufficient for the pardon of the greatest sins as for the least; and that because His mercy is infinite. That which is infinite is as much above what is great as it is above what is small... So the mercy of God being infinite, it must be as sufficient for the pardon of all sin, as for one."

       Watch This Week's TV Broadcast ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/television.aspx?tid=email_watchedevo )

If you fear you've sinned so greatly that God can't forgive, you're forgetting His limitless mercy. If you worry that you've outrun the boundaries of God's grace, you've forgotten that all His attributes are as infinite and eternal as He Himself is.

As we share the Gospel with others, we'll find some people so mired in guilt that they've decided God cannot forgive them. Mercy is God's compassion for us, especially in His provision of Christ's blood for our sins. Because of Jesus, He will abundantly pardon.

  When the Law discloses our guilt, we should not despond, but flee to the mercy of God.
  John Calvin, in The Institutes

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
2 Kings 21:1-1 Chronicles 1:54 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%2021:1-1%20Chronicles%201:54&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Monday, April 23

Rational Lies?

  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...
  Matthew 28:19

    Recommended Reading
Matthew 28:16-20 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2028:16-20&version=NKJV )

If Americans could only accomplish one goal in their lifetime, nearly three quarters would choose a travel-related goal, according to a new survey commissioned by Princess Cruises.1 Imagine if everyone added, "Sharing the Good News with the lost" to their bucket lists?

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

Sadly, instead of making the Great Commission our personal charge, we rationalize why we don't share our faith. The word "rationalize" is defined the way it sounds: rational lies. There's no room for rationalizing in the Great Commission. In Jesus' parting words on earth to His followers, He commands them to "make disciples." No distinction is made among tribes or nations. All people groups are included. A good disciple duplicates himself by bringing others into a relationship with Jesus.

What are some of the "rational lies" you tell to excuse yourself from sharing the Gospel? Evangelizing the lost and making disciples is not just a bucket list item. It's the responsibility of every Christian. If you are a believer, you are equipped to fulfill the Great Commission. Go!

  Any fool can write learned language. The vernacular is the real test. If you can't turn your faith into it, then you either don't understand it or you don't believe it.
  C. S. Lewis

  1cruiseandferry.net/article/News/0097/Travel goals top US bucket lists accessed 12/2/11.

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 2:1-3:24 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%202:1-3:24&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, April 24

Keep the End in Mind

  Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.
  Luke 21:28

    Recommended Reading
Luke 21:25-28 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2021:25-28&version=NKJV )

Your doctor tells you, "You're going to feel worse before you feel better." Not encouraging words when you hope to recover quickly from an ailment. Yet the hope of wellness spurs you on through the recovery process.

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

The "happy ending" prognosis can also be applied as we look at the signs of the end times. Negative financial overtones are predicted as we transition to a new world order. But for the believer, a downturn in the economy doesn't instill gloom. It's good news! Our redemption draws near!

The final stage of our redemption--initiated at the Cross--is inaugurated by the end times when the Church will be ushered into the safety of the kingdom. Unveiling the signs that would signal His coming, Jesus used a joyful image, "lift up your heads," to describe how believers should await His return. Should our heads be downcast in gloom? No! "....look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:27-28).

Keep yourself centered on the knowledge of Christ's return. Lift up your head! Your redemption is near!

  Signs of the times are everywhere, there's a brand new feeling in the air. Keep your eyes upon the eastern sky. Lift up your head redemption draweth nigh.
  Gordon Jensen, "Redemption Draweth Nigh"

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 4:1-6:48 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%204:1-6:48&version=NKJV )
 

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, April 25

Eternally Driven

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
  1 Timothy 6:7

Recommended Reading
1 Timothy 6:6-10 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%206:6-10&version=NKJV )

Tell a story. It's a proven teaching technique. Jesus was a master storyteller. It makes sense that the One who made us knows how to drive a point home. He had the crowds captivated with His parables--simple, memorable stories that conveyed deep messages. Some walked away transformed. Some just walked away.

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

"Then he told them this story: 'The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: "What can I do? My barn isn't big enough for this harvest." Then he said, "Here's what I'll do: I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll gather in all my grain and goods, and I'll say to myself, Self, you've done well! You've got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!" 'Just then God showed up and said, "Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods--who gets it?"

'That's what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God'" (Luke 12:16-21, The Message).

Jesus didn't fault the rich man for his plans. He contrasted his earthly riches with his lack of heavenly riches. Will you walk away from that truth today? Or will it transform you?

  In this world it is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich.
  Henry Ward Beecher

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 6:49-8:40 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%206:49-8:40&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, April 26

Here I Stand

  But be doers of the word, and not hearers only...
  James 1:22

    Recommended Reading
Joshua 24:14-18 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua%2024:14-18&version=NKJV )

When Martin Luther was asked to recant his teachings against the church, he made this bold statement to the Diet of Worms in 1521: "Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen."1

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

In his farewell address to the Israelites, Joshua urged them to take a stand and commit themselves to the Lord. Laying out the options, he distinguished their choices: Choose to serve the God of Israel or choose idols. The choice would determine Israel's history as individuals and families, shaping future generations. Leading by example, Joshua proclaimed his commitment to God: "...as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15).

Perhaps today you stand in need of renewing your commitment to God. Your mind is wavering as a plethora of choices clouds the decision that determines your secure eternal future. Take a stand. Declare your unfailing commitment before God: Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me.

  Our strength is seen in the things we stand for; our weakness is seen in the things we fall for.
  Theodore Epp

  1greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/martin-luther.html accessed January 5, 2012.

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 9:1-11:47 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%209:1-11:47&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Friday, April 27   Could We With Ink the Oceans Fill

  You are an epistle of Christ... written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God.
  2 Corinthians 3:3

    Recommended Reading
2 Corinthians 3:1-6 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%203:1-6&version=NKJV )

This may be a far-fetched illustration, but let's give it a try. According to MSNBC,  The British Medical Journal  recently reported the case of a 76-year-old woman who visited her doctor complaining of stomach problems. When the scans came back, doctors were amazed to see a long object in her stomach. It was a pen! The woman remembered having put a pen in her mouth 25 years ago. She lost her balance, fell, and swallowed the pen. Her doctor at the time didn't believe it, and the x-ray equipment of that day didn't detect it, so nothing was ever done about it.

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )
Now here's the remarkable thing. When surgeons removed the pen, it still worked.

Sometimes we feel like we're being swallowed up in troubles, trials, pressures, and problems. But our God watches over us as He watched over Jonah in the belly of the whale. Trials produce testings, but from testings come testimonies. We never lose our message. We never run out of ink. Because of Christ, we never lose our ability to write the words: "Great Is Thy Faithfulness!"

  Most of the world around you doesn't read the Bible. So...God gives the world a living epistle--you.
  Kay Arthur

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 12:1-15:29 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%2012:1-15:29&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Weekend, April 28 & 29

   First Words: Grace

  Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.
  Romans 5:20

    Recommended Reading
Romans 5:19-21 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%205:19-21&version=NKJV )

John Bunyan was converted to Christ from a vile and profane life, and he wanted to tell everyone about it. When he started preaching in his little town of Bedford, England, he was arrested and imprisoned. This was in the days when only ministers for the Church of England could freely preach. Though Bunyan spent years in prison, his voice was never silenced. In fact, during his imprisonment he wrote his great classic  Pilgrim's Progress  and his autobiography, which he entitled  Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners . According to Bunyan, had it not been for "a miracle of precious grace," he would have perished by the stroke of eternal justice.1

       Watch This Week's TV Broadcast ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/television.aspx?tid=email_watchedevo )

The word "grace" means: God's Riches At Christ's Expense. It's God's favor freely bestowed on us in Christ. As we share the Gospel with others, grace should be among the first words on our lips--abounding grace, amazing grace.

How sweet the sound!

  His whole gospel is a gospel of grace, words of peace and salvation.
  John Bunyan

  1John Bunyan,  Grace Abounding  (Philadelphia: J. J. Woodward, 1828), 13, 195.

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 16:1-1 Chronicles 22:19 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%2016:1-1%20Chronicles%2022:19&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

 
Monday, April 30

A Deep, Settled Peace

  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives...
  John 14:27

    Recommended Reading
John 14:26-27 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2014:26-27&version=NKJV )

In his devotional book  By the Still Waters , Vance Havner tells of attending a small service in a little church on a cold February night. The people were local farming folk, and a time was given for sharing testimonies. The last to speak was a humble woman plainly dressed who rose and simply said: "I praise the Lord for a deep, settled peace. The world did not give it to me, and the world can't take it away."

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

"That testimony lingers with me," wrote Havner. "I think of scholars and sages ransacking libraries and perusing heavy philosophies, searching for the secret of peace, while the plain, farm-woman had been enjoying it through the years."

There's much we don't comprehend. The plans that God has foreordained for us are beyond our understanding, but we know that when we are with Him, there will be peace and rest and joy such as we have never imagined.

The world didn't give it, and the world cannot take it away.

  There are thousands of earth's rich and renowned who would give it all for the childish confidence of the soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose.
  Vance Havner
  Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 23:1-25:31 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%2023:1-25:31&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, May 1

Life's No Cupcake

  For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
  Habakkuk 2:14

    Recommended Reading
Revelation 22:12-17 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2022:12-17&version=NKJV )

Recently a security officer at Boston's international airport confiscated a woman's cupcake. He told her the frosting was like gel. It posed a security threat and violated TSA restrictions about liquids and gels on flights. There's no word as to whether or not the seizure occurred near the lunch hour; but the point is: Our world has become so threatened that now we're even afraid of cupcakes.

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

Praise God we don't have to live in this present age forever! There's a better day coming, a thousand years of peace during the Millennium followed by eternity on the New Earth. For the children of God--those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb--we have a future in which all our fears will be banished, our faithfulness will be rewarded, and the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Jesus said, "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me" (Revelation 22:12).

That's a promise to anticipate today!
 
  The Millennium will be an exhilarating era of happiness, contentment, and joy. It will be the answer to many anguished prayers.
  David Jeremiah

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 26:1-28:21

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, May 2

Risky Business

  As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.
  Psalm 42:1

    Recommended Reading
Acts 5:1-11 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%205:1-11&version=NKJV )

Ananias and his wife Sapphira lacked what we all should strive for--personal integrity and a desire for God that surpasses love for material possessions. Deliberately setting out to deceive Peter and the apostles, this calculating couple pretended devotion to God by lying about their generous financial gift to the church. Their judgment? Their very lives.

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

Maybe you're thinking you can't relate to this Bible story. You don't lie about your tithe to the church. Maybe you don't try to impress your pastor and elders with the amount you give each month. But do you ever lie to the Holy Spirit? Do you pretend to be devoted to God to impress your family, friends, or church? Hypocrisy is insincere. It's presenting an appearance of commitment that's not true.

Ananias and Sapphira committed a sin unto death (1 John 5:16). The undertakers might be busy in our churches today if we were judged for the motives of our hearts. When you serve the church--teaching, singing, serving in a leadership role--are you putting God to the test? It's risky business to fake spirituality. Make your heart's desire for God and God alone.

  It is not the being seen of men that is wrong, but doing these things for the purpose of being seen of men. The problem with the hypocrite is his motivation.
  Augustine

  Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Chronicles 29:1-2 Chronicles 3:17 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%2029:1-2%20Chronicles%203:17&version=NKJV )