Turning Point with David Jeremiah

[Judy Harder]

Monday, November 26

Start With Praise

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:3, Ephesians 1:3

Recommended Reading
Ephesians 1:3-6 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%201:3-6&version=NKJV )

The apostle Paul spent between two and three years in both Ephesus and Corinth. They were his two greatest church-planting projects. The former produced the greatest church of the New Testament era. Paul, Timothy, and John were among its succession of pastors. From Ephesus, a great church-planting effort evangelized much of Asia Minor.

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Corinth was another story. From the beginning, Paul encountered such problems that he was almost beside himself. Yet Paul began Ephesians and 2 Corinthians in the same way -- with praise. Ephesians 1:3 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." And 2 Corinthians 1:3 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort."

Whether your church, your work, or your circumstances are in Ephesus or Corinth, start your prayers (and your days) with praise.

His sacred name forever bless... Let lands and seas His power confess.
Isaac Watts

Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Thessalonians 2:1-4:18 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Thessalonians%202:1-4:18&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, November 27

A Maze From Above

Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel: "My way is hidden from the Lord...?"
Isaiah 40:27

Recommended Reading
Isaiah 40:27-31 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2040:27-31&version=NKJV )

According to the 2008 Guinness Book of World Records, the biggest maze in the world is at the Dole Plantation on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Stretching over three acres and crafted from 14,000 colorful Hawaiian plants, you can wander around for miles trying to find your way out. But seen from above, the maze is amazing. It makes perfect sense, displays elegant symmetry, and in the very middle of it there is a huge image of -- what else? -- a pineapple.

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

When we feel lost in life, it helps to remember that seen from above our maze is amazing. God has planned and designed our pathways, incorporating into them those events that may presently confuse us. But at the very center of it all is the image of His Son.

Perspective is everything. When we see our problems from God's elevation, they seem smaller and make more sense. If we look at them simply at ground level, they may seem insurmountable. Ask God for His perspective for your circumstances today, and thank Him for His amazing grace.

Wisdom is the capacity to see things from God's viewpoint.
Charles Stanley, in Walking Wisely

Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 Thessalonians 3:18 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Thessalonians%205:1-2%20Thessalonians%203:18&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, November 28

Lifeline

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6

Recommended Reading
Romans 8:35-39 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%208:35-39&version=NKJV )

When mountain climbers make their way across an icy glacier, or the edge of an icy peak, one slip and they could tumble into a crevasse or slide down a mountainside. So they tie themselves together with a lifeline -- a long piece of rope that ties them to one another. If one slips, the rest dig their crampons into the ice and hold the line, preventing certain death.

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We need a lifeline for our spiritual lives. When we stumble into sin, or slip into a period of overwhelming circumstances, we need a "rope" that will hold us fast; we need a lifeline to God that cannot be broken. The Bible says we have one: the love of God. The Bible says the God who began His work in us will complete it; He  will never  let it be thwarted. But Romans 8:35-39 details all kinds of trouble and obstacles in our path, things that might appear to cut us off from God's purpose. Paul says nothing will separate us from the lifeline of God's love (Romans 8:39). God's loyal and unconditional love is what keeps us tied to Him.

When you fall and start to slip away from God, reach out for His lifeline of love. He will never let you go.

None walk so evenly with God as they who are assured of the love of God.
Thomas Manton

Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Timothy 1:1-3:16 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%201:1-3:16&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, November 29

Trust the Unseen

And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.
Deuteronomy 31:8

Recommended Reading
Joshua 1:5-9 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua%201:5-9&version=NKJV )

When small children are awakened in the middle of the night by a crashing thunderstorm, if they don't flee to their parents' bedroom they will at least call out for them. They mainly want to know -- without being able to express it -- that they are not alone in the midst of such a threatening situation. One little guy, after being assured by his parents that Jesus was with him, said he needed "a Jesus with some skin on!"

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

Are we so different? When the storms of life roll in and we find ourselves handling them alone, we have to reassure ourselves that God has not left us nor forsaken us. We know that's what the Bible says, yet we still want to run down the hall to God's "room" to make sure He's there. We have no shortage of promises in the Bible that He is, and yet we can't see Him in person. That's why the Bible encourages us to "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). Just as it is possible to  love  someone we haven't seen (1 Peter 1:, so it is possible to  trust  someone we can't see.

If the winds howl and the thunder rolls today, trust the promises of God. He will never leave you.

Anxious care is out of place in a heavenly Father's presence.
Kenneth Wuest

Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Timothy 4:1-6:21 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%204:1-6:21&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Friday, November 30

Trust Yields Strength

....My strength is made perfect in weakness....
2 Corinthians 12:9

Recommended Reading
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%2012:8-10&version=NKJV )

Trust is such a little word, but whom or what we place our trust in determines our response to adversity. When writing to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul uncomfortably shared personal information about trusting God with his most painful trial. We can be thankful he did; Paul's attitude toward his pain is God's purpose for our trials.

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Three times Paul prayed for his thorn of suffering to be removed. Insert your own thorn -- disease, financial set-back, heartache -- into Paul's story. When God said "No," Paul humbly responded that he'd been given the gift of a handicap: "At first I didn't think of it as a gift... and then he told me, My grace is enoug; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that... I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:7-10, MSG).

Instead of focusing on your troubles, confidently entrust them to God as Paul did -- and grow in strength.

God is too wise to be mistaken. God is too good to be unkind. So when you don't understand, when you don't see His plan, when you can't trace His hand, trust His heart.
Eddie Carswell and Babbie Mason, "Trust His Heart"

Read-Thru-the-Bible
2 Timothy 1:1-3:17 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Timothy%201:1-3:17&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Weekend, December 1 & 2

Not So Familiar Christmas Scripture: Micah 5:2

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from old, from everlasting.
Micah 5:2

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

When the Magi arrived in Jerusalem seeking the newborn King of the Jews, the Jewish scholars knew just where to send them -- to Bethlehem, a hamlet five miles away. The rabbis were acquainted with the prediction made 700 years before by the prophet Micah, that the Messiah would come from "Bethlehem," the "House of Bread." The added title "Ephrathah" meant "Fruitful" and distinguished this Bethlehem from other towns by the same name. In penning his prophecy, Micah seemed amazed that such a powerful Person would come from such a small place.

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God delights in using small things. Jean Grou, the French writer, wrote, "Little things come daily, hourly, without our reach, and they are not less calculated to set forward our growth in holiness than are the greater occasions which occur but rarely. Moreover, fidelity in trifles, and an earnest seeking to please God in little matters, is a test of real devotion. Let your aim be to please our dear Lord perfectly in little things."

If you feel small, take heart. Little is much when God is in it.

Read-Thru-the-Bible
2 Timothy 4:1-Hebrews 2:18 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Timothy%204:1-Hebrews%202:18&version=NKJV )

   

[Judy Harder]

Monday, December 3

The Secret to Blessed Assurance

....he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.
Psalm 32:10

Recommended Reading
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 [ http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%2012:7-10&version=NKJV ]

So how do you lift your head off the pillow in the morning to face a day you know will be filled with distressing trials? You need to know the secret to blessed assurance.

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In her infancy, Fanny Crosby became blind. As a young girl she was once asked by her mother if she resented her blindness, and she replied, "Mother, if I had a choice, I would still choose to remain blind... for when I die, the first face I will ever see will be the face of my blessed Savior."1 Hers are powerfully convicting words to those who lack contentment in their predicaments. With more than 8,000 hymns to her credit, Fanny remained confident in her visually impaired state, "I don't believe I would have ever written all of those hymns had I been able to see."2

To see joy in our trials, good in our pain, purpose in our frustrations, is the secret to finding strength to live each day. Instead of resentment, find renewed confidence in your trials. Make Fanny's song yours: "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine... This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long."

1 thewordteaches.com/QuotesRZ.htm#Trials (accessed 7/30/12)
2 Gene Fedele,  Heroes of the Faith  (Alachua, FL: Bridge-Logos, 2003), 209.

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Hebrews 3:1 – 6:20 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%203:1%20 )

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, December 4

How Do You Spell Commitment?

But without faith it is impossible to please Him...
Hebrews 11:6

Recommended Reading
Daniel 3:16-30 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%203:16-30&version=NKJV )

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego took the fiery plunge into Nebuchadnezzar's furnace of judgment, do you imagine that they were second-guessing their declaration of faith to Nebuchadnezzar? "...We do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up" (Daniel 3:18). Absolutely not! Clearly these men of faith knew that a great price would be paid for their commitment to God. The answer to the trio's faith test was found when Nebuchadnezzar looked into the furnace and saw a fourth Man walking with the three (who were no longer bound and certainly not burning). They had faith-period.

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When you face a trial of your faith, what will your heart reveal? Like the three men brought under Nebuchadnezzar's judgment, do your actions and words confirm your commitment? Your commitment to Christ should not vacillate when the fiery trials draw near. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego we need to have absolute confidence in God and His Word-that is how you spell commitment.

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Hebrews 7:1-9:28 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%207:1-9:28&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, December 5

Faith Restores

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
James 4:8a

Recommended Reading
James 1:2-4 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201:2-4&version=NKJV )

Born without any limbs, Nick Vujicic says he's not constrained by his circumstances: "Often we feel life is unfair. Hard times and tough circumstances can trigger self-doubt and despair. I understand that well. But the Bible says, 'Consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds'" (James 1:2 NIV).

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In his book, Life Without Limits, Nick candidly shares about his difficult adolescent years and wanting to feel "normal." "It didn't help that a few cruel kids called me a freak and an alien," Nick shares. But after he hit a wall of despair, Nick testifies that he emerged with hope, stronger and more determined.1 Biblical heroes also affirm the truth that when we're faced with opposition, faith restores. Whether a physical trial like Paul's or imprisonment like Joseph's or depression like Jeremiah's, the trial itself can be the experience God uses to make us aware of His presence in our lives.

You may be in the fieriest trial of your life. Do not be moved! If you've wandered from the conviction of your faith, renew it today. Draw near to God and He will carry you through.

1Nick Vujicic,  Life Without Limits  (Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press, 2012), Introduction.

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Hebrews 10:1-11:40 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2010:1-11:40&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

 
Thursday, December 6

No Fear!

....do not be afraid...
Joshua 1:9

Recommended Reading
Joshua 1:6-9 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua%201:6-9&version=NKJV )

Last summer, U.S. flags flying at half-mast honored the people slain by a disturbed gunman in a movie theater in Colorado. Only weeks later, flags were again lowered to half-mast to remember those slain at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin. These tragic shootings elicited fear as people lamented the loss of life and faced the fearful forecast of an unsafe world.

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Fear is a word that no one wants to own. "No fear" has become a popular slogan for living on the edge. But in the Christian arena, "No fear" is a call of surrender, not rebellion. It's a call to courageously live out God's divine purpose for us. God challenged Israel's commander Joshua to fearlessly focus his mind and heart on God's purpose for him -- to occupy Canaan, the land which God had given the Israelites.

Our marching orders are found in the pages of God's Word: to occupy our homes, neighborhoods, churches, and places of employment with His love and for His glory. Perhaps your priorities are misplaced and fear is setting on your horizon. Follow God's priority for success: "...meditate in [God's Word] day and night..." (Joshua 1:. And then occupy your position, your purpose, for His glory -- until He calls you home. No fear!

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Hebrews 12:1-13:25 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2012:1-13:25&version=NKJV )

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http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/advent3/default.aspx?tid=email_edevo_12.06_advent2012