Turning Point with David Jeremiah

[Judy Harder]

Monday, March 11

Having His Mind

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing;but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
John 15:15

Recommended Reading
1 Corinthians 2:13-16  ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%202:13-16&version=NKJV )

If you have been married for a long time, you and your spouse may be one of those couples researchers highlight: "They can order each other's meals in a restaurant; they can finish each other's sentences; they can speak for each other." Couples like that have lived together so closely that they know (or "have") each other's minds.

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

That's something like what Paul meant when he said to the Corinthian believers, "But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16). When we think like Christ, we have the mind of Christ. Jesus said that He did not think, act, or speak on His own initiative. He only did what He saw the Father doing; He only did what the Father gave Him to do (John 4:34; 5:19, 30; 6:38). We could say that Christ had the mind of the Father. And Christ told His disciples, "All things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15).

Christ had the mind of the Father, and we can have the mind of Christ. Because He lives in us, His mind guides how we think and act in our walk with Him.

May the mind of Christ my Saviour, live in me from day to day, by His love and power controlling, all I do and say.
Katie Barclay Wilkinson

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Joshua 21-22 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua%2021-22&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, March 12

Becoming Like Christ

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 2:5

Recommended Reading
Philippians 2:5-8  ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%202:5-8&version=NKJV )

Before the advent of law schools and medical schools, aspiring attorneys and physicians learned their craft by apprenticing. They would attach themselves to a practicing professional and work by his side until they became like him and could go out on their own. The idea was, "Just watch what I do and do the same thing yourself."

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

Paul had a similar thought in mind when he wrote to the Philippians, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5). He wanted the Philippians to be like Christ in a particular area of life: humility. When Christ entered the world, He humbled Himself by giving up any aspiration except that which was the Father's purpose for His life. He set aside His rights and prerogatives as the Son of God and humbled Himself, taking on the lifestyle and behavior of a servant. In that way, Christ fulfilled God's purpose for His life. His purpose was to know and carry out God's purpose for His life.

If we are to fulfill God's purpose for our life, we will become like Jesus. We will humble ourselves before God and say, "Not my will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42). When our purpose is to fulfill God's purpose, His will will be done.

The surest mark of true conversion is humility.
J. C. Ryle

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Joshua 23–24 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=joshua%2023-24&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, March 13

On Time and Under Budget

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15

Recommended Reading
1 Peter 4:10-11 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter%204:10-11&version=NKJV )

In the days before railroads, the fastest mode of public transport in Europe was what we might call a stagecoach -- known to most Americans from movies set in the "Wild West." But in Europe the coaches were larger, carried more people, and were pulled by seven or eight horses. The French version of the coach was known as the  carrosse de diligence  -- or "speed coach."

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

Do you see the root of our notion of diligence there? When a Frenchman wanted to get somewhere as quickly as possible, he took the  diligence . When we want to get something done "on time and under budget," we work diligently. And that includes what we do as servants of Christ in the kingdom of God. Paul wrote to his young protégé, Timothy, to "be diligent . . . [be] a worker who does not need to be ashamed." Which raises the question: Do we work as hard (diligently) for God as we do at our job, our hobby, or our recreational pursuits?  Diligence  isn't measured by perspiration as much as dedication. It's not a measure of calories as much as consistency.

Be diligent today in everything, since everything is done for Him.

Keep your heart with all diligence and God will look after the universe.
A. W. Tozer

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

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, March 14

Spiritual Focus

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Matthew 6:24

Recommended Reading
Luke 10:38-42 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?f=G&utm_expid=13466113-0&search=Luke%2010:38-42&version=NKJV&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biblegateway.com%2Fpassage%2F%3Ff%3DG%26search%3DLuke%252010%3A38-42%26version%3DNKJV )

Computers can be programmed to multitask. While computers multitask efficiently, research has cast doubts on man's ability to do more than one thing effectively at a time. In fact, one kind of multitasking is becoming increasingly illegal -- talking or texting on mobile phones while driving. The decision not to multitask when life is threatened is not a hard decision to make.

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

We should apply the same caution to spiritual multitasking -- the idea that we can serve God and the world at the same time. Jesus used money as an illustration to make a point about spiritual multitasking: "You cannot serve God and [money]" (Matthew 6:24). How do we know when we are putting our spiritual life in danger? Obviously, when our conscience is not clear, we should refocus on God (Acts 23:1). And if we know we have sinned, it's time to refocus (James 4:17). Whenever our fruit or our effectiveness diminishes, we are doing more than we should.

Paul's guideline applies: "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).

We live by demands when we should live by priorities.
J. A. Motyer

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Judges 4–5 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?f=G&utm_expid=13466113-0&search=Judges%204â€"5&version=NKJV&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biblegateway.com%2F)

[Judy Harder]

Friday, March 15

Identify Yourself

For to me, to live is Christ . . . .
Philippians 1:21a

Recommended Reading
Galatians 2:20 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%202:20&version=NKJV )

Think of all the ways human beings define themselves, beginning with gender: male or female. Then we often cite race: Caucasian, Asian, African, Latin, and so on. Then comes nation of citizenship: American, French, Brazilian, South African, Russian -- wherever one was born or became a naturalized citizen. And the list goes on from there: region ("the South"), state ("Pennsylvania"), county ("Orange County"), city ("Dallas"), and even neighborhood or part of the state.

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

But there is one identifying mark that should supersede all others for the followers of Jesus Christ: Christian. A Christian can be of any race or gender, live in any nation, state, or town, and be part of any subgroup. Paul said in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Paul also wrote, "For to me, to live is Christ . . . " (Philippians 1:21) and, "For our citizenship is in heaven . . ." (Philippians 3:20).

People usually identify themselves by the label that is most important to them. Is "Christian" most important to you?

I reckon him a Christian indeed that is neither ashamed of the Gospel nor a shame to it.
Matthew Henry

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

[Judy Harder]

Weekend, March 16 & 17

Will Power: I Will Have Mercy

For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion."
Romans 9:15

Recommended Reading
Exodus 33:19 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2033:19&version=NKJV )

Imagine approaching a towering wall that stretches as far as the eye can see to the left and the right. It is the wall that divides the kingdom of God from the kingdom of this world. In the wall is a large gate through which you can see the glories of God's kingdom. Above the gate you notice these words written: "All who will, may enter in." After passing through the gate, you look around in awe and notice different words written above the gate on the inside of the wall: "Chosen by God before the foundation of the world."

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

The invitation for all to come to Christ is genuine -- that is the heart of the Gospel preached to all nations. But it is also true that God has mercy and compassion, leading to salvation, on whomever He will. While that may seem contradictory to the human mind, one need only realize that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). If none deserve to be saved, God is free to extend mercy as He will.

If you are outside the gate today, accept the invitation and enter in. It is the only way to know you were chosen before the foundation of the world.

The believer who knows his own heart will ever bless God for election.
J. C. Ryle

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Judges 9-13 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%209-13&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Monday, March 18

An Eternal Foundation

For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:11

Recommended Reading
1 Corinthians 3:11-15 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%203:11-15&version=NKJV )

Work on Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is scheduled to begin in 2013. It is slated to be the world's tallest building at around 3,280 feet (the exact planned height is a secret). The foundation is designed to be 197 feet deep and the 270 piles (deep foundational poles driven into the earth) will be up to 361 feet deep. When spending $1.23 billion on a skyscraper, the centerpiece of a $20 billion commercial complex, getting the foundation right is imperative.

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If you were paying for that building, how insistent would you be on the design and testing of the foundation? Buildings don't last for eternity -- with one exception: the building we call life. The question of whether or not our life will stand up to the judgment of God (Hebrews 9:27) is certainly a motivating factor to insist on a firm foundation. The apostle Paul wrote that there is no foundation on which a life for eternity should be built except the foundation that is Jesus Christ. Only that building will stand the test of fire that is to come (1 Corinthians 3:13-15).

The question is not whether we are building a life for eternity, but whether we are building on a foundation that will last.

The Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.
Samuel J. Stone

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Judges 14-16

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, March 19

"I Wanted More..."

And will not be anxious....
Jeremiah 17:8

Recommended Reading
Jeremiah 17:5-8 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2017:5-8&version=NKJV )

Millions of fans around the world idolize actor Robert Pattinson, the British heartthrob made famous by the  Twilight  movies. But for Pattinson himself, fame was a letdown. He recently told an interviewer about his two-year struggle with depression and career anxiety. "I went through a big time of depression," he said. "I couldn't go where I wanted to go, I was in the tabloids every day and I didn't have access to the roles I really wanted. I wanted more, on every level."1

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

What a case study of humanity: Fame. Fortune. Career anxiety. Depression. Emptiness. Wanting more on every level.

No one is exempt from anxious feelings; but as followers of Christ, we want more of  Him  on every level. According to Jeremiah 17:7-8, those who trust in the Lord and place their hope in Him will be like trees planted by the waters with their roots tapping into a mighty river. They "will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit."

There's no need to dwell in the twilight when we can walk in the sunshine.

Those who make God their hope have enough in him to make up the want of all creature-comforts. They shall not cease from yielding fruit in holiness, and in all good works.
Matthew Henry

1Amanda Schaffler, examiner.com/article/robert-pattinson-reveals-struggle-with-depression-career-anxiety. November 8, 2012, accessed November 30, 2012.

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Judges 17-19 [(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%2017-19&version=NKJV )

:angel:0

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, March 20

Think on These Things

Whatever things are true ... noble ... just ... pure ... lovely ... of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy -- meditate on these things.
Philippians 4:8

Recommended Reading
Joshua 1:8 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua%201:8&version=NKJV )

Albert Einstein said, "The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking."1 Einstein was using the term  world  in a global sense, but his point is true with our personal worlds. Our thoughts become attitudes; our attitudes spawn actions; our actions braid themselves into habits; and our habits determine our destiny.

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

The fastest way to change your world is to change your thinking. Crowd out impure thoughts with Scripture memory. Push aside anxious thoughts with biblical promises. Learn the power of meditating on the Word. Think on God's Book, which is  true, noble, just, pure, lovely,  and  of good report.  Find ways of disrupting exposure to filthy or negative mental intake. Be "transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2)," for you cannot change your life without changing your thoughts. But as you develop the "mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16), the God of peace will be with you.

Our thinking about who we are as Christians should not begin with what we can discover about ourselves by self-analysis. Rather, it begins with what God says about those who trust in Christ.
Sinclair B. Ferguson

1Morris A. Graham and Kevin Baize, Executive Thinking (Bloomington, IN: iUniverse, 2011), 166.

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Judges 20-21 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%2020-21&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, March 21

Explosive Combination

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.
Colossians 3:16

Recommended Reading
Ephesians 5:17-21 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%205:17-21&version=NKJV )

In April 1866, crates of nitroglycerin were shipped to California to aid in blasting through a mountain to create the Summit Tunnel. One of the crates exploded at the Wells Fargo office in San Francisco, killing fifteen people. Nitroglycerin is an effective explosive, but highly unstable. Yet in another form it's an effective treatment for heart disease and one of the oldest drugs used in the prevention of heart attacks. What power is unleashed when two elements -- nitric acid and glycerin -- come together!

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

When the Holy Spirit and the Holy Bible combine in a believer's mind, there's an explosion of power, and the mixture somehow strengthens our hearts. Ephesians 5:18 tells us to "be filled with the Spirit." Colossians 3:16 says to "let the Word of Christ dwell in [us] richly." Both passages promise the same results -- singing, thanksgiving, and power in our relationships. These parallel Scriptures suggest there are two active agents working to help us achieve a renewed mind -- the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

Combine these dynamic agents in your life today.

The Bible without the Holy Spirit is a sundial by moonlight.
D. L. Moody

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Ruth 1-4 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ruth%201-4&version=NKJV )