Turning Point with David Jeremiah

[Judy Harder]

 
Friday, August 23

Guard the Heart

A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it is!
Proverbs 15:23

Recommended Reading
James 3:1-12 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%203:1-12&version=NKJV )

A man spoke a word of untrue gossip to a monk. To teach the man a lesson, the monk told the man to open a feather pillow and go about the village, placing one feather on every doorstep as an act of penance. When the man completed his penance, the monk told him to go and retrieve every feather. "Why, that would be impossible," the man exclaimed. "the wind will have carried them far and wide!" "Let that be a lesson," the monk replied. "Your words are like those feathers. Once spoken, they are impossible to get back."

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

While human speech has conveyed comfort, beauty, and blessing throughout history, it has also delivered hate, lies, and curses. The apostle James talked about human speech by referring to the tongue as a "fire, a world of iniquity," and "unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:6, . The tongue, the fleshly organ, is not to blame, of course. Jesus said it was out of the heart of man that 'evil things come" -- including words (Mark 7:20-23).

If you would speak a word in due season, a word of beauty and blessing, ask God to give you a heart like the words you want to speak. Guarding the heart is the way to guard the tongue.

The heart is the metal of the bell, the tongue is but the clapper.
George Swinnock

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

[Judy Harder]

Weekend, August 24 & 25

Right On!: Treat Your Parents the Right Way

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Ephesians 6:1

Recommended Reading
Exodus 20:12 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2020:12&version=NKJV )

We live in a dispersed society. More often than not, when children reach adulthood, their education and mobility allows them to take jobs that separate them from their parents. Therefore, it takes creative energy for adult children to continue to support and honor their aging parents who may live a great distance away.

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

Is that a Christian responsibility? It is so important that God included the responsibility for honoring one's parents in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:12). Those commandments were given to the whole community of Israel -- adults and children. So there is no age limit implied. As long as one's parents are alive, the responsibility to honor them remains. Paul quotes this commandment in Ephesians 6:1, changing "honor" to "obey." And it seems obvious he is referring to younger children still living at home since he is discussing family relationships. And the reason he gives is simple: "this is right."

Regardless of your age, consider your responsibility to honor your parents if you are an adult and to obey them if you are still under their authority in the home. It's the right thing to do.

Obedience is the evidence of that honor which children owe to their parents.
John Calvin

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Ezekiel 1-8 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%201-8&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Monday, August 26

Yuck or Yum

Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised.
Psalm 145:2-3

Recommended Reading
Colossians 4:2-6 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians%204:2-6&version=NKJV )

We have approximately 9,000 taste buds in our mouths, each with ten to fifteen receptacles that send messages to the brain saying  Yuck  or  Yum.  John Harrison, the official taste tester for a major ice cream company, has developed such a sensitive and discriminating tongue that his taste buds are insured for a million dollars. Over the years Harrison has sampled more than 180 million gallons of ice cream (yet he claims his cholesterol is still under 200).

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

All of us need a sensitive and discriminating tongue, which the Bible compares to honey and apples. Proverbs 16:24 says, "Pleasant words  are like  a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones." And Proverbs 25:11 adds, "A word fitly spoken  is like  apples of gold in settings of silver."

Today, ask God to give you by His Holy Spirit a sensitivity of speech to impart timely words, sensitive to each situation and seasoned with Scripture. To refine our speech, we must refine the source -- the heart. God-honoring speech comes only from a heart that honors God.

Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King. Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Frances Ridley Havergal

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Ezekiel 9-12 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%209-12&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, August 27

How God Sees Money

The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:10

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

In his book about heaven, D. L. Moody writes, "Somebody has said that getting riches brings care; keeping them brings trouble; abusing them brings guilt; and losing them brings sorrow. It's a great mistake to make so much of riches as we do."

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

As followers of Christ, we need God's wisdom in our approach to money. We need to view our checkbooks, bank accounts, and paychecks exactly as He does. He knows we have bills to pay. He knows we need to provide for our families and store up for rainy days. He also knows the brevity of life and the uselessness of money beyond the grave. The most valuable things are those He provides free of charge, like air to breathe and sunlight to bathe our faces. The Lord knows how to provide for us in every condition.

The tentacles of greed wrap themselves around us when we substitute our wisdom for God's as it relates to money. May the Lord Jesus give us His wisdom as we remember that nothing we have belongs to us. We belong to Him, and all we have is His.

As long as you want anything very much, especially more than you want God, it is an idol.
A. B. Simpson, in Days of Heaven upon Earth

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Ezekiel 13-15 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2013-15&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Wednesday, August 28

Such a Commerce as This

God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7

Recommended Reading
2 Corinthians 9:1-8 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%209:1-8&version=NKJV )

Augustine made a powerful observation about the nature of Christian giving and tithing when he said: "We give earth, and receive heaven. We give the temporal, and receive the eternal. We give things corruptible, and receive the immortal. Lastly we give what God has bestowed, and receive God Himself. Let us not be slothful in such a commerce as this. Let us not continue to be poor."

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

Somehow we never lose when we give our tithes and offerings. The Lord continually promises blessings to those who generously offer Him their support. But we don't give simply in hopes of getting. Our giving to the Lord is an act of worship, not a financial ploy. We give to Him because we love Him; and He gives to us out of His infinite love for us.

When we give, we are to give cheerfully and obediently to the Lord. Giving in order to "get more" is not a biblical principle. But those who faithfully give can rejoice, knowing that as they help meet the needs of others, God will meet their needs as well.

Giving to the Lord never impoverishes.
George W. Brown

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Ezekiel 16-17 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, August 29

Immutable!

....the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
James 1:17

Recommended Reading
Psalm 46 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2046&version=NKJV )

If you're worried about anything at all today, let me introduce you to the subject of the immutability of God. What do we mean when we say something is "immutable"? It means it's not capable of mutating. In other words, it is not possible for it to change. If something is immutable, it is unchanging and unchangeable. What could that be? Nothing that is part of this world. Everything in the universe is subject to change. Certainly you and I are changing. Our children are changing. Our society is changing. And even the most durable elements of our natural world and in our universe are changing.

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

But Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever; the Alpha and Omega. The Lord says,  "I am who I am"  (Exodus 3:19). Malachi 3:6 says, "I  am  the LORD, I do not change." In Christ we have a rock of stability. We have a Friend whose word will never go out of style. We have a Savior who is as dependable now as He was two thousand years ago.

In times of instability, focus on God's immutability.

Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not; as Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Thomas O. Chisholm

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Ezekiel 18-20 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2018-20&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Friday, August 30

Perfect Point of View

The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men....He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.
Psalm 33:13, 15

Recommended Reading
Acts 17:22-31 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2017:22-31&version=NKJV )

A man in a plane flying above a town has a better perspective on the town than a man walking on the street. If you had to choose one of them to guide you, who would you choose?

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

We are like the man on the street, only seeing and understanding our immediate surroundings. God, like the man in the plane, sees more. He knows each detail of our lives. As the Creator of all, He understands each intricate person and piece of the world.

He has determined our times and dwelling places. Unlike an author or painter who steps back from their created work once it is finished, God desires a daily relationship with us. We have a choice. We can rely on our own instincts and wisdom or we can rely on God for direction. When we rely on our own point of view, we are certain to take wrong turns. When we rely on God, our footsteps are sure. Who will you trust today?

It is a glorious thing to know that your Father God makes no mistakes in directing or permitting that which crosses the path of your life. It is the glory of God to conceal a matter. It is our glory to trust Him, no matter what.
Joni Eareckson Tada

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

[Judy Harder]

Weekend, August 31

Right On! Stay on the Right Road

They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.
2 Peter 2:15

Recommended Reading
Numbers 22:1-21 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2022:1-21&version=NKJV )

Balaam was an Old Testament "prophet" for hire. His reputation was so great (he was from Mesopotamia) that when the Israelites were approaching Moab on their way to the Promised Land, Balak, the king of Moab, tried to hire Balaam to rain down curses on Israel. Balaam was prevented by God from cursing Israel, but the good outcome came in spite of Balaam's character as a greedy "oracle for hire."

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

False prophets and false teachers did not stop with the Old Testament age. They were present in the New Testament churches as well. Teachers traveled about seeking to extract money from those they taught. But they came under strict condemnation from the apostles. Peter, in particular, said the false teachers had "forsaken the right way and gone astray" (2 Peter 2:15). The true faith was frequently referred to as "the Way" in the first century, and that is Peter's reference here.

The pull of material greed can tempt anyone to leave "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). But there is only one right way -- the way of fidelity to Christ. Don't forsake it.

What is the use of running when we are not on the right road?
Unknown

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Ezekiel 23-24  ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2023-24%20&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Weekend, September 1

Fall Favorites -- Family

Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.
Proverbs 17:1

Recommended Reading
Proverbs 17:1-6 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2017:1-6&version=NKJV )

Without a doubt, each family knows what it is like to experience some type of disruption at home. The commotion may be caused by one person in the family, or by a number of inadvertent actions that affected everyone in the household. These things happen in everyday life, but there are ways to bring order back into a home so that it is a place of stability for everyone living there. If someone is having a hard day -- listen. Be supportive and ask how you can help. Make sure that you remain positive -- find time to pray so that your words and actions are filled with love and not anger. Don't allow bitterness to enter into your conversation. Could be you've had hard times at work recently. Have you come home with a short fuse and an irritable demeanor? Become a peacemaker.

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

Fall is a great time to make things right. As school cranks up and temperatures drop, the world becomes colorful. We begin thinking about Thanksgiving. What a great time to tell your family anew: "I love you; I thank God for you."

Don't let the devil disrupt your home. Fall into a pattern of patience, prayer, and togetherness this season.

The mind of Christ is to be learned in the family. Strength of character may be acquired at work, but beauty of character is learned at home.
Henry Drummond

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Ezekiel 25-27 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2025-27&version=NKJV )

[Judy Harder]

Monday, September 02

The Physics of Maturity

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Philippians 3:12

Recommended Reading
Hebrews 12:1-2 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2012:1-2&version=NKJV )

Wolfgang Pauli was an Austrian theoretical physicist who won a Nobel Prize in 1945 for what is called the "Pauli exclusion principle." Though his research was done at the molecular level, his work laid the foundation for this popularized law: Two different objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time.

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

Pauli's principle can help us think about a corresponding spiritual law: a Christian cannot be moving forward toward maturity and backward toward immaturity at the same time. Many Christians worry about the possibility of falling away from the faith, about losing their salvation. But one simple test will relieve those fears: Are you pressing on toward the high calling of God in Christ Jesus? That is not to say our salvation is dependent on our pressing on. Rather, it means that our hunger to grow in Christ is a sign of our genuine spiritual state. If we are moving forward, we cannot be moving backward.

If you know you have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31), make sure you are continually pressing on toward maturity in Him.

There are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity. It takes time to be holy.
Erwin W. Lutzer

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Ezekiel 28 – 30 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2028-30&version=NKJV )