Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

November 24, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers 

Direction of Focus

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters . . . , so our eyes look to the Lord our God . . . -Psalm 123:2

This verse is a description of total reliance on God. Just as the eyes of a servant are riveted on his master, our eyes should be directed to and focused on God. This is how knowledge of His countenance is gained and how God reveals Himself to us (seeIsaiah 53:1). Our spiritual strength begins to be drained when we stop lifting our eyes to Him. Our stamina is sapped, not so much through external troubles surrounding us but through problems in our thinking. We wrongfully think, "I suppose I've been stretching myself a little too much, standing too tall and trying to look like God instead of being an ordinary humble person." We have to realize that no effort can be too high.

For example, you came to a crisis in your life, took a stand for God, and even had the witness of the Spirit as a confirmation that what you did was right. But now, maybe weeks or years have gone by, and you are slowly coming to the conclusion- "Well, maybe what I did showed too much pride or was superficial. Was I taking a stand a bit too high for me?" Your "rational" friends come and say, "Don't be silly. We knew when you first talked about this spiritual awakening that it was a passing impulse, that you couldn't hold up under the strain. And anyway, God doesn't expect you to endure." You respond by saying, "Well, I suppose I was expecting too much." That sounds humble to say, but it means that your reliance on God is gone, and you are now relying on worldly opinion. The danger comes when, no longer relying on God, you neglect to focus your eyes on Him. Only when God brings you to a sudden stop will you realize that you have been the loser. Whenever there is a spiritual drain in your life, correct it immediately. Realize that something has been coming between you and God, and change or remove it at once.

Dealing with Sin

"If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."

When Jesus says, "Cut it off," He is speaking of ruthless self-judgment.  And He didn't stop there.  He said, "Cut it off and cast it from you."  In other words, get as far away from the source of your sin as you can.

I remember one day I walked right into a spider web.  As I did, I caught a glimpse of this huge orange-colored spider out of the corner of my eye.  As I hit the web, I felt it get on my neck.  I started doing a war dance, hitting myself and ripping my shirt off, trying to get that thing off me.

And you know what?  The moment a sinful thought lands in your mind, you ought to do the same thing, go on the warpath!  Start batting that thing away!  Start quoting Scriptures.

Do whatever you can to keep it from sinking its teeth into your life.  As Jesus said, it will be better for you if you do!

The eye represents the thought life, where sin is conceived.  The hand represents that sin actually being carried out.  And the foot is where it becomes a walk, a pattern, an entrenched habit of life, a sinful lifestyle. Matthew 18:8-9 provides an important insight into how to deal with sin,
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Read: 2 Kings 20
I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. - 2 Kings 20:5
TODAY IN THE WORD
We don't know much about the life of William Hammond, an eighteenth-century hymnist. He was a well-educated, committed English Christian who loved to write original hymns, many of them still sung in churches today. One such hymn speaks of our approach to God in prayer, and the first stanza reads: "Lord we come before Thee now / At Thy feet we humbly bow; / Oh, do not our suit disdain! / Shall we seek Thee, Lord, in vain?"
If Hammond's hymn were around during Hezekiah's reign, one could bet that the king would sing it from the heart. Hezekiah was ill, and the initial word from Isaiah was that the king would not recover. In response, Hezekiah turned to the Lord in prayer, weeping bitterly, seeking God's favor. God's response was immediate; no sooner had Isaiah left the middle court than God sent him back with a new word: "I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you" (v. 5); fifteen more years would be added to his life. To make sure of God's word, Hezekiah asked for a difficult sign, and it was granted. Here we see a king who lived by faith, knew that prayers matter to God, and turned to Him in his greatest need. We also see a God who hears our cries and delights to answer prayer.

But if the Hezekiah of verses 1 through 11 lived by faith, the Hezekiah of verses 12 through 19 lived by sight. Messengers came from Babylon, and Hezekiah showed off all his wealth, likely hoping for an alliance against the Assyrians. Just when Hezekiah seemed flawless in his devotion to God, he tried to gain a little extra help elsewhere.

God's message of rebuke came through Isaiah, and His opinion on the matter is clear: you can't serve two masters. Doing so will only result in the ultimate demise of your kingdom. The sad truth is that Hezekiah was more faithful in times of suffering and distress than in times of health and blessing. How often do we act the same way?
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today's passage is a good reminder that we need to seek God in all times, both bad and good. William Hammond's hymn echoes this teaching in Scripture, reminding us that we do not seek the Lord in vain. See if you can find Hammond's full hymn online or in your church's hymnal, and spend some time memorizing the stanzas and reflecting on your own need to seek the Lord. Perhaps even learn the melody and teach it to your friends or family.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers 

The Secret of Spiritual Consistency

God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . -Galatians 6:14

When a person is newly born again, he seems inconsistent due to his unrelated emotions and the state of the external things or circumstances in his life. The apostle Paul had a strong and steady underlying consistency in his life. Consequently, he could let his external life change without internal distress because he was rooted and grounded in God. Most of us are not consistent spiritually because we are more concerned about being consistent externally. In the external expression of things, Paul lived in the basement, while his critics lived on the upper level. And these two levels do not begin to touch each other. But Paul's consistency was down deep in the fundamentals. The great basis of his consistency was the agony of God in the redemption of the world, namely, the Cross of Christ.

State your beliefs to yourself again. Get back to the foundation of the Cross of Christ, doing away with any belief not based on it. In secular history the Cross is an infinitesimally small thing, but from the biblical perspective it is of more importance than all the empires of the world. If we get away from dwelling on the tragedy of God on the Cross in our preaching, our preaching produces nothing. It will not transmit the energy of God to man; it may be interesting, but it will have no power. However, when we preach the Cross, the energy of God is released. ". . . it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. . . . we preach Christ crucified . . ." (1 Corinthians 1:21, 23).

Far Better!

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell.  For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

While the following is a somewhat silly example, I think it makes the point. 

My wife and I recently visited some friends in Washington, and it rained virtually the whole time we were there.  It was just a series of gray, drizzly, dreary, rainy days.  My friend is an avid golfer, so I asked him, "How long has it been since you have been able to go golfing?"  He said, "Four months."  I thought, "Wow!  That's a long time!"

Now, the day Janet and I got back to Southern California it was a stunning Southern California day, about 70 degrees out.  My son said, "Dad, you want to go golfing?"  I said, "Sure.  Throw the gear in the car."

As we were driving to the golf course, it hit me...Southern California is a place that is far better for a golfer than Washington!  It is gain to be absent from the gray and rain, and present in the sun!

To be absent from the body is gain, because it means to be present with the Lord in the brightness of His glory!  Don't feel sorry for believers when they go to be with the Lord.  For them it is gain that is far better!

Wow!  Did you see what Paul said?  To live is Christ, and to die is gain.  If I die, I am going to be with Christ.  And that is not a little better.  It is far better. In Philippians 1:21-23, the apostle Paul says this
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Read: 2 Kings 21
Manasseh . . . has done more evil than the Amorites . . . and has led Judah into sin with his idols. - 2 Kings 21:11
TODAY IN THE WORD
We have all seen idyllic portraits of the supposed "First Thanksgiving" in 1621. Pilgrims and Native Americans gathered together, feasting on the bounty of the land, forging alliances of peace, and giving thanks for the blessings of life. Yet, just a generation later colonists and natives found themselves at war with each other. Many colonists and Native Americans feared each other, and tribe after tribe would be forced from their land through unjust transactions, eventually relegated to impoverished reservations in unwanted lands. How quickly the tide can turn!
With the rise of King Manasseh, the tide turned quickly in Judah as well. After 29 years under godly Hezekiah, Manasseh took the throne and plunged the land into incredible wickedness, reversing everything Hezekiah had done (cf. 2 Kings 18:3-8). He rebuilt the high places, re-introduced Baal and Asherah, worshiped the starry host, and even practiced child sacrifice. Moreover, he desecrated the temple, the place where Scripture twice reminds us that God had promised to place His very presence. Manasseh was not only the most wicked king of Judah, he was more wicked than pagan nations (see vv. 9, 11).

Judah had a long history of disobedience (see v. 15), but Manasseh was the final straw. The consequences were laid out in full detail: Judah would experience immense disaster. They would be wiped out, forsaken, handed over to their enemies, looted, and plundered. Scripture is clear: all of this would happen "because they have done evil in my eyes" (v. 15).

In this bleak chapter, there is an important lesson about the power of legacies. On the one hand, Manasseh's wickedness brought both Judah's inevitable destruction and another generation of wickedness in his son Amon. Our sin rarely affects just ourselves, but almost always has future repercussions. On the other hand, there is a glimmer of hope in verse 24. After Amon's death, they made Josiah king. As we will see, not only would he preserve the promised line of David, his godly heart would bring important healing to the people.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
As you celebrate Thanksgiving, consider the legacies bestowed on you by forebears and those you will bestow on future generations. For all the blessings you have received because of the faithfulness of previous generations, give public thanks today, naming those blessings and those faithful individuals. As you ponder the kind of legacy you are leaving, ask God's forgiveness for poor examples and His wisdom and strength to be a godly influence on those around you.


GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

November 26, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers 

The Focal Point of Spiritual Power

. . . except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . -Galatians 6:14

If you want to know the power of God (that is, the resurrection life of Jesus) in your human flesh, you must dwell on the tragedy of God. Break away from your personal concern over your own spiritual condition, and with a completely open spirit consider the tragedy of God. Instantly the power of God will be in you. "Look to Me. . ." (Isaiah 45:22). Pay attention to the external Source and the internal power will be there. We lose power because we don't focus on the right thing. The effect of the Cross is salvation, sanctification, healing, etc., but we are not to preach any of these. We are to preach "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). The proclaiming of Jesus will do its own work. Concentrate on God's focal point in your preaching, and even if your listeners seem to pay it no attention, they will never be the same again. If I share my own words, they are of no more importance than your words are to me. But if we share the truth of God with one another, we will encounter it again and again. We have to focus on the great point of spiritual power- the Cross. If we stay in contact with that center of power, its energy is released in our lives. In holiness movements and spiritual experience meetings, the focus tends to be put not on the Cross of Christ but on the effects of the Cross.

The feebleness of the church is being criticized today, and the criticism is justified. One reason for the feebleness is that there has not been this focus on the true center of spiritual power. We have not dwelt enough on the tragedy of Calvary or on the meaning of redemption.

No Regrets

In yesterday's devotional, we saw from Philippians 1:21-23 how it is far better to depart from this life and be with the Lord.  Today I want to follow up with this question:  Are you unable to abide thoughts of death?

If you answered "yes" to that question, chances are you are not ready to meet our Lord.  But you need to be ready because everyone here is going to die.  There are only two exceptions in all of history:  Enoch and Elijah, and it is not likely you are going to be the third exception.

Death visits both kings and commoners.  Its approach is sure.  The Bible says in Psalm 89:48,

What man can live and not see death?  Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave?  Selah.
That Hebrew word selah means to pause and calmly think about that, and that is the problem with some.  They never think on it.  They push every thought of their own mortality from their mind.  But how can you prepare for eternity if you never think about it?

When the time comes and we have finished our course for God, let us face death like men.  Let us look it in the eye.  Let us not rebel against the cutting of the cords that loose us from the mooring of these earthly shores; but, rather, unfurl the sails and take that blessed journey to a better country!

As we read yesterday, To live is Christ; and to die is gain.  To depart and be with Christ is far better.

Until then, squeeze every drop of life you can out of every single day.  Live with all of your heart and all of your strength for God, and leave no regrets behind.  Because life is a short day even at its longest.  And when its sun has gone down, it leaves us in eternity. 
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Read: 2 Kings 22
Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD . . . I have heard you. - 2 Kings 22:19

TODAY IN THE WORD
Of all the responsibilities and powers entrusted to U.S. state governors, the authority to issue reprieves is one of the weightiest. Convicted inmates on death row may appeal to the governor for a delay of execution while further evidence is examined, or even for a full prison release under certain circumstances. At those moments, that single elected official holds the power of life and death. Granting a reprieve means life; denying it means death.
While most gubernatorial reprieves are issued on the basis of legal evidence, today's passage shows us a divine reprieve, this one on the basis of the spiritual evidence of humility. We've just surveyed fifty-seven years of wicked leadership under Manasseh and Amon, but now a complete change: Josiah. Messengers were sent to the temple on financial business, but Hilkiah the priest "found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD" (v. . We're not told where it had been, but it was likely pushed aside during the Law-less reign of Manasseh.

The book was taken to King Josiah and read to him. Then came Josiah's stirring response. Realizing that "our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book" (v. 13), Josiah tore his robes in grief and immediately sent messengers to inquire of the LORD. Struck with repentance and humility, Josiah moved to action. Oh that we would respond to God's word with such zeal and sincerity-not just hearing God's word, but taking it to heart, grieving over our failure to obey, and seeking from the Lord what to do.

Finally, there was God's response, which included both judgment and mercy. On the one hand, the promised judgment over disobedience would come; Judah could not escape the consequence of generations of disobedience. But there was also mercy: "Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD . . . I have heard you" (v. 19). Judgment would come, but Josiah received a reprieve. He would die in peace. This is so often the way of God, to offer mercy and forgiveness in the face of repentance and humility?
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
This teaches us the power and importance of humbly responding to God's word, even when it points out our sin. The pain of facing our sin with repentance will always be met with the grace and mercy of a forgiving God. Attitudes of humility and repentance cannot simply be conjured up like magic. Pray for the Holy Spirit to soften your heart, making the words of Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision, your prayer: "Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God."

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

November 27, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers 

The Consecration of Spiritual Power
. . . by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world -Galatians 6:14


If I dwell on the Cross of Christ, I do not simply become inwardly devout and solely interested in my own holiness- I become strongly focused on Jesus Christ's interests. Our Lord was not a recluse nor a fanatical holy man practicing self-denial. He did not physically cut Himself off from society, but He was inwardly disconnected all the time. He was not aloof, but He lived in another world. In fact, He was so much in the common everyday world that the religious people of His day accused Him of being a glutton and a drunkard. Yet our Lord never allowed anything to interfere with His consecration of spiritual power.

It is not genuine consecration to think that we can refuse to be used of God now in order to store up our spiritual power for later use. That is a hopeless mistake. The Spirit of God has set a great many people free from their sin, yet they are experiencing no fullness in their lives- no true sense of freedom. The kind of religious life we see around the world today is entirely different from the vigorous holiness of the life of Jesus Christ. "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15). We are to be in the world but not of it- to be separated internally, not externally (seeJohn 17:16).

We must never allow anything to interfere with the consecration of our spiritual power. Consecration (being dedicated to God's service) is our part; sanctification (being set apart from sin and being made holy) is God's part. We must make a deliberate determination to be interested only in what God is interested. The way to make that determination, when faced with a perplexing problem, is to ask yourself, "Is this the kind of thing in which Jesus Christ is interested, or is it something in which the spirit that is diametrically opposed to Jesus is interested?"

The Best Safeguard Against Adultery

In 1 Corinthians 7:1-5, the apostle Paul gives us a safeguard against adultery.  He says,

Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me:  It is good for a man not to touch a woman.  Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.  Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.  The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does.  And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.  Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Now, if these verses are saying anything, they are telling us that married couples should enjoy sexual intimacy.  In fact, the more they enjoy it, the better safeguard it is against immorality.

Notice Paul even goes so far as to say the wife does not have authority over her own body; and the husband does not have authority over his body.  As husband and wife, you belong to one another.  It says do not deprive one another unless you are going to be fasting and praying, and then only with consent.

I want to challenge you to make sexual intimacy a priority in your marriage.  Don't consider it as unimportant, or leave it to your spouse.  Take the responsibility to light the fire of sexual intimacy, and close the door to Satan's temptation.

It grieves my heart, as I look across the country, at the number of Christian marriages being destroyed by adultery.  It should not be that way! 
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Read: 2 Kings 23:1-30
Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did. - 2 Kings 23:25
TODAY IN THE WORD
In the 2008 film Fireproof, Caleb Holt slowly came to understand God's intentions in marriage by following a life-transforming forty-day relationship experiment (the "Love Dare") recommended by his father. In one scene, Caleb came to see that his addiction to Internet pornography was destroying his relationship with his wife. In response, Caleb destroyed the computer with a baseball bat and left in its place a note for his wife: "I love you more."
That movie scene depicts the extreme reaction needed against sin in our life. Rather than simply pushing sin away, sometimes we need to take steps to destroy it. Today's reading illustrates this destructive action. King Josiah called the people together to hear God's law and to renew their covenant with Him. Both king and people pledged "to follow the LORD and keep his commandments" (v. 3).

But there was more than verbal assent; 2 Kings 23 is a chapter of an assault against sin. Consider the language used to describe the violence against idolatry. At the king's orders, the priests "removed," "did away with," "desecrated," "burned," "ground to powder," "broke down," "smashed," "defiled," and "slaughtered" the vestiges of pagan idolatry, their places of worship, and their priests. This was no half-hearted attempt; it was a full-blown destruction of sin that violated their covenant with God. What a model of how we should treat sin in our own lives.

Yet how do we reconcile this thorough-going reform and the pronouncement in verses 26 and 27 that God would nevertheless destroy Judah? Perhaps the point is to show us what true repentance looks like. God had already declared that Judah's punishment would come because of Manasseh's sin, and Josiah knew that pronouncement (22:16-20). Despite this, Josiah pressed on in obedience, not in order to manipulate God's mercy, but because it was right in God's eyes. This is the picture of one turned to the Lord with all his heart, soul and strength (v. 25). And there is great comfort in knowing that another King in David's line whose own obedience to the Father did remove the penalty of our sin once for all!
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
What is your reaction to sin? Do you take steps to destroy its power, or do you only push it to the margins where it can soon drift back into a position of influence? We should imitate Josiah's active commitment to God by destroying opportunities for sin in our life. Take time for serious, prayerful reflection and respond to any conviction of the Holy Spirit. With God's help in light of Christ's work, commit to tangible, even life-changing, actions to demolish sin's power in your life.

GOD BLESS!



November 28, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers 

The Riches of the Destitute
. . . being justified freely by His grace . . . -Romans 3:24


The gospel of the grace of God awakens an intense longing in human souls and an equally intense resentment, because the truth that it reveals is not palatable or easy to swallow. There is a certain pride in people that causes them to give and give, but to come and accept a gift is another thing. I will give my life to martyrdom; I will dedicate my life to service- I will do anything. But do not humiliate me to the level of the most hell-deserving sinner and tell me that all I have to do is accept the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

We have to realize that we cannot earn or win anything from God through our own efforts. We must either receive it as a gift or do without it. The greatest spiritual blessing we receive is when we come to the knowledge that we are destitute. Until we get there, our Lord is powerless. He can do nothing for us as long as we think we are sufficient in and of ourselves. We must enter into His kingdom through the door of destitution. As long as we are "rich," particularly in the area of pride or independence, God can do nothing for us. It is only when we get hungry spiritually that we receive the Holy Spirit. The gift of the essential nature of God is placed and made effective in us by the Holy Spirit. He imparts to us the quickening life of Jesus, making us truly alive. He takes that which was "beyond" us and places it "within" us. And immediately, once "the beyond" has come "within," it rises up to "the above," and we are lifted into the kingdom where Jesus lives and reigns (see John 3:5).

A Picture of God's Lovingkindness

God's merciful and unfailing love.  2 Samuel 9:3-7 provides us with a picture of that love,

Then the king said, "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?"  And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet."  So the king said to him, "Where is he?"  And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar."  Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.  Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself.  Then David said, "Mephibosheth?"  And he answered, "Here is your servant!"  So David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually."
David made a blood covenant with Jonathan to show Jonathan's offspring the lovingkindness of God.  After Jonathan died, Mephibosheth was the only offspring who remained, and he hid in the wilderness in fear of David.  But David found him and elevated him to be one of his own sons, set him at his table, and restored everything he lost.

This is such a beautiful picture of the covenant God made with His Son Jesus, a covenant sealed by the blood of Christ.  Because of what Jesus did, God shows us His lovingkindness, elevating us to the position of sons or daughters, and inviting us to break bread with Him at His own table.

That is the lovingkindness of God!
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Read: 2 Kings 23:31-24:20a
It was because of the LORD's anger that . . . in the end he thrust them from his presence. - 2 Kings 24:20
TODAY IN THE WORD
The Christian season of Advent consists of the four Sundays preceding Christmas day, and today marks the first Sunday in Advent. For centuries Christians have noted a penitential season reflecting on the two "advents" or "comings" of Christ, His first at the Incarnation and His Second Coming in the future. Advent also brings an air of excitement as we approach the joys and festivities of the Christmas celebration.
As we begin this season of reflection and excited anticipation, we get something of a contrast from today's reading. The rapid downward spiral of Judah is not the most joyous reading. So much more time and detail were spent on the previous godly leadership of Josiah and Hezekiah, but here we are rushed through Judah's last twenty-two years and four kings. Perhaps that's the point. Holiness and obedience should be more exciting and capture more of our attention than the drab dullness of sin and disobedience.

So we get the uninspiring, repetitive report that Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah all "did evil in the eyes of the LORD." Some were vassals of Egypt; others of Babylon. Some paid taxes to their oppressors, while others experienced siege and exile from the land. Some were kings in their own right; others were mere puppets in the hands of foreigners. No matter how you look at it, the consequences of sin were always the same, leaving the land deprived of its treasure and people. Sin may promise excitement and fulfillment, but it only delivers predictable disappointment.

Finally, today's reading reminds us of the reason for Judah's downfall: the egregious sin of its people. Scripture repeats this lesson again and again. Verses 2 through 4 record that it all happened at God's command "because of the sins of Manasseh" (24:3b). Verse 13 reports that their destruction was in perfect fulfillment of God's earlier word (see 21:10-15), and verse 20 again narrates that God Himself was behind it all, to "thrust them from his presence." The fall of Judah was severe, but it also demonstrated the trustworthiness of God's word. He promised consequences for disobedience, and now we see that word fulfilled.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
God's trustworthy word will always be fulfilled. As we begin the Advent season and reflect on Christ's promise to return one day, we can trust that word. Let today's reading challenge you to reject sin's empty promise of excitement and to use this Advent season to prepare your heart for Christ's coming. Use your corporate worship experience today to repent of your sins, sing God's praise, commit your day to His service and glory, and encourage others to do the same.
 

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

November 29, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers 

The Supremacy of Jesus Christ
He will glorify Me . . . -John 16:14


The holiness movements of today have none of the rugged reality of the New Testament about them. There is nothing about them that needs the death of Jesus Christ. All that is required is a pious atmosphere, prayer, and devotion. This type of experience is not supernatural nor miraculous. It did not cost the sufferings of God, nor is it stained with "the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 12:11). It is not marked or sealed by the Holy Spirit as being genuine, and it has no visual sign that causes people to exclaim with awe and wonder, "That is the work of God Almighty!" Yet the New Testament is about the work of God and nothing else.

The New Testament example of the Christian experience is that of a personal, passionate devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ. Every other kind of so-called Christian experience is detached from the Person of Jesus. There is no regeneration- no being born again into the kingdom in which Christ lives and reigns supreme. There is only the idea that He is our pattern. In the New Testament Jesus Christ is the Savior long before He is the pattern. Today He is being portrayed as the figurehead of a religion- a mere example. He is that, but He is infinitely more. He is salvation itself; He is the gospel of God!

Jesus said, ". . . when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, . . . He will glorify Me . . ." (John 16:13-14). When I commit myself to the revealed truth of the New Testament, I receive from God the gift of the Holy Spirit, who then begins interpreting to me what Jesus did. The Spirit of God does in me internally all that Jesus Christ did for me externally.

Cherishing the Presence of God

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.  I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

When the psalmist talks about "a day in Your courts," he is not talking about being in some building or admiring some bit of religious architecture.  He is talking about enjoying the presence of God.  As verse 2 of this psalm says,

My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.           

I think The Message Bible conveys the idea of verse 10, 

One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship, beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches.  I'd rather scrub floors in the house of my God than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin.

Not long ago, I was walking through the neighborhood (I do this from time to time) just having a prayer walk.  I walked for maybe 45 minutes and just prayed and worshiped God.

As I started thinking about all of the good things He has done for me, I began to sense His presence, and I started to cry.  Now, I don't know what the neighbors thought if they happened to look out their window, but I didn't care, because I so appreciate His presence in my life.

I encourage you today to learn to cherish the presence of God!

God is so good that just one day with Him is better than a thousand anywhere else.  Just to be on the threshold, just to be on the doorstep, just to feel the slightest fringes, if you would, of the presence of God, is better than spending a thousand days anywhere else. Psalm 84:10 gives us an important perspective of God's presence,
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Read: 2 Kings 24:20b-25:26
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. - 2 Corinthians 7:10
TODAY IN THE WORD
Johnny Cash, the renowned American country singer with that distinctive voice, had a long and successful musical career. But not all of Cash's life was characterized by joy. In the early 1960s Cash started drinking heavily and became addicted to drugs. As a result, his behavior became increasingly erratic, his performances suffered, and his marriage was being destroyed. By 1967, his life out of control, Cash crawled deep into Nickajack cave in Tennessee hoping to die. He had hit rock bottom.
Today's reading is Judah's version of hitting rock bottom, and it's clear that the writer wants to emphasize the sadness and loss Judah experienced. First, there was the loss of land. Verse 11 reports that "Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile the people." The land was now gone, and the people were forced to live in a foreign land. In many ways, 2 Kings 25 is summed up with these simple words: "So Judah went into captivity, away from her land" (v. 21). That promised land of milkand honey, that land of freedom from the slavery of Egypt, was now taken away.

Second, there was the loss of the city, Jerusalem. That fortified capital of Judah, God's Zion, represented His protection and glory. The Psalms are full of the praises of Zion's strength and beauty (see Ps. 2:6; 48:2), but now that city was destroyed. Its walls were broken through, torn down, and burned. The great city had been reduced to ruins.

Third, there was a loss of temple, the place of worship and of God's presence. Not content simply to capture the city, the Babylonian king burned the temple to the ground. Later, his commander removed the articles from the temple, piece by piece. The bronze pillars, the bronze Sea, the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes-all were removed from the temple and taken to Babylon.

Why dwell on such loss and sadness? Perhaps because often the realization of our loss prompts us to return to God. Sadness can evoke our repentance (2 Cor. 7:10-11).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
You may know someone who has hit rock bottom, and like the writer of today's passage, you feel the sorrow and see the consequences of their sinful choices. You can pray that God will use the loss and sadness in order to bring about true repentance. Only when we first see our own misery can we long for redemption from it. Our God remains a God of compassion, forgiveness, mercy, and love.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

November 30, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers 

"By the Grace of God I Am What I Am"
By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain . . . -1 Corinthians 15:10

The way we continually talk about our own inabilities is an insult to our Creator. To complain over our incompetence is to accuse God falsely of having overlooked us. Get into the habit of examining from God's perspective those things that sound so humble to men. You will be amazed at how unbelievably inappropriate and disrespectful they are to Him. We say things such as, "Oh, I shouldn't claim to be sanctified; I'm not a saint." But to say that before God means, "No, Lord, it is impossible for You to save and sanctify me; there are opportunities I have not had and so many imperfections in my brain and body; no, Lord, it isn't possible." That may sound wonderfully humble to others, but before God it is an attitude of defiance.

Conversely, the things that sound humble before God may sound exactly the opposite to people. To say, "Thank God, I know I am saved and sanctified," is in God's eyes the purest expression of humility. It means you have so completely surrendered yourself to God that you know He is true. Never worry about whether what you say sounds humble before others or not. But always be humble before God, and allow Him to be your all in all.

There is only one relationship that really matters, and that is your personal relationship to your personal Redeemer and Lord. If you maintain that at all costs, letting everything else go, God will fulfill His purpose through your life. One individual life may be of priceless value to God's purposes, and yours may be that life.

Mistreated?

1 Peter 3:13-18 are verses that are a great encouragement,

And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?  But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled."  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.  For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.
Jesus was not guilty.  He suffered for things He did not do, and the result is that we came to God.  What Peter wants us to understand is the importance of showing forgiveness and a Christlike spirit, even when we are being mistreated.

What it can do is reach the hearts of your persecutors for God.  If you keep a Christlike spirit, your good conduct can make them ashamed, even though they are hassling you, and bring them to the place where they will ask you a question for the hope that is in you:  Why are you the way you are?  What's this deal going on in your life?  Why do you react the way you react?  And you can tell them about Christ.

But if you lash out, and if you dish out the same kind of abuse that you are receiving, God is not revealed at all.

Patiently endure whatever your mistreatment, and ask God to use it to reach those who need to know Him as Savior.
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Read: 2 Kings 25:27-30
So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king's table. - 2 Kings 25:29
TODAY IN THE WORD
As Johnny Cash lay in the dark, waiting to die deep inside Nickajack cave, a strange sensation overcame him. With a sense of clarity and peace, he began to think about his life, his decisions, and God's presence with him there. With a flicker of hope, but surrounded by pitch blackness, Cash began to crawl. After a time, he felt a faint breeze on his back, and Cash followed it until he eventually made his way out. Realizing God's hand in his life, Cash later entered rehab and recommitted his life to God.
Today's reading is something like that faint breeze of hope in an otherwise dark landscape. We ended yesterday with a bleak picture of loss and sadness for the nation of Judah: no land, no city, and no temple. Some were killed brutally, others taken into exile. And we were left wondering if Judah would ever be restored? Would it all be darkness from here on? Then we come to verses 27 through 30 and there is a flicker of hope.

A new king of Babylon took the throne and a change occurred. Jehoiachin, king of Judah, was released from prison. The Babylonian king, Scripture says, "spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor" in Babylon (v. 28). Jehoiachin was permitted a place at the king's table where he ate well "for the rest of his life" (v. 29). Moreover, Jehoiachin was given a regular allowance to support himself and his family.

In the face of the utter darkness of 2 Kings 25:1-26, we get not a floodlight of promise, but still a glimmer of hope. Perhaps the reader is expected to remember God's everlasting promises to Judah in 2 Samuel 7:13-16 and 1 Kings 11:39. Judah may have forgotten God, but God had not forgotten His people.

Of course, it would still be another five centuries of ongoing oppression under foreign nations, but eventually, out of that darkness, the Light of Christ would come (see Matt. 1:12-16). The book of 2 Kings ends with a glimpse of that coming glorious restoration.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The glimmer of hope in today's passage finds its fulfillment in the coming of Christ. This is the season when we focus on preparing our hearts to celebrate Christmas and preparing our lives for His Second Coming. As His disciple, what lessons has God taught you this month? Jot down some of the things you learned about yourself or about God's own character through our study of 2 Kings. Then thank Him for His word to us and His unfailing promises.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

December 1, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers 

The Law and the Gospel
Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all -James 2:10


The moral law does not consider our weaknesses as human beings; in fact, it does not take into account our heredity or infirmities. It simply demands that we be absolutely moral. The moral law never changes, either for the highest of society or for the weakest in the world. It is enduring and eternally the same. The moral law, ordained by God, does not make itself weak to the weak by excusing our shortcomings. It remains absolute for all time and eternity. If we are not aware of this, it is because we are less than alive. Once we do realize it, our life immediately becomes a fatal tragedy. "I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died" (Romans 7:9). The moment we realize this, the Spirit of God convicts us of sin. Until a person gets there and sees that there is no hope, the Cross of Christ remains absurd to him. Conviction of sin always brings a fearful, confining sense of the law. It makes a person hopeless- ". . . sold under sin" (Romans 7:14). I, a guilty sinner, can never work to get right with God- it is impossible. There is only one way by which I can get right with God, and that is through the death of Jesus Christ. I must get rid of the underlying idea that I can ever be right with God because of my obedience. Who of us could ever obey God to absolute perfection!

We only begin to realize the power of the moral law once we see that it comes with a condition and a promise. But God never coerces us. Sometimes we wish He would make us be obedient, and at other times we wish He would leave us alone. Whenever God's will is in complete control, He removes all pressure. And when we deliberately choose to obey Him, He will reach to the remotest star and to the ends of the earth to assist us with all of His almighty power.

What Do You Value?

Psalm 119:72 says,

The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver.
We understand "the law of Your mouth" to be God's Word.  And what the psalmist is saying is, "Lord, Your word is better to me than a pile of silver or a pile of gold."

Let's say you are offered a position at a particular company-offered a great job, great increase of pay, and maybe the housing in that area is less.  It is your dream job!  But you investigate things, and you find out there is not a good spirit-filled Bible teaching church in that town where the job is.  But you can make a lot more money!  Do you go?  It depends on how much you value God's Word.

One gentleman who was very involved in my church came to me one day and announced that he was moving.  I asked him, "Did you find a church there?"  He replied, "No, no.  There's not a good church in the town at all.  But I'm going to be making a lot more money.  We can get a bigger house.  It's going to be great."

A year later his teenage daughter was pregnant, his boy was in juvenile hall, he and his wife were getting a divorce, and he was back on drugs.  But, hey!  He was making a lot more money.

In our society, it is so easy to make decisions based solely on money.  And sadly, it is the ruin of many a family and relationship.  Value first God's Word.  Value it more than anything our world can give you.

If you do, you will never be disappointed.
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Read: Revelation 1
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the LORD God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." - Revelation 1:8
TODAY IN THE WORD
The so-called worship wars have plagued churches for years. These debates usually focus on the music used in the worship service, and sometimes include the appropriateness of hand-held microphones; the presence of a choir; congregational hymns or choruses; and the use of piano, organ, guitars, or drums. Some churches split services into different "worship styles"; other churches split entirely into different congregations.
Serious matters may underlie these worship wars, but a broader understanding of worship itself is often lost. Worship has been condensed into a 15- to 30-minute category meaning essentially "the music before the sermon." In our study this month from the book of Revelation, we'll examine what Scripture has to say about worship: its appropriate context, appropriate expression, and especially its appropriate object-God Himself.

It might seem unusual to tackle a study of Revelation during the Advent and Christmas seasons. But just as Advent should be a time of preparing our hearts to celebrate the Lord's first coming at Christmas, it is also a season to prepare our hearts for His Second Coming. Christmas makes sense only in light of the ultimate victory of Jesus over sin, death, and Satan.

Our passage opens by making clear that this book is the revelation of Jesus Christ Himself (vv. 1-2). This precedes even the usual greeting from the author to the recipients that is standard practice in letters from this time. It was more than an exhortation from John-it was the testimony of the Son of God. The full deity of Jesus is underscored here as well; not only did God the Father author this revelation (v. 1), but also Jesus claimed the divine description of Alpha and Omega for Himself (vv. 8, 17).

When confronted with the glory of the Lord, John fell down before Him, an understandable reaction given the description of Jesus (vv. 12-16). In the fullness of His power and glory, Jesus told John not to be afraid! Worship recognizes who God is and who we are in relation to Him-but it is not characterized by quaking fear.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Go back through this passage and make a list of all the descriptions given of Jesus. Nearly every verse tells us something about the person, character, or work of our Savior. This is the basis of true worship-our response to who God is. After you have your list, spend time praising the Lord for each item, rejoicing that you have been invited into a relationship without fear with the One who is alive forever and ever and who holds the keys of death and Hades.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

December 2, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers 

Christian Perfection
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfect . . . -Philippians 3:12


It is a trap to presume that God wants to make us perfect specimens of what He can do- God's purpose is to make us one with Himself. The emphasis of holiness movements tends to be that God is producing specimens of holiness to put in His museum. If you accept this concept of personal holiness, your life's determined purpose will not be for God, but for what you call the evidence of God in your life. How can we say, "It could never be God's will for me to be sick"? If it was God's will to bruise His own Son (Isaiah 53:10), why shouldn't He bruise you? What shines forth and reveals God in your life is not your relative consistency to an idea of what a saint should be, but your genuine, living relationship with Jesus Christ, and your unrestrained devotion to Him whether you are well or sick.

Christian perfection is not, and never can be, human perfection. Christian perfection is the perfection of a relationship with God that shows itself to be true even amid the seemingly unimportant aspects of human life. When you obey the call of Jesus Christ, the first thing that hits you is the pointlessness of the things you have to do. The next thought that strikes you is that other people seem to be living perfectly consistent lives. Such lives may leave you with the idea that God is unnecessary- that through your own human effort and devotion you can attain God's standard for your life. In a fallen world this can never be done. I am called to live in such a perfect relationship with God that my life produces a yearning for God in the lives of others, not admiration for myself. Thoughts about myself hinder my usefulness to God. God's purpose is not to perfect me to make me a trophy in His showcase; He is getting me to the place where He can use me. Let Him do what He wants.


What Do You Value?

Psalm 119:72 says,

The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver.
We understand "the law of Your mouth" to be God's Word.  And what the psalmist is saying is, "Lord, Your word is better to me than a pile of silver or a pile of gold."

Let's say you are offered a position at a particular company-offered a great job, great increase of pay, and maybe the housing in that area is less.  It is your dream job!  But you investigate things, and you find out there is not a good spirit-filled Bible teaching church in that town where the job is.  But you can make a lot more money!  Do you go?  It depends on how much you value God's Word.

One gentleman who was very involved in my church came to me one day and announced that he was moving.  I asked him, "Did you find a church there?"  He replied, "No, no.  There's not a good church in the town at all.  But I'm going to be making a lot more money.  We can get a bigger house.  It's going to be great."

A year later his teenage daughter was pregnant, his boy was in juvenile hall, he and his wife were getting a divorce, and he was back on drugs.  But, hey!  He was making a lot more money.

In our society, it is so easy to make decisions based solely on money.  And sadly, it is the ruin of many a family and relationship.  Value first God's Word.  Value it more than anything our world can give you.

If you do, you will never be disappointed.
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Read: Revelation 2:1-7
You have forsaken your first love. - Revelation 2:4
TODAY IN THE WORD
A number of pitfalls can trip up Christians who seek to please God. One of these is an emphasis on external behaviors to the exclusion of examining our hearts. A young man reared in a Christian family, Christian schools, and Bible college described it this way: "I knew what all the rules were and how to be a good person. I knew all the right answers to say and the wrong behaviors to avoid. I was as zealous as Saul in enforcing standards I thought were correct. But I had no joy, very little love, and an abundance of pride. I confused passion for rules with passion for God."
This is not a new challenge, based on our reading for today. The ancient church in Ephesus needed to recalibrate their worship to make passion for God a priority.

First, notice in this text that the reality of our lives-both as individuals and corporately as churches-is laid bare before the Lord (vv. 1-2). There are no secrets hidden from Him, no pretenses that fool Him. He loves and knows His people. Second, He commended the faithfulness of this church. The Ephesians apparently took the gospel seriously and were earnestly contending for the truth (v. 2). This was not a church plagued by compromise with the world; in fact, the Ephesians were willing to suffer for their faith and endure trials and hardships as a result of their witness. They sought truth from their leaders and rejected the moral compromise (likely sexual immorality) of the Nicolaitans.

And yet the Lord said, "I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love" (v. 4). Truly, this text should make us tremble. Here was a church commended for their stand for truth and purity-but it was not enough. If these things do not flow from a love for God, they become legalistic rules and a source of pride.

Their lack of passion for Christ was described as having fallen from a great height (v. 5). The call to repent was urgent with enormous stakes. The worship of God's people should always be filled with a passion for Him-His character and work-and not with our pride in our own perseverance and works.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
As we ponder this message, take comfort that God loves us enough to warn us to repent. He wants our full, unbridled love in return. Have you insisted on truth and purity without love and passion for God? Worship demands that we surrender our pride and praise Him alone. In addition, our love is what attracts others to the gospel. We don't have to compromise on truth or purity, but we must consistently guard that they flow out of our worship, praise, love, and passion for God.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

December 3, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers 

"Not by Might nor by Power"
My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power . . . -1 Corinthians 2:4


If in preaching the gospel you substitute your knowledge of the way of salvation for confidence in the power of the gospel, you hinder people from getting to reality. Take care to see while you proclaim your knowledge of the way of salvation, that you yourself are rooted and grounded by faith in God. Never rely on the clearness of your presentation, but as you give your explanation make sure that you are relying on the Holy Spirit. Rely on the certainty of God's redemptive power, and He will create His own life in people.

Once you are rooted in reality, nothing can shake you. If your faith is in experiences, anything that happens is likely to upset that faith. But nothing can ever change God or the reality of redemption. Base your faith on that, and you are as eternally secure as God Himself. Once you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you will never be moved again. That is the meaning of sanctification. God disapproves of our human efforts to cling to the concept that sanctification is merely an experience, while forgetting that even our sanctification must also be sanctified (see John 17:19). I must deliberately give my sanctified life to God for His service, so that He can use me as His hands and His feet.

Do You Cherish God's Word?

Psalm 107:20 says,

He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
God has given us His Word for our benefit, and yet so many Christians ignore it to their hurt.

It is like the story of the woman a preacher went to visit one day.  She lived in a dilapidated house.  As long as he had known her, she had struggled with poverty.  Twenty years earlier she had been the housekeeper for the wealthiest woman in town, but the wealthy woman had died.  So this housekeeper moved into an old shack.

As the pastor was visiting her, he noticed a document framed on the wall.  He said, "Do you mind if I borrow this for a few days?"  She replied, "Well, you can borrow it, but please bring it back.  Although I can't read, it is very important to me.  It is the only thing that the lady left me when she died.  It is very valuable to me.  It reminds me of her.  So make sure you bring it back."

He took it and had it investigated and authenticated.  It was the will of the woman who had died, and in the will she left her housekeeper a fortune.  The housekeeper could have had any house she wanted in the whole city and had servants of her own, but due to her ignorance, she lived in poverty and had a rough go of it all those years.

That woman reminds me of a lot of Christians.  They don't read their Bible, but they admire it because it reminds them of God.  They haven't taken time to find out the inheritance that belongs to them as believers.

God's Word is a light to our path.  It is our guidebook for life.  It is bread for our spirit.  It is our strength.  It is our refuge in troubled times.

Cherish God's Word.
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Read: Revelation 2:8-11
Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. - Revelation 2:10
TODAY IN THE WORD
Many letters from Christian leaders early in the second century have survived, some written within a decade after the apostle John wrote his Gospel and Revelation (around A.D. 95-96). These include letters to and from Polycarp, the leader of the church in Smyrna, who would have been about 35 years old then. Indeed, as prophesied in our passage, persecution came to the church in Smyrna, and Polycarp was martyred for his faith at the age of 86. He declared: "Eighty-six years have I been His servant, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me? If you suppose vainly that I will swear by the genius of Caesar . . . hear you plainly: I am a Christian."
Yesterday we saw that God's love caused Him to exhort the Ephesians to repent and worship Him out of love. Today we again see that our worship is rooted in God's character-our faithfulness is possible because He is faithful.

Despite the persecution happening in Smyrna, Christ spoke encouragement to His beloved church and told them of an encouraging reality: despite their material poverty, they were spiritually rich (v. 9). He knows the hearts of those who are faithful and those who are deceitful. And not only did He know their situation of suffering at that moment, He also knew their eternal reward in the future (v. 10).

Notice that the Lord did not imply that suffering isn't real or that it isn't all that bad. Our Savior Himself experienced physical and spiritual suffering more painful than we can imagine. Instead, He urged them to be faithful during the trials and persecution. This kind of faithfulness is possible because of the example of Jesus and the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

Not only is Jesus the example of faithfulness in suffering, His resurrection also testifies to the ultimate deliverance by God. He opened His address to Smyrna by describing Himself as "the First and Last, who died and came to life again" (v. . Though some in Smyrna would also die for their faith, they were to receive "the crown of life" (v. 10).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
We can't escape trials and tribulations on our own timetable, but we can hold on to what we know about God and worship Him in the midst of our suffering. In your time of prayer today, praise God for the resurrection of Jesus, the encouragement to remain faithful, and the promise of eternal life. He knows our present and our future. He knows our reality, no matter what the world perceives about us. He knows that our test will result in our testimony.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

December 4, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers 

The Law of Opposition
To him who overcomes . . . -Revelation 2:7

Life without war is impossible in the natural or the supernatural realm. It is a fact that there is a continuing struggle in the physical, mental, moral, and spiritual areas of life.

Health is the balance between the physical parts of my body and all the things and forces surrounding me. To maintain good health I must have sufficient internal strength to fight off the things that are external. Everything outside my physical life is designed to cause my death. The very elements that sustain me while I am alive work to decay and disintegrate my body once it is dead. If I have enough inner strength to fight, I help to produce the balance needed for health. The same is true of the mental life. If I want to maintain a strong and active mental life, I have to fight. This struggle produces the mental balance called thought.

Morally it is the same. Anything that does not strengthen me morally is the enemy of virtue within me. Whether I overcome, thereby producing virtue, depends on the level of moral excellence in my life. But we must fight to be moral. Morality does not happen by accident; moral virtue is acquired.

And spiritually it is also the same. Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation . . ." (John 16:33). This means that anything which is not spiritual leads to my downfall. Jesus went on to say, ". . . but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." I must learn to fight against and overcome the things that come against me, and in that way produce the balance of holiness. Then it becomes a delight to meet opposition.

Holiness is the balance between my nature and the law of God as expressed in Jesus Christ.

No Worries

I trust that these words from Isaiah will encourage you today.  Read carefully what God has to say,

"I, even I, am He who comforts you.  Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass?  And you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth; You have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he has prepared to destroy.  And where is the fury of the oppressor?... But I am the LORD your God, who divided the sea whose waves roared-the LORD of hosts is His name" (Isaiah 51:12-13 and 15).

God spans the heavens with the palm of His hand.  The nations are as a drop in the bucket before Him.  There is nothing too hard for Him, and nothing He cannot do.

A number of years ago, I had the chance to go elk hunting with a friend in Montana.  We were lying outside under the stars, and I was unprepared for the glory I saw.  I have never seen so many stars in my life!  It took my breath away!

As we lay there, I said, "You know what?  God spans the heavens with His hand, and you and I are worried about paying the rent!"  It was just one of those moments.  We both just cracked up at how ridiculous it was to worry when God was so big.

What are you worrying about today?  Whatever it is, place it into God's hands.  After all, His hand spans the entire universe! 
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Read: Revelation 2:12-17
Woe to them! . . . They have rushed for profit into Balaam's error. - Jude 11
TODAY IN THE WORD
Throughout Scripture, false prophets have been associated with sexual immorality and financial greed. They threaten the people of God by attempting to mix faith and truth with sinful aspirations and actions. The sorcerer Balaam, motivated by greed, could not curse Israel but encouraged Moab to bring judgment on Israel by enticing them through sexual immorality (Numbers 22-25; Rev. 2:14). The book of Jude warns against "godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality" for their own material profit (Jude 4).
The church in Pergamum had also been infiltrated by this same false teaching. They had not recanted their public profession of faith, despite intense persecution (v. 13). But their practice of faith had been compromised by a fundamental misunderstanding of God's grace.

The Lord introduced Himself to this church as the One with the authority to judge. The image of the double-edged sword indicates the power both to see the deepest inward reality and to cut out whatever is rotten at the core (v. 12; see Heb. 4:12). This judgment connotes discernment-Christ knew the situation of this church (v. 13). It also promised punishment if the church did not repent (v. 16).

This image of judgment and the sword also struck against false teaching. The lie of Balaam and the Nicolaitans was essentially a distortion of the grace of God; it asserted that it was okay for Christians to engage in sexual immorality and promiscuity because these allowed more opportunities for God's grace to be manifested. Christians were forgiven and had liberty-why not do what felt good (see 2 Peter 2:13-15)? This view presumed on the forgiveness of God to entice the church into a lifestyle that sought financial gain and sexual license.

God does extend grace and forgiveness-but He also judges persistent sin and hates wickedness. He has declared us "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The church at Pergamum had maintained a public profession of faith, but they were permitting sexual sin to go unchecked in their church. Private purity is as important as public praise. If the Holy Spirit is convicting your heart about persistent sin that you have not confessed, repent today before you join with others in corporate worship tomorrow. Repentance is a necessary prelude to worship.

GOD BLESS!