Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

November 24, 2011


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.
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Mercy!  Forgiveness!  Acceptance!  Pardon!  Welcome!

In Hebrews 12:22-24, we are given a powerful word on how the blood of Jesus speaks such better things than the blood of Abel.  This is a great insight, so bear with me,

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

You can read the story of Abel and his brother, Cain, in Genesis 4.  What we learn is that Cain became jealous of Abel, and as a result, Cain rose up against Abel in the field and killed him.

God said, "Cain, the blood of your brother, Abel, cries out to Me from the ground."  What did the blood of Abel say?  "Vengeance!  Judgment!"

The blood of Jesus cries better things.  The blood that soaked the cross and made it red, the blood that soaked the ground below the cross at that place called Calvary, the blood that today is in the heavenly Holy of Holies, that blood cries out day and night into the ears of God.

The blood of Jesus today does not cry out, "Vengeance!  Judgment!"  Instead, it cries out, "Mercy!  Forgiveness!  Acceptance!  Pardon!  Welcome!"

The question is:  How will you respond?  Hebrews 12:25 issues a stern warning,

See that you do not refuse Him who speaks.  For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven.

If you have yet to accept Jesus as your Savior, do so today.

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Following Jesus Into the Storm

(Mark 6, Psalm 10)

In the book of Mark, chapter six, we read that the disciples got into a boat, at night, and took out across the sea. In their obedience to Jesus, the disciples ran directly into a storm. Their obedience literally took them into the nucleus of a disaster.

I wish I could tell you that following Jesus means you will never have to face any storms. I wish I could tell you that following Jesus means that the waters of life will always be calm. I wish I could tell you that following Jesus means life will be rosy and all of your days sweet. But I can't.

These disciples were following Jesus, and they ran right into rough-seas. The disciples discovered, as many of us have also discovered, that you can be both in the center of God's will, and still in a storm.

There is a lot of preaching today as well as many Christian books that tell you that if you follow Jesus, than you will never have to face any challenges in life. That wasn't true for Jesus, or for anyone else I know who has followed Him. Following Jesus doesn't offer immunity from troubles. What it does give is the opportunity to experience Him in the midst of the trouble.

Life comes with troubles, regardless of whether or not you follow Jesus. You get to choose if you want Him to join you in your troubles, or if you'd rather go through them alone.


God bless
 


November 25, 2011



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).

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Where Have You Pitched Your Tent?

Genesis 13:12 (KJV) says,

Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

Notice that Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom.  Every day his attention was placed on that city.  Here is what the Bible says about those that lived there.

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly (Genesis 13:13, KJV).

What we focus our attention on will influence us.  It will try to draw us in like a magnet.  The next time we read about Lot he is living in Sodom.

And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed (Genesis 14:12, KJV).

Next we find him even further entrenched among the people of Sodom.  Genesis 19:1 declares that Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom.

In Eastern cities, the "gate" was a place devoted to business transactions, the administration of justice, and the enjoyment of social discourse and amusement.  Lot was right "in the thick of things"-but it happened by degrees.  It was a process.

What you view and listen to, and the company you keep, will influence you-sometimes in very subtle ways-and will play a role in shaping your values and character.

So be careful where you pitch your tent!


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When God is Silent, He is Not Still

(Acts 17:24-31, Psalm 11)

We all know what it feels like to experience hopelessness to varying degrees. In fact, many people define hope as looking forward to something that they know that they will never get. Hopelessness is when you look out in front of you and you can't see any possibility for improvement or change. Many of us today are drowning in a sea of hopelessness surrounded by a land of emptiness where there seems to be no way out.

That reminds me of a story. In the summer of 2000, a Russian Oscar II Class Submarine, the Kursk, sank in the Barents Sea due to an internal explosion. Divers made several attempts to go down and assess the situation to determine if anyone had survived. When they were finally successful, they discovered a group of twenty-three men who had survived the explosion. These men had gone back as far as they could to the end of the submarine, and had gathered together in the last remaining pocket of air.

But the rescue team hadn't made it to them in time. All twenty-three men had died. On the inside wall of the submarine, they found this note that had been etched there by the Captain-lieutenant Dmitri Kolesnikova. It said, "It's dark here to write, but I'll try by feel. It seems like there are no chances..."

The hopelessness we hear in Dmitri's words has been shared by many of us. We've all faced similar feelings at some time or another where there seems "like there are no chances." Hopelessness in the middle of life's storms is a human experience that is common to most of us.

It's one thing to be in the middle of a trial that has been brought on by yourself through a bad choice or action. But it's an entirely different thing to set your heart on serving God only to discover that it seems He has abandoned you in the middle of a storm. In times like those, remember that although God may be silent, He is not still. Wait on Him. He may just come walking to you on top of your storm.



God bless

[Judy Harder]

November 28, 2011

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).
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Cherishing the Presence of God

Psalm 84:10 gives us an important perspective of God's presence,

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.           

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.

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!
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When You Want to Throw a Red Flag Out on God

(Romans 8:32, Psalm 12)

When a head coach on an NFL team perceives that the referee has made a wrong call, awarding a key play to the opposition, he throws out a red flag. This red flag signals that the referee needs to review the play again. Obviously the coach believes that the referee has made a mistake.

There are times in our lives, especially when we are caught between a rock and a hard place, when we want to throw a red flag out on God. We want to stop the game and throw down the red flag because it looks like God has made a wrong call. It looks like He has missed something. It looks like He didn't know what He was doing because if He did, He wouldn't have called things that way.

We think thoughts like - If God had known how this was going to affect me, He wouldn't have allowed that thing to happen. If He had really known the pain that I was going to have to go through in dealing with this, then He would have made a different decision.

We want to reach into our pocket and pull out our red flag and yell, "God, you missed this one! You blew it. Review it, because you're obviously wrong." It is during those times that we need to remember that God often does some of His best work in the dark. He is also often the nearest when He seems the furthest away. It is during those times that our faith needs to carry us through. Because it is in those times that God is often waiting to see what we are going to do.

God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotional

November 29, 2011

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.
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Protecting The Children

Matthew 18:1-6 is our reading for today,

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.  But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

This is a powerful truth God desires you and me to understand.  He takes very seriously the protection and nurture of children.

First, it is important to understand that the word sin in this verse means to entrap.  It means to set a snare for someone.  Jesus was talking about someone who purposely entices an innocent child to do wrong.

Second, the millstone He refers to was about five feet across and would take an ox or a donkey to turn it.  Get the picture?!  Better for that millstone to be tied around a person's neck and to drown in the depths of the deepest sea than to entice a child to do wrong.

The exploitation or abuse of children is not overlooked or taken lightly by God.  We read in Scripture that some sins incur a worse judgment from the Almighty.  Causing children to sin is one of the worst.  Never take their exploitation lightly.


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GOD IS IN THE REMODELING BUSINESS

The process of remodeling transforms the inside of a house or business in order to update it, make it more modern and effective, and save the cost of buying something new. Remodeling takes what already exists and reconfigures it into something different. If any of you have remodeled your home, you know how disruptive it can be. Dust, dirt, and chaos seem to take over. But in order for the new to be made manifest, the old must be dismantled.

Many Christians are looking for a blessing but don't want to go through the remodeling process in their lives. Yet, brokenness is the key to your break-through - to your knowing God in a deeper, more glorious, more amazing way. God is not going to bless you if He can't remodel you. In order to remodel you, He has to tear old, sinful character qualities out and put new ones in.

Brokenness is not an emotional experience of an event. Brokenness is an act of the will - surrendering your will to God. To be broken means to say yes to what God wants despite what you want. To be broken is a decision to humble yourself and acknowledge your need for help. Brokenness occurs when God strips you of your self-sufficiency and gets rid of your pride so that the life of Christ can be made manifest in you.

Paul said this in 2 Corinthians 4:11, "We who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." We undergo problems, difficulties, and frustrations so that the life of Christ may be made known through us.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

November 30, 2011

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.

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Dealing with Sin

Matthew 18:8-9 provides an important insight into how to deal 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."

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.

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!


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GOD, WHO RAISES THE DEAD

God won't bless us if He can't change us. We can't stay the same. Some of us may be wondering why we haven't had a spiritual breakthrough. One reason could be that we've not yet been broken. God makes it very clear that He only relates to those who are humble and contrite in heart. Isaiah 57:15 says, "Thus says the high and exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy., 'I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.'" The Most High God hangs out with the lowly and the humble. He cares for those who acknowledge their need for Him. God has to grind away at our pride until we realize we are not self-sufficient.

If you are facing tough circumstances right now, you are a prime candidate for a breakthrough because God is at work through your trials. Paul said, 'We do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life." (2 Corinthians 1:80. Paul was burdened beyond his strength to bear it - it was such a deep, piercing, and exhausting struggle. But we know that even if we are in a bad place, it is a wonderful place for God to do an amazing work in our lives.

"Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope." (verses 9-10). When you are beyond all earthly help, you are better able to trust in God - the God who raises the dead and saves us from death. God lets us get so low that we understand that He is our only real option.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

December 1, 2011

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.

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Far Better!

In Philippians 1:21-23, the apostle Paul says this,

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.

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.

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!


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The Blessing of Brokenness

We've all seen restored furniture. Restoring furniture involves stripping away old varnish or paint with strong chemicals. This reveals all the nooks, crannies and original spots on the piece. The sanding takes place next - the wood is rubbed with coarse sandpaper in order to level out its imperfections. Then the furniture is ready to receive a new stain or paint color - it's ready for a new look. New glory can be given to old furniture. And God can do the same thing with us. He can put new glory inside an old life, but He must first strip away our old nature and sand away our sinful strongholds.

We shouldn't run from being broken. It's not pleasant or happy, but it will produce a better life. Brokenness is a blessing because it puts us on the road to a breakthrough. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3) Those who are spiritually broken will be blessed because they will see God and experience His reality flowing through their lives.

Scripture promises that God remains with those who are broken and makes them stronger than before. Psalm 34:18 says, "The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Isaiah 61:3 teaches that God would give those who mourn and are broken "a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

December 2, 2011

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.

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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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TWO WAYS FOR A SPIRITUAL BREAKTHROUGH

If we are in search of a spiritual breakthrough, we have two options. First, we can choose to be broken. We can say, "Lord, I want a blessing and a breakthrough. Please break me - strip me of my sinfulness and destructive independence. I'm scared, but I trust that You love me enough to know what I can handle."

The second option is that God will break us without our permission. This option takes a lot longer, and it usually hurts a lot deeper. This delays the blessing and the breakthrough, and it will ultimately be more painful. God did not redeem us to leave us alone and let us miss all of His blessings. He loves us too much for that. There is a new, wonderful life He placed inside of us - and He wants to sanctify us and make us more like His Son so that we may experience it to the fullest.

Many of us want to simply audit the Christian life - like a college course that a person sits in on but is not required to do work and is never graded. We don't want to do all the hard work that it requires. But if Christ is truly Lord of our lives, there will be work to show that we are serving Him. There will be evidence that we are taking the course He is teaching, and it's making an impact on our life. Brokennness is one of the lessons we must go through in order to gain greater spiritual maturity and in order for Christ to be made known in our lives.

It's important to remember that the God who breaks us is also our Father. He is our Lord. He loves us. There are a million ways He can teach us what we need to know. There are different ways that He will break us down and strip us of our pride in order to teach us that we can trust Him. God is God, and He has the right to strip us of everything in us that is not like Him so that He can transform us into His image. He wants to give us blessings, but He wants to change us in the process. 


God bless

[Judy Harder]

December 2, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     

"The Temple of the Holy Spirit"

. . . only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you -Genesis 41:40
I am accountable to God for the way I control my body under His authority. Paul said he did not "set aside the grace of God"- make it ineffective ( Galatians 2:21 ). The grace of God is absolute and limitless, and the work of salvation through Jesus is complete and finished forever. I am not being saved- I am saved. Salvation is as eternal as God's throne, but I must put to work or use what God has placed within me. To "work out [my] own salvation" ( Philippians 2:12 ) means that I am responsible for using what He has given me. It also means that I must exhibit in my own body the life of the Lord Jesus, not mysteriously or secretly, but openly and boldly. "I discipline my body and bring it into subjection . . ." ( 1 Corinthians 9:27 ). Every Christian can have his body under absolute control for God. God has given us the responsibility to rule over all "the temple of the Holy Spirit," including our thoughts and desires ( 1 Corinthians 6:19  ). We are responsible for these, and we must never give way to improper ones. But most of us are much more severe in our judgment of others than we are in judging ourselves. We make excuses for things in ourselves, while we condemn things in the lives of others simply because we are not naturally inclined to do them.

Paul said, "I beseech you . . . that you present your bodies a living sacrifice . . ." ( Romans 12:1  ). What I must decide is whether or not I will agree with my Lord and Master that my body will indeed be His temple. Once I agree, all the rules, regulations, and requirements of the law concerning the body are summed up for me in this revealed truth-my body is "the temple of the Holy Spirit."

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Under Control

1 Corinthians 7:7-9,

For I wish that all men were even as I myself.  But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.  But I say to the unmarried and to the widows:  It is good for them if they remain even as I am; but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry.  For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

What I want to focus on is verse 9, especially the part about burning with passion.  There are way too many young Christians who are out of control in their physical relationship with the opposite sex.

So, mom or dad, here is something you can share with your kids in connection with relating to the opposite sex.  Be prepared, I am going to be blunt.

1.      Any body part they have that you don't have, don't touch it.  Any equipment they have that you don't have, it is hands off!

2.      Do not put any part of your body into any part of their body.

3.      Do not get horizontal.  Don't even sit on the couch watching TV, and lay down in one another's arms.  If you do, you know where that can lead.

4.      If you are going to kiss, let it be short and meaningful.  Don't allow yourselves to get into a wrestling match.  Again, it is hard to find the switch to turn it off once you get going.

5.      Finally, let things like holding hands or putting your arm around your boyfriend or girlfriend actually be meaningful.

If you are single, apply these rules, and they could save you a lot of grief!


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Broken for a Blessing
(2 Corinthians 1:6)

Remodeling is a way of transforming and updating a house or place of business in order to make it more appealing, efficient, or useful. Usually, it involves a redesign on the inside of a building, but it can also include the outside of the property.

Those who have been through the process of remodeling know how extensive and upsetting it can be. Even in the best of circumstances, workers will still create dust and chaos. Yet, in order to enjoy something old being made new, you have to go through the process of remodeling. The same is true when you view God's plan for your life.

There are times in the life of every believer when he or she will go through a time of remodeling. It is a time when God is updating our life by stripping away old thoughts and habits and replacing them with His truths and principles. Instead of calling it remodeling, we call the process brokenness.

Just like the beginning phases of a construction program, it may be hard to imagine a beautiful outcome - especially when things have been torn apart. Sheetrock is missing, and tools are scattered from one end of your home to the other.  However, before we can do the same, we have to be willing to allow God to give us spiritual eyes to see life from His perspective. After all, He is the One who holds the blueprints to our lives. Paul knew that there were many glorious benefits to the times he faced suffering. The greatest was his testimony of faith in Jesus Christ. No matter what befell him, Paul continued to trust in the One who had saved him and was in charge of his life. Have you come to a time of brokenness? If so, let God remodel your life, and you will be amazed at the outcome.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotional

December 6, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     



"My Rainbow in the Cloud"
I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth -Genesis 9:13
It is the will of God that human beings should get into a right-standing relationship with Him, and His covenants are designed for this purpose. Why doesn't God save me? He has accomplished and provided for my salvation, but I have not yet entered into a relationship with Him. Why doesn't God do everything we ask? He has done it. The point is- will I step into that covenant relationship? All the great blessings of God are finished and complete, but they are not mine until I enter into a relationship with Him on the basis of His covenant.

Waiting for God to act is fleshly unbelief. It means that I have no faith in Him. I wait for Him to do something in me so I may trust in that. But God won't do it, because that is not the basis of the God-and-man relationship. Man must go beyond the physical body and feelings in his covenant with God, just as God goes beyond Himself in reaching out with His covenant to man. It is a question of faith in God--a very rare thing. We only have faith in our feelings. I don't believe God until He puts something tangible in my hand, so that I know I have it. Then I say, "Now I believe." There is no faith exhibited in that. God says, "Look to Me, and be saved . . ." ( Isaiah 45:22  ).

When I have really transacted business with God on the basis of His covenant, letting everything else go, there is no sense of personal achievement- no human ingredient in it at all. Instead, there is a complete overwhelming sense of being brought into union with God, and my life is transformed and radiates peace and joy.

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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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A Picture of Brokenness

(2 Corinthians 1:

A picture of brokenness is that of a wild stallion wanting its independence but being ridden for the first time. It does not want to submit, and it does not want to do what it is told to do. It enjoys a cowboy feeding it, keeping its trough filled with fresh water, and allowing it to go out and nibble grass in the sunshine. The problem comes when the saddle is tossed on its back and the harness is placed over its head.

However, if you have watched a horse being broken, you know the cowboy has more sense than to take a new horse that has never been ridden and toss a saddle on its back. For days, the animal may be led around a pen as it adjusts to the pressure of wearing a harness and the conditions surrounding its changing lifestyle. Then the saddle coes out of the tack room and is placed on the horse's back - but without a rider. Finally, the cowboy puts a foot in one of the stirrups.

There are many steps in between these, but we can form a mental picture of the process used to break a horse and prepare it to be ridden. When the cowboy climbs into the saddle, the initial shock of having someone on its back is frightening and irritating. The animal begins to buck and rears its head before it begins to settle and trot around its pen. Some horses refuse to be broken and risk being sold. Others, in time and through proper care, are broken and begin the enjoyment of a lifetime of service to their owners.

When God begins to work in your life, He doesn't immediately toss a saddle on your back or seek to break you through the circumstances of life. Instead, He works with a plan and goal in mind. Bit-by-bit and inch-by-inch, He brings you to a place where He can train you to live a life that glorifies Him and is a blessing to others.


God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

December 7, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     

Repentance
Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation . . . -2 Corinthians 7:10
Conviction of sin is best described in the words:

My sins, my sins, my Savior,
How sad on Thee they fall.

Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8 ). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person's conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person's relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God- "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight . . ." ( Psalm 51:4  ). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, "I have sinned." The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes- a reflex action caused by self-disgust.

The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man's respectable "goodness." Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person's life (see Galatians 4:19  ). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses- repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for "the gift of tears." If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.

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Dealing with Sin

I want to follow up on yesterday's devotional by pointing you to 1 Peter 2:18-23,

Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.  For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.  For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently?  But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.  For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:  "Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth"; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.

The Goodspeed translation says, "He committed His cause to Him who judges righteously."  Now these verses are pretty clear:  God is a righteous judge.  And even if you are being mistreated for doing right, if you will commit things to God, He has a marvelous way of turning the tables in your favor.

You have to maintain three things if God is, indeed, going to use you in such a situation.

1.      You have to maintain a right spirit.  You have to keep a good attitude.  You cannot get bitter.  You have to stay kind.

2.      You have to keep right speech.  Do not dish out the same kind of abuse.  Do not start saying things that are going to create division.

3.      You have to maintain right service.  Even if you are being mistreated, continue working hard for the Lord.  Do not sabotage things.

If you will do these three things, just watch what God does through your difficulties!


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THE HOPE OF SURRENDER 
(2 Corinthians 1:9)

Luke writes, "Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." (Luke 2:52) We know very little about the years that Jesus spent growing into manhood. However, we can surmise that He grew emotionally, mentally, and physically. Like us, God's Son had to develop, and we can imagine that while He was sinless, He learned how to live through the circumstances of life.

There are many people today who are suffering - not because they have sinned or resisted God, but because the Lord has chosen to develop their lives through difficulty and hardship. In the first chapter of 2 Corinthians, Paul does not gloss over the fact that he suffered. At one point, he believed there was a strong possibility that he would die. However, God spared his life, and Paul was able to write about the hardships he faced with such hope that many who read his letters also declared faith in Jesus Christ.

God cannot mold and shape our lives unless we are willing to surrender and to be transparent before Him. These are prerequisites to experiencing a breakthrough in our trials and sufferings. We have no idea of the difficulties that Christ faced as a young man - the Gospels do not record them. Yet, we know that as an adult, He suffered and died on the cross for our sins so that we might have eternal life. He was not ashamed of the calling that God had given Him. Now, all glory is His, and He is seated at the right hand of the Father interceding in prayer for us each day.

Stop looking at the trials of your life with thoughts of regret and horror. Learn to rest in God's care, and allow Him to work in your life to the fullest. When you do, you will discover that He has a tremendous blessing waiting for you. Not only will you grow to be like Him, you will be a testimony of His grace and hope to a troubled world.

God bless
 

[Judy Harder]

December 8, 2011

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers     

The Impartial Power of God
By one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified -Hebrews 10:14

We trample the blood of the Son of God underfoot if we think we are forgiven because we are sorry for our sins. The only reason for the forgiveness of our sins by God, and the infinite depth of His promise to forget them, is the death of Jesus Christ. Our repentance is merely the result of our personal realization of the atonement by the Cross of Christ, which He has provided for us. ". . . Christ Jesus . . . became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption . . ." ( 1 Corinthians 1:30  ). Once we realize that Christ has become all this for us, the limitless joy of God begins in us. And wherever the joy of God is not present, the death sentence is still in effect.

No matter who or what we are, God restores us to right standing with Himself only by means of the death of Jesus Christ. God does this, not because Jesus pleads with Him to do so but because He died. It cannot be earned, just accepted. All the pleading for salvation which deliberately ignores the Cross of Christ is useless. It is knocking at a door other than the one which Jesus has already opened. We protest by saying, "But I don't want to come that way. It is too humiliating to be received as a sinner." God's response, through Peter, is, ". . . there is no other name . . . by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12 ). What at first appears to be heartlessness on God's part is actually the true expression of His heart. There is unlimited entrance His way. "In Him we have redemption through His blood . . ." ( Ephesians 1:7  ). To identify with the death of Jesus Christ means that we must die to everything that was never a part of Him.

God is just in saving bad people only as He makes them good. Our Lord does not pretend we are all right when we are all wrong. The atonement by the Cross of Christ is the propitiation God uses to make unholy people holy.

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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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TRUSTING GOD IN TIMES OF DARKNESS

(Habakkuk 3:17-18)

The people of Judah were on their way into captivity, and Habakkuk was just one of the prophets that God used to deliver His message of judgment and repentance. Judah's sin and disobedience had grown to such a proportion that God knew He had to do something to stop their downward spiral. The nation needed to turn back to the Lord and begin to worship Him as their only God. Therefore, He allowed them to face captivity in a foreign land. As promised, Judah was invaded, and most of the people were deported to Babylon. It was there that King Nebuchadnezzar ruled over them.

Like many of us, Habakkuk felt the weight of what was about to come, and he was not settled with the matter at all. In fact, he became anxious and cried out, "How long, O LORD, will I call for help, and You will not hear?" (1:2) As long as life runs along well, we rarely feel the need to ask God for help. However, the moment the skies of our lives turn dark and stormy, we immediately cry out to Him.

You may be a Christian who has worshipped the Lord most of your life. In fact, you consistently take time to be with Him in prayer and praise. However, difficulty has come, and you wonder what you will do. Not all suffering is the result of sin. It is true that Judah needed a course coreection or they would have totally abandoned their faith. This was not God's desire for the nation He loved. Nor was it on track with His promise to Abraham and David.

Other times, suffering comes in order to prepare us for an even greater blessing. While the storms of life may descend on us without warning, God always has a rainbow planned for those who turn their lives over to Him and trust Him even in the most difficult circumstances.

God bless