Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chamber

 
"Ready in Season"
 
Be ready in season and out of season -2 Timothy 4:2

Many of us suffer from the unbalanced tendency to "be ready" only "out of season." The season does not refer to time; it refers to us. This verse says, "Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season." In other words, we should "be ready" whether we feel like it or not. If we do only what we feel inclined to do, some of us would never do anything. There are some people who are totally unemployable in the spiritual realm. They are spiritually feeble and weak, and they refuse to do anything unless they are supernaturally inspired. The proof that our relationship is right with God is that we do our best whether we feel inspired or not.

One of the worst traps a Christian worker can fall into is to become obsessed with his own exceptional moments of inspiration. When the Spirit of God gives you a time of inspiration and insight, you tend to say, "Now that I've experienced this moment, I will always be like this for God." No, you will not, and God will make sure of that. Those times are entirely the gift of God. You cannot give them to yourself when you choose. If you say you will only be at your best for God, as during those exceptional times, you actually become an intolerable burden on Him. You will never do anything unless God keeps you consciously aware of His inspiration to you at all times. If you make a god out of your best moments, you will find that God will fade out of your life, never to return until you are obedient in the work He has placed closest to you, and until you have learned not to be obsessed with those exceptional moments He has given you.

 

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Stop Blaming and Rise Up

When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in  that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me"  (John 5:6-7).

This guy was basically saying, "It's not my fault.  I'm in this condition because of what someone else won't do for me, and because of what someone else has done to me."

Think about it, "I have no man to put me in."  Paraphrased that says, "I'm stuck because of what someone won't do for me."  Or, "While I'm coming, another steps down before me," which paraphrased says, "I'm stuck because of what someone else has done to me."  Either way, "It is not my fault."

After making up our minds that we want to be free, the next step is to stop shifting the blame to others.

A friend of mine migrated from Mexico to the U.S. many years ago.  He didn't understand the culture or the language and seemed to be hopelessly locked into a dead end job.

His employer took advantage of him and it seemed like he had no way out.  But instead of blaming others for his situation (which would have been easy for him to do), he decided to get unstuck and do something with his life.

It took several years, but today he has several businesses and is quite wealthy.

Do not get caught in the trap of blaming others.  Instead, make the decision to rise up (something we will be talking about in our next devotional.)


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Transformed by Temptation

In His Presence: Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone (

Temptation can be defined as a solicitation to do evil. Remember, nothing can come your way without divine approval. Whether it's a test or a temptation, positive or negative, it has to flow through God's fingers first. He has to allow the devil to tempt us, and at the same time He is testing us. If a temptation comes to you, God had to allow it to come, but He is not the source of that temptation. We find this truth in the story of Job. Satan said the only reason Job was serving God was that God was so good to him, so God allowed the devil to tempt Job. So Satan solicited Job to curse God. This was a test that showed Job's faithfulness to God when he didn't give in to the temptation.

One Minute Please

God allows temptation for our development, not our destruction.

James 1:13).
 

[Judy Harder]

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Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chamber

 
The Supreme Climb
 
Take now your son . . . and offer him . . . as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you -Genesis 22:2

A person's character determines how he interprets God's will (see Psalm 18:25-26). Abraham interpreted God's command to mean that he had to kill his son, and he could only leave this traditional belief behind through the pain of a tremendous ordeal. God could purify his faith in no other way. If we obey what God says according to our sincere belief, God will break us from those traditional beliefs that misrepresent Him. There are many such beliefs which must be removed-for example, that God removes a child because his mother loves him too much. That is the devil's lie and a travesty on the true nature of God! If the devil can hinder us from taking the supreme climb and getting rid of our wrong traditional beliefs about God, he will do so. But if we will stay true to God, God will take us through an ordeal that will serve to bring us into a better knowledge of Himself.

The great lesson to be learned from Abraham's faith in God is that he was prepared to do anything for God. He was there to obey God, no matter what contrary belief of his might be violated by his obedience. Abraham was not devoted to his own convictions or else he would have slain Isaac and said that the voice of the angel was actually the voice of the devil. That is the attitude of a fanatic. If you will remain true to God, God will lead you directly through every barrier and right into the inner chamber of the knowledge of Himself. But you must always be willing to come to the point of giving up your own convictions and traditional beliefs. Don't ask God to test you. Never declare as Peter did that you are willing to do anything, even "to go . . . both to prison and to death" (Luke 22:33). Abraham did not make any such statement- he simply remained true to God, and God purified his faith.


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Obey and Get Unstuck

Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk" (John 5:.

These words were spoken to a man who had been sick for 38 years!  His bed had been carrying him, and now Jesus was telling him to carry his bed!

We have discussed several keys to getting unstuck from your problems in our last devotions.  First, we must genuinely want to be free, and second, we must stop shifting the blame for our problems to others.

The final key I want to share with you is found in the above verse.  It is to obey what the Lord tells you.  Whether it makes sense or not-obey!

To a man who had been carried by his bed for 38 years, rising up and carrying his bed must have seemed crazy!  But the moment he began to obey, new life and strength began to flow into his previously paralyzed limbs.

Listen for the Lord's instructions in your heart.  Search for them in His Word. There is no faith without action.  There will be something that God will require you to do in order to release or express your faith.

It may make sense to you-or it may not.  But to quote Mary, the mother of Jesus, "Whatever He says to you, do it" (John 2:5).

After pastoring the same church for several decades, I have observed that many people remain stuck in their problems.  Not because the Lord hasn't spoken to them, but because He has and they haven't obeyed.

If there is any unfilled obedience in your life, get busy and do what the Lord has told you to do.  It is the only way to get unstuck.


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The Process of Temptation

In His Presence:

James 1:14-16 ).
The key characteristic of temptation is that it is achieved by virtue of deception. Satan's job is to tempt you, to solicit you away from God. Paul said: "I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3).  Satan is a chameleon, taking on any shape or size necessary to take our attention away from Christ.

One Minute Please

Once you make the decision to act contrary to the will and Word of God you have sinned.

Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.  Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren (

[Judy Harder]

 
Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chamber

 
Gracious Uncertainty
. . . it has not yet been revealed what we shall be . . . -1 John 3:2
Our natural inclination is to be so precise-trying always to forecast accurately what will happen next-that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We think that we must reach some predetermined goal, but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty. Consequently, we do not put down roots. Our common sense says, "Well, what if I were in that circumstance?" We cannot presume to see ourselves in any circumstance in which we have never been.

Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life-gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring. This is generally expressed with a sigh of sadness, but it should be an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and do the task He has placed closest to us, He begins to fill our lives with surprises. When we become simply a promoter or a defender of a particular belief, something within us dies. That is not believing God-it is only believing our belief about Him. Jesus said, ". . . unless you . . . become as little children . . ." (Matthew 18:3). The spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, just uncertain of what He is going to do next. If our certainty is only in our beliefs, we develop a sense of self-righteousness, become overly critical, and are limited by the view that our beliefs are complete and settled. But when we have the right relationship with God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy. Jesus said, ". . . believe also in Me" (John 14:1), not, "Believe certain things about Me". Leave everything to Him and it will be gloriously and graciously uncertain how He will come in-but you can be certain that He will come. Remain faithful to Him.


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A Seedbed of Faith

In Judges 6:11-15, we read this about Gideon,

Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.  And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!"  Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us?  And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?'   But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites."  Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.  Have I not sent you?"  So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel?  Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."

We often think of Gideon as a great champion for Israel, and he was.  But when he was chosen, we found him cowering in the winepress.  He was hiding, he was fearful, he was negative, he was doubtful, and he was questioning.

While we might be critical of Gideon, I have found that the only people who never question are those who have been indoctrinated.  Sometimes you need to doubt.  Sometimes you need to question.  In fact, a lot of times uncertainty is the seedbed from which faith grows.

If you are struggling with doubt today, if you have genuine questions, don't panic.  If you are sincerely looking for answers, God will meet you, and faith will spring from the answers you find.


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Overcoming Temptation



In His Presence: Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above (James 1:17).

When we sin, the consequence is separation from God. When we sin, we break fellowship with Him. Paul conveyed his struggle with sin in Romans 7:19: "The good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want." Paul wanted us to know that he understood our struggle against sin and temptation, and he too wanted the victory but would fall to sin time and again. And if it happened to Paul, it can happen to us. But there is a solution to the struggle with temptation. The way you get rid of sin is not simply dealing with or focusing on the sin. It's like being on a diet and deciding to focus on food all the time-it's not to your benefit. Instead, to deal with temptation we must shift our focus.

One Minute Please

"Count your blessings, name them one by one; count your many blessings see what God has done."

[Judy Harder]

April 30, 2013

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Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers
 
Spontaneous Love
 
Love suffers long and is kind . . . -1 Corinthians 13:4

Love is not premeditated-it is spontaneous; that is, it bursts forth in extraordinary ways. There is nothing of precise certainty in Paul's description of love. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by saying, "Now I will never think any evil thoughts, and I will believe everything that Jesus would have me to believe." No, the characteristic of love is spontaneity. We don't deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standard, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live according to His standard without even realizing it. And when we look back, we are amazed at how unconcerned we have been over our emotions, which is the very evidence that real spontaneous love was there. The nature of everything involved in the life of God in us is only discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past.

The fountains from which love flows are in God, not in us. It is absurd to think that the love of God is naturally in our hearts, as a result of our own nature. His love is there only because it "has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit . . ." (Romans 5:5).

If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don't love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us. And when we look back, we will not be able to determine why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us. The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit.


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The Most Important Quality

In 1 Samuel 16:6-7, when Samuel came to Jesse's house to anoint the next king of Israel, we see the criteria God uses to choose people for service to Him,

So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him."  But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical  stature, because I have refused him.  For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

This is a fascinating story with a very strong lesson I want you to understand.  Right after these verses, Jesse parades each of his sons before Samuel...except for David.  Jesse knows why Samuel is there, but he doesn't even bother to get David.

David's own father had written him off.  His own father didn't see enough potential in him to call him before Samuel.

But David was anointed king that day.  Not based on what Jesse thought was important, but on what God thought was important...David's heart.

Maybe your own father has written you off.  Maybe your parents said you would never amount to anything.  Maybe your teacher said, "Look, you're not going to amount to much.  You just better get yourself a minimum wage job."

Only God can see things in your heart that your father can't see, that your mother can't see, that your teachers didn't see, that your family doesn't see, that the people around you don't see.

It is not that God overlooks ability or talent or training.  All of those things are important.  But God looks first at the most important quality for service, and that is the heart.

Don't let someone else write your history before it happens.


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God's Faithfulness

In His Presence: No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able - (1 Corinthians 10:13).

To overcome temptation, James also encouraged believers to focus on the faithfulness of God's character. In James chapter one, verse 17 tells us that good things are coming down from the Father of lights, so doesn't it make sense that we should be looking up at Him? That's why David can say: "Call upon [Him] in the day of trouble" (Psalm 50:15). We can know with confidence that He will be there for us.

One Minute Please

God allowed the Israelites to go through the wilderness to teach them to trust in Him; He allows us to wander in the wilderness for the same reason.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers
 
Faith- Not Emotion
 
We walk by faith, not by sight -2 Corinthians 5:7
For a while, we are fully aware of God's concern for us. But then, when God begins to use us in His work, we begin to take on a pitiful look and talk only of our trials and difficulties. And all the while God is trying to make us do our work as hidden people who are not in the spotlight. None of us would be hidden spiritually if we could help it. Can we do our work when it seems that God has sealed up heaven? Some of us always want to be brightly illuminated saints with golden halos and with the continual glow of inspiration, and to have other saints of God dealing with us all the time. A self-assured saint is of no value to God. He is abnormal, unfit for daily life, and completely unlike God. We are here, not as immature angels, but as men and women, to do the work of this world. And we are to do it with an infinitely greater power to withstand the struggle because we have been born from above.

If we continually try to bring back those exceptional moments of inspiration, it is a sign that it is not God we want. We are becoming obsessed with the moments when God did come and speak with us, and we are insisting that He do it again. But what God wants us to do is to "walk by faith." How many of us have set ourselves aside as if to say, "I cannot do anything else until God appears to me"? He will never do it. We will have to get up on our own, without any inspiration and without any sudden touch from God. Then comes our surprise and we find ourselves exclaiming, "Why, He was there all the time, and I never knew it!" Never live for those exceptional moments- they are surprises. God will give us His touches of inspiration only when He sees that we are not in danger of being led away by them. We must never consider our moments of inspiration as the standard way of life- our work is our standard.


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When God's Plan Doesn't Make Sense

In Joshua 6:1-5 we find one of the most bizarre battle plans, but one with an important lesson for you and me,

Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.  And the LORD said to Joshua: "See!  I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.  You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once.  This you shall do six days.  And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark.  But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.  It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat.  And the people shall go up every man straight before him."

When you and I read that today it is easy for us to think, "Oh, that must have been pretty normal and natural to Joshua."  But it wasn't.  It did not make any more sense to him than it would have to you and me.

Imagine God taking Joshua aside and telling him that all they need to do is march around the city one time for six days.  Then on the seventh day march around seven times and shout.  It made no sense.  Naturally speaking, it was ridiculous!

All of us will face our Jerichos, and sometimes God's plans won't seem to make sense.  Our part is to listen and obey-even when God's instructions don't make sense to our natural minds.  He has had a lot more experience winning battles than we have!


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Focus on God's Word
In His Presence: In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth (James 1:18).

In addition to focusing on God's character, we must also focus on God's Word in order to resist temptation. Sometimes we don't understand the importance of the Word and the fact that it is alive and active. We view Scripture like the Queen of England: She holds the top position in the country, but she has absolutely no power. She can't pass any laws or enforce any decrees. Many of us hold God's Word in high esteem, but it has no power in our lives. The Bible wasn't meant to decorate your coffee table or be held under your arm at church. The Word of God was written because of what it can do in our lives. James 1:18 explains that we were brought forth by the word of truth; the Word brought us spiritual life.

The Word saved us, and it can also sanctify us. God's Word works in the spiritual realm. Temptation exists in the spiritual realm, and only God's words have power and authority in that arena. When the Devil tempted Christ in the wilderness, he told Christ to "command that these stones become bread" (Matthew 4:3). He offered a physical temptation to meet a physical desire for food. But Jesus resisted the temptation by calling on the Word of God. He said: "Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). This is a direct quote from Deuteronomy 8. Jesus knew the Scripture so well that He could employ it to resist the temptation the Devil was throwing at Him. He stood on the authority of God's Word to recognize that He would trust in God and God's Word.

One Minute Please

God's Word is our sure guide to weather the clouds of life, no matter what our senses or emotions tell us.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers
 
The Patience To Wait for the Vision
 
Though it tarries, wait for it . . . -Habakkuk 2:3
Patience is not the same as indifference; patience conveys the idea of someone who is tremendously strong and able to withstand all assaults. Having the vision of God is the source of patience because it gives us God's true and proper inspiration. Moses endured, not because of his devotion to his principles of what was right, nor because of his sense of duty to God, but because he had a vision of God. ". . . he endured as seeing Him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:27). A person who has the vision of God is not devoted to a cause or to any particular issue- he is devoted to God Himself. You always know when the vision is of God because of the inspiration that comes with it. Things come to you with greatness and add vitality to your life because everything is energized by God. He may give you a time spiritually, with no word from Himself at all, just as His Son experienced during His time of temptation in the wilderness. When God does that, simply endure, and the power to endure will be there because you see God.

"Though it tarries, wait for it . . . ." The proof that we have the vision is that we are reaching out for more than we have already grasped. It is a bad thing to be satisfied spiritually. The psalmist said, "What shall I render to the Lord . . . ? I will take up the cup of salvation . . ." (Psalm 116:12-13). We are apt to look for satisfaction within ourselves and say, "Now I've got it! Now I am completely sanctified. Now I can endure." Instantly we are on the road to ruin. Our reach must exceed our grasp. Paul said, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on . . ." (Philippians 3:12). If we have only what we have experienced, we have nothing. But if we have the inspiration of the vision of God, we have more than we can experience. Beware of the danger of spiritual relaxation.


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Pursue Peace

In 1 Peter 3:10-11, Peter provides an important command in our relationships with other people,

For "He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit.  Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it."

I want to focus your attention on the last part of verse 11, "Seek peace and pursue it."  This means we are to pursue peace with people.

This command is reinforced by the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 12:14,

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

I want you to take note of the first part of that verse,  Pursue peace with....  How many people are we to pursue peace with?  All people.  Does that include your neighbor?  How about your mom?  How about your dad?  How about your kids?  Your boss?  Your relatives?  How about that individual who seems to have a gift for getting on your nerves?  What about those who are rude and obnoxious?

We are told that we are to pursue peace with all people.  That is not a suggestion.  That is a command.  And that command is clarified further in Romans 14:19, which says,

Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.

Things that edify (or build up) create peace.  Things that tear down shatter peace.  Keep that in mind next time you are having a heated discussion with your husband or wife.  Ask yourself, "Are the things that I am sharing at this moment building up my partner?  Or, are they tearing them down?"

Pursue peace with all people by choosing words and deeds that will build them up.


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Focus on God's Plan

In His Presence:  . . . so we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures (James 1:18).

To overcome temptation, the final element we must focus on is God's plan. James 1:18 refers to believers as the "first fruits" among God's creatures. First fruits are things of utmost value. In the Old Testament, the first fruits refers to the tithe to bring to the Lord. The first ten percent of what was accumulated went to Him. Giving the first fruits to God shows that He is the priority because He receives the best portion. Here, God says in His Word that we are the first fruits of His creation. Nothing God ever made is more important to Him than His saints, His people.

God has mighty plans for us, and we shouldn't let the devil convince us otherwise. To believe the devil's lies is to live beneath what God has in store for us. If we want our behavior to change, we must believe the truth that we are special to God. That will impact the way we live and the choices we make. We will want to please and obey Him.

Dogs are trained using the tool of temptation. The dog's master will throw a piece of red meat in front of the dog. The first time the dog sees the meat, he goes after it because that's his nature. The master corrects the dog and says, "No, look at me." The master throws some more meat down, and the dog moves to get it, but the master says, "Stay! Look at me!" You know that the dog is trained when it stops looking at the meat and keeps his focus on the master. The dog can handle the presence of the meat because his focus is on the master.

One Minute Please

Christians can overcome temptation when their eyes are focused not on the temptation, but on God's character, Word, and plan.

[Judy Harder]

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Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers
 
Vital Intercession
 
. . . praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit . . . -Ephesians 6:18

As we continue on in our intercession for others, we may find that our obedience to God in interceding is going to cost those for whom we intercede more than we ever thought. The danger in this is that we begin to intercede in sympathy with those whom God was gradually lifting up to a totally different level in direct answer to our prayers. Whenever we step back from our close identification with God's interest and concern for others and step into having emotional sympathy with them, the vital connection with God is gone. We have then put our sympathy and concern for them in the way, and this is a deliberate rebuke to God.

It is impossible for us to have living and vital intercession unless we are perfectly and completely sure of God. And the greatest destroyer of that confident relationship to God, so necessary for intercession, is our own personal sympathy and preconceived bias. Identification with God is the key to intercession, and whenever we stop being identified with Him it is because of our sympathy with others, not because of sin. It is not likely that sin will interfere with our intercessory relationship with God, but sympathy will. It is sympathy with ourselves or with others that makes us say, "I will not allow that thing to happen." And instantly we are out of that vital connection with God.

Vital intercession leaves you with neither the time nor the inclination to pray for your own "sad and pitiful self." You do not have to struggle to keep thoughts of yourself out, because they are not even there to be kept out of your thinking. You are completely and entirely identified with God's interests and concerns in other lives. God gives us discernment in the lives of others to call us to intercession for them, never so that we may find fault with them.


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Winning an Offended Brother

Proverbs 18:19 tells us,

A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle.

When this verse refers to a "strong city," it means a fortified or a guarded city.  You cannot just waltz up to the gate of a fortified city and say "give up."  It takes strategic planning to take such a city.  You have to think things through and have a plan.

It also means there is going to be strenuous effort involved.  And, more than likely, you will be in a vulnerable position.  In fact, you don't take a strong city without taking risks, without becoming vulnerable.

The same things come into play when a brother is offended.  It takes thoughtful planning, it takes effort, and sometimes you have to become vulnerable when you do not want to be.

Perhaps you are struggling with a damaged relationship today, and you haven't pursued healing this relationship because you don't know how to do it.  It always starts with prayer.  You talk to God about them and about yourself, and then you need to go and talk to them.

When you do, I want you to listen carefully, it should not be with a view to prove that you are right.  Being right is not the goal.  Peace is.  Most of the time it is more important to be kind than it is to be right.

If you try to work something out, but only with the intention of having them understand your point of view so that you can prove you are right, you may win the argument, but you will never make peace.

So when you are endeavoring to win an offended brother, listen carefully to them, and endeavor to understand where they are coming from.  Seek to hear and not just be heard.  Though it may be difficult, you can win peace and see a broken relationship restored.


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Maturity Is a Process
In His Presence: Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:13-14).

God's goal for all of us is Christlikeness, or spiritual maturity. When He saved you, He put everything necessary for this process inside you. But maturity takes time. Growing up and becoming a spiritual adult is a process, not a single event.

Spiritual adulthood is the process of God bringing us to the place where we are consistently living life from the perspective of the Spirit rather than the perspective of the flesh. Maturity in Christ means you normally look at and react to things from a spiritual perspective. God wants us to get to this place of maturity, to live as we were created to be. But many of us are not yet living the Christlike life, which means we are immature. If we are living like that, we are children, tossed here and there by every new fad that comes along.

Becoming a mature believer takes time. You don't become mature overnight. A baby doesn't hop, skip, and jump into adulthood. The Bible tells us that maturity is a process: "He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). In a very real sense, this maturing process will go on for the rest of your natural life, but there is a point you can reach where you are consistently responding to things from a spiritual perspective.

One Minute Please

Rate multiplied by time equals distance. God has made maturity possible for every believer, but what you do with your time determines the rate of your progress in arriving at the destination of maturity.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotional

May 6, 2013
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Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers
 
Liberty and the Standards of Jesus
 
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free . . . -Galatians 5:1
A spiritually-minded person will never come to you with the demand-"Believe this and that"; a spiritually-minded person will demand that you align your life with the standards of Jesus. We are not asked to believe the Bible, but to believe the One whom the Bible reveals (see John 5:39-40). We are called to present liberty for the conscience of others, not to bring them liberty for their thoughts and opinions. And if we ourselves are free with the liberty of Christ, others will be brought into that same liberty- the liberty that comes from realizing the absolute control and authority of Jesus Christ.

Always measure your life solely by the standards of Jesus. Submit yourself to His yoke, and His alone; and always be careful never to place a yoke on others that is not of Jesus Christ. It takes God a long time to get us to stop thinking that unless everyone sees things exactly as we do, they must be wrong. That is never God's view. There is only one true liberty- the liberty of Jesus at work in our conscience enabling us to do what is right.

Don't get impatient with others. Remember how God dealt with you- with patience and with gentleness. But never water down the truth of God. Let it have its way and never apologize for it. Jesus said, "Go . . . and make disciples. . ." (Matthew 28:19), not, "Make converts to your own thoughts and opinions."


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When Peace Isn't Possible

Romans 12:18 says,

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

By implication, this verse is telling us that it is not possible to live peaceably with some people because they refuse to make peace.  They take the posture of being an enemy, being an antagonist, and they refuse to shift from that position no matter what you do.

But as much as it depends on you, you must pursue the things that make for peace.  You need to pray, you need to communicate, and if God leads you, you need to give a gift.  And certainly with your actions, you need to express the fact that you want peace.

Sometimes somebody may not yield.  They may not yield to the influence of God's Spirit; they may not yield to your endeavors.  But once you have done all you can do, all you can do has been done.

Does that give you a license to be rude to them or to treat them unpleasantly?  No.  The next few verses address that.  Look at Romans 12:19-21,

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.  Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Continue to extend the olive branch.  If they never respond, at least you will have a clean conscience.  God will deal with the things that you cannot deal with.  Do not take matters into your own hands.  "Vengeance is Mine," says the Lord.


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Maturity Based on Relationship
In His Presence: We are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love (Ephesians 4:15-16).

Spiritual maturity is facilitated by spiritual relationship. Second Peter 3:17-18 discusses this factor in our growth: "You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity." Peter said we have two choices: to go forward or to go backward. But what we can't do is stand still. Often people will try to define their Christian life in terms of what they are not doing wrong. But the Christian life is more than that-it is also what we are doing right.

Spiritual growth, just like human growth, is not a mechanical process. People think if they follow a five-step or twelve-step program, they will get where they want to be spiritually. But nothing could be further from the truth. Spiritual development is a relational process, not a legal one. The law shows us our sin and has the power to condemn. Only the grace of Christ has the power to enable us to overcome sin. We grow into Christ by the knowledge of Him as a person, not by the fulfillment of a program. To do that, we must focus on what God is doing in the midst of what we are doing.

One Minute Please

We must connect what is happening in our lives with how God is using it to transform us into the image of His Son.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers
 
Building For Eternity
 
Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it . . . -Luke 14:28
Our Lord was not referring here to a cost which we have to count, but to a cost which He has already counted. The cost was those thirty years in Nazareth, those three years of popularity, scandal, and hatred, the unfathomable agony He experienced in Gethsemane, and the assault upon Him at Calvary- the central point upon which all of time and eternity turn. Jesus Christ has counted the cost. In the final analysis, people are not going to laugh at Him and say, "This man began to build and was not able to finish" (Luke 14:30).

The conditions of discipleship given to us by our Lord in verses 26, 27, and 33 mean that the men and women He is going to use in His mighty building enterprises are those in whom He has done everything. "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple " (Luke 14:26). This verse teaches us that the only men and women our Lord will use in His building enterprises are those who love Him personally, passionately, and with great devotion- those who have a love for Him that goes far beyond any of the closest relationships on earth. The conditions are strict, but they are glorious.

All that we build is going to be inspected by God. When God inspects us with His searching and refining fire, will He detect that we have built enterprises of our own on the foundation of Jesus? (see 1 Corinthians 3:10-15). We are living in a time of tremendous enterprises, a time when we are trying to work for God, and that is where the trap is. Profoundly speaking, we can never work for God. Jesus, as the Master Builder, takes us over so that He may direct and control us completely for His enterprises and His building plans; and no one has any right to demand where he will be put to work.


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Seeing God Through Nature

Hosea 6:3 gives us something we should pursue every day of our lives,

Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD.  His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.

What a great pursuit!  When you pursue the knowledge of God, He will come to you.  He will refresh you like the rain, like the early and the latter rain.

These rains would cause the crops to ripen and bear fruit.  Scripture is seeking to tell us that when you seek the knowledge of God, a personal knowledge of God, it will cause your life to become abundantly fruitful.  It will cause your life to prosper.  It will bring refreshment into your life because God will come to you.

The question is:  How do you pursue the knowledge of God?

One way is through nature.  Psalm 19:1 says, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.  Creation screams, "There must be a Creator!  I'm too perfect, I'm too intricate, I'm too glorious to have just happened.  There must be a Master Sculptor.  There must be a Master Painter.  There must be a Creator behind it all."

The stars in the heavens and the moon literally declare God's glory.  When you look at the sunset over the Pacific ocean, or look at the mountains, or you look at the grass in your backyard, they scream that there is a Creator.

Take some time to pursue the knowledge of God this week by just observing nature.  When you do, you will come to a deeper knowledge of God as you see and understand the beauty and majesty of Him in a fresh, new way.


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Maturity Involves Development

In His Presence: According to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love (Ephesians 4:16).

When a baby matures, it also develops. The baby learns coordination, and its body parts develop, grow, and work together. Babies move from milk to solid food. Paul compared this development to that of a Christian: "Everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity" (Hebrews 5:13-6:1).

There is a developmental progression in Christian maturity, and one concept depends on understanding another. Elementary principles must be mastered before you can move on to deeper things, but we're not supposed to dwell on elementary things forever. Spiritual growth takes place on the playing field of life, not in the classroom. If you never make the connection between the things you learn in Scripture and the way you live your life, you will never mature into anything beyond a Sunday Christian. You are to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12-13).

Development is marked by change. If you give earthly excuses about why things are happening in your life, you are living as a natural man. But if your reaction to your situation is to focus on Christ at work in you, you are becoming a mature believer. When you are mature, you will react, think, and act like Christ because you are being conformed into His image.

One Minute Please

Do you consistently live life looking through the eyes of Christ or are you still a natural man or a natural woman?

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers
 
The Faith to Persevere
 
Because you have kept My command to persevere . . . -Revelation 3:10

Perseverance means more than endurance- more than simply holding on until the end. A saint's life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, but our Lord continues to stretch and strain, and every once in a while the saint says, "I can't take any more." Yet God pays no attention; He goes on stretching until His purpose is in sight, and then He lets the arrow fly. Entrust yourself to God's hands. Is there something in your life for which you need perseverance right now? Maintain your intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through the perseverance of faith. Proclaim as Job did, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" (Job 13:15).

Faith is not some weak and pitiful emotion, but is strong and vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love. And even though you cannot see Him right now and cannot understand what He is doing, you know Him. Disaster occurs in your life when you lack the mental composure that comes from establishing yourself on the eternal truth that God is holy love. Faith is the supreme effort of your life- throwing yourself with abandon and total confidence upon God.

God ventured His all in Jesus Christ to save us, and now He wants us to venture our all with total abandoned confidence in Him. There are areas in our lives where that faith has not worked in us as yet- places still untouched by the life of God. There were none of those places in Jesus Christ's life, and there are to be none in ours. Jesus prayed, "This is eternal life, that they may know You . . ." (John 17:3). The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. If we will take this view, life will become one great romance- a glorious opportunity of seeing wonderful things all the time. God is disciplining us to get us into this central place of power.


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Suppressing the Truth

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).

A truth that is suppressed is a truth that has addressed itself to someone, but they do not want to be confronted by it.  They do not want it to force them to change, so they keep it down and refuse to look at or deal with it.

What kind of a truth is it that men suppress?  Romans 1:19 tells us,

Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.

People are suppressing a knowledge or truth about God.  Where did they learn that truth about God that they are suppressing?  Verse 20 tells us,

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

Creation speaks of a Creator.  God is understood, it says, by the things that are made.  There comes a point in every human's life as they observe nature, where a voice whispers to them, "This didn't just happen.  There has to be a hand behind this."

At that point, each person has a choice:  Whether or not to suppress that truth.  If they do not suppress the truth, I believe God will move heaven and earth to get the knowledge of the gospel to that person.

This is so profound because even on Judgment Day no one is going to be able to stand and say, "Well, I never heard.  I didn't have a chance."  They will be without excuse, because God is going to take them right back to that experience where He spoke to them through nature.


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A Metaphor for America

In His Presence: Hebrews 1:1-2

A while ago, a crack appeared in the Evans' bedroom wall. We called in a professional who replaced the plaster around the crack and repainted the wall. But the crack reappeared not long after that. We called the painter back, he repaired the crack, and he repainted the wall again. Everything looked fine until about a couple months later when the crack came back. And this time it brought its aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews!

We called in another professional and he gave the verdict. The cracks in the wall were due to a much deeper problem. We were experiencing a shifting foundation. He told us that until we stabilized our foundation, we would forever be repairing cracks in the walls. What a perfect metaphor for the condition of American society today.

Until we stabilize the foundation, no number of programs, government grants, or elections will be able to repair the cracks in our cultural walls. There is no place where the foundation of America needs to be stabilized more than in the home. The breakdown of the family is the single greatest contributor to the deterioration of our country. Strong families hold the key to a strong society, while weak families lead to a weak society. This is true because every other institution in society depends on strong families. You can't have strong families without God as their foundation.

"No man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ"(1 Corinthians 3:11).

One Minute Please

Christians can strengthen America by stabilizing their own homes on the foundation of God's Word.

Source:  Are Christians Destroying America? Pp. 139-141.