Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

May 17, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

His Ascension and Our Access
It came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven -Luke 24:51

We have no experiences in our lives that correspond to the events in our Lord's life after the transfiguration. From that moment forward His life was altogether substitutionary. Up to the time of the transfiguration, He had exhibited the normal, perfect life of a man. But from the transfiguration forward- Gethsemane, the Cross, the resurrection- everything is unfamiliar to us. His Cross is the door by which every member of the human race can enter into the life of God; by His resurrection He has the right to give eternal life to anyone, and by His ascension our Lord entered heaven, keeping the door open for humanity.

The transfiguration was completed on the Mount of Ascension. If Jesus had gone to heaven directly from the Mount of Transfiguration, He would have gone alone. He would have been nothing more to us than a glorious Figure. But He turned His back on the glory, and came down from the mountain to identify Himself with fallen humanity.

The ascension is the complete fulfillment of the transfiguration. Our Lord returned to His original glory, but not simply as the Son of God- He returned to His father as the Son of Man as well. There is now freedom of access for anyone straight to the very throne of God because of the ascension of the Son of Man. As the Son of Man, Jesus Christ deliberately limited His omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience. But now they are His in absolute, full power. As the Son of Man, Jesus Christ now has all the power at the throne of God. From His ascension forward He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
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Spiritual Metamorphosis 

Romans 12:1-2 says this,

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

First, notice that it is your responsibility to present your body to God.  God will not do it for you.  You have to do it.  But Scripture doesn't leave us there.  We are shown how we are to do that in verse 2 above.

First, when it says, Do not be conformed, that word conform means to be pressed into a mold by outward pressures.  Instead of being conformed we are told to be transformed.  That is actually the Greek word from which we get our English word metamorphosis.  It means to let what is on the inside come to the outside.

One day many years ago, my kids came home from school with some silk worms.  We were supposed to put them in a box and feed them mulberry leaves.  I couldn't believe how many leaves these worms ate!  They ate leaves until they turned a translucent green!

Then they wove cocoons and went through a metamorphosis.  They went from being these ugly ol' fat green transparent worms, to the most beautiful fuzzy huge white moths.  It was amazing to see!

My friend, you renew your mind by feeding on God's Word, the same way that those silk worms fed on the mulberry leaves.  As you are filled with His truth, it causes a metamorphosis to take place.  It brings what is on the inside-God's nature-to the outside. 

So feed on God's Word and watch your life be transformed. 
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Read: Acts 17:22-31
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him. - Acts 17:27

TODAY IN THE WORD
Tracing one's family tree is a popular hobby for many Americans. In fact, in 2001, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution declaring October as Family History Month. It stated, "Within the last month some 14,167,329 people researched their family history and 24 million people have used the Web and e-mail to locate or hunt for family or friends." Kim Farah, a spokesperson for the Family History Library, says that it touches a fundamental need: "It crosses faith and cultures. The positive benefits of knowing our heritage . . . gives us a sense of responsibility and self-esteem."
As believers, our self-esteem can and should be directly linked to our relationship to God. In today's passage, Paul is giving a speech in Athens, a city filled with idols (v. 16). Paul stressed the distinction between being religious and knowing the true God, and he detailed how his own God was the one true God who created the heaven and the earth (vv. 23-24).

This God is not "served by human hands" (v. 25). In other words, God does not need us in order to survive. He made us and made the world-what could He need? Yet, in this passage, Paul revealed what God desires. God made all of this "so that men would seek him" (v. 27). God loves us, but He does not manipulate our minds and hearts. He made us, and it is His desire that we would want to know Him, to find Him, and to have a relationship with Him. He does not view us as puppets on His string.

"For in him we live and move and have our being" (v. 28). Our heritage is directly linked to the divine Creator. It is natural for offspring to want to know their parents. It is natural, then, that since we are God's offspring, we will want to find our image in Him. Only in God-not in our own accomplishments, possessions, personality, or family history-can we find the source of our true identity.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
What part of you resembles your ancestors? You might have your mother's eyes or your grandfather's nose; those attributes are an unmistakable link to your heritage. Spend some time today considering what attributes you have that link you to God, your heavenly Father. Your list might include patience with a difficult loved one, generosity toward the needy, or forgiveness of someone who hurt you. Pray that the Holy Spirit will strengthen you as you mature to look more like your Father every day.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

May 18, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

Living Simply- Yet Focused
Look at the birds of the air . . . . Consider the lilies of the field . . . -Matthew 6:26, 28

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin"- they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and the moon- all of these simply are as well- yet what a ministry and service they render on our behalf! So often we impair God's designed influence, which He desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. In essence, Jesus was saying, "Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me." In other words, pay attention to the Source, and out of you "will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38  ). We cannot discover the source of our natural life through common sense and reasoning, and Jesus is teaching here that growth in our spiritual life comes not from focusing directly on it, but from concentrating on our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances, and if we will stay focused on Him, instead of our circumstances, we will grow spiritually- just as "the lilies of the field."

The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and "the lilies of the field"- simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.

If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every minute you live- yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.
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Your Professional Trainer

As we continue to look at faith, I want you to read Hebrews 12:1-2,

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

What this passage teaches about faith is vital for you to understand if you are to progress in your faith.  That truth is simply this:  Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith.  He not only authors it, He is the One who is the developer of our faith.

Remember the analogy of the body builder from the last two devotionals?  Well, if your faith is like a body builder, Jesus is your weight trainer.  Many of the people who are seriously into body building have a professional trainer who will work with them to be more effective in building muscle mass and sculpting their body.

Just like the professional weight trainer for a body builder, Jesus is your professional faith trainer.  No one knows more about faith than Jesus.  If you want to learn about faith, you need to listen to Jesus.  You need to follow His guidance on how to build your faith.

Over the next few devotionals, I will show you three levels of faith Jesus talks about.  Through that process, I pray you will discover where you are at, and see where you need to go and what you need to pursue in order for your faith to grow. 
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Read: Romans 8:9-17
We are heirs-heirs to God and coheirs with Christ . . . that we may also share in his glory. - Romans 8:17

TODAY IN THE WORD
At one time, William Clark was the second-richest man in the United States, his fortune rivaled only by that of John Rockefeller. The bulk of his fortune passed to his daughter Huguette. Now nearly 104 years old, Huguette has no direct heirs, and almost no one-including the staff of her various homes- even knows where she is. Though she has made charitable contributions through the years, no one knows how she intends to dispense of her immense fortune when she dies.
Our passage today talks about an inheritance even more magnificent than anything imagined by William Clark. And in this case, we know who the heirs are-it's us! "We are heirs-heirs to God and coheirs with Christ" (v. 17).

This section of Romans 8 begins with a reminder about control. We are no longer to be dominated by our old sinful nature (v. 9). We are risen with Christ, spiritually freed from the power of death and sin as we look forward to the full resurrection of our bodies and life with God eternally. We now live through His Spirit (v. 11).

This gift of moving from the control of death into life means that "we have an obligation" (v. 12). We must live in a way that reflects appropriately on who we are, on our new name. We are not to continue to live in our old ways, but to live in a manner that reflects who we are as children of God (v. 14). Our new adoptive state is not one of distance from a heavenly Father who is too lofty to bother with us. Our new relationship with God is an intimate, loved, caring one. We are true sons and daughters.

As a result of our adoption into God's family, we are heirs to the kingdom. And we should live as royal sons and daughters of the Most High Creator. We have been given a name of honor and much wealth. We have a future and a hope that is unique to those in our position. We must realize who we are and not be tempted to live in the squalor and sin and depravity of our old lives.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
What will you leave to someone else as an inheritance? Some of the things we inherit are tangible. Other things are intangible. Make a list today of the things, both tangible and intangible, that you would like to pass on to others after your death. Certainly sharing your faith in Christ is the greatest inheritance you can give to those you love. If your friends or children do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior, consider today how you can share this gift with them, a gift that will last for eternity.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

May 19, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

Out of the Wreck I Rise
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? -Romans 8:35

God does not keep His child immune from trouble; He promises, "I will be with him in trouble . . ." ( Psalm 91:15 ). It doesn't matter how real or intense the adversities may be; nothing can ever separate him from his relationship to God. "In all these things we are more than conquerors . . ." ( Romans 8:37 ). Paul was not referring here to imaginary things, but to things that are dangerously real. And he said we are "super-victors" in the midst of them, not because of our own ingenuity, nor because of our courage, but because none of them affects our essential relationship with God in Jesus Christ. I feel sorry for the Christian who doesn't have something in the circumstances of his life that he wishes were not there.

"Shall tribulation . . . ?" Tribulation is never a grand, highly welcomed event; but whatever it may be- whether exhausting, irritating, or simply causing some weakness- it is not able to "separate us from the love of Christ." Never allow tribulations or the "cares of this world" to separate you from remembering that God loves you ( Matthew 13:22 ).

"Shall . . . distress . . . ?" Can God's love continue to hold fast, even when everyone and everything around us seems to be saying that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?

"Shall . . . famine . . . ?" Can we not only believe in the love of God but also be "more than conquerors," even while we are being starved?

Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver, having deceived even Paul, or else some extraordinary thing happens to someone who holds on to the love of God when the odds are totally against him. Logic is silenced in the face of each of these things which come against him. Only one thing can account for it- the love of God in Christ Jesus. "Out of the wreck I rise" every time.
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God Does Care

In yesterday's devotional, I told you about the three levels of faith Jesus talks about.  The first of these levels is found in Mark 4:37-40,

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.  And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!"  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"

The first level of faith that Jesus speaks about is no faith.  No faith believes God does not care.  It is typified by the disciples who woke Jesus in the midst of the storm and said, "Lord, don't You care that we're perishing?"

Perhaps you are in a storm today; and, to you, it seems like God is asleep and that He doesn't even care.  That He is aloof, disinterested, and disconnected from you.  That you are going through hell and He doesn't care.

Do not believe that lie.  If you buy into the lie that God does not care, it robs you of faith.  And you cannot get any lower than that. 

Do not believe the lie that God is detached and unconcerned.  Don't think, "If God cares about me, why would this have happened?  Why am I going through this storm?  Why is this happening in my life?  God doesn't care about me.  He doesn't even know my name."

My friend, God does care.  He is not going to let you perish.  He is interested in even the smallest details of your life.

1 Peter 5:7 says, He cares for you! 
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Read: John 1:1-18
Yet to all who received him . . . he gave the right to become children of God. - John 1:12

TODAY IN THE WORD
Children who grow up in the White House certainly have a unique childhood experience. Their home has 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and six levels. It includes 28 fireplaces, eight staircases, and three elevators. Instead of a parent cooking the meals, their home has five full-time chefs. Just because they are children of the President, however, doesn't mean they always treat their home like a prized palace. For example, Tad Lincoln herded goats into a sitting room while his mother was giving an official tour. Teddy Roosevelt's son Quentin got into trouble for running a toy wagon through a priceless painting. Amy Carter caused a stir when she read a book during a formal state dinner.
In our passage today we see more about what it means to be the children of God, with certain rights and privileges. John 1 recounts who God was at the very beginning. In fact, God was the beginning (1:1). There was no one or nothing else before Him. Through God "all things were made" (v. 2). Not only did God create physical light, He also sent Jesus as the "true light" (v. 9).

But the world did not recognize Him (v. 10). Many remained willfully blinded in darkness. But to these people who received the Son, God bestowed an incredible gift (v. 12). John says that God gave them the right to become children of God.

When we become children of God, we are elevated to an extremely lofty position. We did not grow up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but our Father is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (v. 14) so that we could one day inherit resurrected flesh and make our eternal dwelling with God. As His children, we have an experience of salvation that is not to be taken lightly.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
As a child of God, you can turn to Him with your most private and pressing needs. Just as President Obama's daughters can come to the president for help with their homework or problems with friends, we can beseech the Most High for help with our lives. In fact, God desires this kind of daily interaction with His children. What worries are pressing on your heart today? What burdens are you trying to carry on your own? Won't you tell your Father right now? He can help you.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

May 20, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

Taking Possession of Our Own Soul

By your patience possess your souls -Luke 21:19

When a person is born again, there is a period of time when he does not have the same vitality in his thinking or reasoning that he previously had. We must learn to express this new life within us, which comes by forming the mind of Christ (see Philippians 2:5 ). Luke 21:19 means that we take possession of our souls through patience. But many of us prefer to stay at the entrance to the Christian life, instead of going on to create and build our soul in accordance with the new life God has placed within us. We fail because we are ignorant of the way God has made us, and we blame things on the devil that are actually the result of our own undisciplined natures. Just think what we could be when we are awakened to the truth!

There are certain things in life that we need not pray about- moods, for instance. We will never get rid of moodiness by praying, but we will by kicking it out of our lives. Moods nearly always are rooted in some physical circumstance, not in our true inner self. It is a continual struggle not to listen to the moods which arise as a result of our physical condition, but we must never submit to them for a second. We have to pick ourselves up by the back of the neck and shake ourselves; then we will find that we can do what we believed we were unable to do. The problem that most of us are cursed with is simply that we won't. The Christian life is one of spiritual courage and determination lived out in our flesh.
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Little Faith

In our last devotional, we looked at the first level of faith:  no faith.  We learned that no faith is based on the belief that God does not care, and that such a belief is completely false.  God does indeed care for you!

Today we are going to look at the second level of faith.  It is found in what Jesus says in Matthew 6:30-34,

"Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?'  or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

This second level of faith is little faith.  As we see in this passage, little faith is a worried faith, worried about tomorrow and occupied with lack instead of being occupied with God. 

While people with little faith believe God cares, their focus is wrong.  They are concentrating on, "What am I going to eat?  What am I going to wear?  How am I going to get by?"

Now, those are all legitimate things; and your Father knows you have need of those things.  So rather than focusing on your lack and being worried about tomorrow, pulling tomorrow's clouds over today's sunshine, let your focus be on God and His sufficiency, His care, and His abundant love.

Do not live a life of little faith. 
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Read: Matthew 6:1-15
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. - Matthew 6:8

TODAY IN THE WORD
When Jordan was six months old, his father, Charles Monroe King-a decorated soldier-was killed in combat in Iraq. Anticipating the danger he was facing, Charles had written a 200-page journal that he left behind for his son. Written while serving in that "hot terrifying place," the father's words were left as a legacy and reminder of his abiding love. Charles wrote on many topics including faith, love, duty, honor, and practical things like safe places to keep money on a trip. Still a child, Jordan doesn't fully comprehend the tragedy he has suffered. But the words of his dad will certainly be a treasure to him in the future and help to him in times of need.
In today's verse, Jesus says, "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him." This text is part of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 through 7, delivered when Jesus had gone up a mountainside to teach (5:1). The sermon focuses on the way that inhabitants of the kingdom of God should live.

Today's passage speaks about charity and prayer. The first section stresses that "acts of righteousness" should not be performed before others, but rather done in private. This way, says Jesus, "your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (v. 4). Prayer is viewed in a similar manner, not as a showy, demonstrative act, but as a private way of communing with our heavenly Father.

Jesus says, "Do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues" (v. 5). Prayer is not an opportunity to demonstrate how holy we are, or try to impress others with our flowery verbiage, or to seem super pious as if we are better than someone else. Indeed, we should pray for an audience of one: our Father (v. 6).

In one of the most famous passages of Scripture, Jesus says a prayer to His Father and ours. The Lord's Prayer demonstrates the communion between our Father and His children.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today, pray the Lord's Prayer, alone or with your family. As you repeat these famous words of adoration, confession, and supplication, concentrate on your heavenly Father. Consider that these words of advice and instruction, found in the Gospel of Matthew, are a journal of sorts left for you. Like Jordan, we cannot see our father. Yet, we have been given a book with His words, meant to guide us through our lives. What a treasure we have in God's Word to us!

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

May 21, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers
   
Having God's "Unreasonable" Faith

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you -Matthew 6:33

When we look at these words of Jesus, we immediately find them to be the most revolutionary that human ears have ever heard. ". . . seek first the kingdom of God . . . ." Even the most spiritually-minded of us argue the exact opposite, saying, "But I must live; I must make a certain amount of money; I must be clothed; I must be fed." The great concern of our lives is not the kingdom of God but how we are going to take care of ourselves to live. Jesus reversed the order by telling us to get the right relationship with God first, maintaining it as the primary concern of our lives, and never to place our concern on taking care of the other things of life.

". . . do not worry about your life. . ." ( Matthew 6:25 ). Our Lord pointed out that from His standpoint it is absolutely unreasonable for us to be anxious, worrying about how we will live. Jesus did not say that the person who takes no thought for anything in his life is blessed- no, that person is a fool. But Jesus did teach that His disciple must make his relationship with God the dominating focus of his life, and to be cautiously carefree about everything else in comparison to that. In essence, Jesus was saying, "Don't make food and drink the controlling factor of your life, but be focused absolutely on God." Some people are careless about what they eat and drink, and they suffer for it; they are careless about what they wear, having no business looking the way they do; they are careless with their earthly matters, and God holds them responsible. Jesus is saying that the greatest concern of life is to place our relationship with God first, and everything else second.

It is one of the most difficult, yet critical, disciplines of the Christian life to allow the Holy Spirit to bring us into absolute harmony with the teaching of Jesus in these verses.
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Great Faith

In today's devotional, I want to look at the third level of faith.  It is found in Matthew 8:5-10,

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"

We saw in previous devotionals that the first level of faith is no faith, the second is little faith, and now the third is great faith.

Great faith says, "Lord, Your word is enough."  The centurion said, "Only speak a word."  He understood the authority of Jesus' words.  He said, "Jesus, all You have to do is say it.  You don't even have to come into my house.  I don't have to see anything.  Your word is all the evidence I need."

That is what great faith says,  "Lord, Your Word is all the evidence I need.  Things don't have to look differently and I don't have to feel differently.  Your Word is it.  I don't need any other kind of confirmation.  It doesn't matter what the circumstances say.  Lord, Your Word settles the issue for me."

That is great faith, and that is what we should be pursuing. 
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Read: Colossians 3:5-17
Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness humility, gentleness and patience. - Colossians 3:12

TODAY IN THE WORD
In the tale The Emperor's New Clothes, a wealthy vain ruler is consumed with his own appearance. He hires two weavers to create outfits that will mesmerize the masses. The clever weavers decide to take advantage of the emperor's conceit and play a trick on him. They convince him that they have woven the most magical material that only the wisest and most important people can see. So they go through the motions of weaving this magical cloth and make a cloak for the king. Of course, the material did not exist, nor did the cloak, and the emperor parades through the streets naked. He is convinced that he should be able to see the clothing, so he pretends that he does.
Today's passage speaks about the way we, as believers, are clothed, not with cloth that can be seen, but with the qualities of God's righteous character. It depicts a contrast between the way we appeared without Christ and the way our lives are transformed afterward. Before Christ we are marked by our "earthly nature." We are characterized by ugly things like sexual immorality, greed, selfishness, rage, malice, and filthy language (vv. 5-8). Certainly, these behaviors are not becoming of royalty!

Paul compares our change in lifestyle to changing clothing. We are to recognize our position in Christ (vv. 1-4), "take off" (v. 9) these old behaviors, and "put on the new self" (v. 10). How wonderful to know that we are no longer destined to wear the old tattered clothing that represents our sinful nature. Instead we are treated to glorious new clothes of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness (v. 13). Of course, "taking off" these old habits and desires must be aided by God. We are still living with earthly habits. It is through the Holy Spirit that we daily put on these new clothes.

This behavior brings great reward. Through it we are ruled by unity and peace. Through it we are filled with thankfulness and gratitude. We are transformed and perfected, as we dwell in God's love.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
As you get dressed today or tomorrow, consider how you choose the clothing you put on. Do you put on your paint-splattered sweatshirt to attend a church or business meeting? Would you wear your old, beat-up gym shoes to a nice restaurant? Just as you put clothing on your body appropriate for the task at hand, pray that God will help you put on His righteousness: qualities of love, compassion, kindness, thankfulness, gentleness-garments appropriate for the life He has given us. 

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

May 22, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

The Explanation For Our Difficulties

. . . that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us . . . -John 17:21

If you are going through a time of isolation, seemingly all alone, read John 17 . It will explain exactly why you are where you are- because Jesus has prayed that you "may be one" with the Father as He is. Are you helping God to answer that prayer, or do you have some other goal for your life? Since you became a disciple, you cannot be as independent as you used to be.

God reveals in John 17 that His purpose is not just to answer our prayers, but that through prayer we might come to discern His mind. Yet there is one prayer which God must answer, and that is the prayer of Jesus- ". . . that they may be one just as We are one . . ." (John 17:22 ). Are we as close to Jesus Christ as that?

God is not concerned about our plans; He doesn't ask, "Do you want to go through this loss of a loved one, this difficulty, or this defeat?" No, He allows these things for His own purpose. The things we are going through are either making us sweeter, better, and nobler men and women, or they are making us more critical and fault-finding, and more insistent on our own way. The things that happen either make us evil, or they make us more saintly, depending entirely on our relationship with God and its level of intimacy. If we will pray, regarding our own lives, "Your will be done" ( Matthew 26:42 ), then we will be encouraged and comforted by John 17, knowing that our Father is working according to His own wisdom, accomplishing what is best. When we understand God's purpose, we will not become small-minded and cynical. Jesus prayed nothing less for us than absolute oneness with Himself, just as He was one with the Father. Some of us are far from this oneness; yet God will not leave us alone until we are one with Him- because Jesus prayed, ". . . that they all may be one . . . ."
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Your Purpose

Today I want to speak to you about your destiny and purpose.  First, read Ephesians 2:10,

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The word beforehand refers to before the foundation of the world.  What the apostle Paul is saying in this verse is that before we were ever born, God prepared good works for us to walk in them.  God decided that we would be doing certain things.

Listen to that same verse from the Knox Translation,  We are His design.  God has created us in Christ Jesus, pledged to such good actions as He has prepared beforehand to be the employment of our lives.  I like that.

Paraphrased, "You were designed with a unique purpose, and that is what you should be doing with your life."

In Philippians 3:12, Paul also states,

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

The phrase "I press on" literally means "I pursue."  What is it that Paul states he is pursuing?  He is pursuing his purpose.

On that Damascus road, Jesus laid hold of Saul of Tarsus, and He did it for a reason.  There was a purpose involved.  From the day that Jesus Christ laid hold of him, Paul's life became a progressive search to lay hold of the answer to the question, "God, why have You laid hold of me?  What is my purpose?"

My point?  You have a God-designed purpose in life!  There is something that you are wired up to do as the employment of your life. 
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Read: James 1:1-18
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything. - James 1:4


TODAY IN THE WORD
What frustration to work on a complicated, mind-boggling, 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, get to the end, and realize that one piece is missing! Most of us would search under every table and rug to try to find that one missing piece. Why? Because, without it, the picture is incomplete, marred. We look at the picture we have created and all we notice is the missing part. The puzzle is not and cannot be finished.
The Christian life, like a puzzle, can be marred by a missing piece of Christ-like character. In the same way that we would search for a missing puzzle piece in order to complete the picture, so too we need to endeavor to be complete in the qualities that point others to Jesus.

The book of James begins with what seems like a strange sort of pep talk: "Consider it pure joy . . . whenever you face trials" (v. 2). As James explains, though, this is not a masochistic reveling in pain and suffering. Rather, we can have joy because these trials that weface are for a purpose: "that the testing of your faith develops perseverance" (v. 3). Perseverance means finishing what we start, completing what has been begun, or sticking to the job. Perseverance enables us to press on toward maturity and completeness, "not lacking anything" (v. 4).

The experience of trials allows us to develop the qualities that lead to the completion of a beautiful character that honors God. God will not rest until He has placed the last piece of the puzzle in our lives. These trials are merely sanding the edges of our imperfection, wearing down our old, selfish, human nature. We find perfection not in pampering, but in difficulty. That may not be the answer we want to hear.

The chapter ends with a warning: "Don't be deceived. . . . Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change" (vv. 16-17). He will help us persevere to the end.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
"Finish what you start" is a lesson that many of us resist. What tasks in your life have gone unfinished? Was it a knitting project that sits in a bag in a closet or a piece of trim that never got attached to a baseboard? Or a Sunday school class that you quit teaching, or the discipline of tithing that is now abandoned? In your Christian life, ask God to help you persevere. Ask God to help you finish the work He has begun in you, to help you be faithful to the end.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

May 23, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

Our Careful Unbelief

. . . do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on -Matthew 6:25

Jesus summed up commonsense carefulness in the life of a disciple as unbelief. If we have received the Spirit of God, He will squeeze right through our lives, as if to ask, "Now where do I come into this relationship, this vacation you have planned, or these new books you want to read?" And He always presses the point until we learn to make Him our first consideration. Whenever we put other things first, there is confusion.

". . . do not worry about your life . . . ." Don't take the pressure of your provision upon yourself. It is not only wrong to worry, it is unbelief; worrying means we do not believe that God can look after the practical details of our lives, and it is never anything but those details that worry us. Have you ever noticed what Jesus said would choke the Word He puts in us? Is it the devil? No- "the cares of this world" (MatthewMatthew 13:22 ). It is always our little worries. We say, "I will not trust when I cannot see"- and that is where unbelief begins. The only cure for unbelief is obedience to the Spirit.

The greatest word of Jesus to His disciples is abandon.
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Exercising the Muscle of Faith

Yesterday we looked at the importance of God's Word to strengthen our faith.  Yet there is something more we need to do to see our faith grow.  We must use it.

In 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul says this about faith,

Fight the good fight of faith.

Faith is made for conflict.  It does not grow without conflict.  It does not grow without pressure.  You need to use it.

Remember our illustration of the body builders and how a proper diet is essential to building muscle mass?  Well, they will also tell you that it is not enough to drink protein shakes and eat tuna fish, you have to work those muscles if they are going to grow.  They work those weights every day in order to build their muscles.

The same thing is true when it comes to faith.  Faith is a muscle that you have to use.  It is not enough just to listen to your Bible teaching CDs all day long.  Hearing alone is not enough to develop faith.  You must use your faith muscle.

That is what the fight of faith is all about.  You exercise your faith when you are standing in the midst of your storm, and you are assailed by temptations and every kind of trial that tells you you're not going to make it, that you are going down with the ship.

As you stand in the midst of your storm, and the wind is howling around you, and the lightning is flashing, and the waves are breaking over the bow of your little ship, stand up and say, "I believe God, that it is going to be just as it was told me."  That is where the fight of faith comes in.

No matter what you may be going through today, exercise that muscle of faith.  Trust God to do just as He has promised. 
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Read: Philippians 4:4-9
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything . . . present your requests to God. - Philippians 4:6

TODAY IN THE WORD
For some children, all sorts of situations cause worry. They have paralyzing fear about homework, schedules, and teachers. They agonize whether they are going to fail a test or have friends to sit by in the cafeteria. The fear can even make them physically ill. Psychologists say the cause of anxiety disorders in children is both biological and conditional. Some children are more prone to being shy or perfectionists, and these tendencies show up during the school years when pressures increase. Anxiety disorders are not limited to children, but also plague countless adults.
In our discussion about our self-image and identity, we often focus on external characteristics like appearance or possessions or accomplishments. But what about internal issues that threaten to derail our secure identity in Christ?

Today's passage in Philippians is worth committing to memory, for it offers advice for those who are anxious in spirit. It begins with a command, "Rejoice!" (v. 4). The command may seem puzzling, worry has just been mentioned. When are we to "rejoice"? The answer is "always." But the source of our rejoicing is not found in ourselves or our circumstances, but "in the Lord" (v. 5). Our lives are embedded and transformed in Christ. We are not our old selves.

The reason we can rejoice is found in verse 5: "the Lord is near." God is near to you today. He knows you and your circumstances. He knows what you will do and say. He goes before you. Therefore, the next verse makes sense. "Do not be anxious about anything" (v. 6). This is perhaps the best advice that can be given. We can tell everything to God-even all of our worries. God is the only one who can see the future. He is the only one who can truly help. In return, "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (v. 7). What better news can we get? The peace of God is ours.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
In order to find peace, we have to spend time in the presence of God. Too often we fill our lives with talking, reading, or doing something. Today, meet with God in silence. Close your eyes and meditate on His character. Be still, and know that He is God (Ps. 46:10). You can cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). Not only does He care, but He is all-powerful and able to bear any burden. Allow the peace of God to calm your anxious heart.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

May 24, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

The Delight of Despair

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead -Revelation 1:17

It may be that, like the apostle John, you know Jesus Christ intimately. Yet when He suddenly appears to you with totally unfamiliar characteristics, the only thing you can do is fall "at His feet as dead." There are times when God cannot reveal Himself in any other way than in His majesty, and it is the awesomeness of the vision which brings you to the delight of despair. You experience this joy in hopelessness, realizing that if you are ever to be raised up it must be by the hand of God.

"He laid His right hand on me . . ." ( Revelation 1:17 ). In the midst of the awesomeness, a touch comes, and you know it is the right hand of Jesus Christ. You know it is not the hand of restraint, correction, nor chastisement, but the right hand of the Everlasting Father. Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it gives inexpressible peace and comfort, and the sense that "underneath are the everlasting arms" ( Deuteronomy 33:27 ), full of support, provision, comfort, and strength. And once His touch comes, nothing at all can throw you into fear again. In the midst of all His ascended glory, the Lord Jesus comes to speak to an insignificant disciple, saying, "Do not be afraid" ( Revelation 1:17 ). His tenderness is inexpressibly sweet. Do I know Him like that?

Take a look at some of the things that cause despair. There is despair which has no delight, no limits whatsoever, and no hope of anything brighter. But the delight of despair comes when "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells . . ." ( Romans 7:18 ). I delight in knowing that there is something in me which must fall prostrate before God when He reveals Himself to me, and also in knowing that if I am ever to be raised up it must be by the hand of God. God can do nothing for me until I recognize the limits of what is humanly possible, allowing Him to do the impossible.
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Understanding Faith

In the last two devotionals, we have been talking about faith and the importance of both the proper diet of God's Word, and exercising our faith if we are to see it grow.

The natural question is, "What is faith?"  Most Christians probably know the technical definition for faith from Hebrews 11:1,

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The New International Version says, Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  That is pretty clear.  But it becomes even more clear when you plug that definition into 1 Timothy 6:12,

Fight the good fight of [the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  Fight the good fight of being sure of what you hope for and being convinced of what you do not see.]

When the answer to your prayers is not on the horizon, when you don't feel differently, you need to fight the good fight and say, "You know what?  God's Word says it and that's all the evidence I need.  It is the evidence of things not seen, and I'm going to stand on that truth.  I don't care what the world says, I don't care what circumstances say, I am going to fight the good fight of the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of what I do not see."

And you stay with it until, as they say, "Faith turns to sight."

What are you struggling with today?  What challenge is testing your faith?  Stand firm on the truth of God's Word.  Trust Him, no matter what others may say.

Real faith is standing firm in the midst of the storm.  So stand firm! 
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Read: Isaiah 58:8-14
You will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. - Isaiah 58:9

TODAY IN THE WORD
In June 2009, 9-year-old Grayson Wynne was lost in Utah's Ashley National Forest. His family had been hiking when the young boy separated from the group. While searchers combed the area, the little boy tried to leave clues to his whereabouts. As he walked he tore and dropped pieces of his yellow raincoat. He spent the night under a log, thinking about his parents, praying and crying. Because of the clues Grayson left behind and a granola wrapper that fell to the trail, a helicopter spotted the boy waving to them in an open meadow. He was waving the last piece of his yellow raincoat. When the father reached the boy, Grayson's first words were, "Happy Father's Day." Imagine the joyful reunion between the father and his young son.
Today's passage in Isaiah talks about another dramatic rescue: God's rescue of His children. There are times when we, as believers, are in desperate straits. We may have wandered away from the path. We need our Father's help. The prophet addressed the nation of Israel, a people infamous for wandering. In this passage, Isaiah tells God's people the proper way to fast. He talks about true worship rather than merely going through outward motions.

Once we are in proper communion with God, our lives will shine: "Then your light will break forth like the dawn" (v. . All of the "thens" in this passage speak of what God will do or has done in response to our union with Him. As believers, we have been made new creations by God, so these truths apply. The most dramatic verses speak of God's help. "Then you will call, and the Lord will answer" (v. 9). Like a 911-rescue team waiting to help, God is ready to hear our calls. Verse 11 echoes that assurance: "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs." Your Father sees you. He knows where you are. He is ready and waiting to answer your call for help. His dramatic rescue saves us from death and gives us a life that shines brightly in this world.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Have you ever seen God's hand guiding your life? Take some time to write out your story, whether it recounts the events when you came to faith in Christ, or knew God was leading you in a big decision, or experienced God's loving correction from some mistakes and wandering from way of holiness. These experiences strengthen us in other times when we need God's direction. Additionally, your story might be the encouragement that someone else needs to hear. God is faithful to lead, guide, and protect His children.Read: Philippians 4:4-9
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything . . . present your requests to God. 

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

May 25, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

The Good or The Best?

If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left -Genesis 13:9

As soon as you begin to live the life of faith in God, fascinating and physically gratifying possibilities will open up before you. These things are yours by right, but if you are living the life of faith you will exercise your right to waive your rights, and let God make your choice for you. God sometimes allows you to get into a place of testing where your own welfare would be the appropriate thing to consider, if you were not living the life of faith. But if you are, you will joyfully waive your right and allow God to make your choice for you. This is the discipline God uses to transform the natural into the spiritual through obedience to His voice.

Whenever our right becomes the guiding factor of our lives, it dulls our spiritual insight. The greatest enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but good choices which are not quite good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best. In this passage, it would seem that the wisest thing in the world for Abram to do would be to choose. It was his right, and the people around him would consider him to be a fool for not choosing.

Many of us do not continue to grow spiritually because we prefer to choose on the basis of our rights, instead of relying on God to make the choice for us. We have to learn to walk according to the standard which has its eyes focused on God. And God says to us, as He did to Abram, ". . . walk before Me. . ." ( Genesis 17:1 ).
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Intimacy with God

Paul, in Philippians 3:10-12, gives us the other principle for discovering your purpose,

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.  Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 

Paul said, "I am pursuing my purpose," but it was a purpose based on knowing God.  Look at what he said in verse 10,  That I may know Him.

The understanding of his purpose came out of that primary desire and pursuit of knowing God Himself and living in intimacy with Him.

Perhaps the most important thing you could do in your life right now is to just lock yourself away, grab your Bible, and go sit at the beach.  Find that place of communion with God.  As you get to know Him, you will also discover your own heart and the dreams and desires that God put within you.

They are there.  They may be covered with debris, they may be covered with dust, but they are there.  You can find out what they are if you will develop that intimate relationship with God.

It is in closeness with God that His breath blows the dust off of undiscerned and unrecognized purposes and dreams. 
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Read: 2 Corinthians 5:1-21
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! - 2 Corinthians 5:17

TODAY IN THE WORD
During the recent recession, many people have decided to apply some elbow grease and creativity to turn something old into something new. Author Margot Starbuck applies colorful pieces of fabric to thrift-store clothes to create personalized designer clothes for herself and her family. One store in Zurich, Switzerland, specializes in old furniture that has been repainted with colorful children's characters. And activity on Freecycle, a Web site that allows users to give away their unneeded items to someone else, has never been busier.
In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, he describes the believer's hope of resurrection. The passage begins in verse 1 with a contrast between a temporary "earthly tent" (the body we now have) with an "eternal house in heaven" (the believer's resurrected body) (v. 1). In this tent, says Paul, we "groan" (v. 2) with a longing to be clothed with our resurrected body.

Though we have not achieved perfect holiness yet, God has sent the Holy Spirit as a "deposit" (v. 5). Because of His presence in our life, we know that we are guaranteed a heavenly future and all that comes with eternity. Even now, He is preparing us for our eternal destiny of life with God.

Our goal in this life is to please God (v. 9). We will appear before the "judgment seat of Christ" to give an account of how we have lived, and our motivation and goal is to have Him pleased with us (v. 10). This new perspective on life changes not only our view of ourselves, but also the way we relate to others. In the second half of the passage, Paul shows how Christ's love motivated him to persuade others to believe the gospel. We no longer live for ourselves (v. 15). We are now "Christ's ambassadors" (v. 20), representing the message of His life-changing salvation.

In Christ we are made new: "the old is gone, the new has come!" (v. 17). This is nothing less than a transforming miracle, from the death of sin to life with Christ; "we [have] become the righteousness of God!" (v. 21).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Each of us struggles to focus on life as a new creation in Christ, putting off our old self with our worldly habits. To find our identity in Christ, we must put away "old ways" of evaluating our self worth. How do you measure yourself? How do you evaluate your identity? If you find yourself clinging to an old narrative about yourself-whether defining yourself by failures or successes-relinquish your grip and allow the Holy Spirit to make you conformed to the image of Christ.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

May 26, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

Thinking of Prayer as Jesus Taught
Pray without ceasing . . . -1 Thessalonians 5:17

Our thinking about prayer, whether right or wrong, is based on our own mental conception of it. The correct concept is to think of prayer as the breath in our lungs and the blood from our hearts. Our blood flows and our breathing continues "without ceasing"; we are not even conscious of it, but it never stops. And we are not always conscious of Jesus keeping us in perfect oneness with God, but if we are obeying Him, He always is. Prayer is not an exercise, it is the life of the saint. Beware of anything that stops the offering up of prayer. "Pray without ceasing . . ."- maintain the childlike habit of offering up prayer in your heart to God all the time.

Jesus never mentioned unanswered prayer. He had the unlimited certainty of knowing that prayer is always answered. Do we have through the Spirit of God that inexpressible certainty that Jesus had about prayer, or do we think of the times when it seemed that God did not answer our prayer? Jesus said, ". . . everyone who asks receives . . ." ( Matthew 7:8 ). Yet we say, "But . . . , but . . . ." God answers prayer in the best way- not just sometimes, but every time. However, the evidence of the answer in the area we want it may not always immediately follow. Do we expect God to answer prayer?

The danger we have is that we want to water down what Jesus said to make it mean something that aligns with our common sense. But if it were only common sense, what He said would not even be worthwhile. The things Jesus taught about prayer are supernatural truths He reveals to us.
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Weeping

In 1 Samuel 30:1-4 we read,

Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way.  So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive.  Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

David experienced the sudden loss of his family and it tore his heart out.  Notice that David and his men lifted up their voices and wept until they had no more power to weep.

Feeling sorrow and anguish and expressing it is not wrong.  In fact, it is normal, especially when you have experienced a sudden and personal loss.

Perhaps, like David, you have lost family members.  Or maybe you have wayward children.  They were brought up in the way of the Lord, but they are living a lifestyle that is diametrically opposed to the ways of God right now, and your heart is broken when you think about it.

Maybe you have experienced some other loss in your life, something of value, something that is important to you, something that has meaning to you.  If so, it is okay to grieve!

God has wired us to be emotional beings.  We are not robots.  It is right for loss to affect us on a personal, emotional level.  As the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:4, there is a time to weep.

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

Sorrow has its place and its time, but there is also a time for it to end and to be replaced with something else. 
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Read: Psalm 119:97-117
Your commands make me wiser than my enemies. - Psalm 119:98

TODAY IN THE WORD
The group Mensa was founded in England in 1946 by barrister Roland Berrill and Dr. Lance Ware. The lawyer and scientist had the idea of establishing a society for extraordinarily bright people. The only requirement for membership was a high IQ. The society continues to welcome people from all races and religions, as long as their IQs are in the top 2 percent of the population. Mensans, as they are called, range in age from 4 to 94. They include farmers, musicians, lawyers, and police officers. Some members of Mensa are famous, but most have names you would not recognize.
Today's passage talks about the benefits of God's wisdom as it is displayed in our lives. The psalmist begins the section with an exclamation: "Oh, how I love your law!" (v. 97). This enthusiasm for God's Word is notable. He meditates on it "all day long." The result? He is wiser than his enemies and has wisdom that surpasses his teachers (vv. 98-99). Age alone isn't a guarantee of understanding; the key is obedience to the precepts in God's Word (v. 100). The psalmist does not just acquire knowledge-he also acts on it.

It seems, from this passage, that the more the author devours the Word of God, the more he desires it (v. 103). This wisdom, gleaned not from his own understanding but by learning of the mind and heart of God, impacts his daily life. It keeps him from walking down "wrong paths" (v. 104).

The next verses are often memorized: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (v. 105). As our knowledge of God and His law increases, we have access to guidance and safety. God's Word is not abstract principles with no connection to our lives. We need to do more than simply read over the words. When we apply Scripture to our lives, we will find our steps directed in the ways of life (v. 119).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The psalm today reminds us that trying to live our lives without help from God's Word is like walking through life without a light. You don't need to be a member of Mensa to be wise. God's Word provides counsel and wisdom and light to safeguard our hearts and minds. If you don't have a regular habit of memorizing Scripture, this might be a good time to start. Choose one verse from today's reading and commit it to memory this week.

GOD BLESS!