Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

October 7, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

The Nature of Reconciliation
 
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him -2 Corinthians 5:21

Sin is a fundamental relationship- it is not wrong doing, but wrong being- it is deliberate and determined independence from God. The Christian faith bases everything on the extreme, self-confident nature of sin. Other faiths deal with sins- the Bible alone deals with sin. The first thing Jesus Christ confronted in people was the heredity of sin, and it is because we have ignored this in our presentation of the gospel that the message of the gospel has lost its sting and its explosive power.

The revealed truth of the Bible is not that Jesus Christ took on Himself our fleshly sins, but that He took on Himself the heredity of sin that no man can even touch. God made His own Son "to be sin" that He might make the sinner into a saint. It is revealed throughout the Bible that our Lord took on Himself the sin of the world through identification with us, not through sympathy for us. He deliberately took on His own shoulders, and endured in His own body, the complete, cumulative sin of the human race. "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us. . ." and by so doing He placed salvation for the entire human race solely on the basis of redemption. Jesus Christ reconciled the human race, putting it back to where God designed it to be. And now anyone can experience that reconciliation, being brought into oneness with God, on the basis of what our Lord has done on the cross.

A man cannot redeem himself- redemption is the work of God, and is absolutely finished and complete. And its application to individual people is a matter of their own individual action or response to it. A distinction must always be made between the revealed truth of redemption and the actual conscious experience of salvation in a person's life.

God's Provision for Your Failure

Psalm 37:23-24 states,

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way.  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand.

When you first read these verses, it is easy to focus on the truth that God orders the steps of a good man, someone who is following God.  That is certainly a comforting, motivating, and powerful truth.

But I want to point you to the second sentence,  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand.

What an amazing statement!  Even when your steps are being ordered by the Lord, you can still goof up!  God affirms that you may be seeking to walk with Him and you can still mess up, there is always that human factor.

Our flesh gets in the way.  Sometimes we make wrong decisions.  Sometimes we can be a bit stubborn.  And sometimes we blow it, even when that is the last thing we want to do!

Here is what I want you to grasp today:  Even if you mess things up, even if you stumble and fall, God will not utterly abandon you.  He will support you, and He will lift you up with His hand.

The Bible says in the book of Deuteronomy that God is our refuge and our strength and that underneath us are His everlasting arms.  That brings me a lot of comfort.

You and I may stumble, you and I may fall, but we are not going to stay down, because God's arms and His hands are underneath us, and they will uphold us.

Thank God for that! 
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Read: Philippians 3:7-11
I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. - Philippians 3:8

TODAY IN THE WORD
Jesus told two brief parables about what we are willing to do for the things we value. In the first, a man discovers a great treasure in a field. "In his joy," he then sold everything he had to buy the field. In the second parable, a merchant discovers a fine pearl "of great value." He also sold everything he had in order to buy the pearl. The treasure and the pearl are compared to the kingdom of heaven, and it is worth sacrificing everything else in order to obtain this exquisite treasure (Matt. 13:44-45).
These parables and our passage today challenge many of our notions about value, possessions, and worth. If we are to grow in our knowledge of God, we must exercise a proper appraisal on the value of this pursuit compared to other alternatives and be willing to calculate that it is worth all of our energy, time, and treasure.

After itemizing all the qualities that should have been considered credits in his spiritual account (vv. 3-6), Paul then made the astonishing statement that all these elements of his pedigree were "loss" rather than "profit" (v. 7). Preserving his credentials was less important than pursuing the knowledge of Jesus. Indeed, knowing Jesus was more valuable than everything else in Paul's life (v. .

The prosperity gospel asserts that you can have it all-spiritual heaven later and material heaven right here and now. Paul's testimony contradicted this. He had lost everything-including a flourishing career as a respected religious leader-for the sake of Christ (see Acts 7:58; 22:3). And yet Paul delighted in knowing Christ; he did not lament his lost wages or lost status or lost friendships. His greatest gain was "to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings" (v. 10).

Ultimately, like the merchant who found the pearl, Paul had a long-range view. He knew that resurrection into eternal life with God was worth more than any treasure offered by this world.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
What is your level of commitment to growing in the knowledge of Christ? How much do you value this pursuit? You can answer this by evaluating your time-is knowing Jesus an afterthought in your schedule or a priority each day? Examine your finances-do you value bank accounts or possessions more than the kingdom of heaven? And check your passion-would you sacrifice comfort or status in order to know Jesus more?

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

October 8, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

Coming to Jesus
Come to Me . . . -Matthew 11:28

Isn't it humiliating to be told that we must come to Jesus! Think of the things about which we will not come to Jesus Christ. If you want to know how real you are, test yourself by these words- "Come to Me . . . ." In every dimension in which you are not real, you will argue or evade the issue altogether rather than come; you will go through sorrow rather than come; and you will do anything rather than come the last lap of the race of seemingly unspeakable foolishness and say, "Just as I am, I come." As long as you have even the least bit of spiritual disrespect, it will always reveal itself in the fact that you are expecting God to tell you to do something very big, and yet all He is telling you to do is to "Come . . . ."
"Come to Me . . . ." When you hear those words, you will know that something must happen in you before you can come. The Holy Spirit will show you what you have to do, and it will involve anything that will uproot whatever is preventing you from getting through to Jesus. And you will never get any further until you are willing to do that very thing. The Holy Spirit will search out that one immovable stronghold within you, but He cannot budge it unless you are willing to let Him do so.

How often have you come to God with your requests and gone away thinking, "I've really received what I wanted this time!" And yet you go away with nothing, while all the time God has stood with His hands outstretched not only to take you but also for you to take Him. Just think of the invincible, unconquerable, and untiring patience of Jesus, who lovingly says, "Come to Me. . . ."

The Source of Your Success

There is no question we live in one of the most prosperous of ages.  And many Christians today live in tremendous prosperity.

It is pretty easy to look at all we have accomplished, and the wealth we have accumulated, and feel pretty good about ourselves.

Today, I want you to read Psalm 44:1-3.  It contains a powerful truth and reminder,

We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, the deeds You did in their days, in days of old:  You drove out the nations with Your hand, but them You planted; You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out.   For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; but it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them.

Any good thing that you and I possess is the result of God's hand and nothing less.  It is not because we are something special or because we are so intelligent.

When everything is said and done, we are not going to be able to point to our own arm or our own intelligence or our own ability.  We will only be able to stand back and say, "Look what the Lord has done."

If you are prosperous today, I want you to know that it is the result of God's hand and God's arm working on your behalf.

As you look to the future, if you are going to experience the fullness of what He has for you, it will indeed be the result of the power of His Spirit working in your life.  Not your ingenuity, not your human striving, not the power of your flesh, but the power of His Spirit.
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Read: 1 John 5:13-21
The Son of God has . . . given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. - 1 John 5:20

TODAY IN THE WORD
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that studies theories of knowledge. How do you know that you know anything? Different epistemologists offer different answers: some posit that knowledge is only possible to the extent of sense perception, while others assert that it is impossible to know anything with certainty.
In our passage today, John described a number of things that believers in Christ can know with full confidence. As we conclude our section on how to grow in the knowledge of God, we'll also see the implications for our intercession and protection.

The first thing that believers can know is the assurance of eternal life (v. 13). The resurrection of Jesus has guaranteed our own future; death is not the end of our existence, for we will live with God forever. Second, we know we can approach God with confidence (v. 14). As we grow in our knowledge of God, we know more of His will and our own desires are shaped to conform with His.

Not only can we approach God with our petitions and pleas, but we also know that He hears us (v. 15). This passage reveals some of God's character: He is not a distant deity who does not care for people, nor does He demand to be bribed or cajoled. God loves His people, hears their requests, and responds to them. This means that we can also go to God on behalf of others and intercede for their restoration (vv. 16-17).

Next, we know that growing in the grace and knowledge of God bears the fruit of freedom from persistent sin. This isn't a doctrine of sinless perfection, but rather the promise of freedom from the bondage of sin and protection from the Evil One (v. 18). In a world blinded by Satan, we are the children of God and safe both now and for all eternity.

Finally, we are able to know all this and have hope, confidence, and protection because of Jesus Christ (v. 20). Faith in Jesus enables us to grow in the knowledge of God and to declare that He is truth.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
This letter concludes with the exhortation, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols" (v. 21). In light of what we know about God and our relationship with Him, how can we pursue any lesser affections? In your spiritual journal, write out each thing we know as believers and its implications for hope, confidence, prayer, protection, etc. Use this list in your prayer time and throughout the day to help keep your attention and devotion focused on our loving Savior and God.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

October 9, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

Building on the Atonement


. . . present . . . your members as instruments of righteousness to God -Romans 6:13

I cannot save and sanctify myself; I cannot make atonement for sin; I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what is wrong, purify what is impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the sovereign work of God. Do I have faith in what Jesus Christ has done? He has made the perfect atonement for sin. Am I in the habit of constantly realizing it? The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe things. The redemption of Christ is not an experience, it is the great act of God which He has performed through Christ, and I have to build my faith on it. If I construct my faith on my own experience, I produce the most unscriptural kind of life- an isolated life, with my eyes focused solely on my own holiness. Beware of that human holiness that is not based on the atonement of the Lord. It has no value for anything except a life of isolation- it is useless to God and a nuisance to man. Measure every kind of experience you have by our Lord Himself. We cannot do anything pleasing to God unless we deliberately build on the foundation of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.

The atonement of Jesus must be exhibited in practical, unassuming ways in my life. Every time I obey, the absolute deity of God is on my side, so that the grace of God and my natural obedience are in perfect agreement. Obedience means that I have completely placed my trust in the atonement, and my obedience is immediately met by the delight of the supernatural grace of God.

Beware of the human holiness that denies the reality of the natural life- it is a fraud. Continually bring yourself to the trial or test of the atonement and ask, "Where is the discernment of the atonement in this, and in that?"

Gaining the Victory

We live in a society of addictions, of bondage to so many things.  Maybe you are in bondage to cigarettes, or alcohol, or pornography, or anger, or any number of other things.

Whatever the condition that has you in bondage today, God's hand and God's arm can lift you up and untangle you and set you free.  In Psalm 98:1 we are told,

His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.

We find repeatedly throughout the Old Testament how, through God's mighty hand and His outstretched arm, He redeemed His people out of slavery and out of bondage.

Now here is the question.  Does it just sort of randomly happen?  Do we have to wait and see if we are one of the lucky ones God will choose to extend His mighty arm to help?  Or, is there anything that we can do to cooperate with God to see His arm extended in our behalf?

The answer is yes, we can, and we must cooperate with God.

In Isaiah 51:5 God tells us,

"My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, and My arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands will wait upon Me, and on My arm they will trust."

The way we cooperate with God is to trust in His arm; not in our own arm, but in His.  If you want to see God's mighty arm move on your behalf, then trust Him alone!  Do not trust your intelligence, your ingenuity, your education, your status in life, your wealth, or any other thing.

Trust in God alone.  And you will have the victory.
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Read: Hosea 4:1-9
My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. - Hosea 4:6

TODAY IN THE WORD
We take it for granted that knowledge is an important part of safety. We expect doctors to be thoroughly trained to practice their profession; teenagers must study and pass driving tests before they are licensed to drive a car. The government mandates health and safety warnings on numerous products to inform consumers of potential hazards. A lack of knowledge can be deadly.
In our passage today, we'll see the deadly spiritual consequences from a lack of knowledge. For the next few days we'll examine why we should care about growing in the knowledge of God, and this text from Hosea provides a strong exhortation for pursuing growth.

The lack of knowledge described here goes beyond simple ignorance or lack of information. The prophet was bringing a charge from the Lord: his audience was not exhibiting the character of God's people, and they were refusing to even acknowledge God (v. 1). Israel had long experience with God's faithfulness and love, and yet they refused to walk in His ways. They preferred to pursue their own inclinations, strategies, and pleasures.

Notice that the rejection of the knowledge of God extended beyond the rank-and-file people and also characterized the religious leaders (v. 7). What a tragic indictment on God's people: those responsible for leading the growth in the knowledge of God instead were disgraceful, relishing the wickedness and even profiting from sin (v. .

When the knowledge of God is rejected, deadly consequences follow. The people and priests would be punished, ignored, and rejected by God. Not only that, but the land itself groaned and suffered as a result of this sin (see Rom. 8:22). It's tempting to think that our spiritual stagnation affects only our own personal relationship with God. As this text reveals, the contagion of spiritual decline can infect entire communities and even creation.

In contrast to the benefits from knowing God outlined in yesterday's reading, the price of refusing to acknowledge God in today's reading seems stark. Amazingly, He remains true to His character of love and forgiveness (see Hosea 14).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
This passage points us to three categories for which we can pray. First, pray for your spiritual leaders today. Ask God to fill them with a passion for knowing Him and His truth. Second, pray for those impacted by natural and environmental disasters, like the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, earthquake in Haiti, and pollution in Beijing. Third, commit your own heart to seeking God and spiritual growth. Thank Him for His willingness to forgive, embrace, and restore His children!

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

October 10, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

How Will I Know?

Jesus answered and said, 'I thank You, Father . . . that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes' -Matthew 11:25

We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step- we either have a relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin- "But if we walk in the light," we are cleansed "from all sin" (1 John 1:7). It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly perfected. But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again.

All of God's revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Let God's truth work into you by immersing yourself in it, not by worrying into it. The only way you can get to know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as sunlight. Don't say, "I suppose I will understand these things someday!" You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming one of the "wise and prudent." "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know . . ." (John 7:17).

The Ninth Commandment of Marriage:  Be Truthful

The ninth commandment for marriage speaks to the heart of any marriage, trust.  It is found in Exodus 20:16,

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."

Someone who would lie about their neighbor, for whatever reason, is not going to make a good marriage partner.  Honesty and trust are at the heart of a good marriage.

If you take advantage of people for your own gain, speaking untruthfully to get ahead, you are not a person to be trusted.  And you ultimately are the loser.

I am reminded of the guy who was in a fender bender, and he feigned an injury, pretended like he hurt his arm and his shoulder.  As a result, the poor little lady who had run into his car was subjected to a truly horrible situation.  She was grilled by attorneys, had to give depositions, and ended up in court.

But this guy continued trying to take her for all she was worth.  He didn't care because he knew she had money.  He didn't care if she had to give up her house.  He was looking at an opportunity to get rich.

The attorney for the lady's insurance company put him on the stand and said, "I would like to know, since the accident, since you injured your arm and your shoulder, how far can you now raise your arm?"

With great pain etched on his face, he said, "Well...'bout here.  That's it.  Just to here."  Then the attorney asked, "Well, how far could you lift it before the accident?"  The guy responded, raising his arm with ease, "I could lift it up to here."

Needless to say, he lost.

Anyone who is not truthful will ultimately lose.  And if your spouse will lie to someone else, he or she will lie to you. 
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Read: Romans 1:18-31
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie. - Romans 1:25

TODAY IN THE WORD
Lisa Bradley and her husband seemed to have a perfect life-good jobs, beautiful home, two healthy children, and lovely cars and clothes. But behind this facade was the truth of escalating debt and a crumbling marriage. Lisa was convinced that an image of success was essential, no matter the cost. Rather than curtail her shopping, she would simply ignore the bills, credit card statements, and collections calls. She finally sought help when their debt neared $200,000 and her husband threatened to leave.
Telling ourselves lies and attempting to bury the truth can damage and destroy our lives. In yesterday's reading we saw the consequences of refusing to acknowledge God. This was not just one anecdote from the Old Testament about God and the people of Israel. As we see in our reading, people continue to suppress the truth about God, and God continues to exercise judgment on sin.

This is another example of the consequences of refusing to grow in the knowledge of God. Compared to the passage in Hosea, the stakes here were even higher-the people weren't just ignoring God, they were actively promoting lies as though they were truth (vv. 18, 25, 28, 32). Paul emphasized that these people did not suffer from ignorance. They knew God and His decrees, righteousness, and truth. Still they turned away.

This passage is an example of Scripture's denunciation of homosexuality (vv. 26-27). But we should not let this divert our attention from other sins listed in this chapter. The description of depravity here extends beyond sexual immorality. Notice the examples Paul gave of "wickedness, evil, greed and depravity": envy, deceit, gossip, arrogance, disobedience to parents, and ruthlessness (vv. 29-31). If we are honestly evaluating our hearts, we'll acknowledge that we all fall short of God's righteousness.

Honest assessment of our hearts is the point of this text. We all stand convicted of sin. The question, then, is how will we respond? Will we decide to suppress this truth and live the way we want? Or will we cry out for forgiveness and seek to grow in the knowledge of God?
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
In this section of our study we are answering the question, "Why grow in the knowledge of God?" The response from the Scripture yesterday and today resounds: Because lack of growth signals a dire spiritual condition, followed by God's righteous judgment. God has provided us with His Word, access to His throne in prayer, the example of our Savior Jesus Christ, and the indwelling of His Spirit. We have no excuse. Reject the lies and walk in His truth.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

October 11, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

God's Silence- Then What?

When He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was -John 11:6

Has God trusted you with His silence- a silence that has great meaning? God's silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any further without them, but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible- with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him- He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes. The actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God's sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you may have said, "I asked God to give me bread, but He gave me a stone instead" (see Matthew 7:9). He did not give you a stone, and today you find that He gave you the "bread of life" (John 6:35).

A wonderful thing about God's silence is that His stillness is contagious- it gets into you, causing you to become perfectly confident so that you can honestly say, "I know that God has heard me." His silence is the very proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will always bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of His silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, then He will give you the first sign of His intimacy- silence.

The Tenth Commandment of Marriage:  Be Content with What You Have

Today we come to the final commandment for marriage. That commandment is based on the tenth commandment given to the nation of Israel in Exodus 20:17,

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."

This command is very direct.  Do not covet.  Don't be discontent with what you have.  Do not make what you don't have the focus of your life.  Accentuate what you do have and what God has blessed you and your spouse with.

You do this by celebrating your husband's or wife's strengths and giftings rather than thinking, "Oh, I wish he was this way," or, "I wish she had that."

If Janet compared me to her brothers, I would be in big trouble.  Her brothers are these "Mr. Fix-It" guys who can do anything mechanical.  If you are with me and our car breaks down on a desolate road, we are going to be in some serious trouble.  I can pray, but do not expect me to fix the car.

Her brothers are another story.  One just built a house from the ground up; and if anything mechanical breaks down, he can fix it.

While I am not a Mr. Fix-It, there are other things I am good at.  I am so grateful that Janet wants to pull those out of me and give wings to those gifts.  And I want to do the same thing for her.

You will always get into trouble if you think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.  Just water your own grass.  Because on the other side of the fence, it's just Astroturf anyway.
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Read: 2 Corinthians 10:1-6
We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. - 2 Corinthians 10:5

TODAY IN THE WORD
Dieter Dengler was a German-born U.S. Navy pilot who escaped from a Laotian prison camp during the Vietnam War. He survived for 23 days in the harsh jungle before being rescued, considered one of the most amazing escapes ever by a prisoner of war. His survival has been credited to his willingness to forage for food and eat anything as well as his mental discipline under adversity. Though his body might have been captured, Dengler's mind was constantly planning for his escape.
This kind of mental discipline comes from character, training, and adversity (Dengler grew up foraging for food in the Black Forest during World War II). Spiritual discipline comes in much the same way, and it is required for our growth in the knowledge of God. This is an active engagement, not a passive one. Our passage today provides a helpful contrast to the willful suppression of the knowledge of God that we studied yesterday.

As we have seen in our other passages from Paul's letters to the church in Corinth, the Apostle contrasted worldly standards and spiritual ones (v. 2). The Corinthians had misjudged the value of worldly techniques and arguments. They were distracted from the pursuit of God by worldly assessments of success.

These distractions were leading them away from the knowledge of God, and Paul actively resisted anything that moved him further from the Lord. Notice the verbs he used: "demolish" and "take captive" (vv. 4-5). When presented with the allure of temptation, we should respond with spiritual weapons to demolish the mirage. When urged to follow the crowd instead of following Christ, we must run closer to Him. When pursuing our own pleasure or status threatens to derail our spiritual fellowship, we must take our thoughts captive and submit them to the Lord.

Yesterday we saw the active suppression of the knowledge of God. Today we see an active pursuit of the knowledge of God. Paul did not depict this as an easy stroll in the park. He described it as a battle with the highest stakes-our own lives. Every thought must be in obedience to Christ.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
In this life, we are not free from the temptation and allure of sin. How do we pursue the knowledge of God and take our thoughts captive for Christ? Only through spiritual disciplines-daily Bible study, prayer, and time with God. We also must reject our own pretensions that we know best or that we can handle temptation on our own. Finally, we can encourage each other through fellowship, prayer, and study together to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (Heb. 12:2-3).

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

October 12, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers


Getting into God's Stride

Enoch walked with God . . . -Genesis 5:24


The true test of a person's spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person's worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight (seeJohn 1:35-37 and John 3:30). It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him- it means getting your second wind spiritually. In learning to walk with God, there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride, but once we have done so, the only characteristic that exhibits itself is the very life of God Himself. The individual person is merged into a personal oneness with God, and God's stride and His power alone are exhibited.

It is difficult to get into stride with God, because as soon as we start walking with Him we find that His pace has surpassed us before we have even taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways. It was said of Jesus- "He will not fail nor be discouraged . . ." (Isaiah 42:4) because He never worked from His own individual standpoint, but always worked from the standpoint of His Father. And we must learn to do the same. Spiritual truth is learned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning. It is God's Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and then things begin to be possible which before were impossible. Getting into God's stride means nothing less than oneness with Him. It takes a long time to get there, but keep at it. Don't give up because the pain is intense right now- get on with it, and before long you will find that you have a new vision and a new purpose.

The Face of God

The psalmist says in Psalm 30:7,

You hid Your face, and I was troubled.

One thing we should never want to experience is for God to hide His face, because the face of God represents His favor, friendship, and fellowship.

Now there is only one thing that causes God to hide His face from us.  It is found in Isaiah 59:1-2,

Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.  But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

Sin is the one thing that causes God's face to be hidden.  The Bible says we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, which means the sin of mankind had hidden God's face.

But that is not the end of the story, thank goodness!  In Isaiah 50:6 we are told,

"I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting."

Because Jesus did not hide His face from shame and spitting, because He took your place and died for your sins, God's face can shine upon you.

He could have hidden His face; He could have avoided the whole crucifixion, but He didn't.  He bore a shame that was not His as God the Father laid the sin of the world on Him.

Because Jesus did not hide His face, the face of God need not be hidden from any of us.  The light of God's countenance can shine upon every one of us, and we can indeed be the friends of God. 

Thank you, Jesus, for what you did! 
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Read: Ephesians 4:1-16
Prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. - Ephesians 4:12

TODAY IN THE WORD
Human growth hormone has made news in recent years in connection with the investigations and allegations surrounding illegal doping in sports like baseball, cycling, and track & field. But for children suffering from disorders such as a lack of insulin like growth factor 1 or other growth hormone deficiencies, treatment with human growth hormone enables them to grow and develop more normally. This allows their physical growth to reflect their burgeoning maturity.
We usually associate physical growth with increasing maturity in children; as they grow older, we expect them to get taller and also more mature. Unlike the physical growth of children, however, we should not expect a tapering off of our spiritual growth. As our passage for today makes clear, continued growth in the knowledge of God leads to both increasing spiritual maturity and stronger Christian unity.

In the first part of this text, Paul described what true Christian unity looks like: "bearing with one another in love," remembering that we all share one hope, "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father and all" (vv. 2-5). Rather than seeking our own agenda in the community of faith, we can accept that others have different gifts than we do, but we all have the same calling to use those gifts to strengthen the body of Christ.

In verse 13, Paul made an interesting connection between unity in the church and spiritual maturity. The link that enables believers to be unified in love and also mature in faith is found in the knowledge of the Son of God. As we grow in this knowledge, we understand more of the truth of our faith, providing a buffer against false teaching (v. 14). In fact, Paul used the metaphor of infants here to contrast with the spiritual growth that he urged for believers!

Growing in the knowledge of God leads to spiritual maturity, which leads to Christian unity. Rather than being helpless infants sent into panic by the slightest disturbance, the church should be firmly joined together, recognizing the Headship of Christ and our need to support one another in love (v. 16).

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

October 13, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

Individual Discouragement and Personal Growth

. . . when Moses was grown . . . he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens -Exodus 2:11

Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God and for what was right, God allowed Moses to be driven into empty discouragement, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared to Moses and said to him, " '. . . bring My people . . . out of Egypt.' But Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should go . . . ?' " (Exodus 3:10-11). In the beginning Moses had realized that he was the one to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in his individual perspective, but he was not the person for the work until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God.

We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and yet when we start to do it, there comes to us something equivalent to Moses' forty years in the wilderness. It's as if God had ignored the entire thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged, God comes back and revives His call to us. And then we begin to tremble and say, "Who am I that I should go . . . ?" We must learn that God's great stride is summed up in these words- "I AM WHO I AM . . . has sent me to you" (Exodus 3:14). We must also learn that our individual effort for God shows nothing but disrespect for Him- our individuality is to be rendered radiant through a personal relationship with God, so that He may be "well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). We are focused on the right individual perspective of things; we have the vision and can say, "I know this is what God wants me to do." But we have not yet learned to get into God's stride. If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a time of great personal growth ahead.

Showers of Blessings

In Ezekiel 34:26, God is speaking, and He says,

"I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing."

In this passage, God is certainly speaking of natural rain when He talks about the showers He will send.  Those are rains He promised to Israel which would water the land and cause it to increase and be fruitful and bring an abundant harvest.   

But, more than that, when God says there will be showers of blessing, He is talking about bringing blessings into the lives of His people.  The rain is symbolic of more than just the rain that falls to the earth.  It symbolizes the good things that God wants to bring into the lives of those who serve Him.

God wants to bring showers of blessings into your life.  Not just a blessing or two, but showers of blessings.  An abundance of blessings.

You may feel like you are in a season of drought rather than experiencing showers of blessings.  So over the next few devotionals, I will help you understand:

The three ways God brings blessing into the lives of people
The things that can cause a spiritual drought
How you can break such a drought in your life
For today, what I want you to begin to see is God's desire to rain blessings into your life.  If you are feeling a spiritual drought, I pray God will use the coming devotionals to help you break that drought, and experience the refreshing rains of His blessing.
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Read: 2 Peter 3:1-18
Be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men. - 2 Peter 3:17

TODAY IN THE WORD
In 1974, heiress Patty Hearst was kidnapped by the radical group Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). After several negotiation attempts for her release failed, she assisted the SLA two months later in a bank robbery. She was arrested, and during her trial pleaded that she suffered from Stockholm Syndrome, a condition when victims depend on their captors and then become sympathetic to them. Hearst was still convicted and sentenced to prison.
We've already discussed the importance of taking every thought captive for Christ (see 2 Cor. 10:6). Our passage today warns that without growing in the knowledge of God, we can easily be deceived and co-opted by the evil of this world. We must guard our sympathies so that we don't find ourselves in league with "lawless men" (v. 17).

In this final chapter of his letter, the apostle Peter provided three reasons why we should grow in the knowledge of God. First, evil is real, present, and persuasive. The arguments of those who scoff at the notion of a holy, loving God might make sense to those who "deliberately forget" the word and work of the Lord (v. 5). The temptation to follow their own desires seduces many into rejecting the knowledge of God (v. 3). Peter knew that even believers struggle, and he urged them to be on their guard, a picture of active vigilance against sinful lies (v. 17).

Second, Peter discussed the nature of God. He is the Creator of the world (v. 5). He is the Judge of the world (v. 7). And He is also patient, filled with love for His creation and extending forgiveness to all those who seek Him (vv. 9, 15). The God we know is not a celestial bully nor a humorless tyrant nor a fickle snob. He is holy, and He has also provided a means of salvation for His people.

Finally, we need an eternal perspective. The doctrine of End Times matters because it should impact how we live now (vv. 11, 13-14). Evil is real, and God will judge it. But He has prepared a new place for those who are saved. As we look forward to eternity with Him, we have every incentive to learn more about Him now.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Perhaps you'd like to take your study of God's Word a step further. We are blessed to live in a time of numerous resources. Your pastor can recommend some commentaries on books of the Bible, or you might consider taking an online Bible study course with Moody Bible Institute. For more information on this option, call 1-800-758-6352. Pray that God will bless your study with a deeper knowledge of Him, protection from evil snares, and a focus on eternity.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

October 14, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

The Key to the Missionary's Work (1)

Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations . . .' -Matthew 28:18-19

The key to the missionary's work is the authority of Jesus Christ, not the needs of the lost. We are inclined to look on our Lord as one who assists us in our endeavors for God. Yet our Lord places Himself as the absolute sovereign and supreme Lord over His disciples. He does not say that the lost will never be saved if we don't go- He simply says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations . . . ." He says, "Go on the basis of the revealed truth of My sovereignty, teaching and preaching out of your living experience of Me."

"Then the eleven disciples went . . . to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them" (Matthew 28:16). If I want to know the universal sovereignty of Christ, I must know Him myself. I must take time to worship the One whose name I bear. Jesus says, "Come to Me . . ."- that is the place to meet Jesus- "all you who labor and are heavy laden . . ." (Matthew 11:28)- and how many missionaries are! We completely dismiss these wonderful words of the universal Sovereign of the world, but they are the words of Jesus to His disciples meant for here and now.

"Go therefore . . . ." To "go" simply means to live. Acts 1:8 is the description of how to go. Jesus did not say in this verse, "Go into Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria," but, ". . . you shall be witnesses to Me in [all these places]." He takes upon Himself the work of sending us.

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you . . ." (John 15:7)- that is the way to keep going. Where we are placed is then a matter of indifference to us, because God sovereignly engineers our goings.

"None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus . . ." (Acts 20:24). That is how to keep going until we are gone from this life.

The Blessing of God's Spiritual Influence

In the beginning of Isaiah 55, God invites His people to come to Him and fellowship with Him.  In verses 3 and 6 God says,

"Incline your ear, and come to Me.  Hear, and your soul shall live....  Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near."

In verses 10-11, we are told what happens to those who respond to this invitation, to God's call to come and seek Him and listen to Him,

"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

In the same way rain brings blessing when it waters the earth (causing it to bring a bountiful harvest and fruitfulness into the lives of the people), so God's spiritual influence brings refreshment and fruitfulness to our lives.

What is God's spiritual influence?  It is the impact of His Word and His Spirit upon the hearts of His children. 

When you come to God, when you respond to His call to seek Him and incline your ear, He will speak to you.  And the effect His Word has when He speaks it into your life, into your heart, is the same effect that rain has on the earth.

His Word, as it penetrates your heart, will bring refreshment, enlightenment, and ultimately, fruitfulness.  It will bring revival into your heart causing spiritual growth and progress.
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Read: Acts 13:13-48
Through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. - Acts 13:38

TODAY IN THE WORD
According to a July 2 report on Newshour, 40 percent of Americans from the ages of 18 to 29 don't know the country from which the United States gained independence. The poll provoked widespread hand-wringing about the state of contemporary American education if so many young adults were unaware of such a fact.
Knowing the facts of history is important, for they inform any subsequent analysis or conclusions about our understanding of the past. This is true spiritually as well, and our passage today shows wonderfully how using the account of God's past work can inspire a tremendous spiritual response.

We are transitioning at this point in our study from a focus on growing in knowledge to examining what it means to grow in grace. Our text today is a perfect link, for it connects knowledge of God and grace of God in a fascinating way. The context is a message that Paul delivered in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. Notice that the invitation was to offer "a message of encouragement" (v. 15).

Paul offered the ultimate encouragement: he proclaimed the gospel of Jesus (vv. 23, 32, 38). Since his audience was comprised of Jews, he carefully connected the story of Jesus to the story of God's work with His people throughout history. God had delivered them from Egypt, raised up judges, and anointed David. This same God, who had consistently cared for and rescued His people, continued His work of salvation through sending His Son to preach repentance, die on behalf of sinners, and then be raised from the dead (v. 30).

After this stirring sermon, the people responded in an interesting way: they urged Paul and Barnabas to "continue in the grace of God." Why not say "the knowledge of God" when Paul had just recounted a sermon full of facts and history? It's because they had heard the gospel. Yes, the "good news" about Jesus is factually true, but it is also filled with life-saving grace (v. 32). The gospel offers the opportunity to be spared from the consequences of our sin and to have life with God. What grace!
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
One way you can grow in grace is by reviewing your own spiritual history. Whether you accepted Christ as a child or an adult, you can trace the ways that God was working and preparing you to receive His grace. Spend some time reflecting on your past, perhaps the heritage of a godly family, a dramatic conversion, or a series of remarkable events that led you to faith. You might even want to record your history of experiencing God's grace, to encourage both yourself and others.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

October 15, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

The Key to the Missionary's Work (2)

He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world -1 John 2:2

The key to the missionary's message is the propitiation of Christ Jesus- His sacrifice for us that completely satisfied the wrath of God. Look at any other aspect of Christ's work, whether it is healing, saving, or sanctifying, and you will see that there is nothing limitless about those. But- "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"- that is limitless (John 1:29). The missionary's message is the limitless importance of Jesus Christ as the propitiation for our sins, and a missionary is someone who is immersed in the truth of that revelation.

The real key to the missionary's message is the "remissionary" aspect of Christ's life, not His kindness, His goodness, or even His revealing of the fatherhood of God to us. ". . . repentance and remission of sins should be preached . . . to all nations . . ." (Luke 24:47). The greatest message of limitless importance is that "He Himself is the propitiation for our sins . . . ." The missionary's message is not nationalistic, favoring nations or individuals; it is "for the whole world." When the Holy Spirit comes into me, He does not consider my partialities or preferences; He simply brings me into oneness with the Lord Jesus.

A missionary is someone who is bound by marriage to the stated mission and purpose of his Lord and Master. He is not to proclaim his own point of view, but is only to proclaim "the Lamb of God." It is easier to belong to a faction that simply tells what Jesus Christ has done for me, and easier to become a devotee of divine healing, or of a special type of sanctification, or of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But Paul did not say, "Woe is me if I do not preach what Christ has done for me," but, ". . . woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Corinthians 9:16). And this is the gospel- "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

God's Plentiful Rain

Psalm 68:6-10 says,

God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.  O God, when You went out before Your people, when You marched through the wilderness, the earth shook; the heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.  You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, whereby You confirmed Your inheritance, when it was weary.  Your congregation dwelt in it; You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor.

When you read various Bible commentators, you will find they agree that this refers to a tremendous rain.  The language the psalmist uses refers back to the manna God provided for His children as they wandered in the wilderness.

God sustained them supernaturally.  He gave them supernatural provision.  He brought them out of bondage into prosperity, and He sent a plentiful rain symbolizing His extravagant blessing on their life.

God, out of His goodness, met the needs of those who previously had been poor.  And in the same way, He pours blessings into our life.  He sustains us, He takes care of us, and He meets our needs.

Take time today to praise Him for His provision and blessing in your life.

Now, if there is a drought in your life in any of these areas, there is a reason for it.  In the next few devotionals, I want to talk to you about some potential causes for that drought, and suggest some things you can do to cause the drought to break and bring the rain of God's blessing to fall in your life once again.
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Read: Romans 5:1-11
We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. - Romans 5:11

TODAY IN THE WORD
In past centuries, royal weddings were elaborately orchestrated affairs of state with monarchs hammering out alliances or trade deals to be sealed by the marriage of their children. Love usually played no part in the match. Royal families in the twenty-first century are going a different direction. This past June, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden married her former personal trainer, and in 2006 Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark married Mary Donaldson, an Australian woman he met during the 2000 Olympics. Reportedly he first introduced himself as, "Hi, I'm Fred from Denmark."
Such access to the royal family would have been inconceivable for commoners in prior generations. Even more remarkable is the access that believers-who were sinners in rebellion against God-now have to the royal throne of God, the Lord of all creation. Only one person has made this possible: our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 2).

Our passage today is an exploration of God's grace, summed up in verse 8: "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." We were ungodly, powerless, and unrighteous (vv. 6-7). Still, God extended grace to us by sending Jesus to die for our sins and then raising Him from the dead.

Faith in Jesus provides the access to this grace. But if we've already trusted Christ and experienced the grace of salvation, what does it mean to grow in grace? Growing-or continuing-in grace means rejoicing. First, Paul says that we rejoice in "the hope of the glory of God" (vv. 2, 11). As we grow in grace, we focus our priorities on eternal and spiritual matters, finding joy in bringing glory to God and looking forward to eternal life with Him.

Second, we rejoice in our sufferings (v. 3). Most of us aren't too excited about suffering, much less rejoice in it. But as we grow in grace, we are able to see even our sufferings from God's eternal perspective. Ultimately, suffering produces hope, which is confirmed by our experience of God's love deep in our innermost being (v. 5). Thanks to Jesus, we have grace, hope, and joy in our Christian journey.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
These verses don't minimize the pain of suffering. Even Jesus experienced mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual agony in His crucifixion. This is not a call to a "stiff upper lip" or false assertions that "everything will be okay." Instead, if you are suffering, you have access to God to pour out your heart. You can ask the Holy Spirit to help you feel the love of God. You can press the Lord to fill you with His perspective so you can have hope. God has promised that our suffering will not be in vain.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

October 16, 2010

Daily Devotionals By Oswald Chambers

The Key to the Master's Orders

Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest -Matthew 9:38

The key to the missionary's difficult task is in the hand of God, and that key is prayer, not work- that is, not work as the word is commonly used today, which often results in the shifting of our focus away from God. The key to the missionary's difficult task is also not the key of common sense, nor is it the key of medicine, civilization, education, or even evangelization. The key is in following the Master's orders- the key is prayer. "Pray the Lord of the harvest . . . ." In the natural realm, prayer is not practical but absurd. We have to realize that prayer is foolish from the commonsense point of view.

From Jesus Christ's perspective, there are no nations, but only the world. How many of us pray without regard to the persons, but with regard to only one Person- Jesus Christ? He owns the harvest that is produced through distress and through conviction of sin. This is the harvest for which we have to pray that laborers be sent out to reap. We stay busy at work, while people all around us are ripe and ready to be harvested; we do not reap even one of them, but simply waste our Lord's time in over-energized activities and programs. Suppose a crisis were to come into your father's or your brother's life- are you there as a laborer to reap the harvest for Jesus Christ? Is your response, "Oh, but I have a special work to do!" No Christian has a special work to do. A Christian is called to be Jesus Christ's own, "a servant [who] is not greater than his master" (John 13:16), and someone who does not dictate to Jesus Christ what he intends to do. Our Lord calls us to no special work- He calls us to Himself. "Pray the Lord of the harvest," and He will engineer your circumstances to send you out as His laborer.

The Number One Cause for Spiritual Drought

By far the Scriptures teach that the number one cause for spiritual drought is sin.  And the number one cure for drought, according to the Scriptures, is repentance.

In 2 Chronicles 6:26-27, King Solomon is clear in this prayer,

When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them, then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

Notice that the heavens were shut up, there was no rain, because of sin.  But when the people confessed God's name and turned and repented, Solomon prayed, "God, hear and open the heavens once again and send rain."

This prayer is particularly significant because Solomon is praying at the dedication of the temple.  Scripture declares to us in 2 Corinthians 6:16, You are the temple of the living God.

The Old Testament temple was just a type and a shadow pointing to better things-to the era in which God would no longer dwell in buildings made with mortar and stone, but take up residence in human hearts.

That's you and me!  As 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us, our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are not our own.  We have been bought with a price, and God's expectation is that we glorify Him in our bodies.  You and I are God's temple.

If there is sin in your life, turn from it and turn to God, so that you can experience the refreshing rain of God's blessing in your life.
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Read: Ephesians 1:3-14
God . . . has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. - Ephesians 1:3

TODAY IN THE WORD
For parents determined to bestow lavish gifts on their children, retailers are ready to offer ideas. The 2003 edition of FAO Schwarz's "Ultimate Toy Catalogue" included a $15,000 Lego life-size model of an NBA star, as well as a $30,000 gasoline-powered off-road vehicle to give kids their "first driving experience." If that's too traditional, Hammacher Schlemmer offers a Levitating Hover Scooter for only $13,000.
In a consumer-driven culture, it can be difficult to distinguish between getting stuff and receiving blessings. We can find ourselves distracted by acquiring material things rather than experiencing spiritual growth. Our passage today describes the way that God has lavished gifts upon His children-and every item is better than Legos or hovercraft.

This passage begins with Paul praising God and noting that He has given us "every spiritual blessing" (v. 3). Then notice some of what follows: chosen to be blameless in His sight; adopted as His children; His glorious grace; redemption and forgiveness; wisdom and understanding; and the Holy Spirit, a guarantee for our eternal inheritance.

To borrow a line from the popular MasterCard commercials, this list is priceless. Now see how it is that we receive these amazing blessings: only when we are in Christ. Review this passage and count how many times the phrases "in Christ" or "in him" occur-it's nearly every verse. As we saw yesterday, without Christ we deserve full punishment for our sin and rebellion against God. In Him we receive full acceptance and adoption as God's children.

Paul inserted the gospel in his description of these blessings. How do we find our identity in Christ? When we hear the truth of the gospel and believe it (v. 13). It's not from any good work that we do to impress God; our new identity results from accepting the truth about Jesus. The full Trinity is involved, for upon our belief in Jesus, we are given the Holy Spirit, which confirms that we indeed belong to God and will receive our inheritance as His children (v. 14). God is not stingy. He delights to lavish the riches of His grace (vv. 7-8).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
It doesn't matter who your parents are, where you came from, how much education you have, or how much money you make: when you believe the gospel message about Jesus, God calls you His child and lavishes His gifts upon you. If you struggle with comparing yourself or your stuff with others around you, review this list of the gifts God has given you. If you find yourself tempted to have low self-esteem, rejoice in your identity in Christ as God's child.

GOD BLESS!