Friday, September 30, 2011
Psalms 19:12-14
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Romans 1:1
MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST
DO YOU SEE YOUR CALLING?
Separated unto the Gospel.
Romans 1:1
Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be
proclaimers of the Gospel of God. The one thing that is all important
is that the Gospel of God should be realized as the abiding Reality.
Reality is not human goodness, nor holiness, nor heaven, nor hell;
but Redemption; and the need to perceive this is the most vital need
of the Christian worker to-day. As workers we have to get used to the
revelation that Redemption is the only Reality. Personal holiness is
an effect, not a cause, and if we place our faith in human goodness,
in the effect of Redemption, we shall go under when the test comes.
Paul did not say he separated himself, but - "when it pleased God who
separated me. . ." Paul had not a hypersensitive interest in his own
character. As long as our eyes are upon our own personal whiteness we
shall never get near the reality of Redemption. Workers break down
because their desire is for their own whiteness, and not for God.
"Don't ask me to come into contact with the rugged reality of
Redemption on behalf of the filth of human life as it is; wbat I want
is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own
eyes." To talk in that way is a sign that the reality of the Gospel
of God has not begun to touch me; there is no reckless abandon to
God. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own
character. Paul is unconscious of himself, he is recklessly
abandoned, separated by God for one purpose - to proclaim the Gospel
of God (cf. Rom. 9:3.)
DO YOU SEE YOUR CALLING?
Separated unto the Gospel.
Romans 1:1
Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be
proclaimers of the Gospel of God. The one thing that is all important
is that the Gospel of God should be realized as the abiding Reality.
Reality is not human goodness, nor holiness, nor heaven, nor hell;
but Redemption; and the need to perceive this is the most vital need
of the Christian worker to-day. As workers we have to get used to the
revelation that Redemption is the only Reality. Personal holiness is
an effect, not a cause, and if we place our faith in human goodness,
in the effect of Redemption, we shall go under when the test comes.
Paul did not say he separated himself, but - "when it pleased God who
separated me. . ." Paul had not a hypersensitive interest in his own
character. As long as our eyes are upon our own personal whiteness we
shall never get near the reality of Redemption. Workers break down
because their desire is for their own whiteness, and not for God.
"Don't ask me to come into contact with the rugged reality of
Redemption on behalf of the filth of human life as it is; wbat I want
is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own
eyes." To talk in that way is a sign that the reality of the Gospel
of God has not begun to touch me; there is no reckless abandon to
God. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own
character. Paul is unconscious of himself, he is recklessly
abandoned, separated by God for one purpose - to proclaim the Gospel
of God (cf. Rom. 9:3.)
Romans 8:18
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
Romans 8:18
Is it worth it? Oh yes! It's more than worth it. We can't begin
to imagine the glory God has in store for us. No matter how hard,
bad, or painful our trip through this world may be, our future with
God holds something incomparably better. Does that mean my
difficulties are meaningless or insignificant? Absolutely not! But
our future glory with God does mean that it is more than worth it
to hang in, to be faithful, and to receive his glorious reward!
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
Romans 8:18
Is it worth it? Oh yes! It's more than worth it. We can't begin
to imagine the glory God has in store for us. No matter how hard,
bad, or painful our trip through this world may be, our future with
God holds something incomparably better. Does that mean my
difficulties are meaningless or insignificant? Absolutely not! But
our future glory with God does mean that it is more than worth it
to hang in, to be faithful, and to receive his glorious reward!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Undeserved Treatment
Psalm 103–104, 1 Corinthians 2
Key Verses: Psalm 103:10–12
“It’s just not fair,” we sometimes say,
perhaps not thinking too clearly
about what we are saying.
If someone is being fair toward us, he is
following a standard of what is right and proper,
not giving consideration
to anything or anyone else.
We want to be treated fairly—
or at least we
think we do. Typically, the standard by which we decide if something is
“fair” is one of our own perspective.
It is our attempt to get what we think we deserve.
We should be thankful that God does not give us what we deserve but instead gives us what we don’t.
David said in Psalm 103:10 that God “does
not treat us as our sins deserve.” The reason He doesn’t is forgiveness.
He removes our transgressions from us, separating them from us at an incalculable distance.
Consider how far east is from west.
If you go north far enough, you will
reach the North Pole.
It’s all south from there.
Or go south far enough
and you will encounter the South Pole.
One more step and you are headed
north. North and south really are next to each other. But go east and you
will never reach an east pole.
Same is true with the west.
East is not just a step away from west.
They are not even “poles apart.”
Verse 12 is a vivid image of forgiveness:
as far as east is from the west.
God has removed our transgressions farther than we can imagine.
Thank God for forgiveness!
Thank Him that He did not give you what you
deserve.
Author: Woodrow Kroll
Tony Beckett
Key Verses: Psalm 103:10–12
“It’s just not fair,” we sometimes say,
perhaps not thinking too clearly
about what we are saying.
If someone is being fair toward us, he is
following a standard of what is right and proper,
not giving consideration
to anything or anyone else.
We want to be treated fairly—
or at least we
think we do. Typically, the standard by which we decide if something is
“fair” is one of our own perspective.
It is our attempt to get what we think we deserve.
We should be thankful that God does not give us what we deserve but instead gives us what we don’t.
David said in Psalm 103:10 that God “does
not treat us as our sins deserve.” The reason He doesn’t is forgiveness.
He removes our transgressions from us, separating them from us at an incalculable distance.
Consider how far east is from west.
If you go north far enough, you will
reach the North Pole.
It’s all south from there.
Or go south far enough
and you will encounter the South Pole.
One more step and you are headed
north. North and south really are next to each other. But go east and you
will never reach an east pole.
Same is true with the west.
East is not just a step away from west.
They are not even “poles apart.”
Verse 12 is a vivid image of forgiveness:
as far as east is from the west.
God has removed our transgressions farther than we can imagine.
Thank God for forgiveness!
Thank Him that He did not give you what you
deserve.
Author: Woodrow Kroll
Tony Beckett
Proverbs 27:1
The future isn't some pie in the sky dream.
Hope for the future is simply
one aspect of trusting God.
Read Proverbs 27:1
Hope for the future is simply
one aspect of trusting God.
Read Proverbs 27:1
Daily Scripture
Daily Scripture
Let everything you do be
done in love (true love to God
and man as inspired by
God's love for us).
~ 1 Corinthians 16:14
Let everything you do be
done in love (true love to God
and man as inspired by
God's love for us).
~ 1 Corinthians 16:14
Monday, September 19, 2011
Free From Fear
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
(2 Timothy 1:7)
What would you think if I told you that you could live without fear? Would you believe me if I said that despite what you saw on the news tonight, you could be perfectly at peace? Impossible? Unrealistic? No!
You see, fear isn't just a reaction to external circumstances. It's a spiritual force. It begins inside a person. And it is totally destructive. In fact, fear is Satan's primary weapon. He moves in response to fear, the way God moves in response to faith. He challenges the promises of God with it.
An excellent example of this is found in Matthew 14 when Jesus invited Peter to come to Him on the water. "But when he [Peter] saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me" (verse 30).
What enabled Peter to walk on the water? His faith in the Word of Jesus. What caused Peter to sink? He saw the wind boisterous and he was afraid. It wasn't the wind that defeated him, it was his fear of it! He looked at his circumstances, gave into the fear, and the result was defeat. If Peter had kept his focus on Jesus, his faith would never have wavered. All the blustering and blowing in the world couldn't have drawn him off course.
Faith is developed by meditating on God's Word. Fear is developed by meditating on Satan's lies. Such fearful meditation is called worrying. Don't do it!
The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. Use it to fight Satan every time he comes against you. Hold up your shield of faith and quench all of his fiery darts. Speak words of faith and fear will depart.
Scripture Study: Psalm 27
* From Faith to Faith ~ A Daily Guide to Victory by Kenneth Copeland Ministries
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
(2 Timothy 1:7)
What would you think if I told you that you could live without fear? Would you believe me if I said that despite what you saw on the news tonight, you could be perfectly at peace? Impossible? Unrealistic? No!
You see, fear isn't just a reaction to external circumstances. It's a spiritual force. It begins inside a person. And it is totally destructive. In fact, fear is Satan's primary weapon. He moves in response to fear, the way God moves in response to faith. He challenges the promises of God with it.
An excellent example of this is found in Matthew 14 when Jesus invited Peter to come to Him on the water. "But when he [Peter] saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me" (verse 30).
What enabled Peter to walk on the water? His faith in the Word of Jesus. What caused Peter to sink? He saw the wind boisterous and he was afraid. It wasn't the wind that defeated him, it was his fear of it! He looked at his circumstances, gave into the fear, and the result was defeat. If Peter had kept his focus on Jesus, his faith would never have wavered. All the blustering and blowing in the world couldn't have drawn him off course.
Faith is developed by meditating on God's Word. Fear is developed by meditating on Satan's lies. Such fearful meditation is called worrying. Don't do it!
The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. Use it to fight Satan every time he comes against you. Hold up your shield of faith and quench all of his fiery darts. Speak words of faith and fear will depart.
Scripture Study: Psalm 27
* From Faith to Faith ~ A Daily Guide to Victory by Kenneth Copeland Ministries
A Lesson in Psalm 25:14
MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST
THE SECRET OF THE LORD
The secret (friendship R.V.) of the Lord is with them
that fear Him.
Psalms 25:14
What is the sign of a friend? That he tells you secret Sorrows? No,
that he tells you secret joys. Many will confide to you their secret
sorrows, but the last mark of intimacy is to confide secret joys.
Have we ever let God tell us any of His joys, or are we telling God
our secrets so continually that we leave no room for Him to talk to
us? At the beginning of our Christian life we are full of requests to
God, then we find that God wants to get us into relationship with
Himself, to get us in touch with His purposes. Are we so wedded to
Jesus Christ's idea of prayer - "Thy will be done" - that we catch
the secrets of God? The things that make God dear to us are not so
much His great big blessings as the tiny things, because they show
His amazing intimacy with us; He knows every detail of our individual
lives.
". . . him shall He teach in the way that He shall choose." At first
we want the consciousness of being guided by God, then as we go on we
live so much in the consciousness of God that we do not need to ask
what His will is, because the thought of choosing any other will
never occur to us. If we are saved and sanctified God guides us by
our ordinary choices, and if we are going to choose what He does not
want, He will check, and we must heed. Whenever there is doubt, Stop
at once. Never reason it out and say - "I wonder why I shouldn't?"
God instructs us in what we choose, that is, He guides our common
sense, and we no longer hinder His Spirit by continually saying -
"Now, Lord, what is Thy will?"
THE SECRET OF THE LORD
The secret (friendship R.V.) of the Lord is with them
that fear Him.
Psalms 25:14
What is the sign of a friend? That he tells you secret Sorrows? No,
that he tells you secret joys. Many will confide to you their secret
sorrows, but the last mark of intimacy is to confide secret joys.
Have we ever let God tell us any of His joys, or are we telling God
our secrets so continually that we leave no room for Him to talk to
us? At the beginning of our Christian life we are full of requests to
God, then we find that God wants to get us into relationship with
Himself, to get us in touch with His purposes. Are we so wedded to
Jesus Christ's idea of prayer - "Thy will be done" - that we catch
the secrets of God? The things that make God dear to us are not so
much His great big blessings as the tiny things, because they show
His amazing intimacy with us; He knows every detail of our individual
lives.
". . . him shall He teach in the way that He shall choose." At first
we want the consciousness of being guided by God, then as we go on we
live so much in the consciousness of God that we do not need to ask
what His will is, because the thought of choosing any other will
never occur to us. If we are saved and sanctified God guides us by
our ordinary choices, and if we are going to choose what He does not
want, He will check, and we must heed. Whenever there is doubt, Stop
at once. Never reason it out and say - "I wonder why I shouldn't?"
God instructs us in what we choose, that is, He guides our common
sense, and we no longer hinder His Spirit by continually saying -
"Now, Lord, what is Thy will?"
John 3:16
For God so loved the world
he gave his only begotten son
and whoever believeth on him
shall not parish but have everlasting
life!
God Can Change Anyone
GOD CAN CHANGE ANYONE -- Acts 7:57-60 NIV
At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
With these verses, we find ourselves at the beginning of the persecution of believers. Who is standing right there, if not participating, then at best giving his silent approval to the stoning of Stephen? At whose feet do the witnesses lay their clothing? Saul. The young man who would one day become the Apostle Paul… the young man who would write nearly half of what we now know as the New Testament… the young man who would one day consider dying for Jesus as a great privilege. Amazing, isn't it? God took one of the great leaders of the persecution of the church and made him into one of the greatest leaders of the church.
So often we hear about people who learn about and accept Jesus while in prison… or people who have been drug addicts and alcoholics who come to Christ. Many of these people become great witnesses for the Lord. But what is the reaction of old friends and neighbors to these people? How are they viewed by others when they return to their home towns, ready and eager to spread the news of what Jesus has done for them? With suspicion… with condemnation… and with disbelief.
The same happens elsewhere on a smaller scale. Say, for instance, you know someone who has always been a pretty rotten person… someone you could never trust… someone who climbed the ladder of success by stepping on other people's heads… someone who has betrayed your trust over and over again. Then, one day, you run into that person, and he starts telling you about the new life he's found in Jesus. How do you feel about him? Do you trust him? Do you believe he's changed? If you're normal, probably not.
And then there is you… You know yourself better than anyone else. You know your faults and your problems. You know all your scars and are well acquainted with the old "tapes" that cause you to foul up your life over and over again. There really isn't any way you can serve God, is there? You've done too many things wrong. You have too much working against you… so why even bother?
Why bother? Because God can change anyone… and He does change anyone who calls on Him. Allow Him to show you how He has changed others. Allow Him to change you. Allow Him to make you – each and every day - into someone who reflects His love. Allow Him to make you into the servant He plans for you to be.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NIV
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