THE MASTERS LIST Dean W. Masters

Encouragement for your week: Is contentment just one step away?
carolaround.com
Is Contentment Just One Step Away?
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into 
the world, and we can take nothing out of it ’´ 1 Timothy 6:5-7(NIV).

Picking up the raggedy teddy bear, the elderly woman clutched it to her 
chest.

 need him! she exclaimed to her companion, also elderly, and leaning on a 
cane.

Put him down Sophie, she said.¹s a mess and only has one eye.

Holding out the stuffed animal to examine him, Sophie said to the bear, Oh, 
I know how you feel, you poor thing.

Drawing him to her chest, she wrapped both arms around him, nuzzled his neck 
and said, I love you, love you.

Sophie then placed the well-worn bear back into the toy box at the thrift 
store where the two were browsing. Her eyes were rimmed with tears.

A Facebook friend shared the above scene she witnessed at a Missions Thrift 
Store recently. She overheard the two chatting and was still perusing the 
books
when the women were leaving the store. However, before they reached the 
door, she saw the clerk rush over to them.

You forgot this, the clerk said as she handed the bear to Sophie.

Sophie¹s companion replied, We don¹t want him ’´we don’¹t have money to spend 
on a battered old bear.

With a smile, the clerk said,A woman paid for him. She asked me to tell 
you to make sure he got hugs like that every day.

As the elderly women exited the store, Sophie wrapped her arms around her 
raggedy bear once again.

After reading this story posted on Facebook, I wanted to share it with my 
readers. Its a wonderful reminder of several things we should consider 
during
this season of shopping and giving.

 Contentment doesn¹t come wrapped in a shiny package. The person who 
purchased the worn-out toy for Sophie knows this. Her satisfaction came from 
blessing another.
The raggedy bear is an example of our own discontent. We often discard 
objects, people and the simple things in life to pursue the latest and 
greatest
gadgets and what we think will make us happy.
 Don¹t overlook any opportunity that comes your way to bless another´and 
not just during this wonderful season of joy. Each day, if we choose to be 
aware
of our surroundings, we can find someone who needs something we have to 
offer.
We might think we have nothing to offer; however, we can give our time. In 
Jenny Santi¹s book, The Giving Way to Happiness, she writes,Spending 
time
on others makes you feel more effective, capable and competent.(I would 
add that it also leads to more contentment in our busy lives.)

In Love Beyond Reason,John Ortberg wrote, All day long we are bombarded 
with messages that seek to persuade us of two things: that we are (or ought
to be) discontented and that contentment is only one step away: use me, buy 
me, eat me, wear me, try me, drive me, put me in your hair.

For Sophie and her benefactor, contentment was just one step away in the 
guise of one shabby bear.

I always love hearing from my readers. Please feel free to email me with 
your thoughts about this post and please feel free to share this post with 
others.
Thank you for subscribing!

For more inspiration, visit my blog at
carolaround.com
Copyright © 2015 Carol Round, All rights reserved.

KenBible.com

New Post on KenBible.com - Pictures of the Messiah
----------------------------------------------------------

Pictures of the Messiah

Posted: 06 Dec 2015 09:55 PM PST

Hear these descriptions of the coming Messiah:

He will endure as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
He will rule from sea to sea€ ¢â’ ¦
to the ends of the earth. (Psalm 72:5, 8, NIV)

He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth. (Isaiah 42:2-4, NIV)

€ ¢â’ ’¼Here is your God!€ ¢â’ ’½
See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
and his arm rules for him€ ¢â’ ¦
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young. (Isaiah 40:9-11, NIV)

When we think of Christ at Christmas,
we picture an infant in a manger.
But that is only one small part of
the living, eternal Christ.
The Psalms and the prophets draw many pictures of
all He is and
all He is to us.
He is a king,
a warrior,
a mighty champion,
a priest,
a prophet,
a shepherd, and
a servant who suffers willingly, horribly for His people.
He is the glory of God,
a light to the nations,
the cornerstone chosen and precious.

As you think of Him this Advent and Christmas,
as you celebrate Him,
celebrate all He is and all He is to you.

Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - A Word With You
A Word With You
Daily Devotional
When Everything's Looking Dark - #7517

When I had lunch with my friends George and Linda, they told me that the 
view had really improved at their house. They told me that everything in 
their
backyard had looked so dirty and so dingy for a long time - until the other 
day. They did something that totally changed the view. They cleaned the big
window that looks out on the yard. See, when you're looking through a dirty 
window, everything looks dirty.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When 
Everything's Looking Dark."

Now the Apostle Paul was writing from a very depressing location when he 
wrote our word for today from the Word of God. He was actually in prison for 
doing
something right. He was a victim of injustice. He was surrounded by gloom, 
he was isolated from the people who cared about him and honestly he was very
uncertain about the future. So what was the view for him - Philippians 4:4, 
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" How can he be so
positive? How can he be so joyful?

Verse 6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by 
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God." Paul 
said
when you bring your situation to God with thanksgiving, you're focusing on 
the good things that God has done. Then verse 7 says, "And the peace of 
God..."
In other words, as a result of that, "The peace of God which transcends all 
understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." And 
then
verse 8, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is 
noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is 
admirable
- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."

In other words Paul is saying train your brain not to dwell on the negatives 
but on the noble stuff, the true stuff, the right, the pure, the lovely, the
things that are worthy of praise. He's telling us that life looks much 
brighter when you're looking out a clean window. But unfortunately, too 
often life
looks dark and depressing, and discouraging, overwhelming to us.

That happened to George and Linda. That's how we ended up talking about 
their backyard window. They said there has been tension between them and 
some of
their family members. They left their church because of some of the 
disillusioning things there; but now they're actively working on removing 
those sources
of tension between them and between their family members and they're 
returning to their church, but this time with a new attitude. I said, "Hey, 
you cleaned
your window". And they said, "What?" I said, "When you are looking through a 
dirty window everything looks dirty." Then they smiled at each other and 
said,
"We just did that last week. We cleaned our back window and what a 
difference it's made."

They also cleaned the dirty window on their heart and they started to focus 
on positives, on solutions, on healing, and everything suddenly looked 
different.
Maybe it's time for you to do some window cleaning. Maybe you've allowed 
some bitterness or resentment to creep into your heart. Maybe what you have 
been
through has caused you to slip into thinking about yourself most of the time 
and into that awful swamp called self-pity. Or you focused a lot of your 
thinking
on a person or some people who have wronged you or hurt you.

The fact is the view has become stressful, it's become discouraging, 
un-motivating, and it really isn't the stuff in the yard that's causing it. 
It's the
attitude through which you are viewing things. It's your dirty window. Why 
don't you start back by what the Bible describes as the Rejoice Mode? It 
starts
when you bring your situation to Jesus, and your attitude. It's your 
attitude that's dragging you down more than your situation. I guess it's the 
"rejoice
choice" isn't it?

Each new day begin by listing to your Heavenly Father things for which you 
are thankful. There will always be plenty of them if you look for your 
God-sightings.
And then start loading up your heart with music and scripture and 
conversation and people that will fill your tank with positive fuel. You may 
not be able
to change what's in the yard, but you can change how you're looking at it. 
Haven't you been looking out the dirty window long enough?
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.

GOSPEL FOR ASIA
Don¹t you love it? 

"...It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick." Matthew 9:12.

One of the things I love most about Jesus is His love for all people-
- even those people many religious folks don¹t want to be around. 

One of those people was His disciple Matthew. 
He later became one of Jesus biographers.

Matthew was one of the last guys you¹d want on your team if you were trying to impress good religious folks. 
He ran with a bad crowd. 
He was a party person. 

But after Jesus reached out to him and asked him to join His team-
Matthew was so excited he threw a party for all his wild and notorious friends, just to meet Jesus. 
And they all had a great time.

But the religious crowd was appalled. 
They thought, If Jesus is supposed to be a man of God, why would He run with such a rough crowd?

Jesus responded-
It's not the healthy who need a doctor. I came for those who know theyre sinners and need help  not for those who think they¹re righteous.

Don ’¹t you love it? 
You may be one of those folks like Matthew, and if you are-
I hope you’¹ll remember that Jesus loves you!

Interruption Is God’s Invitation
Joseph Tenney / October 28, 2015
Interruption Is God’s Invitation

Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan — a man is on his way from 
Jerusalem to Jericho. He was robbed, stripped, beaten, and left for dead on 
the side
of the road.

Three people stop by. First, a priest. He walks by, pretends he doesn’t see 
it, and moves along. Second, a Levite. He ignores the man (not looking good
for the religious folks). Finally, a Samaritan walks by (the “enemy†of the 
Jew), fixes him up, and makes sure the man is in good care. Only the 
Samaritan
was willing to have his day interrupted.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes in
Life Together,

We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be 
constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people 
with
claims and petitions. We may pass them by, preoccupied with our more 
important tasks. . . . It is a strange fact that Christians and even 
ministers frequently
consider their work so important and urgent that they will allow nothing to 
disturb them. They think they are doing God a service in this, but actually
they are disdaining God’s “crooked yet straight path.â€

God has used these passages to spark conviction in my life when I find 
myself placing the day’s plans above people, my agenda over others’ “claims 
and
petitions.†Bonhoeffer notes that the priest and Levite in the story of the 
Good Samaritan not only fail morally to bring aid where it is needed, but 
also
fail to see the visible sign of the cross that God has laid in their path.

Holy Interruption

What if we learned to experience interruption differently? Rather than 
viewing all outside interruption as the enemy of productivity and 
creativity, what
if we viewed our lives as communicative vessels for the sake of the other? 
If we open ourselves to embrace a theology of holy interruption, we may 
usher
in newness, revelation, life, and story to inform our work and craft and 
life in ways that otherwise would simply not be possible.

Now, you might wonder whether Bonhoeffer disregards “prioritization†and the 
practice of managing a schedule. Without priorities, nothing gets done. What
about productivity? What about sermon prep? What about our daily 
responsibilities? Surely such things warrant stringent management of our 
daily routines.
After all, didn’t the early church install deacons for such a reason?

Bonhoeffer’s point of concern isn’t so extreme. It’s quite simple: The 
Christian’s job is to listen to God and care about what God says above all 
else,
in every moment. For the pastor, this is done in hundreds of ways, not 
excluding faithful exegesis and sermon prep. However, the moment we make our 
priority
an ultimate thing, and give no allowance for God to interrupt us, we need to 
be careful to pause and examine ourselves. Have we become so deluded and 
self-absorbed
that we actually think we’re being good stewards of our time? Or does the 
situation give cause for uninterrupted work?

True productivity isn’t about tightly controlling ourselves and our 
calendars, but about unleashing ourselves in love towards others. As Matt 
Perman observes,
“All productivity practices, all of our work, everything is given to us by 
God for the purpose of serving others†(
What’s Best Next).
If we view our work in isolation from others, and a potential interruption 
must be avoided at all costs, we’re probably functioning out of a wrong 
motivation
and certainly operating under faulty assumptions about the purpose of work.

A Theology of Disruption

Bonhoeffer’s point is worth careful consideration. Personally, I find God 
consistently using those interrupted moments of life not only to use me as a
means of grace in the lives of others, but also to shape me and change me, 
and perhaps knock me off the well-beaten path of agendas and give me a fresh
awareness of himself through the lives of others. The same is true for any 
follower of Jesus in any work environment.

Bonhoeffer petitions every Christian to stop and allow for interruption — to 
cultivate a disruption theology, as it were. This benefits both the one 
doing
the interrupting, as well as the person being interrupted because it is in 
those instances God reveals himself in ways we may never have seen or 
experienced
otherwise. God is erecting visible signs of the cross in our path for our 
benefit to show us that his kingdom is at hand — to invite us in his work.

For those of us in a creative field, we have the peculiar privilege of 
weaving all of these interactions and experiences into something artistic 
and meaningful
for the love of neighbor. To stiff-arm such interactions for the sake of 
productivity is to stiff-arm the very means of love for the other and to 
make
us wholly unproductive.

Interruption is God’s invitation. God is inviting us to see him all around 
us, in the lives of others, in our conversations, in our serving those in 
need.
Interruption is not simply a matter of our heart developing patience; it’s 
about experiencing true life. It is one of God’s ways of waking us up to 
what’s
around us to see there’s more to be done than our self-appointed tasks for 
the day, as important as they may seem.

Interruption is God’s enhancement of our craft and our work, and his tender 
way of encouraging his creatures to be a part of the kingdom come.

Copyright © 2015 Desiring God, all rights reserved

Love Worth Finding Ministries

devotion_header_2014.jpg

Did someone forward you this devotion?
Register with LWF
for more resources.

Does Your Life Help or Hurt the Cause of Christ?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how 
shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they 
hear
without a preacher?
Romans 10:14

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
You are either a helper or a hurter when it comes to reaching the world for 
Christ. Why? Because, like Big Brother, the world is watching your 
Sunday-go-to-church
behavior and wondering how it compares to your behavior the rest of the 
week.

Do they see you giving your time and resources to help them when they’re 
hurting? Do they witness how you treat your family? Or how you entertain 
your
friends? Or do you even know their names?

ACTION POINT:
The greatest argument for Christ and the greatest argument against Christ is 
the life of a Christian. Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam 
across
the wave! Some poor fainting struggling seaman You may rescue, you may save
(Philip P. Bliss).





New post on Chocolate & God

Ohhh. Where Did That Love Of Christ†Go I Need This Time Of Year
by Dean Masters

Luke 6:28
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them that despitefully use you.

This is the season we are supposed to show God’s love to others and yet as 
everyone knows it can also be one of the most trying times of the year. 
Emotions
are running high, everyone is scurrying and stressing trying to buy the 
right gifts, clean the house, decorate, make it to the Christmas pageants 
and then…….
all of those relatives you only see a few times a year show up! Where does 
the love come from, how can you keep it and how do you show it to those that
are just set on driving you insane?

One of you asked me the other day, how do we love someone who hates us?! It 
brought back the memory of someone asking me that a few years ago. When 
Bills
Mom was diagnosed with cancer it was a shock to all of us! She was a juicer 
and she took vitamins and we seriously thought she may out live us all! When
she was diagnosed she said she wanted me to be her caregiver if things didn't 
work out for the best. She wanted to stay home, home was the Mother in-law
suite attached to our home. Bill was her favorite child, and so there was 
always a bit of tension between us because she used to tell me that I was in
her way, it was hard for her to let go of her boy. As a mom, I get that, 
we all handle our children moving on and leaving differently. Then she began
going through all the stages one goes through with cancer, denial, anger and 
frustration, it was tough because she went through it all! At first I 
wondered
how we were going to survive and how was I going to be able to handle all 
that was coming! I finally got to the point where I prayed every single time
I walked over there and through out my day that God would help me to treat 
her as though she were Him! I kept running through my mind, how would I 
want
my mom to be treated Then one day a lady that stopped by asked me, “how 
can you be nice to someone who is so mean to you?

You don't answer for how someone else treats you, but you will stand before 
God and answer for how you treat them! You aren't going to change hateful 
people
by acting like them! The only thing that will change anyone is the love of 
God! We are called to treat others in a way that pleases Him and there are 
times
in life when that is the only thing that will drive you to do it! Matthew 
25:45 tells us, Then he will answer them, saying, Truly, I say to you, as 
you
did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me Trust 
me, I have had much more difficult people in my life than Bill’s Mom and she
was ill, but no matter who it is or what they may be going through, the 
answer is still the same. Pray, pray, pray! Ask God to give you His love for 
them
and the strength to be who you need to be in spite of all they are saying or 
doing. They don't have to be your best friend and you don't have to have 
them
over for dinner. You are just called to respond with the love of Christ and 
believe me there will be many times that the only way to do that is with God
holding your hand with one of his and if you are like me there are times I 
have to have Him hold His other hand over my mouth!

Let's all do our best in God's strength to show His love to everyone around 
us this Christmas! The best is yet to come!

Quote:
Character is not in the mind; it is in the will.†Fulton J. Sheen

Dean Masters

Word of the Father, Now in Flesh Appearing
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall 
conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 7:14.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The educated man is ignorant, the strong man is weak, and the wealthy man is 
poor who doesn’t understand the true meaning of Christmas.

What good does it do us to put a man on the moon if we can’t get God in our 
hearts? What good is it to know astronomy, how the heavens go, and not know
Jesus, the Bright and Morning Star, and how to go to Heaven? What good is it 
to know botany and the study of flowers and not know Jesus, Heaven’s 
sweetest
rose, the Rose of Sharon, who can perfume any life? What good is it to know 
the events of history, yet not know that history is His story? What good is
it to know geology and the ages of rocks and not know Jesus, the Rock of 
Ages? “For it is in Him we live and move and have our being.”

Jesus was not just another child. He was not just the Galilean peasant, the 
great teacher. He was supernatural.

ACTION POINT:
You won’t understand Christmas until you understand that this child was born 
of a virgin. This child is the very Son of God. Never forget this. Read the
words of Isaiah 9:6-7. Let his prophecy about this child speak to you today. 
d.
Discover Jesus
Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

Welcome to the Illustrator
Today's Bible Verse:

"He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father David 
had done. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash." (2 
Kings
14:3)

By Answers2Prayer
Little Frankie

When I was a boy growing up we lived across a river from the main road next 
to a set of rail road tracks. The only way to our house was across an old,
wooden swinging bridge. We only had two neighbors as well. Both lived in 
houses on the hillside behind our home and both were named Frank. Big Frank 
was
a large, heavy set man who lived with his wife in a small, white house and 
grew plants that they would sell to home gardeners. Little Frankie lived 
across
from him in a much bigger but much older house. His house, in fact, was a 
crumbling wreck that was over a hundred years old. Only three small rooms on
the far left side of it were still usable and it was in these rooms that 
Little Frankie lived.

Little Frankie was already nearly 80 years old when I was born. He was a 
first generation, Italian immigrant who had never married. He had worked on 
the
railroad for over 40 years before retiring but still worked hard every day. 
Only five feet tall, with gnarled hands and a bent back he could still 
outwork
a twenty year old. I would watch him with amazement slicing down hillsides 
full of weeds with his large, hand-held scythe. Little Frankie was smelly by
today's standards. He had no electricity or running water and would bath 
once a week with water he boiled on his cast iron stove. I never seemed to 
mind
the smell when I visited him, though. He would fry me eggs and potatoes and 
we would talk. His English remained broken even after all his years in 
America
but somehow I never had any trouble understanding him.

Little Frankie was also my Godfather. He was at my baptism and pledged to 
guide me in my spiritual growth. He did this mainly by example. He never 
lectured
or taught. He just showed me how to live with honesty, kindness, and 
goodness. He showed me the joy of nature. He showed me the peace that can 
come from
just sitting outside on a sunny day. He showed me the oneness with God that 
can come from a loving life. Little Frankie always had a light in his eyes.
It shined deep, right from his soul and you could see it sparkle when he 
smiled.

When Little Frankie died my Mother was the executor of his will. We found 
that he had over 40,000 dollars in the bank, a fortune at the time, from a 
lifetime
of saving. It was sent to his brothers and sisters still living in Italy. We 
often wondered why he hadn't used it to buy a better home and live more 
comfortably.
Looking back now, however, I think I know the answer. He had all he needed 
and all he wanted. He had food, shelter, clothes, and warmth both in his 
house
and in his spirit. He needed nothing more to be happy in his life. Like 
thousands of generations before him, he lived simply and in closeness with 
his
Heavenly Father.

When I look at how much I have now I sometimes think of how much of it is 
really necessary.

In the last 100 years we have gained more wealth and technology than in the 
entire history of mankind. Yet, in truth, we need very little. A little 
food,
a little shelter, some clothes, people to love, work to do, things to learn, 
quiet time to think, pray, and connect with God are all we need to live in
joy.

The next time you feel weighed down by too much to do or overwhelmed by what 
you have ask yourself this question. "Is this helping me to love?" If the
answer is no then cancel it, turn it off, or toss it in the trash. Learn to 
live simply. Learn to live lovingly. Learn to live like Little Frankie.

Joseph J. Mazzella

Announcement:

Do you need uplifting messages? Are you enjoying devotionals? Visit 
Scriptural Nuggets
http://www.scripturalnuggets.org/
and discover hundreds of messages for all occasions. A real blessing! The 
Scriptural Nuggets offers it’s own newsletter as well. Quite inspiring!
If you are interested in trying out this fantastic new newsletter,
subscribe here
or by
emailing us.

©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely 
give."

The Importance of Thanksgiving

Psalms 9:1

Thanksgiving should always follow answered prayer, just as the mist of 
earth's gratitude rises when the sun of heaven's love warms the ground.

Has the Lord been gracious to you and inclined His ear to the voice of your 
prayer? Then thank Him as long as you live. Let the ripe fruit fall upon the
fertile soil from which it drew its life. Do not fail to sing in praise of 
Him who has answered your prayer and has given you the desire of your heart.
To be silent about God's mercies is to incur the guilt of ingratitude; it is 
to act as poorly as the nine lepers who after they had been cured of their
leprosy did not return to give thanks to the healing Lord. To forget to 
praise God is to refuse to benefit ourselves; for praise, like prayer, is 
one great
means of promoting the growth of our spiritual lives. It helps to remove our 
burdens, to excite our hope, to increase our faith. It is a healthy and 
invigorating
exercise that quickens the pulse of the believer and prepares him for new 
enterprises in his Master's service.

To bless God for mercies received is also the way to benefit our fellowmen; 
"let the humble hear and be glad."1 Others who have been in similar 
circumstances
will take comfort if we can say, "Magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt 
his name together. . . . This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him."2 Weak
hearts will be strengthened, and sagging spirits will be revived as the 
saints listen to our "shouts of deliverance."3 Their doubts and fears will 
be rebuked
as we teach and admonish one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual 
songs. They will also "sing of the ways of the LORD"4 when they hear us 
magnify
His holy name.

Praise is the most heavenly of Christian duties. The angels do not pray, but 
they do not cease to praise both day and night; and the redeemed, clothed
in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, are never tired of 
singing the new song, "Worthy is the Lamb."5

1 Psalm 34:2
2 Psalm 34:3,6
3 Psalm 32:7
4 Psalm 138:5
5 Revelation 5:12

Family
Bible
reading plan

verse 1 2 Kings 11, 12

verse 2 2 Timothy 2

Honest Evangelism: How to Talk About Jesus Even When It’s Tough

The changes taking place in Western cultures are both discouraging to
Christians
and, ironically, encouraging. More precisely, most of the changes themselves 
are discouraging, but they are calling forth a different set of changes that
are encouraging. The discouraging changes are easy to list. Rising biblical 
illiteracy means that there is less and less cultural consensus around 
things
like the Ten Commandments. Honor is an old-fashioned word, easily mocked; 
truth is increasingly flexible; the lust for power, success, and money has 
become
more and more transparent and unchecked; dignity is old-fashioned; cruelty 
and vengeance are sometimes depicted as virtues.

Short, clear, realistic and humorous, this book will challenge you to be 
honest in your conversations about Jesus, help you to know how to talk about 
him,
and thrill you that God can and will use ordinary people to change eternal 
destinies.

From Morning & Evening revised and edited by Alistair Begg copyright © 2003. 
Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News 
Publishers,
Wheaton, IL 60187,
www.crossway.org.

The Hope of Every Heart

Thousands of years of fervent, desperate prayers to God and pleas for 
deliverance were answered the day Christ was born. It was not just the mere 
birth
of a baby. It was not just a day that a great man appeared on the scene or 
that a significant treaty was ratified. It was the absolute shaking of the 
spiritual
and physical realms when God Himself was incarnated—becoming one of us in 
order to carry out all the promises He’d given through the ages.

Matthew affirmed, “All this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the 
Lord through the prophet: ‘BEHOLD, the virgin shall be with child and shall 
bear
a SON, and they shall call HIS name IMMANUEL,’ which translated means, ‘GOD 
with us’” (Matthew 1:22-23). This is the foundation upon which every bit of
our hope and joy rests. It is the truth that God is with us.

I am convinced that the reason some find Christmas to be a very difficult 
time of year is because they have lost sight of this truth in the midst of 
all
the ornaments, trappings, and wrappings of the season. They have good 
reason, of course. The absence of loved ones, loneliness, financial 
pressures, unaccomplished
dreams, and unmet expectations understandably crush our spirits during a 
season when we should be rejoicing. But this happens when we focus on 
relationships,
possessions, activities, and disappointments instead of keeping our eyes on 
the One who has given us all things. We look to what we don’t have instead
of what cannot be taken from us.

I experienced this at one particular point in my life when I felt totally 
alone. Heaviness gripped my heart in such a consuming manner that I 
confessed
it to God—I told Him that I was overcome with loneliness. As I spent time 
with Him that day, I sensed Him saying, “I am with you. I haven’t left you. 
I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.” That still, small voice deep within my 
spirit encouraged me deeply. I recall leaving my prayer room overflowing 
with
a fresh sense of hope. My circumstances had not changed, but my focus 
had—and that made all the difference.

And what I want you to see is that God’s words to me that day were the very 
essence and reality of Christmas: He is with you. He loves you. He listens
to the cries of your heart. When you are hurting, He is near to you and 
cares for you. When you are powerless, He gives you strength. When you are 
in despair,
He brings His promises to mind and reveals the blessings He has planned for 
you. And when you feel disrespected, worthless, or inadequate, He reminds 
you
that you are His, that He died for you, that He adores you, that He is your 
adequacy, and that He will never let you go.

This is why I want to encourage you this Christmas to focus on the hope of 
every heart: Jesus, our Savior. Unwrap the gift that was first given so long
ago on that extraordinary night in the town of Bethlehem. Don’t be 
distracted by the presents, the food, the activity, or the trimmings. Just 
look to Immanuel,
God with us. Focus on His presence no matter where you are. Because if you 
do, you will not only rediscover the absolute wonder of Christmas. You will
also see how Jesus meets your every need.
---------------------------------------------------
The End of Me by Kyle Idleman
Excerpted from
Christmas: A Gift for Every Heart
by Charles F. Stanley
©2015. Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission.

Today's Turning Point with David Jeremiah
Turning Point
Weekend, December 5 & 6
Heavenly Journey: God Sending His Son

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the 
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

Recommended Reading
John 1:1-14
It’s wonderful to gather with our loved ones for Christmas, but the real 
meaning of Christmas is the opposite. It’s goodbye. When Jesus came to 
earth,
He cast a parting glance at the glories of heaven and left home, traveling 
here to live among us awhile. In John’s Gospel, Jesus reminded His listeners
that He had come down from heaven. He told Nicodemus, “[I] came down from 
heaven” (John 3:13). He told His disciples, “For I have come down from 
heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38).
Watch This Week's TV Broadcast
Perhaps you’re away from home this month and unable to be near those you 
love. Perhaps you’re serving in the Armed Forces. You’re reading this 
devotion
with some sadness in your soul, trying not to feel homesick as you remember 
past holidays with their sights, sounds, and smells. You may be a 
missionary,
unable to return home for Christmas. Like Jesus, you’ve left home to give 
the world the Gospel.

Whatever the reason, remember—Jesus was away from home at Christmas too. He 
understands, and He loves you wherever you are in the world.

Read-Thru-the-Bible
2 Corinthians 10-13, Galatians 1-3
TURNING POINT WITH DR. DAVID JEREMIAH

3 Ways to Rejoice in the Midst of Suffering
Cortni Marrazzo

The Bible is full of wisdom and truth, but do you ever come across a verse 
that is frankly, a bit hard to embrace? Like
Romans 5:3,
“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering 
produces endurance…” When we are suffering, typically the last thing we want 
to do
is rejoice and we often wonder if it’s even possible to do! Even though 
there are some things in the Bible that seem impossible, we are reminded in 
the
very same book that with God, ALL things are possible (
Matthew 19:26).

I personally love the fact that all things are possible with God, but 
sometimes am not too fond of the fact that nowhere in the Bible does it say 
things
will be easy. Let’s face it, when you are suffering, not much seems to come 
easy. I’ve recently been struggling with a bit of suffering in my life and
I took some time to seek God about what I can learn from this season and how 
I can grow through it. Whether you are going through physical or emotional
suffering, these can apply to you too.

When You Are Suffering, You Become More Aware of God’s Strength in Your Life

At the time of writing this, I’m currently dealing with all day sickness, 
every day for weeks. Thankfully I haven’t been diagnosed with a life 
threatening
disease - I’m pregnant and have a severe case of morning sickness. I’ve been 
nauseous, often unable to hold food down for more than a month now and this
will likely be the case for another few weeks. When I feel sick and run down 
every day, it really has a tendency to zap my strength, especially when I’m
trying to fulfill other responsibilities in my life at the same time.

I noticed that during this time, I’ve felt my weakest. There is honestly no 
way I could get out of bed every day without the power of God’s strength 
working
in me. I’m typically a person who is strong for others and who can push my 
way past whatever is going on in my life, but often that is done in my own 
strength.
This season of suffering has left me without my own strength to act in, and 
I am much more aware of the strength of God in my life. It is very humbling.

Paul knew this feeling too. “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with 
weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am
weak, then I am strong” (
2 Corinthians 12:10).
Paul realized that when he was so physically weak that he could barely stand 
to be alive, that is when God’s strength rose up the most in him. He knew
that God’s strength in us is so much more powerful than our own human 
strength, therefore he learned to be content in his weakness of suffering! I’m 
still
working on the contentment here, but I can feel that God is bringing me 
closer.

When You Are Suffering, Your Trust in God and Your Faith Increases

When you are at the end of yourself, you learn to trust God more because 
frankly, what else are you going to do? You’re at the end of you, and that’s 
where
you find that God is so faithful in your life and with his promises. “Trust 
in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding” (
Proverbs 3:5).
I love the second part of this verse about not depending on our own 
understanding because the majority of the time, we don’t understand why we 
are suffering.
We can ask God “why?” all day long, but he’s not obligated to answer us 
because he is building our trust in him. So instead of leaning on our own 
understanding
and demanding to know why, we are simply to trust him to teach us and help 
us grow through whatever situation we may be facing.

I personally have also learned to stop depending on my own achievements, 
because I haven’t been achieving much lately! I’m normally great at doing 
lots
of things, checking off my to-do list and then finding value in everything I’ve 
accomplished that day/week/month. Lately however, my to-do list has 
consisted
more of making it through the day and not much else. I’ve learned to 
remember my worth is in God, not in what I do or what people think of me. 
When you
are zapped of energy from suffering, you stop putting on a mask to pretend 
to be someone you are not because you simply can't anymore. As a result, you
are the real you, and that is what God can work best with!

When You Are Suffering, God Can Give You a New and Refreshed Perspective

If you take the time to listen and seek God while you are going through your 
trial, he can show you a lot! I know this is hard to do because often the
last thing you want to do is go to God when you feel so low. I’ll admit, it 
was hard for me to do, but once I started praying about what I was going 
through
and how I could grow through it, God showed me everything I’m writing right 
here!

He reminded me what is really important in life and that is him, my
family
and the people in my life. Money and things can seem so important sometimes, 
but in the midst of suffering, they just don’t seem as important anymore,
because they aren’t. Your family and those around you, and most importantly 
your relationship with God are what is really most important in your life.
“’Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?’ 
Jesus replied, ‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all 
your
soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A 
second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (
Matthew 22:36-39).
In the end, it is all about God and people.

During your most difficult trying times, you will also often learn just how 
amazing the people in your life truly are. If you are often a person who 
tries
to help and support others (like I am) it can be especially difficult to ask 
for and accept help when you need it. Just as you are blessed when you help
others, there comes a time for others to be blessed by helping you! When I 
was feeling especially sick and stressed for a few weeks, I had multiple 
friends
step in and bring us meals for dinners so I didn’t have to worry about 
cooking for my family and so my husband could come home from work and spend 
quality
time with our son. Even though it was hard to ask for and accept help, it 
was a huge blessing for my family and it really reminded me of the wonderful
people God has brought into my life!

A season of suffering isn’t the most fun or the easiest to go through, but I 
believe we truly can rejoice if we keep focused on the right things. It can
be difficult to do, but perhaps writing them down and posting them somewhere 
where you will see them daily will help. Or putting a note in your phone or
even just praying every day that God reminds you of the things you can 
really rejoice about in this season. Most importantly, remember that it is a 
season.
You won’t be suffering forever. It will be over eventually and you will look 
back and think about how much you’ve grown closer to God, what a more stable
and mature person you are and you will see how it really was possible to 
rejoice through it.

Cortni Marrazzo currently resides in Spokane, Washington with her husband 
Jason and 3 year old son. She has a Degree in Biblical Discipleship and has 
a
passion for ministry and encouraging the body of Christ. She and her husband 
currently serve as small group directors at their local church. You can 
contact her at Cortni.Marrazzo@gmail.com

How Old Was Jesus When He Was Born?
View this email in your browser
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling 
clothes, and laid him in a manger…”
Luke 2:7.
“And great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh”
1 Timothy 3:16.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
I love 1 Timothy 3:16, “…God was manifest in the flesh.” You may not 
understand that. The apostle Paul said, “I don’t understand it.” Great is 
the mystery.
God stepped out of Heaven and came to this earth through the portals of a 
virgin’s womb.

Jesus did not have His beginning at Bethlehem. When the Bible says, “In the 
beginning was the Word,” it’s not talking about a start but a state. There
never was a time when Jesus was not. There never will be a time when Jesus 
is not. A billion years from now, He will still be God. He is God from 
everlasting
to everlasting.

When Jesus was born, He was older than His mother and as old His Father 
because He was the Son from Heaven. Jesus did not begin in a manger. He came 
to
earth and was manifest in a manger.

This little baby wrapped in swaddling clothes was the great, eternal, 
uncreated, self-existing Word made flesh. The little baby in Luke 2 is the 
mighty
God of Genesis 1. He is the One who made it all. Before Him “there was 
nothing that is made.” That little baby lying in the straw with dimpled feet 
is
the One who swung planets into space. The little baby boy playing with 
shavings in Joseph’s carpenter shop is God of very God. God manifested in 
the flesh.

ACTION POINT:
Ponder this truth today: What good is it to know history and the events of 
history and not know Jesus? For it is in Him we live and move and have our 
being.
He is fully God, forever God.
Discover Jesus
Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.
Copyright © 2015 Love Worth Finding Ministries, All rights reserved.


9 Powerful Reminders from the Miracle at the Red Sea
by Debbie McDaniel

Miracle after miracle God had performed on behalf of His people, finally 
leading them straight out of slavery, away from the cruel hand of the 
Egyptians.
He set them free. Free from oppression. Free from captivity. Free from 
bondage. And the adventure was just getting started.

When Pharaoh let the people go, God didn’t lead them on the road that made 
most sense. The Bible tells us in
Exodus 13,
that though the path was shorter right through the Philistine country, God 
said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”

V. 17

So He led them around the desert road over towards the Red Sea. Hot, dry, 
barren wasteland. I can almost see the sea looming off in the distance. And 
hear
the grumblings starting. Feel the fear rising. As the Israelites got closer 
that sea must have looked bigger and deeper. An obstacle that seemed too 
difficult
to overcome. Their eyes focused on the problem. They forgot about the 
bigness of their God.

Questions loomed. How were they going to get across that thing? Surely 
someone had made a wrong turn. But just how do you go about doing a U-turn 
with
2 million people in tow?

9 Powerful Reminders from the Red Sea Miracle:

1. God knows what He’s doing. “So God led the people around by the desert 
road toward the Red Sea...”
Ex. 13:18
Even if the way He’s leading doesn’t seem to make much sense and His timing 
seems off, or the wait and journey get long, and wandering in desert places
is the last thing we want to do, we can trust Him. Always. He knows our way. 
He sees the big picture. He has good in store. And though it may not have
been what we would have chosen, or how we would done things, we can thank 
Him for His Sovereignty, His care over us, and His leadership.

2. God leads our way. “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of 
cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to given 
them
light…”
Ex. 13:21
God will not leave us to fend for ourselves, struggling to find our way. He 
will lead us. He promises to. We may not see him in a pillar of cloud or 
fire
these days, but we have His Word, and the Holy Spirit to give guidance to 
our days. He is with us, He gives wisdom, He provides direction, so we never
have to fear being left on our own to figure things out. He goes ahead of 
us, He walks with us, and He guards our way from behind. His Word gives 
truth
and life and shows us the way to walk in this world.

3. God is able to turn the hearts of kings. He holds all things in His 
hands. He can turn around the evil workings in this world to ultimately 
bring glory
to His name, so that all will know that He is the One True God. “And I will 
harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for
myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I 
am the Lord.”
Ex. 14:4

4. When we see obstacles, God sees opportunities. He will make a way where 
there seems to be no way out. The bigger the problem, the greater his 
ability
to shine right through it all. “The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and 
chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as 
they camped
by the sea...”
Ex. 14:9
Things were looking bleak and dark, yet God had a plan. And it was amazing.

5. We can focus on the problem or we can choose to trust God. The 
Israelites were terrified when they saw the enemy coming their way. They 
doubted their
leader, they questioned God, they complained, they grumbled, they panicked. 
Yet God didn’t get mad at their humanity or fears. He only asked for their
obedience. And their trust. “The Lord will fight for you, you need only to 
be still.”
Ex. 14:14

6. Prayer is vital, yet sometimes God says, “It’s time to get moving!” God 
may ask for stillness and trust and other times he might say, “Get going and
keep trusting.” God said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the 
Israelites to move on.”
Ex. 14:15
It’s so important to listen for his voice, to know when to be still, and 
also to know when to get up and move forward. His voice will lead us, He 
never leads
in confusion, but always with assurance and clarity. There’s times in life 
when we pray about a decision and even though God shows us what to do, we 
get
stuck along the way. So, we just say we're still "praying about it." Over 
and over. Instead of moving forward. And doing what He’s already said to do.
If we ask Him for wisdom to know the right steps to take, he will always 
provide direction. He will open doors on our behalf and close those that 
need
to be shut too.

7. God will work powerfully on our behalf, but He often asks for our 
obedience first. God asked Moses to do one thing. “Raise your staff and 
stretch out
your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go 
through the sea on dry ground.”
Ex. 14:16
Moses was asked to obey God's voice. And with staff raised and hand 
outstretched, God's Mighty Power unleashed. That sea not only divided, but 
the people
walked right through it on “dry ground.” Not even a hint of sinking sand. As 
God’s children, we aren’t destined to walk in mud and mire. He dries up the
path before us so we’re heading out on firm ground. He is our sure 
foundation. Our obedience to His voice will always lead to blessing.

8. God will stand between us and the enemy. We never fight alone. He will 
send his angels to fight for us and guard us. He Himself will fight for us 
and
guard us. That’s how much He loves us and desires to set His protection over 
us. “Then the angel of God…withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of 
cloud
also moved from in front and stood behind them…”
Ex. 14:19
He will hem us in from all sides and keep us under His care. It doens't mean 
we won't ever face the battle, but we can know that He is surely with us
in the midst of it.

9. Our God is a God of miracles. This same God who divided the Red Sea so 
the Israelites crossed on dry ground, and covered up the enemy in the depths
of that same sea, bringing salvation to His people—this is the same God who 
works on our behalf today. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 
“And
when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the 
Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in 
Moses his
servant.”
Ex. 14:31

We may be facing our own Red Sea moment this week. Maybe the enemy seems hot 
on our trail, lurking close, whispering lies and defeat, trying his best to
trip us up. Maybe the obstacles that loom before us seem way too hard to 
overcome. We want to turn back. We want to give up. We find ourselves 
questioning
God and doubting His care and love over us.

But it still doesn’t change this one Truth. He’s with us. And He fights for 
us today. As believers who have made the choice to put our faith and trust
in Christ, we can stand on the assurance that He will never leave us or 
forsake us. He will lead us. He will bring honor to Himself through even 
the hardest
circumstances we face in this life. He is strengthening us and guiding us 
continually.

His plans for our lives will never be thwarted by the enemy’s attacks. 
Though it may seem like he’s winning at times, he does not have full 
control. God’s
still greater.

And sometimes when we’ve done all we know to do, he whispers these words 
down deep into our soul, “…you need only to be still.”

For the Lord fights for you.

Peace.
Dr. David Jeremiah Turning Point

He it was who suffered a shameful and cruel death at the hands of His own 
creatures!

(George Everard, "Help on the Way to the Better Land!" 1873)

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold 
that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from 
your
forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish 
or defect!" 1 Peter 1:18-19

How great is the price which has been paid for man's redemption!

If a prisoner of war, shut up within the walls of some gloomy fortress, were 
to see a bag of gold sent for his ransom, by the Sovereign whom he had 
faithfully
served--what thankfulness would fill his bosom! But much more than this has 
been given for us! In tender compassion for our souls, no less a price has
been paid by Christ than His own precious blood!
He saw us perishing in our sins;
He saw us in captivity to the Prince of Darkness;
He saw us tied fast by chains that we ourselves could never break
--and then He came to redeem us! He poured out upon the cross, the blood 
that was to be the means of our everlasting salvation. This blood is 
infinitely
precious, because it is Divine. It is the blood of one who is man's Creator, 
"Perfect God--and perfect man."

Oh, ponder well this deep and mysterious truth. Little can we fathom it! Yet 
it was God Incarnate--God in our nature--the Eternal Word made flesh--who
died for man's salvation! How marvelous!

His own hand had fashioned the very wood upon which He was nailed!

He Himself gave breath to the very men who cried out, "Away with Him, away 
with Him! Crucify Him!"

It was His power which gave strength and nerve to the arm which pierced His 
side with the cruel spear!

Yes! the Creator and Preserver of man--the King of kings and Lord of lords, 
He before whom angels worshiped, crying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God 
Almighty!"--He
it was who suffered a shameful and cruel death at the hands of His own 
creatures!

When the Jews saw the tears which Jesus shed at the tomb of Lazarus His 
friend, they rightly judged when they said, "Behold how He loved him!" When 
we
see the drops of precious blood falling on Calvary, when we see the blood 
flowing from His pierced temples, from His wounded hands and feet and 
side--well
may we say, "Behold, how He loved us!"

Bear in mind that the suffering in body, the shame and the scoffing--were 
but the least part of that which He endured for our sake. His holy soul was 
burdened
with the weight of man's transgression. How agonizing was the conflict, when 
thrice He prayed in the garden, that if it were possible the cup might pass
from Him! How great was the inner darkness of His soul, when on the cross 
there arose that exceeding great and bitter cry, "My God, My God! Why have 
You
forsaken Me!"

It has been said, "Christ received into His own bosom every arrow of God's 
quiver--and every one dipped in the poison of the curse!" Here then is love.
In the blood of the cross, we find the proof of such love as man never 
before could conceive: "Christ died or the ungodly!" Romans 5:6

What a mystery of love is this!

Believer, did Jesus give His precious blood for you, to save you from Hell 
and damnation, to make you a child of God and an heir of eternal glory? Then
what will you withhold from Him? Oh, surrender yourself wholly, unreservedly 
to His service! Oh, think of the debt of love you owe--and endeavor to make
some return for it, by laying yourself and all you have at His feet. Time, 
talents, influence, wealth--freely yield to the Savior who has bought you! 
Above
all things, live daily, hourly, as in the sight of God--and adorn your 
profession by a very loving, holy, prayerful, Christ-like life.
~ ~ ~ ~
We have published
J.R. Miller's
insightful two page article, "
The Danger of Talking Too Much".

~ ~ ~ ~
Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited 
by them!

Gifts

"In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things 
well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as 
much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them 
well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, 
be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you 
leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a 
gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly." (Romans 12:6-8, NLT)

When we think of gifts for women we probably think of flowers, candy, etc. 
But what about a hand plow? Or maybe a wheelbarrow? I know a woman who got 
these last two as Christmas gifts. A hand plow as a gift for a woman?

God gives Christians various gifts. Some may be just what are expected but 
others may be as unexpected as the hand plow that the woman received. The 
verses above tell of some of the spiritual gifts God gives to His people. If 
you notice, they are all gifts for Him to use through us. In other words, 
they are tools in His hands. We can probably figure out what our talents are 
and say those are our gifts and they are but God may have more gifts in 
store for each of us than these. They may be some gifts for Him to use which 
we might rather not make available for Him. We may not even see how the 
gifts can be used through us.

One company makes a variety of outdoor tools like hedge trimmers that all 
use the same battery. What if someone received all of the tools available 
but noticed someone forgot to buy the battery. There is no way these tools 
could be used. So when God gives us some of these gifts we may think the 
battery is missing. But God always provides the power – the Holy Spirit. So 
the gifts are not powered by us but by the Holy Spirit.

Let us accept every gift God has for us knowing He is in control and will 
supply what we need for His use.

by Dean W. Masters

How to Stop Creating God in Your Own Image
Katie Howard

“You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns 
out that God hates all the same people you do.â€

I was reading tonight and came across this quote from Anne Lamott. In 
context, this was meant jokingly coming from her priest friend, but I found 
so much
truth in this statement.

I think in some form, we all have an image of God where he supports us in 
our dislike or hatred of certain people. People we know personally or people
that we have no relationship with, we just choose to dislike them. Maybe 
because of media hype. Maybe because of the gossip of a friend. Maybe 
because
we just don’t like their face.

I know I’ve personally justified my disdain for particular people via this 
method. Maybe not intentionally, but have I arrived somehow at a place of 
hatred
anyway? 100%. A thousand times yes.

When someone is supporting issues that I feel are black and white, no 
questions asked, without a doubt evil, I get angry, generate horrible 
opinions about
said person, and back them up with a belief that because they’re condoning 
something awful, I am justified in my hatred of them.

But the more I study and the more I exposit scripture in my own study and 
through time spent listening to the words of
pastors
and leaders I respect and trust, I can’t hang my hat on this truth anymore.

Does God hate evil? Yes.

Does God desire that all things be made new and good and whole? Yes. (Insert 
Jesus and the cross here.)

But we are called to love our brothers and sisters. To pray over and yearn 
for their salvation. To have our hearts break over their sin and lostness 
(and
our sin and lostness).

We can’t truly love Jesus and truly pursue him and his cross and his glory 
while we are spewing words of hatred from the same mouth which we are 
shouting
praise. It just can’t be done.

Should we condemn evil? Yes.

Should we speak loudly and pursue justice when evil is being done? Yes.

But not to the point of forever isolating and condemning the one committing 
the evil. Because in reality, our hearts are just as capable of an equal or
even greater evil. The only thing that sets us apart is the grace and mercy 
of the cross. Without that redeeming truth, we are all the same.

This is such a hard thing to write on because I know my knowledge and 
understanding is limited. All of us have limited and finite knowledge and 
understanding.
But writing and reading and praying and thinking about all of these things 
is how I process. If it all stays jumbled up in my brain, I feel like I’m 
going
to explode.

Fear not. I’m not going all universalist, God loves and saves every single 
person regardless of repentance, on you. Part of the reason that I know my 
God
has immeasurable love is because he is perfect and just in all things. He is 
holy and therefore requires holiness. This is something we can never obtain
on our own. It takes the blood from the cross washing over us and through 
substitution making us holy and blameless in the sight of the Lord. Only 
because
of Jesus can God stand to have me near to him. Because he is perfect. 
Because I am so, so not perfect.

And you know what makes me worthy of that gift? Nothing.

You know what makes the abortionists at the Planned Parenthood down the road 
worthy of that gift? Nothing.

You know what makes that lifelong muslim worthy of that gift? Nothing.

You know what makes that man or woman struggling with gender confusion 
worthy of that gift? Nothing.

Take any and every hot topic in our nation right now and place that person 
in the question and ask what makes them worthy of the gift of the cross. The
answer will always be nothing. The exact same answer we see when you insert 
your name in the very same sentence.

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the 
ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for 
a good
person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that 
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.†Romans 5:6-8

So now, as you stand before the lost of this world claiming you’ve been 
covered in the blood of Jesus, don’t stand atop your pedestal of 
self-righteous
justification. Instead, stand in the shadow of the cross that made you holy 
and blameless before God and offer it up to each and every person that you
hate, condemn, feel is unworthy, disagree with, is different from you, etc. 
Because you know who else can come freely to the foot of the cross just as
you and I have done? Anyone and everyone.

He who has ears let him hear.

Who are we to stand in the way and say that someone is unworthy of the very 
grace and mercy we’ve received based solely on the fact that they’re 
behaving
in the only way they know how, as a sinner? No one is “too far gone†or too 
deep into sin or too depraved.

We can’t expect the lost to act like the saved.

And we can’t expect the lost to seek truth in the church that places guards 
at their doors picking out those they feel are worthy enough to enter.

Who are we, Church? Who are we?

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; 
male and female he created them.â€
Genesis 1:27

So instead of making God in our own image, one who hates those who act 
differently, believe differently, live differently, lets take off our 
garments of
self-righteousness and put on the garments of humility, love, grace, and 
mercy. Let's stand at the doors of our churches shouting, all you who are 
weary
and burdened, come in and find rest. All you cast aside, lepers, outcasts, 
forgotten, you are welcome here.

Because that is what my Jesus did and if you know the same man I know, your 
Jesus did it too.

He went to the homeless and the leper and the prostitute and the murderer. 
He called them out and called them up to a place of redemption on
faith
alone. So let’s do the same. Let’s call them over and say, you who are 
searching, this is the community you’re longing for. Search no more for 
satisfaction
in those empty places, but find wholeness and healing here. In the same 
place that God called me out of the darkness and into marvelous light, he is 
calling
you too. The door is open to any and all with an ear to hear and a heart to 
open and a life to give. Its free and available to all. So Church, stop 
behaving
like a dictator rationing out the grace of Jesus to those you see fit. 
Because if we’re searching for “fit†souls, yours wouldn’t qualify and 
neither would
mine.

Praise God that we don’t have to qualify. We just have to be willing to 
come. So let us be that place. In our cities, in our states, in our 
countries,
in all the world.

You can find rest and restoration here among the messed up Church. Because 
the messiness is what makes her beautiful and real and able to welcome even
the messiest of sinners.

So I’ll leave you with this scripture from Romans that tells us of the marks 
of a true Christian.

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love 
one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do
not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in 
hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the 
needs
of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; 
bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those
who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate 
with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil,
but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, 
so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge
yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance 
is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.†To the contrary, “if your enemy is 
hungry,
feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you 
will heap burning coals on his head.†Do not be overcome by evil, but 
overcome
evil with good.â€
Romans 12:9-21

This article was first published as a blog post at
katiehoward.com and is used with permission.

Here’s What You Should Do
Gwen Smith

Today’s Truth

Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone 
who has food should do the same. (Luke 3:11)

Friend to Friend

Luke 3 tells the story of John the Baptist as he began his ministry. His 
job? Prepare the way of the Lord. (Luke 3:4) Many royal rulers and powerful 
leaders
of the land are listed at the beginning of the chapter to set the stage and 
give us historical context, yet it is a normal guy, born to older parents,
in an off-the-map-of-all-places-important rural village that the Lord called 
to be the forerunner for Jesus. (Doesn’t it encourage you that God uses 
normal
people from ordinary places to shout the fame of Jesus? Me too.)

The Lord spoke to John when he was in the wilderness and told him what to do 
(Luke 3:2). Then John walked his sandals to the dusty country trails around
the Jordan and got himself busy for Jesus. He preached what the
Bible
calls “a baptism of repentance” for the forgiveness of sins, and he 
challenged the people of Israel to live lives that produced fruit in keeping 
with
repentance. (Luke 3:3,8) His message was two-fold, but simple: turn from sin 
and turn toward God.

The people wanted John to help them understand. They wanted to know what 
that should look like in their lives.

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked. (Luke 3:10)

That same question was shouted from people of different backgrounds, 
careers, ages, and responsibilities … from people with different challenges 
and different
experiences. What should we do?

John answered them. And in doing so he painted a picture of what it should 
look like for every follower of Jesus to produce fruit in keeping with 
repentance.
Look at what he said.

John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has 
none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should 
we do?”

“Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content 
with your pay.” (Luke 3:11-14)

The Bible goes on to say that John spent time with the people, exhorted 
them, and told them the good news that God had sent him to share. (Luke 
3:18) As
I consider the illustrations that John used to describe what a 
fruit-producing life looks like, I reflect. Am I asking God that question? 
What should I
do, Lord?

Thankful for this fresh heart-burden, I decide to summarize what John told 
the people and apply the principles to my life. This is not an exhaustive 
list
by any means, but it is a great starting point. Here are the things that 
John said we should do in order to be fruit-bearers.

#1. Share – Live out your faith beyond yourself and beyond your stuff. Be 
generous.

#2. Be honest – Do your job. Don’t take what’s not yours, and tell the 
truth.

#3. Live with integrity – Don't do what you shouldn’t do, even if you can, 
and treat others well.

#4. Be content – Stop reaching and straining for stuff that doesn’t really 
matter in light of eternity. Be thankful for what you have.

As I look over this list, I wonder. What changes can I make in the way I do 
things that will produce more fruit? How willing am I to share? Am I honest?
Who am I when others aren’t looking? Do my choices honor God? Am I content?

James 2:14-26 says that faith without deeds is dead. I want my life to give 
evidence of my faith – to shout the fame of Jesus, just like John the 
Baptist.
I want to be a woman who produces fruit in keeping with repentance … fruit 
that bears evidence of my turning from sin toward God. Yes. Yes. Yes!

So I determine that this list is a great place to start.

Join me?

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, Thank You for your Word that is rich with lessons. Please help me 
to be a woman who does things that will cause others to see You. Help me to
share, be honest, live with integrity and be content.
In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn


Turn with Me to Your Next Prayer
by John UpChurch, Crosswalk.com Contributor

According to Hollywood, most funerals should include the pastor intoning the 
morbid notes of the twenty-third Psalm. All the black around the pastor 
makes
it seem that much more depressing. Usually, there’s rain.

But there are two things about this that strike me as odd. First,
Psalm 23
isn’t depressing. Yes, it mentions the “shadow of death,” but it’s chock 
full of hope and paths of righteousness ... and oil pouring over heads. You 
can’t
be depressed when oil’s dripping down your nose … at least in biblical 
terms.

Second, I don’t really hear people pray from the
Bible.
Sure, they toss in a verse or two about being “more than conquerors” or “God 
working all things for our good.” But I’ve never seen a pastor reach for 
Psalm
23 or any Psalm for that matter when praying in public.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ve heard plenty of great prayers from pastors and 
other believers. Some of them have hit home hard. But it seems as if 
Evangelicals
especially are averse to anything that isn’t somehow unique when it comes to 
praying. It’s as if we think that just praying from the Bible isn’t quite
spiritual enough. We have to say something original.

Honestly, that’s too bad. Because the Bible is crammed with better prayers 
than I could ever come up with—ones that fit almost every situation. And, 
really,
that makes sense. After all, God inspired Scripture. These are His prayers 
to us; they’re gifts of His grace.

In the Psalms alone, there are prayers for depression, loss, fear, moments 
when you just gotta praise … it’s like an encyclopedia of prayers. Just dial
up a Psalm, and you’ve got a template for expressing what may have seemed 
inexpressible a few moments earlier.

Now, I’m not saying we should reject all original prayer-making. I’m just 
saying that there’s no reason to ignore the Bible as a source for some 
pretty
great prayers. We don’t always have to come up with something original when 
God gave us His own Word to pray from. These prayers are creative for you 
creative
types; passionate for those who like passion; and orderly for those of you 
who like things with three main points.

Just make sure that you aren’t praying the Psalms like those pastors in the 
movies. Put some heart behind it.

Intersecting
Faith
& Life: God’s interest in our prayer is that we spend time giving Him 
everything we’ve got. It’s easy to think that we have to have the right 
words—or
that prayer is a test of our creativity. But it’s really a test of our 
hearts.

There are no original words … nothing new under the sun. Using the Bible as 
a prayer manual isn’t a cop out; it’s brilliant. Who better to teach us how
to pray than God? Start there and see how well God’s Word fits the problems 
you face. Then, if you still need to wax poetic, you can do that, too.

Today's Turning Point with David Jeremiah
Forward Email to a Friend

Today's

Turning Point
Thursday, October 22

The Power Behind the Pulpit

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, 
and it shall be done for you.
John 15:7

Recommended Reading
John 15:1-8
Pearl Goode, 65, a nurse in Pasadena, saw a newspaper clipping about an 
evangelistic meeting in downtown Los Angeles in 1949. She drove to the site 
and
began praying for the services. She felt an intense desire to pray for the 
young evangelist—Billy Graham. For the next 23 years, Pearl traveled by bus
from city to city—more than 48,000 miles—and prayed before, during, and 
after the services. When members of the Graham team learned what she was 
doing,
they started paying her expenses; but they didn’t interfere with her hidden 
ministry. They knew she was fanning the power behind the pulpit.1

Listen to Today's Radio Broadcast
Every pastor, evangelist, and missionary needs prayer warriors. The greatest 
need of the church today is people who abide in Christ, who let God’s Word
abide in them, and who ask God for what they desire.

Our prayers are the power plants for God’s work on earth.

Avail yourself of the greatest privilege this side of heaven. Jesus Christ 
died to make this communion and communication withthe Father possible.
Billy Graham

1Transcript of an interview with Pearl Goode in the archives of the Billy 
Graham Center. Also “There’s Nothing Like It,” in Decision Magazine, 
November
1963, 6

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Luke 3 – 4
DavidJeremiah.org

Was There A Virgin Birth?
View this email in your browser
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And the angel said unto her, ‘Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor 
with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a 
Son,
and shalt call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the 
Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His 
father
David…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.’ Then said Mary unto the 
angel, ‘How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?’ And the angel answered 
and
said unto her, ‘The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the 
Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be
born of thee shall be called the Son of God…. For with God nothing shall be 
impossible.’â€
Luke 1:31-37

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
There are people who sneer at the idea of a virgin birth. “Ha!†they say, 
“How could this happen?†The angel said to Mary, “With God nothing shall be 
impossible.â€

Do you believe that? If you have trouble with the virgin birth, your real 
trouble is with God. Be reasonable. If God could make the first man without 
a
father or mother, don’t you think He could bring His Son into this world in 
a virgin birth?

If you don’t believe in the virgin birth, you have some character problems.

• The character of Mary. If Mary had a child out of wedlock, then Mary was 
an impure woman.
• The character of Jesus. If Jesus had not been born of a virgin, he would 
have been the son of Adam, and in Adam all die. Jesus Christ would have had
the same human proclivities you and I have, who are by nature the children 
of wrath.
• The character of the Word of God is flawed, because the Word of God 
clearly, plainly teaches it.

ACTION POINT:
Your salvation is inextricably interwoven with the virgin birth. No virgin 
birth, no deity. No deity, no sinless life. No sinless life, no sacrificial
death. No sacrificial death, no salvation. No salvation, you’re going to 
hell. Jesus came to earth that we might go to Heaven; born of a virgin that 
we
might be born again. Thank God for the virgin birth..
Discover Jesus
Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

Welcome to the Nugget
bible

December 3, 2015

Life's Many Gifts
bible
By Answers2Prayer
Subscribe Unsubscribe
Devotionals
Contact us

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15)

I am sitting in my favorite chair, looking across the family room at the 
gifts that are already under the Christmas tree. It is true that my cat has 
already
tried to unwrap them, and many are now lacking bows and tags as a result of 
her capers. Nonetheless, each of those boxes, bags and packages, each 
envelope
and each tube speaks of one thing: The giving of gifts.

I believe that we need to look at these gifts from two different 
perspectives: the perspective of the giver, and the perspective of the 
receiver.

From the giver's perspective, gifts are given for two basic reasons: Because 
the giver knows the receiver wants to receive the gift, or because the giver
knows the receiver needs to receive the gift.

And from the receiver’s perspective, some of the gifts will be 
appreciated, and some will not. Some will procure the thoughts of: "What 
will I ever
do with that?" while others, we simply wish we could give back.

God is a continual gift-giver. As we think about life, we see that God gives 
us gifts every day. Some of these gifts are things we want, and these we 
embrace
with a big, "Thank You!" These may include that new job or promotion. It may 
include an answer to prayer, a new baby, a renewed relationship, freedom 
from
addictions, from bullying, from temptation. It may include new and exciting 
opportunities, and to all these, we say, "Thank You, God, for giving these
indescribable gifts!"

But there are also other "gifts" that are given to us that cause us to 
scratch our heads and say, "what will I ever do with this?" In light of the 
recent
blanket of snow that was dumped on our region this past week, a snowstorm 
comes to my mind as something I didn't know I wanted and have no idea how I 
will
use. So does a common cold, a sprained ankle, a temporary strike at work, a 
flooded basement, a burned dinner, etc. I'm sure each of you could think of
many other examples of things we receive that we don't think we need.

And then there are the other gifts...the ones we wish we could give 
back...Anyone who has received a bad medical diagnosis knows exactly what 
I'm talking
about here. So does anyone who has lost a loved one. Job loss and 
relationship problems, as well as lack of finances will also fall into this 
category,
making us scratch our heads and say, "How could God have allowed this to 
happen to me?"

No matter what our initial responses may be to these little (or big!) gifts 
in life, let's remember that they are given because God has allowed them to
be given. This is a hard concept to embrace, especially when some of those 
"gifts" involve hard times. Nonetheless, I challenge each of us this 
Christmas
to look back over the "gifts" we have received this past year--both the good 
and the bad. Let's remember as we do that though it is not God's will that
we suffer, He sometimes allows it to happen. Nonetheless, He is always there 
to hold us up and carry us through, and if we let Him, He will to teach us
multiple invaluable lessons along the way. In fact, if we let God carry us 
through what we would consider to be "bad" gifts; if, instead of wishing 
them
away, we surrender ourselves to God's will, whatever that may be, we will, 
in the end, thank Him for allowing us to go through these bad times.

I;m not saying that God wants us to suffer, friends. All I'm saying is that 
no matter what we are going through, He is big enough. He may miraculously
remove some of these little "gifts". Or He may simply carry us through them. 
But no matter what the road is that He chooses, He will bless us abundantly
along the way.

Seem incredible? I challenge you to try it. Surrender to God's will, allow 
Him to carry you through, allow Him to be God in your life, and in the end,
you will also say, "thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

In His love,
Lyn

Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "
Aboard God's Train
-- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator 
for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and
Scriptural Nuggets,
a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with
Answers2Prayer Ministries.
Follow Lyn on
Twitter
@lynchaffart.

Announcement:

Christmas: Yes it does seem to start earlier every year, doesn't it? As we 
prepare for this special season of the year, let's don't get so wrapped up 
in
the preparations that we forget the "Reason for the Season"!

©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely 
give."

Anne Graham Lotz - Love Written in Red
View this email in your browser

Love Written in Red
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever 
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16, NKJV

For God so loved you that He gave His Son, His only Son, the Son Whom He 
loved – He gave heaven’s most precious Treasure – He gave everything He 
had –
in order to offer you eternal life.

Do you doubt the love of God? Why? Because of the bad things that He allows 
to happen to good people? Because of the unfairness and injustice and 
unkindness
and misery and suffering and pain and cruelty of life? Some questions we won’t 
have answers for until we get to heaven. But one thing we can know for sure
is that God loves you and me. How do we know that? We know it by just 
looking at the cross where He proved His love for the world that mocks Him 
and ignores
Him and despises Him and scorns Him and rejects Him.

We look at the cross and see “I love you†written in red – the red of Christ’s 
blood.

Blessings,

Copyright © 2015 AnGeL Ministries, All rights reserved.

Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - A Word With You
A Word With You
Daily Devotional
A Rockefeller Center Christmas - Ringside Seats at the Tree! - #7538

I always look forward to it as one of the season's great Christmas moments - 
the lighting of that towering Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. And it's
happening tonight.

I remember last year. It was just a tad more exciting, for me anyway, 
because I had sort of a second-hand personal connection. The tree came from 
the farm
owned by our good friends' daughter and son-in-law. (Did you get that?) They 
were chauffeured to ringside (actually rink-side) seats for the big show.
So, not only did I get to watch the tree and the performers. Hey, I had like 
friends on the front row!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A 
Rockefeller Center Christmas - Ringside Seats at the Tree."

Apparently, the NBC "tree scouts" look for evergreen candidates year-round. 
And one of them spotted this one, driving down Interstate 80 in 
Pennsylvania.
It was readily visible from the highway and he liked what he saw.

In the months leading up to the tree being cut down, the "treeologists" (I 
don't know if that's a word. But it is now). Treeologists would come with a
large tractor trailer full of nutrients for Mr. Spruce. They wanted to be 
sure he was in good health for his moment of glory!

Rachel, our friends' daughter, describes herself as a "big Christmas elf." 
She said the giant tree was the only thing at her home she didn't decorate 
for
Christmas. (She even decorated her husband I think.) And now it was going to 
be decorated big time for all the world to see! You could say she was 
slightly
excited.

I suppose our friends have viewed the lighting of the Rockefeller Center 
Christmas tree as we always have; a nice Christmas event. But not last year. 
No,
it went from being just an event to an unforgettable personal experience!

And thinking about that just rang a bell suddenly in my heart, because the 
whole Christmas thing can be much the same; a warm, cuddly event, inspired 
by
the familiar story of that baby born in the Bethlehem manger. But it's a lot 
more than that for me. The event became a life-changing personal experience.
When I realized the ultimate meaning of the events that night in Bethlehem, 
I saw that it was all about the tree.

In a sense, the shadow of that tree looms over the starlight in the manger. 
This child is here on a mission - a rescue mission. And that mission will 
take
Him, 33 years later, to the tree. A Roman cross on a skull-shaped hill.

In our Word for today from the Word of God we learn in 1 Peter 2:24, "He 
Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree." Christmas was for a cross; 
the
place where the baby of Bethlehem would become the Savior of the world by 
taking on Himself the death penalty for human sin. "He bore...on the tree" 
every
hurting thing, every dirty thing, every selfish thing, every angry thing, 
every wrong thing of every person who ever lived.

For a time, the horrific death of Jesus Christ on a cross was just an event 
to me. Remembered on Good Friday. A belief to be believed. A religious 
symbol.
But one day it became so much more. It went from an event to the most 
profound personal experience of my life. When it hit me, "What's happening 
on that
cross is...well, for me. For the sinning I've done. For the punishment I 
deserve."

And that's the day I was given a ringside seat at the tree, when my heart 
melted at the love this Jesus has for me - enough to die for me. I enthroned
Him that day, not as just the Savior, but as my Savior. And that changed 
everything. As it has, and as it will, for anyone who makes what happened on 
that
tree "for me."

I wonder if you've ever done that? Have you ever taken this man who loved 
you enough to die for you, who is your only hope of heaven. He's the only 
one
who can forgive the sin that will keep anybody out of heaven. Have you ever 
said, "Jesus, I want to make what You did on that cross personal for me, and
take the event and make it my personal experience"? Would you tell Him 
today, "Jesus, I'm Yours."

We can give you more information about this if you'd just go to our website 
ANewStory.com. Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc. · P.O. Box 400 · Harrison, Arkansas 72602 · 
USA

Prepare the Way

“He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he 
will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of
the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, 
to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
(Luke 1:16–17)

What John the Baptist did for Israel, Advent can do for us. Don’t let 
Christmas find you unprepared. I mean spiritually unprepared. Its joy and 
impact
will be so much greater if you are ready!

That you might be prepared . . .

First, meditate on the fact that we need a Savior. Christmas is an 
indictment before it becomes a delight. It will not have its intended effect 
until we
feel desperately the need for a Savior. Let these short Advent meditations 
help awaken in you a bittersweet sense of need for the Savior.

Second, engage in sober self-examination. Advent is to Christmas what Lent 
is to Easter. “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my 
thoughts!
And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way 
everlasting!” Let every heart prepare him room . . . by cleaning house.

Third, build God-centered anticipation and expectancy and excitement into 
your home — especially for the children. If you are excited about Christ, 
they
will be too. If you can only make Christmas exciting with material things, 
how will the children get a thirst for God? Bend the efforts of your 
imagination
to make the wonder of the King’s arrival visible for the children.

Fourth, be much in the Scriptures, and memorize the great passages! “Is not 
my word like fire, says the Lord!” Gather ‘round that fire this Advent 
season.
It is warm. It is sparkling with colors of grace. It is healing for a 
thousand hurts. It is light for dark nights.
Copyright Information

This devotional is written by John Piper. For more information about Piper's 
ministry, writing, and books, visit DesiringGod.org.

A Norvell Note
Vol. 17 No. 42 October 19, 2015
The Spirit Helps Us
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we 
ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that
words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the 
Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with 
God’s
will. (Romans 8:26–27, NIV84)
Aren’t you glad that you have the Spirit to help you in your weakness? On 
those days when fatigue has robbed you of the strength to function the 
Spirit
helps you do what needs to be done. During those nights when your mind is so 
active that sleep escapes you the Spirit calms your spirit and allows you
to rest. During those seasons of life when confusion and frustration 
characterize you more than any other words the Spirit helps function in ways 
you cannot
understand, and often do not realize.
Aren’t you glad that when you don’t know what to pray that you have the 
Spirit to intercede for us? When your marriage is facing a crisis unlike any
you have ever imagined the Spirit intercedes for you with groans that you 
cannot express with words. When your child is hurting and you are completely
helpless to relieve their pain the Spirit intercedes for you with groans 
that expresses your feelings that your words are incapable of doing. When 
the
members of your medical team explain that there is nothing more they can do 
the Spirit intercedes for you to express the agony that words are incapable
of expressing.
Aren’t you glad that when you are having trouble understanding the will of 
God the Spirit intercedes for you to help you understand His will? When you
are years into your profession but unclear if this is what you were placed 
here on earth to do, the Spirit intercedes for us in accordance with God’s
will. When life changes faster than we can comprehend the Spirit intercedes 
for us in accordance with God’s will. When we search the Word for answers,
constantly approach God’s throne seeking wisdom, and wait in patient 
expectation for God to reveal His plan the Spirit intercedes for us in 
accordance
with God’s will.
There are times in life when search for answers and find none. There are 
times in life when decisions confound us. There are times in life when 
people
frustrate us. There are times in life when the future frightens us. There 
are times in life when the past haunts us. There are times when we simple do
not know what direction to turn. There are times in life when we want to 
quit. There are times in life when nothing makes sense. There are times in 
life
when we realize we are blessed beyond anything we could have ever imagined 
and cannot understand.
During all those times take comfort in knowing that, “…the Spirit helps 
us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit
himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who 
searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit 
intercedes
for the saints in accordance with God’s will.â€
Tom
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2015. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

The first mark of maturity is the ability to deal constructively with 
reality to face facts, to not cover up reality or call it something else, 
but to
deal with it as it is. Mature people do not kid themselves.
The second mark is, adapting quickly to change. We all experience change, 
whether it be physical,
at work, in the family, or whatever. I am amazed at how much some of you 
have changed through the years while I remain exactly the same! Immature 
people
resist change. It makes them nervous. But the mark of maturity is to adapt 
to change because change is inevitable. The third mark is freedom from the
symptoms of tension and anxiety. The worried look, the frown, the ulcers, 
the palpitations of the heart - come because you are upset, anxious and 
worried.
Maturing means you have begun to see that God is in control of this world. 
He is working out purposes that you do not always understand, but you accept
it. He will take you through the deep water, not drown you in it. Maturity 
means you are learning to trust.
Fourth, it means to be satisfied more with
giving than receiving. Some of you have recently learned that the joy of 
Christmas is not getting presents but giving them. To see the joy in someone 
else's
face when they get something they either need or want. That is a sign you 
are growing up. You are discovering the true values of life.
The fifth mark is,
to relate to others with consistency, helpfulness and mutual satisfaction. 
Maturity is learning to get along with other people, to be a help, not a 
hindrance,
to contribute to the solution and not to be always a part of the problem. 
Finally, maturity is sublimating and redirecting anger to constructive ends.
Maturity is the ability to use the adrenaline that anger creates, not to 
lose your temper and add to the problem, but to correct a situation or to 
contribute
to changing the nature of the difficulty."

J I Packer

5 Reasons Not to Complain about 'Happy Holidays'
Joy Allmond

Every year Twitter feeds, Facebook pages, blog posts, newspaper articles and 
television news reports are teeming with stories about (mostly) Christians
decrying the "War on Christmas."

In malls across America, store clerks wish customers a “happy holiday” and 
in some places, Christmas trees are now referred to as holiday trees.

Christians with platforms urge other believers to take a stand—to defend the 
sanctity of Christmas.

And a few have even suggested that being wished "happy holidays" is a form 
of persecution.

As we head into the Christmas season, here are some things Christians should 
consider before fretting about the "War on Christmas" or complaining when
wished "happy holidays" by the mall worker.

It Diminishes the True Nature of Persecution

As we know from recent news reports, ISIS has slaughtered countless 
believers around the world for their
faith
in Jesus Christ. Just last month, The American Center for Law and Justice 
(ACLJ) reported that possibly a dozen Syrian Christian missionaries were 
beheaded
and crucified, and that the women were publicly gang-raped by ISIS members.

When we cry persecution at the sight of a “happy holidays” sign or hearing 
the words from someone they encounter, we diminish the suffering that other
believers endure because of their faith.

Instead of feeling offended or complaining when Christians see or hear that 
phrase this Christmas season, what if we used it as a prompt to pray for the
brothers and sisters around the world who are jailed, beaten, raped or 
otherwise endangered because they represent Christ?

It Places Undue Expectations on Nonbelievers

When we expect Christmas to have the same spiritual implications on the 
world around us as we do ourselves, we are being unrealistic—and unfair.

Of course, it’s a given that we should want everyone to have the hope that 
we’ve found in Jesus. That’s a good thing.

And while we should be evangelists, we should also be realists. We should 
not expect someone who doesn’t see Christmas through a spiritual lens to 
avoid
saying “happy holidays,” or for a Jewish person to wish you a “Merry 
Christmas."

Instead, use this as an opportunity to understand people outside your 
Christian circles. When we cluster together with only people who believe the 
way
we do, we remove ourselves from the places true ministry begins—and avoid 
any opportunities to show the love of Jesus to those who need to see it the 
most.

Besides, a snarky “Merry Christmas” reply to someone who says “happy 
holidays” is not likely to open the door to ministry.

It Makes Our Faith—and Our God—Seem Powerless

When believers say that culture has declared a war on Christmas, we imply 
that our faith cannot thrive in the face of secularism.

To put it more bluntly, we tell the world that our God is small and 
powerless.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus Himself said the church will prevail. And when we 
feel threatened by secular Christmas language and relics, we express doubt. 
And
we also unnecessarily demonize snowflakes, Santa Claus and the phrase “happy 
holidays."

These things don’t determine our Christmas joy—our relationship with Christ 
does.

It Steals Our Joy

Complaining about “happy holidays” steals more than the joy of those around 
us—it steals our own joy.

This is a time to spend with family, and to be thankful for earthly and 
eternal blessings. There are many aspects of Christmas to enjoy, whether it 
is
something spiritual—such as observing Advent or attending Christmas Eve 
services—or trivial, such as trimming a tree or watching Christmas movies.

But when we focus on what’s wrong with Christmas, we injure ourselves. Only 
we are responsible for our attitudes.

And often, a self-righteous attitude can rob us of what was given to us for 
enjoyment—and take the focus off what’s most important.

It Removes Our Focus from the Gospel

The biggest danger of placing any focus on the alleged war on Christmas is 
that it takes our personal attention away from the actual reason we 
celebrate
this season—God became Flesh to rescue us from sin, death and ourselves.

This Christmas, don’t spend mental and emotional energy fretting over 
secular phrases and relics. Instead, use that energy to reflect on the gift 
God has
given us—Emmanuel, God with us.

God is with us, despite a secular society, amid real persecution, and 
regardless of our circumstances.

And if the world can see that our God is bigger than political correctness 
and Christmas trees, perhaps they can begin to turn their attention to Him 
and
hear what His people have to say.

Joy Allmond is a writer based in Charlotte, N.C., where she lives with her 
husband, two teenage stepsons and two dogs.

The Lesson of Lasagna
by Katherine Peters Britton, Crosswalk.com Contributor

"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it 
Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far has the LORD helped us.'" -
1 Samuel 7:12

Life in the Peters household produced a frenetic Christmas just about every 
year, but that year eclipsed them all. I was eleven years old when two 
game-changers
happened in quick succession. First, in early November, my youngest sister 
was born. My twin brothers hadn't yet turned two, so daily life included 
diaper
changes for three kids in addition to the newborn routine. Just a month 
later, my dad was ferrying me home from a Christmas cookie exchange when a 
truck
broadsided us. Multiple injuries kept Dad laid up for a couple weeks, right 
in the midst of Christmas parities and preparation.

The body of Christ carried many burdens for my overwhelmed
family
during the crazy season that followed. Friends cleaned the house, washed 
laundry, babysat so my exhausted mother could nap, put lights on our 
Christmas
tree, took us kids Christmas shopping, and more. Even as a kid, I noticed 
how many people set aside their holiday bustle to lend a hand.

What I remember best, though, is the lasagna.

Church members consistently supplied us with hot meals when we would 
otherwise have eaten cold cereal, given the circumstances. I remember lots 
and lots
of casseroles during the Christmas season, and - I must embarrassingly 
admit - my childish tastes invited me to turn up my nose at many of them. 
Especially
the lasagna, which I barely tolerated in the best of times. During those two 
months, we choked down veggie lasagna that I thought tasted like printer 
paper,
picked at lasagna surfeited with cottage cheese (I still despise cottage 
cheese), rejoiced over meat-lovers lasagna, and tried to get away with 
eating
just the garlic bread someone brought as a side dish. Lord bless the folks 
that brought us that signature casserole, but after New Years I never wanted
to see lasagna again. Ever.

Of course, the years have chugged along, I swapped out my last name, and I 
reticently reversed course on lasagna. The casserole has that sweetly 
sentimental
quality of Grandma's cookies now, always reminding me of those crazy two 
months that began with a birth and closed with a year's end. It's my "edible 
Ebenezer,"
if you will. I know that might sound flippant, but I can't help but remember 
how God provided for my family during a rough patch when I smell that smell.
To me, lasagna will always be synonymous with a church's love.

Intersecting Faith & Life:
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, when food and memories intertwine so closely, 
look around for the Ebenezer stones in your own life. What past events can
you point to and say, "Yes, the Lord helped us there." Tell your family and 
friends the stories of God's grace and provision, so they too will "forget
none of his benefits" (
Psalms 103:2).
We serve a faithful God - let's remember to look back on those markers.

Further Reading:

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

DEAN MASTERS LIST

Laying Down my Isaac

By Answers2Prayer

You are all familiar with the story. God asked Abraham to give up the thing 
that was the most precious to him in the whole world: He had to lay the 
promised
son, the same one he had waited over a hundred years to receive, on the 
altar as a living sacrifice. (See
Genesis 22)

As I think of this story, I wonder: Will God ask me to lay down something 
precious to me?

And if so, what will that precious something be? What is my "Isaac"?

Let's remember that our "Isaac" cannot be something that we would willingly 
sacrifice to God. Rather, it is the thing in our lives that we value the 
most.

As I was going through cancer, I realized that my good health had become my 
"Isaac". I valued my health above all; yet the year I went through cancer I
was assaulted with four different health issues. I was brought face-to-face 
with my need to surrender my health to God, and I'm happy to say I did just
that. I surrendered my health to Him, and it has remained surrendered since 
this time. Stressing about illness, subsequent time off work and resulting
changes to lifestyle are all things of the past. They lay completely in His 
hands.

Yesterday I was brought face-to-face with another "Isaac", only this time it 
wasn't something tangible like my health. It is my lifelong dream, one 
which,
as a result of the cancer-experience, I had thought was finally being 
brought to reality. I was forced yesterday to stand by and watch the 
fulfillment
of this dream die in front of my eyes.

After many angry tears, I sat down at my computer to work on transferring 
old devotional files to a new website. One of the articles I came across was
entitled, "Laying Down my Isaac". I didn't even need to read it, for I could 
clearly hear God's voice through the title: "This dream of yours has become
your 'Isaac' and now I require you to sacrifice it to Me!"

I gave it to Him then and there, and several more times since. In fact, 
every time I think about this little "Isaac", I lay it back down on the 
altar.
I know that in sacrificing it, I will lose it altogether. Yet it was not 
really mine at all, was it? Has God not made me but a steward of everything 
I
have?

Friends, please remember today that everything we have--our health, our 
families, our livelihoods, even our dreams--are not ours at all; rather they 
are
lent to us as precious gifts of God. Let's examine our lives and ask God to 
reveal to us our "Isaacs". When He does, let's be willing to sacrifice them
on the "altar", for it is only in total surrender that our "Isaacs" can have 
real meaning and value, for: "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." (Rom 12:1)

Oh, and let's don't forget that God blesses those who are willing to 
sacrifice their "Isaacs" to Him. He provided Abraham with a substitute 
sacrifice,
and Isaac, now fully-surrendered to God by his father, went on to become the 
father of God's chosen people.

He also gave me back my health, and with it, freedom from worry over 
illness.

I'm looking forward to seeing what He will do now with my life-long dream...

I also invite you to read the article whose title was such an inspiration:
Laying Down my Isaac,
by Hazel Moodley.

In His love,
Lyn

Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "
Aboard God's Train
-- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator 
for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and
Scriptural Nuggets,
a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with
Answers2Prayer Ministries.
Follow Lyn on
Twitter
@lynchaffart.

Announcement:

Is there a particular subject or series you would like to see featured in 
the Nugget? If so, please let me know by emailing me by clicking
here!

©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely 
give."

When You Feel Like Giving Up
Rachel Wojo

"For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? — the God 
who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless."
Psalm 18:31-32
(ESV)

The alarm would sound any minute. It was time. Time to open my eyes, sit up 
and face another day. I started the inner pep talk immediately. Maybe today
will be different. Things can’t get any worse. Well, maybe they can. No, God’s 
got this. I had this conversation in my head before my feet ever hit the
floor.

Circumstances overwhelmed me and had begun to take a toll on my body as 
well. I knew God was with me; I’d known that since I was a child. But the 
perfect
life had taken a wild detour, and I found myself in a very imperfect world.

The unexpected journey through divorce and losing my mom to cancer had been 
tough enough. Now looking ahead, my daughter’s label of "terminal disease"
seemed bigger than God.

In my desperation, I didn’t just pray: I cried to the Lord. I needed more 
than another sermon illustration. More than a checklist of do’s and don’ts. 
I
really needed to know that God was not just near, but that He would get me 
through this. But how?

My habit of reading the Psalms kicked in, and I fumbled to one of my 
favorites where today’s key verse can be found: "For who is God, but the 
LORD? And
who is a rock, except our God? — the God who equipped me with strength and 
made my way blameless."

As I meditated on the verses, the phrase "who equipped me with strength" 
captured my attention. I found myself begging: Lord, I need the kind of 
strength
only You can give. I need this equipping process, Jesus. Will You please 
help me?

I dangled my feet over the side of the bed and continued reading. The 
Psalmist reflected: "You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my 
feet did
not slip"
(Psalm 18:36,
ESV).

The Holy Spirit prompted me through this reflection. That’s it! That’s what 
I need to remember! When I feel like giving up, I don’t have to comprehend
the entire journey. I only need enough strength to take one more step.

I can take comfort in the fact that God’s plan is always bigger and better 
than mine.

Echoing the words of the psalmist, I whispered to God that the battle felt 
enormously overwhelming. I asked Him to equip me with strength only He can 
give
(
Psalm 18:39a).

Finally, I moved my dangling feet from the bedside and placed them solidly 
on the ground, knowing His power would carry me through whatever came my way
that day.

Have you felt like giving up lately? Does the thought of seeing yourself on 
top of the mountain ahead seem too far-fetched to imagine? Let’s stop 
thinking
about the vastness of the journey. Let’s recognize that when things seem out 
of control, God is always in control. He is with us, and giving us the 
strength
to take one more step.

Dear God, please equip me with strength for today. I know I can’t walk this 
journey on my own. I need Your spirit to infuse me with energy for the next
step. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Job 23:10-11,
"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as 
gold. My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not
turned aside." (ESV)

RELATED RESOURCES:
Rachel Wojo’s new book,
One More Step: Finding Strength When You Feel Like Giving Up,
will help you learn how to persevere through out-of-control circumstances 
and gain a more intimate relationship with Jesus.

Do you need to know how to keep going when things are going wrong? Visit
Rachel’s blog
where she encourages fresh faith.

Enter to WIN a copy of One More Step by Rachel Wojo. In celebration of this 
book, Rachel’s publisher is giving away 10 copies! Enter to win by
leaving a comment here,
letting us know why you’d like a copy for yourself OR whom you would give 
the book to, if you won. {We’ll randomly select 10 winners and email 
notifications
to each one, by Monday, October 26.}

REFLECT AND RESPOND:
How can I remember to run to God’s Word when discouragement strikes?

Sometimes the overwhelming circumstances we face make us feel like giving up 
altogether. But when we begin to rely on God’s strength in place of our own,
we can discover how to face those feelings of despair.

© 2015 by Rachel Wojo. All rights reserved.

PresbyCan Daily Devotional

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Today's Devotional

A Simpler Path

Acts 2:46 – Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. 
They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere 
hearts.
(NIV)

I envy the first Christians. Their faith seemed very simple and 
straightforward. They worshipped and studied the Scriptures each day, and 
made time to
frequently share meals and break bread together. They weren't encumbered 
with almost two thousand years of ecclesiastical history, denominational 
divisions,
or cultural conflicts. They just simply, purely, and innocently practiced 
their faith in cheerful, faithful, and joyful ways.

Where did we go wrong? What moved us off the simpler path to Christ? 
Christians today appear to be constantly divided and deeply entrenched over 
many issues.
Whenever I read something belligerently written by some Christian group, 
whether they be conservatives or progressives, which berates the other side, 
I
feel badly inside. In the past, I've created and contributed to these 
self-righteous invectives, but now, I've reached a point where I ask myself 
these
poignant questions: What am I trying to prove? How does my hostility advance 
Christ's kingdom in the world? What do people outside of the church think
of our divisions?

I'd like to get back to those simpler days of sharing the gospel and 
breaking bread together. I'd like things between all Christians to change 
positively,
so I know that it has to begin with me. I may not get it right all of the 
time. I hope that I don't wander from the simpler path, but I know that the 
church
— whether local, national, or even international — can't go on beating 
itself with its own stick. The world is broken, and we need to be healers 
sent from
Christ, but we can do that only if we honestly rid ourselves of our 
self-sustained prejudices, personal pride, and ineffective arrogance, as 
well as our
self-inflicted wounds and fearful ignorance. The grace of Jesus Christ can 
be received by the world if we firstly practice God's grace among ourselves.

Questions for reflection: What is the role of the church in the world? How 
does it present that role in my local community?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we are all sinners saved by Your grace, but sometimes, 
we forget that we are essentially unworthy and unholy. Redirect our lives 
and
re-position us on a simpler path of faith. Cleanse us of ecclesiastical 
arrogance, denominational divisions, and cultural conflict. Teach us Your 
way,
so that we can faithfully present Your truth and graciously live Your life. 
In Your holy name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart 

Welcome to the Nugget
December 1, 2015
How to Decorate the Perfect Christmas Tree

By Answers2Prayer 
My five-year-old grandson pulled out a tiny, worn out sleigh--a tree decoration from the box we brought in from the garage. "This is a cool one," he said, "but it's missing something."

"Sorry," I said to him and his 7-year-old sister. "Nana didn't buy you any pretty tree decorations."
"That's okay," my granddaughter said with tenderness in her voice, "you give us enough stuff. You tell us stories about Jesus; you do plays with us and teach us so many things."

My heart did a back flip. Her words carried the best Christmas gift for this blind Nana. And quicker than you can say manger, my mind raced to find another memorable lesson for their hungry minds.

The obvious popped out--God's display of His love in the decorations we place in the tree of our life. The adornments that come in each of God's promises that make our life shimmer with hope. Like the picture you see here, these are the ones that sparkle the brightest:

1. God will give us rest. "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."

2. We declare His protection. "I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'"

3. His shield from the harm that threatens us is present. "Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence."

4. His shelter is all we need. "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."

5. Fear will not invade during night or day. "You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday."

6. Even when the world trembles, His hand upholds us. "A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you." (All passages are from Psalm 91:1-7.)

Father, my tree will look different this year, displaying who you are, what you promise, and what you provide. I praise you for the shimmer your Word gives to my Christmas. In Jesus's name, amen.

* Where will your peace come from this Christmas?
* What decorates your life lately?
* How will you make your Christmas shine this year?

Janet Perez Eckles
Announcement:

Christmas: A festival of fun? Of lights? Of gifts and Santas? A festival of Jesus? Or just perhaps...A Festival of Obedience? Join us on Saturday for "A Festival of Obedience", Part 1, a mini-series by Suresh Manoharan.
©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

Scared

One year the youth at my church presented the musical “The Surprising 
Christmas Pageant ( The Story of the Birth of Christ Told with Humor, 
Mystery and Awe)” by Dennis Hartin. In this musical an angel went to Mary 
and told her the message from God about her giving birth to Jesus Christ. 
Then the angel went to Joseph and told him about Mary who is going to give 
birth to the Messiah. When the angel appeared, both Mary and Joseph said, 
“It’s an alien!” The angel then had to tell them it was not an alien but and 
angel with a message from God. When the angel was finished both Mary and 
Joseph said, “I would be less scared if you were an alien.” Samuel might 
have thought the same thing in the following Scripture:

1 Samuel 3:10-15 (NLT)
10 And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel 
replied, “Yes, your servant is listening.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, 
“I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. 12 I am going to carry out all 
my threats against Eli and his family. 13 I have warned him continually that 
judgment is coming for his family, because his sons are blaspheming God and 
he hasn’t disciplined them. 14 So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his 
sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.” 15 Samuel stayed in 
bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle as 
usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him.

This was the first time Samuel had ever heard God speaking to him. It took 
god three times to get Samuel’s attention. When Eli finally figured out that 
God was trying to talk to Samuel, Samuel was scared. This was a heavy load 
to put on anyone.

Why don’t people listen for and to God today? You might do your duty and 
read your chapter of Scripture almost every day but you don’t take time to 
meditate on it and let God speak to you through it. You might spend a little 
time in prayer but it is just giving God your wish list of things you want 
Him to do for you. You don’t take time after your talking to allow God to 
talk to you. Could it be because you are scared of what God might say to 
you? You might hear God tell you to do something like God told Samuel to do 
or like what God said to Moses at the burning bush. God had things for these 
two people to do for Him.

When He talks to you He may have something for you to do. No matter what God 
has to say, He can’t say it unless you listen. Take time to listen to God. 
He may just want to say,

“I LOVE YOU!”

by Dean W. Masters

Eight Unexpected Blessings from God
Most of us remember to count our usual blessings from God, especially at 
times like Thanksgiving. But here are at least eight unexpected blessings we 
could
overlook. You could probably list even more. Let me explain:

For the last few years, my husband and I have been systematically sorting 
through every closet, every drawer, and every space in our home. (Actually 
it
seems like we’ve been re-organizing all our married lives). I have been 
trying to fulfill a long-time promise to him to declutter and organize our 
home
more efficiently. And that’s a hard task for a sentimental collector like 
me. We also included a bit of redecorating.

My usual objections always rise to the surface: It’s a waste of good, 
creative time. I’m not skilled at organizing. It’s too hard to decide what 
stays
and what goes. I just don’t have time to do it. When would I write?

But love has a way of breaking down your defenses, and God has a way of 
reminding you of your promises. It means putting other things on hold to 
accomplish
the task. Adding redecorating to the process always helps. Ah, creativity!

Still, there have been times when I wanted to give up. The task seemed 
endless.

We finally struck a compromise: I would weed out, if my husband would 
reorganize what was left. Ouila!

No More Garage Sales!

A few years ago, our garage sale was so huge, our neighbor left a message on 
our phone saying, You’re not moving, are you? After staring at those 
merchandise-filled
tables for two days, I wondered why I ever kept that baggage in the first 
place. When that sale ended, we even toted 11 boxes full of discards to a 
nearby
charity. Surely no more need for garage sales!

But we’ve had more since then. Where does this “stuff” come from, anyway? 
Each time we both agree it will be the last one. Ha!

A
Blessing
?

Through this process God taught me something—many things, in fact. What 
started out as a huge, dreaded burden ended up a fantastic blessing. I can 
find
things in record time (Pinterest helped me with organizing ideas). I have a 
new admiration for my husband, and he thinks he got a new wife! The house 
has
a fresh look—and God gave me a new confidence. Not to mention all the 
stories that evolved during that time!

But lest I start feeling smug about that status, it only takes a few months 
to make me realize we will never be finished “decluttering.” And I don’t 
want
to hold onto things I don’t use when others could benefit from them. But 
neither do I want to spend all my time and energy sorting and discarding.

It’s Not Over ‘Til It’s Over

One day God whispered to me, “Life is a constant necessary process of 
discarding, rearranging, and redecorating—preparing for your final home. But 
life
is also filled with my blessings.”

God’s blessings come in all shapes and sizes. He loves to bless His people! 
But after a closer look in the Bible, I discovered many blessings I had 
never
thought about–like getting rid of stuff—excess baggage that interferes with 
our intimacy with Him and His peaceful presence in our lives. In fact, I 
found
that knowing God more intimately is one of the best blessings of all.

Eight Unexpected Blessings (Just for Starters)

At
Thanksgiving,
what better time to think through and appreciate the unexpected blessings 
God shows us—especially the ones pointing to His character. Here are just a 
few:

• If you’ve ever experienced God’s hand of discipline, and you were allowed 
to see His reasons for doing so, you can never say, “I don’t deserve that 
kind
of treatment.” Instead, you would thank your Father God for His protection 
and wisdom.
• If you have struggled with an unchangeable defect or a menacing weakness, 
and felt God’s power in the midst of it, you understand the blessing of God’s
overcoming strength being made perfect through you.
• If you’ve come near to losing someone who is precious to you, you can 
thank God for His mercy, for second chances and the gift of time. You will 
treasure
each day and each memory—and you will love more deeply.
• If you’ve ever observed the awesome handiwork of God in nature and basked 
in the beauty and wonder of His creation, you cannot help but praise Him 
profusely.
• If you have lost a loved one, experienced deep grief and the pain of 
loneliness, and felt God’s arms around you, then you understand the pain and 
the
magnitude of
Christ
‘s sacrifice for you—and you will thank God for His tender and compassionate 
comfort.
• If you have ever broken God’s heart through sin (and we all have), then 
you can never say to God, “I deserve more.” Instead, you will thank God for 
His
infinite love—and for the hunger to know Him deeply, and cry out to Him, 
“God, You deserve more!”
• If you have survived a near accident, pulled through a crushing blow, or 
felt His peace in the midst of a storm, you are eternally grateful for your
Master Potter, and for the Blessed Controller who is shaping you into His 
image and who values you as His child.
• If you have ever asked God for something, and received God’s “No,” but 
then He answered with something far better than you could ever have hoped or 
imagined,
then you can thank God that He works all things out for your good—and that 
His ways are not your ways.

That’s only the beginning, but you get the idea. And it really doesn’t 
matter if you live in another country where Thanksgiving is not a national 
holiday
like it is in America. We all forget. That’s why I love to remind others—and 
myself, that we are indeed a most blessed people. That’s why my heart wells
up with gratitude daily, yes, thanking God for His blessings, but with a 
pleading, “Oh God. Please! How can I bless you?” I pray that instead of 
offering
a word of thanks this year, we will give Him more. Instead of thanksgiving, 
may we pledge to Him our thanksliving.

“O give thanks to the Lord.” Psalm 105:1

Note: I used parts of this blog previously, but felt its constant truths, 
like my closets, needed revisiting. If you want to learn more about how God 
uses
this process of redecorating and rearranging our lives, you might like to 
read an earlier book I wrote called
At Home in My Heart.
But be forewarned. It will challenge you to make your heart a welcome place 
for God’s presence– and His blessings–to flourish.

It’s Your Turn: What “Unexpected Blessings” Has God Shown You?
Eight Unexpected Blessings from God
appeared first on
Rebecca Barlow Jordan.

Breakfast with Jesus

John 21:12

In these words the believer is invited to enjoy a holy nearness to Jesus. 
"Come and eat" implies the same table, the same food, and perhaps it means 
to
sit side by side, and even lean our head on the Savior's shoulder. It is 
being brought into the banqueting-house, where the banner of redeeming love 
waves
in welcome.

This invitation gives us a vision of union with Jesus, because Christ 
Himself is the only food that we can feast upon when we eat with Him. What 
union
is this! It has a depth that reason cannot fathom. Ponder His words: 
"Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him."1

It is also an invitation to enjoy fellowship with the saints.
Christians
may differ on a variety of points, but they all have one spiritual appetite; 
and if we cannot all feel alike, we can all feed alike on the Bread of Life
sent down from heaven. At the table of fellowship with Jesus we are one 
bread and one cup. As the loving cup goes around, we commit our lives to one 
another.
Get nearer to Jesus, and you will find yourself linked more and more in 
spirit to all who like yourself are supported by the same heavenly manna. If 
we
were nearer to Jesus, we would be nearer to one another.

We also see in these words the source of strength for every Christian. To 
look at Christ is to live; but for strength to serve Him, you must eat what 
He
provides. We work too often in a sense of unnecessary weakness because we 
neglect this perception of the Master. None of us need to put ourselves on a
low diet; on the contrary, we should fatten ourselves in the Gospel so that 
we may derive strength from it and extend every power to its limit in the 
Master's
service. Then if you would realize nearness to Jesus, union with Jesus, love 
to His people, and strength from Jesus, "come and have breakfast" with Him
by faith.

1 John 6:56

Family
Bible
reading plan

verse 1 1 Kings 19

verse 2 1 Thessalonians 2

How to Heal from the Pain You Carry
Whitney Hopler

Editor's Note: The following is a report on the practical applications of 
Jimmy Evans’ new book
When Life Hurts: Finding Hope and Healing from the Pain You Carry
(Baker Books, 2013).

In this fallen world, everyone experiences some kind of pain. A wide variety 
of painful experiences – such as rejection, shattered dreams, betrayal, 
abuse,
illness, job loss, and the deaths of loved ones – can cling to your soul, 
leaving hurt feelings there. If your pain remains unresolved, it will 
disrupt
your mental, emotional, and spiritual health as you carry it around with you 
every day.

It’s vital to face your pain and resolve it, so you can let go of that 
burden and enjoy a healthy life. The only effective way to do that is by 
taking
your pain to God and inviting him to heal you. Here’s how you can do so:

Let go of any inner vows you may have made. Inner vows are promises about 
the future that you make to yourself about pain you’ve suffered in the past.
For example, you might vow: “No one will ever break my heart like that 
again” or “I’ll never let myself be poor.” While it may seem like inner 
vows will
help you, they’ll actually hurt you, because they encourage you to try to 
control certain areas of your life rather than trusting God with them, they 
lead
you to act in irrational and even absurd ways, and they can start to guide 
your life when it should be the Holy Spirit who guides you. Surrender your 
inner
vows – and every part of your life – to God, inviting him to change your 
hard heart to one that’s full of His love as he guides you through the 
healing
process.

Stop trying to deal with your pain in unhealthy ways. You can’t truly heal 
from pain by medicating (using some type of pleasure, such as food or sex, 
to
make yourself feel better temporarily), motivating (turning to ambition and 
busyness to try to distract yourself from pain), or meditating (focusing 
constantly
on your pain to try to justify it). Instead, confess your pain in prayer to 
God and welcome the healing that only he can give you.

Listen to the messages that your pain communicates. The pain you feel always 
communicates some kind of message – either good or bad. God may be speaking
to you through your pain to direct your attention to something in your life 
that needs to change and to help you learn and grow. But Satan may also use
your pain to speak to you, in an attempt to draw you away from God. Ask the 
Holy Spirit to give you the wisdom you need to discern the difference. Keep
in mind that God’s voice gives you loving comfort and guidance designed to 
help you heal, while Satan’s voice leads to feelings of fear, doubt, 
confusion,
and shame designed to make you despair. Listen carefully for God’s message 
in your pain, and reject Satan’s messages.

Embrace the truth that you’re not a burden, but a blessing. Don’t let the 
pain you’ve gone through cause you to devalue yourself. If you feel as if 
you’re
a burden to God or other people, pray for the Holy Spirit to send you a 
fresh dose of confidence and remember your core identity as one of God’s 
beloved
children. Know that your wounded soul is never damaged beyond God’s ability 
to heal. Accept the complete and unconditional love that God offers you and
welcome God’s healing work in your life. Whenever thoughts of insecurity or 
shame enter your mind, remind yourself that, from God’s perspective, you’re
a blessing to him and others.

Replace deceptive thoughts with biblical truth. Your mind is a battleground 
between the good and evil sides of the spiritual realm. When you allow your
mind to dwell on your pain, you become vulnerable to thoughts from evil 
sources that tempt you to sin. But when you regularly read and think about 
God’s
Word, the Bible, its truths will sink into your soul and help you recognize 
and pay attention to good thoughts that lead to a healthy life. When you 
notice
a negative, unhealthy thought in your mind: expose it as a lie, expel it 
from your mind, and fill that space in your mind with a biblical truth.

Come out of hiding. Don’t try to keep your pain a secret. Realize that God 
knows all about it, and loves you anyway. Be honest and vulnerable with God,
expressing your deepest feelings about your painful experiences and 
confessing sinful ways that you’ve responded to that pain. Confess your pain 
and sins
to a few other people you can trust, asking them to pray for you, encourage 
you, and hold you accountable throughout your healing process.

Enter into a healing partnership with God. Realize that God doesn’t intend 
for you to passively receive healing; he wants you to actively work with him
during the healing process. Cooperate with God to change unhealthy lifestyle 
habits that have caused you to be in bondage to pain. Keep in mind that God
wants to do more than simply relieve you of pain; he wants to redeem your 
pain to accomplish good purposes in your life, such as helping others who 
are
also going through pain.

Let your brokenness lead you to a closer relationship with God. Don’t be 
afraid to face the brokenness that pain has brought into your life. Through 
brokenness,
you must admit that you can’t make it on your own through life, and you can 
see how much you need God. As you struggle through pain, you can discover 
God,
and realize that God can console you in any amount of sorrow, help you 
overcome any failure, and erase any type of fear from your life. Trust God 
to heal
your brokenness by restoring you to wholeness – and in the process, draw you 
closer to him.

Break the cycle of pain in your relationships so you can leave a healthy 
legacy. Do whatever God leads you to do to change unhealthy attitudes and 
behaviors
that you’ve adopted due to pain in your life. If you do the work necessary 
to change, you can break a cycle of pain that otherwise would hurt your 
children
and others who come after you. So take personal responsibility for your 
choices rather than blaming others, rely on God to help you as you do the 
work
necessary to change, forgive the people who have hurt you, forgive yourself 
for your mistakes, and accept God’s forgiveness. Aim to leave a legacy of 
blessing
for your loved ones.

Adapted from
When Life Hurts: Finding Hope and Healing from the Pain You Carry,
copyright 2013 by Jimmy Evans with Frank Martin. Published by Baker Books, a 
division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Mich.,
www.bakerbooks.com.

Anne Graham Lotz - Finding Love
Finding Love
We love Him because He first loved us.

1 John 4:19, NKJV

Our world is looking for love. As human beings, we need to love and be 
loved. But we’re looking in all the wrong places. We look for it from a 
parent,

from a child,

from a spouse,

from a friend,

But our parents grow old and die,

our children grow up and live their own lives,

our spouses are too busy or too tired,

our friends are superficial or selfish.

Who can truly understand the need of the human heart? Who can meet the need 
of our hearts? Where is love found?

Love is found in the heart of God.

Blessings,
Copyright © 2015 AnGeL Ministries, All rights reserved.

3943 cdd First Focus
Friday November 27, 2015
Volume 16 Number 237

Today's Author: Pastor Bill

Scripture: Luke 1:31
"And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and 
shalt call his name JESUS" KJV (Emphasis Added)

The Christmas season is officially underway as Thanksgiving passes for 
another year. Perhaps in light of all the shopping and hustle and bustle of 
the
season we should first focus on the real reason for Christmas.

Jesus reigns --- brings peace
He is risen --- brings power
He was dead --- brought life
He was pierced --- eases pain
He is my Lord --- ruling my life

Jesus is my guide --- providing peace
He was bruised --- brought healing
He is my Joy --- bringing me comfort
He always was --- established forever
He was persecuted --- bringing freedom

Jesus is the keeper of Creation --- creating all
His ways are right --- words continue eternal
He is my Redeemer --- fulfilling personal Savior
His will is unchanging --- thoughts directed to me
He is Holy, Righteous, Mighty --- all powerful and pure

Jesus is the Architect of the Universe --- managing all times
He is Unmoved, Unchanged --- never defeated or un-done
He is the First and Last --- creating the beginning and the end
He is Light, Love and Longevity --- bringing goodness, kindness and 
gentleness

The Lord Jesus Christ --- the reason for the Christmas season.

Prayer: Father help me to stay focused on Jesus throughout Christmas --- The 
Reason for the Season. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Philippine Crosses Information: Currently we stand at $10,178.00 short of 
our budget. Thank you for your prayers and please help financially if you 
can.
Cross Giving
Click Here
Pastor Bill Team Prayer:
Father please bring 1............. 2............. 3.............. into your 
kingdom.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Copyright (c) 2015
Pastor Bill Christian Cyber Ministries
All Rights Reserved

A Countercultural Christmas
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Contributor

"Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to 
awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first 
believed;
the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works 
of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly
as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, 
not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no 
provision
for the desires of the flesh." -
Romans 13:11-14

The first purple Advent candle is about to be lit. The once dark wreath will 
shine unevenly with one solitary light.

Advent is one of my favorite seasons in the Christian year. It's a special 
time where we reflect on the darkness and trials of this world in the light
of our hope in Christ. We remember how, after centuries of waiting on the 
part of the faithful, God bridged the chasm between humanity and divinity 
through
the humble birth of Jesus.

I've always loved Advent for its joyful anticipation of the Christ-child, 
but I also love it because it's a bit countercultural. Its sparse purple and
pink decorations stand in stark contrast to the glitz the rest of our 
culture displays often weeks before Thanksgiving arrives. You see, Advent 
was not
designed as a simple memorial of a past event, to bring us up to Christmas 
day and leave us there. Its purpose is to point the faithful towards a 
future
event - Christ's second, glorious coming. This is why churches that 
celebrate this liturgical season read about the Lord's coming in both the 
Old and New
Testament throughout the month of December.

The dramatic imagery found in these readings is far removed from the quaint 
Christmas decorations that currently surround us. They have a jolting effect
as they remind us that our lives now should be lived in light of eternity, 
not in keeping with the current standards.

In this first Advent reading, Paul's words to the faithful carry a tone of 
urgency. He uses the image of awakening from a deep sleep. But notice he is
not shaking his brothers and sisters out of their sleep at sunrise, but 
while "the night is advanced." In other words, it's not enough to simply 
wait for
Christ to show up, but we must prepare beforehand. We need to seek God's 
grace now to help us eliminate sin from our lives

This is where the hard work of Advent comes in. This joyful season requires 
an examination of conscience. It's a time to reflect on the areas where we
lack or on the recurrent sins in our lives, and to seek God's grace to help 
us to change.

Perhaps this seems like a real downer of an activity during the most 
wonderful time of the year. But let me share with you why, for me, it's 
never really
been a downer. Have you ever failed to prepare for a big event (or had 
nightmares that you did?). Have you ever found yourself awake at night, 
panicking
because you're envisioning yourself without a dress on your wedding day or 
lacking your PowerPoint slides for an important presentation? Needless to 
say,
the joy and success of these events would seriously be compromised should 
these nightmares come true.

Surely, all good things in life require preparation. And God, in His mercy, 
has given us the gift of time to prepare for His arrival, which no doubt, 
will
be the most important event we ever experience.

Intersecting
Faith
& Life: Take time this week to reflect on the joy of Jesus' first arrival 
and then, confident in His love for you, ask God to reveal to you the ways 
in
which you need to prepare your heart to meet Him on Christmas Day.

Further Reading
Matthew 3:1-2
Psalm 139:23-24

Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - A Word With You
A Word With You
Daily Devotional
What Makes The Battles Worth It - #7533

Thanksgiving dinner in Baghdad! That's not many folks' dream way to spend 
Turkey Day. But for some American soldiers several years ago, Thanksgiving 
2003
is one of the more memorable holidays of their lives. That was the day the 
President of the United States joined them for Thanksgiving Dinner; actually
helped serve Thanksgiving Dinner. In the aftermath of the Iraq War, Baghdad 
was still not a very secure place, so the President's visit came as a total
surprise and a total secret from the press. Many American soldiers were 
feeling the weight of an extended tour of duty and, for many, the sudden 
appearance
of their President... well, you can guess it was a real morale boost. As GIs 
have learned in previous wartime visits from other Presidents, there's just
something really re-energizing about a personal visit from your 
Commander-in-Chief.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "What 
Makes The Battles Worth It."

You may not be on any military front lines, but the battles you've been 
fighting are taking their toll on you aren't they? Maybe you've been shot 
at, run
down, there hasn't been much of a break in the action, and you've got some 
serious combat fatigue. In fact, maybe it feels like you're losing the 
battle
right now. You know what you need? You need some personal time with your 
Commander-in-Chief. Not the President. No human leader can hold a candle to 
your
Commander. He is, according to the Bible, the King of all kings. He is King 
Jesus.

In our word for today from the Word of God in Luke 24, beginning with verse 
13, two of Jesus' followers are battle-scarred and going down. Their Savior
had been crucified, His body is now missing from the tomb. They're on the 
road to Emmaus and, "as they talked and discussed these things with each 
other,
Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them, but they were kept from 
recognizing Him." When He asked them what they were talking about, the Bible
says, "They stood still, their faces downcast."

Eventually, they asked this stranger to have dinner with them. Verse 33, 
"when He was at the table with them, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it 
and
began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized 
Him, and He disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, 'Were not 
our
hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road...?'"

The Bible goes on to say they returned to Jerusalem totally "pumped." They 
started exhausted; they ended excited. They started on empty; they ended on
full. What made the difference? The personal presence of their 
Commander-in-Chief. He's the one who makes all the battles worth it. 
Experiencing the reality
of His presence is what always makes the difference.

That's exactly what you need right now, and maybe what you've been missing. 
You've been running all over the place, but it's too long since you just had
a walk with Jesus; a time when you pour out your heart to Him and He pours 
some of His heart into you. Maybe you forgot Who it's all for - the One who
loved you enough to die for you. He's the reason for fighting the battles. 
He's the joy. He's the reward, and you're suffering from a Jesus-deficit. 
You
might be serving Him with everything you've got, but you're missing Him. 
Other things are looking bigger than they really are because you haven't 
been
with the One who's bigger than all those battles combined.

The bottom line is really pretty simple. It's all about Jesus, and you're 
missing Him in the midst of all your battles. But your King, the 
Commander-in-Chief,
has come your way today, and He's asking you to just take a walk with Him; 
to have a heart-to-heart talk with Him. Not just today, but every new day. 
There's
something very re-energizing about a personal visit with the person that 
you're fighting for.

Believe me, there is nothing to turn the tide in the battle that you're 
fighting right now like the personal presence of your King of kings.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc. · P.O. Box 400 · Harrison, Arkansas 72602 · 
USA

12 Things to Thank God for in the Midst of Affliction
by Mark Altrogge

One of the most important things we must do when we suffer is to give 
thanks. I don’t say this lightly and I know many believers who have endured 
unimaginable
pain and tragedy. Giving thanks in the midst of agony and affliction is 
certainly not easy to do.

Yet
Ephesians 5:20
tells us we should give thanks “always and for everything to God the Father 
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” and
1 Thess 5:18
says to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in 
Christ Jesus for you.” Giving thanks helps us focus on God in our 
affliction,
steers us away from complaining, strengthens our faith, and brings glory to 
Jesus.

There are many things we can give thanks for when we suffer, but here are 12 
that I try to remember:

1) That God is sovereign and in complete control of the intensity and the 
duration of your affliction.

2) That God’s love and mercies never cease

3) That Jesus will never leave nor forsake you.

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, 
for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Heb 13:5

4) That God is with you in your affliction

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the 
rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall 
not be
burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
Is 43:2

5) That God hears your every prayer

6) That God is using this affliction to make you like Christ.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, 
for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he 
foreknew
he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that 
he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Romans 8:28–29

7) That this affliction is momentary and light compared to the eternal 
reward it is producing

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of 
glory beyond all comparison…
2 Cor 4:17

8) That Jesus is your sympathetic High Priest who intercedes for you 
constantly

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our 
weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet 
without
sin.
Heb 4:15

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God 
through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Heb 7:25

9) That God is near you in your pain

10) That Jesus is your refuge, strength, and strong tower you can run to.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Ps 46:1, ESV

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and 
is safe.
Pr 18:10

11) That God has saved you, washed away your sins, and adopted you as his 
own child.

Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Rom 4:7

12) That someday Jesus will wipe away every tear from your eyes and you will 
see his glorious face.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, 
neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the 
former
things have passed away.
Rev 21:4

Mark Altrogge has been senior pastor of
Sovereign Grace Church
of Indiana, Pennsylvania, since 1982. He has written hundreds of songs for 
worship, including “I Stand in Awe” and “I’m Forever Grateful.” Mark and his
wife, Kristi, have four sons and one daughter. Find out more on his blog,
The Blazing Centre

How to Have a Thankful Heart Through Difficult Times
by Veronica Neffinger, editor of ChristianHeadlines.com

“For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to 
more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory
of God. Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is 
decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day” (
2 Corinthians 4:15-16)

Colorful, feather-shaped pieces of construction paper sit on the kitchen 
table, along with cut-outs of turkey-shaped bodies and body parts--beak, 
feet,
etc. My mother brings over the magic markers and we are ready to begin 
making our yearly Thanksgiving turkeys.

This was a tradition my mother started when I was very young, and we 
participated every year that I remember until I left for college. We would 
assemble
our turkeys and then write one thing we were thankful for on each feather.

Looking back, I remember it being so simple, especially in the early years: 
family, friends, pets, God, food, a warm house. In high school things became
a bit more theological, but yet they still flowed fairly easily off my pen: 
salvation, God’s mercy, spiritual mentors.

Holiday traditions like these are fun. They build memories and focus on the 
blessings of life; but sometimes, especially as adults, it is harder to 
easily
list what we are thankful for. Either it seems too cliche, or we can find it 
difficult to be sincere about our thankfulness when perhaps times are very
hard.

My Thanksgivings after high school have been much less carefree. Adult 
thoughts of school, jobs, finances, and traveling can weigh heavy on us even 
as
we attempt to drum up feelings of thankfulness on its namesake holiday.

Crosswalk.com contributor Debra Fileta
shares her story of recognizing that Thanksgiving is about more than merely 
lisiting your blessings. “What if being thankful meant surrendering our 
struggles,
too?” she asks.

“I am proclaiming right now that in times of suffering, a heart of gratitude 
means more than just saying ‘thank you,’” Fileta says. It means believing
that God is who he says he is. Believing that he is good, that he is love, 
and that he is for me. Believing that he never changes, that he never fails,
and that he is working all things for what is good.”

God understands that thankfulness is not always (or usually) a gut-reaction 
for us. Even Jesus struggled to thankfully accept God’s Plan of salvation 
while
He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, preparing to go through the agony of 
the cross.

“‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my 
will, but yours, be done.’ And there appeared to him an angel from heaven,
strengthening him,”
Luke 22:42-42
records.

This passage tells us two things:

First, there is value in going through the motions even if the feelings aren’t 
there. Choosing to thank God even if you don’t feel like it and are actually
more stressed than thankful can be an important first step in having your 
heart opened to true gratitude.

Secondly, the passage says angels ministered to Christ and helped strengthen 
Him for what he was about to undergo. We have someone even better than God’s
entire host of angels to aid us--Jesus Himself.

Though life may bring us trials, we are not alone. And though offering up 
thanksgiving in the midst of those trials may be a sacrifice, it is a 
rewarding
one.

“When I look at those pieces of my life that look overwhelmingly difficult 
or disappointing and can thank God for whatever good He plans to bring out 
of
them, I am offering a sacrifice of praise,” says
Crosswalk.com conributor April Motl.
“When I can entrust what looks like something that is broken beyond repair 
to my heavenly Father’s goodness and love, I am offering a sacrifice of 
praise.”

This world and the life we live in it is often a thankfulness-stealer. But 
in Christ, we know that we can “Rejoice always” (
1 Thessalonians 5:16)
because the trials and hard times are not a test, but another reason to 
trust God who is working all for our good and has already given us “all 
things
that pertain to life and godliness” (
2 Peter 1:3).

Intersecting
Faith
& Life:
What prevents you from being thankful this Thanksgiving? How can you seek to 
have thankfulness through the trials?

Further Reading:

A Prayer for a Thankful Heart

What I Learned from Keeping a Gratitude Journal
LightSource.com Featured Ministry
Bayless Conley
Answers with Bayless Conley


Plan for Prayer
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and 
it will be done for you.”
(John 15:7)

Prayer pursues joy in fellowship with Jesus and in the power to share his 
life with others.

And prayer pursues God’s glory by treating him as the inexhaustible 
reservoir of hope and help. In prayer, we admit our poverty and God’s 
prosperity, our
bankruptcy and his bounty, our misery and his mercy.

Therefore, prayer highly exalts and glorifies God precisely by pursuing 
everything we long for in him, and not in ourselves. “Ask, and you will 
receive
. . . that the Father may be glorified in the Son and . . . that your joy 
may be full.” Unless I’m badly mistaken, one of the main reasons so many of 
God’s
children don’t have a significant life of prayer is not so much that we don’t 
want to, but that we don’t plan to.

If you want to take a four-week vacation, you don’t just get up one summer 
morning and say, “Hey, let’s go today!” You won’t have anything ready. You 
won’t
know where to go. Nothing has been planned.

But that is how many of us treat prayer. We get up day after day and realize 
that significant times of prayer should be a part of our life, but nothing’s
ever ready.

We don’t know where to go. Nothing has been planned. No time. No place. No 
procedure. And we all know that the opposite of planning is not a wonderful
flow of deep, spontaneous experiences in prayer. The opposite of planning is 
the rut.

If you don’t plan a vacation, you will probably stay home and watch TV. The 
natural, unplanned flow of spiritual life sinks to the lowest ebb of 
vitality.
There is a race to be run and a fight to be fought. If you want renewal in 
your life of prayer, you must plan to see it.

Therefore, my simple exhortation is this: Let us take time this very day to 
rethink our priorities and how prayer fits in. Make some new resolve. Try 
some
new venture with God. Set a time. Set a place. Choose a portion of Scripture 
to guide you.

Don’t be tyrannized by the press of busy days. We all need midcourse 
corrections. Make this a day of turning to prayer — for the glory of God and 
for the fullness of your joy.
This devotional is written by John Piper. For more information about Piper's 
ministry, writing, and books, visit DesiringGod.org.

Putting the "Thanks" Back in Thanksgiving

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures 
forever!
Psalms 118:1

An old pastor and his wife invited a new young couple in the church over for 
Thanksgiving dinner. As the couple entered the home, they smelled the 
wonderful
turkey and all the trimmings in the kitchen. As the four made their way to 
the dining room table, there was a great feast before them!

But as the young wife scanned the table, she noticed something out of place. 
Among the turkey, dressing, casseroles, and pies were three Chinese takeout
cartons and a plate of egg rolls!

"I know what you're thinking," the old pastor said. "Why is there Chinese 
takeout on the table?"

"You see," he continued, "23 years ago on Thanksgiving Day, my dear wife 
burned the turkey and started a fire in our kitchen! In fact, our entire 
kitchen
nearly caught fire and the whole Thanksgiving meal was charred black!"

"So after the fire department left," he chuckled, "we ordered Chinese 
takeout and that was our Thanksgiving meal! And every year since, we've had 
Chinese
takeout as a part of our meal to remind us to be thankful for what we have!"

This year, I hope Thanksgiving isn't just a holiday for you. It should be a 
way of life for every Christian. We serve a wonderful God who sent his Son
to die for you. So as you continue to reflect on what you are thankful for 
this year, remember God's blessings in your life!

GIVE THANKS TO GOD FOR HOW HE HAS BLESSED YOU IN YOUR LIFE AND ESPECIALLY 
FOR SENDING CHRIST TO DIE FOR YOU!

----------------------------------------------------------
For more from PowerPoint Ministries and Dr. Jack Graham, please visit
www.jackgraham.org


What Are You Thankful For?
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor

“I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with 
thanksgiving.” –
Psalms 69:30

A while back, there was an episode of The Simpsons in which the
family
is celebrating Thanksgiving. When the time came to say grace, Bart Simpson 
bowed his head and said,

“Dear God, we paid for all this stuff ourselves, so thanks for nothing.”

The first time I saw this clip on TV I remember feeling a mix of emotions. 
On one hand, I was angry that such cynicism was being shown toward God and a
day celebrating thankfulness. On the other hand, I couldn’t help but relate 
to Bart a little. I was at a time in my life when everything seemed out of
control. I had no money, my life felt like it was stuck in neutral, and my 
future was looking pretty bleak. Why should I be thanking God for anything?

If you’ve ever been in my situation, I want to point you toward a passage of 
scripture that helped me put things in perspective,

“On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 
And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a 
distance and
lifted up their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." When he 
saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as 
they
went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, 
turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at 
Jesus'
feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, "Were 
not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give 
praise
to God except this foreigner?" And he said to him, "Rise and go your way; 
your
faith
has made you well.’” –
Luke 17:11-19

It’s easy to spend our lives worrying and obsessing over the problems of 
life. It’s also easy to overlook a blessing in times of need, or forget to 
be
thankful when troubled times have been put to rest. Be sure you don’t become 
one of the nine lepers, who were so happy to be cured that they forgot who
cured them. This Thanksgiving, I encourage you to spend time remembering 
what God has done in your life.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Whatever your situation may be, count your 
blessings and take a moment to thank God for them.

Further Reading

Psalms 95:1-6

Learning to Love More People, More
LISA HARPER

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in 
Christ God forgave you."
Ephesians 4:32
(NIV)

You’ve probably heard the old adage, "you can’t teach an old dog new 
tricks." Well, I beg to differ. I’ve learned at least one new thing. Every. 
Single.
Day. Of the last year and a half.

Most of the lessons have come courtesy of a joyful 6-year-old Haitian with a 
wee rambunctious streak named Missy, who officially became my daughter in
April 2014 after a tumultuous two-year adoption process.

My little girl has a brave warrior spirit and a predisposition to wiggle 
gleefully in the grocery store and greet bemused shoppers with the 
invitation,
"Hello ma’am, do chu wanna dance wid my mama and me?" My little girl also 
has HIV.

She was unwittingly infected by her biological mom who, like far too many 
people living in impoverished conditions in third world countries, never got
tested and died of AIDS without ever realizing she had it.

As a result of Missy’s disease, one of the first new lessons I learned was 
about loving more people, more. My tutoring session took place in the 
private
non-chain pharmacy we visit monthly that specializes in meds for people with 
HIV and AIDS. They don’t sell candy, cards, breakfast cereal, toothpaste or
Chia pets, just pricey medicine for pretty sick folks. It’s tucked away on 
the fifth floor of an old building that used to house a low-budget shopping
mall.

Of course, at first some of the other customers glanced at us with 
curiosity. This was probably because — with Missy dressed in a plaid school 
uniform
and a bow bigger than her head, and me wrapped in my whole harried, 
disheveled look — they assumed we were lost.

Some even hurdle over benign curiosity and jump straight to barely disguised 
contempt. This aptly describes the man with an angry expression who rode up
the elevator with us one visit. He literally averted his gaze and exhaled in 
protest when Missy blurted out happily, "Hello Sur! How awe you?"

I put my hand protectively on her shoulder and tried to scoot her a few 
inches away, but this was one time her ardor was not easily redirected. She 
tugged
on his sleeve and persisted with more animation, "I’m Missy Haar-Purr. I’m 
FIVE! And this is my MAMA Haar-Purr!"

He threw me a look of frustration and exhaled louder. It was all I could do 
not to grin at his surprised expression when we walked into the pharmacy 
behind
him and the darling employees swarmed Missy like a bevy of favorite aunts.

He seemed startled when they asked her to sing and she responded by belting 
out the praise chorus of "Your Great Name" followed by an enthusiastic, 
hip-swiveling
encore of "Shake Your Booty." (Missy’s musical repertoire is surprisingly 
vast.)

A few minutes later, after she’d proclaimed, "I lub ya’ll!" she handed a big 
sucker to each one of the staff. Then Missy turned to the man, held up her
last remaining lollipop, and asked sweetly, "Wood chu like a sucker, Sur?"

His expression softened as he leaned down and replied gently, "Well, yes, 
honey. I believe I would." My daughter hugged him before bellowing a rather 
bossy
"Goodbye Sur, it was nice to meed you!" At which point he reached over her 
head and shook my hand.

When our eyes met, we both smiled. I couldn’t speak, because I was too close 
to tears. But I don’t think we needed any more words. Enough had already 
been
said.

What Thanksgiving does annually for my waistline, Missy has done for my 
heart. She’s increased my capacity to "be kind and compassionate to one 
another,"
which is exactly the kind of effect the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit 
has on Christ-followers.

Our Heavenly Father’s forgiveness and acceptance causes our hearts to expand 
far beyond our previous boundaries. As maturing Christians, we’ll scoot past
simply being consumers of grace and become carriers of grace, becoming brave 
enough to embrace people we never noticed before as we seek to act like 
Christ.

Lord, remind us today that Your grace is available to everyone and that we 
are all in need of it. Help us live in a way that reflects Your nature to 
others.
We know we can do it only through the empowering of Your Holy Spirit. In 
Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
John 13:34,
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you 
must love one another." (NIV)

1 Corinthians 13:4,
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is 
not proud." (NIV)

The Gravity of Gratitude

In the last days there will come times of stress. For people will be lovers 
of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their 
parents,
ungrateful . . .(2 Timothy 3:1–2)

Notice how ingratitude goes with pride, abuse and insubordination.

In another place Paul says, “Let there be no obscenity, foolish talk or 
coarse joking . . . but rather thanksgiving” (
Ephesians 5:4).
So it seems that gratitude is the opposite of ugliness and violence.

The reason this is so is that the feeling of gratitude is a humble feeling 
not a proud one. It is other-exalting, not self-exalting. And it is 
glad-hearted
not angry or bitter.

The key to unlocking a heart of gratitude and overcoming bitterness and 
ugliness and disrespect and violence is a strong belief in God, the Creator 
and
Sustainer and Provider and Hope-giver. If we do not believe we are deeply 
indebted to God for all we have or hope to have, then the very spring of 
gratitude has gone dry.

So I conclude that the rise of violence and sacrilege and ugliness and 
insubordination in the last times is a God-issue. The basic issue is a 
failure to
feel gratitude at the upper levels of our dependence.

When the high spring of gratitude to God fails at the top of the mountain, 
soon all the pools of thankfulness begin to dry up further down the 
mountain.
And when gratitude goes, the sovereignty of the self condones more and more 
corruption for its pleasure.

Pray for a great awakening of humble gratitude.
Copyright Information
This devotional is written by John Piper. For more information about Piper's 
ministry, writing, and books, visit DesiringGod.org.

Thanksgiving Starts on Sunday
Matt Boswell / November 21, 2015
Thanksgiving Starts on Sunday

When we gather together to worship, something wonderful is happening in us. 
While opening the Scriptures, singing, praying, and giving our offerings, a
formation is underway: God is performing the slow and steady work of making 
us a thankful people.

Is your worship of God marked with open-eyed thankfulness?

Various churches offer thanksgiving during its services in various ways. 
Some show thanks through songs of praise. More liturgical churches will have 
a
time of thanksgiving (spoken or sung) following an assurance of pardon. 
Still others sing the Doxology together as a moment of collective 
thanksgiving.

Whatever the practice of your local church, thanksgiving likely serves as a 
significant part of our gathered worship, and we should take fresh notice,
and not simply go through the motions.

Kindling for Our Hearts

Have you ever have walked into a church gathering when your heart is 
lethargic or your mind is foggy? We all have. In these moments, we have the 
opportunity
to acknowledge our condition, admit the inadequacy of what we are thinking 
or feeling, and choose still to worship our Maker along with his people.

We are a people plagued with gospel-amnesia, and we often forget the riches 
we have been given in Christ. It is in the remembering of God’s great works
that our hearts are stirred with fresh affection for Jesus.

We need regular time to cultivate thankfulness in our hearts. In the hurry 
and rush of our modern society, corporate worship serves as a time set aside
to remind us of who we are as the people of God. As John Broadus said (more 
than a century ago!), “We are so taken up with the affairs of the present 
that
we don’t have time to give thanks for blessings of the past.” Is it not even 
more true today?

One of the means of grace that God has given us as his people is the gift of 
one another. When we gather together with our brothers and sisters in 
Christ,
songs and sermons remind us of the good news of the gospel. Our tired hearts 
are refreshed and renewed when we hear truth.

Practicing Thanks Together

The practice of thanksgiving is faithful kindling for the fire of worship. 
In corporate worship, we are retelling the faithfulness of God in the gospel
and throughout history. Together we give thanks to him, in the words of 
Joachim Neander, for wondrously reigning over all things, for sheltering us 
under
his wings, for being our help and defense.

In the practice of thanksgiving, our hearts are lifted as we recall and give 
thanks in corporate worship. It is when we “ponder anew what the almighty
can do” that our hearts are enlarged to run in the ways of God (Psalm 119:32).

Gratitude can be practiced at various points in a worship service: * In 
singing, we can thank God for his ways (Ezra 3:11, Psalm 69:30). * In 
Scripture
reading, we can thank God for revealing to us his perfect word. (Speaker: 
“This is the word of the Lord.” Response: “Thanks be to God!”) * In 
confession,
we can thank God for his mercy (1 Corinthians 1:4; 2 Corinthians 4:15). * In 
observing Communion, we give thanks (Mark 14:23, 1 Corinthians 11:24). * In
times of corporate prayer, we give thanks (Ephesians 1:16, 1 Thessalonians 
1:2; Philippians 4:6). * In a benediction, we can thank God for the joy of 
being
gathered with his people (Psalm 111:1).

Fuel for Living Worship

Thankfulness is the fuel for living worship. While our gatherings are a 
theater for our thankfulness, our entire lives should be marked by 
gratitude. As we allow the truths of the gospel to enlarge our hearts, we find 
ever-increasing room for thankfulness to God.

This weekend, as you gather together with your church to worship, be 
reminded of the role of thanksgiving in your heart. We are tired and 
forgetful people,
who need to be once again gripped by the glory of God. And all of us have 
much to be thankful for. And in the midst of this collective work together 
in worship, stoke the flame of thankfulness in your own heart.

Thanking Those You Don't Usually Think Of
Rachel Dawson

Even in this season of gratitude, there are often people we never remember 
to thank. They’re ones who impact and influence our lives in ways both big 
and
small. Let’s make this the year that we reach out to show our appreciation 
and thanks to them. It doesn’t have to take much, a simple note or a small 
gift
or even just a meaningful conversation can go a long way in showing the 
people around us that we are glad they’re there.

Thank the people who come to your home-- the ones who deliver your mail, 
take your trash, bring your newspaper, landscape your yard, do repairs, etc. 
We
can forget to thank them for helping make our lives easier, but a simple 
thank you note or an offer of a dessert or drink while they’re working can 
remind
them they are seen and valued.

Thank the
pastors
and volunteers who lead and teach you. Often, ministry is a thankless job. 
Pastors and church staff pour out endlessly for their congregation, so 
making
sure you express your gratitude for all they do will be refreshing and 
encouraging to their hearts. Many people volunteer or work behind the scenes 
to
help make events and services possible in the church, so you can even take 
this a step further and ask leaders to connect you with others you may never
have seen giving of their time. What a blessing it would be to encourage the 
ones nobody ever sees serving!

Thank your barista and your waiter and the person at the drive-thru window. 
They are often on their feet preparing your food and drinks for many long 
hours,
and a simple “thank you for all that you do” can be a bright spot during 
their shift.

Thank your children’s teachers and coaches and babysitters. These people 
love, care for, and help mold your little ones, so let them know how 
grateful
you are for their presence in your family’s lives.

Thank the custodians at your office or the team that cleans your house. I’m 
sure you appreciate the hard work they do to keep your environments clean 
and
organized, so let them know that. Whether you know them personally or just 
pass them in the hallway, take a minute to thank them for their hard work 
that
so often goes unappreciated.

Thank the doctors and nurses and healthcare professionals that are working 
to keep you well. Whether you only see them once a year for a check-up or 
you
visit them often, they deserve to be appreciated and thanked for all of 
their hard work and care. Many spend long hours taking care of the sick and 
wounded,
sacrificing time with their own families for the sake of others, which is 
worthy of our appreciation.

Thank the men and women who are protecting your freedoms and keeping you 
safe. So many men and women who serve in the military, the police force, 
rescue
squads, as firefighters or first responders, and so many other roles are 
never thanked for the sacrifices they make daily for all of us. Honor them 
in
this season with handwritten notes or letters expressing your gratitude for 
their selfless service.

This Thanksgiving, let’s bless those around us as we express how grateful we 
are for all that they do and give to enrich our lives and our communities.

Publication Date: November 12, 2015
Rachel Dawson is the editor of
BibleStudyTools.com

Thanksgiving: A Story of Persistence
This devotional was written by Kelly McFadden

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one 
thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies 
ahead,
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ 
Jesus. —
Philippians 3:12-14

Here is a part of the Thanksgiving story you may not know. While the first 
Thanksgiving was celebrated in October of 1621, it was not until October of
1777 that all 13 colonies celebrated Thanksgiving, for the first time. At 
one point, our first president, George Washington, proclaimed a National Day
of Thanksgiving, but conflict and difficulties among the colonies put an end 
to its observance.

It was a magazine editor, Sarah Josepha Hale, whose work led to the 
celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday we observe today. Hale wrote letters 
to governors
and presidents, and editorials in magazines, books and newspapers, promoting 
the observance of Thanksgiving. In 1863, after 40 years of letter writing
and campaigning (that’s not a typo, she really wrote letters for 40 years), 
Hale’s persistence paid off and President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a 
National
Day of Thanksgiving. Since then, every president has supported Thanksgiving. 
Forty years of dedication, persistence and passion, all to make sure that
this country would celebrate a National Day of Thanksgiving each year. 
Impressive.

We can learn from Hale’s perseverance. It took her 40 years to accomplish 
what she set out to do. Just like her story, the
Christian faith
is often described as a marathon, not a sprint. Each day of our life is 
another day to choose between right and wrong, to help someone in need, to 
read
our Bible and pray. As Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:12-14,
Christians
are called to persevere, to press on. Sometimes it can feel like an 
unrewarding task. It is hard, but important, to look to God for the BIGGER 
plan. What
if Hale had chosen to give up after one year or ten years? Her goal would 
have been left unfinished. Press on towards the call of Christ! Endure! But 
be
forewarned, just like Sara Josepha Hale, it may take 40 years to see the 
fruit of your labor!

GOING DEEPER:

1. What are some areas in your life that require perseverance?
2. Why is it important we don't base our faith on feelings?

FURTHER READING:

Deuteronomy 29:2
;
Matthew 4:1
;
James 1:2
;
2 Peter 1:3

WHEN YOU DON'T FEEL THANKFUL

He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me. -
Psalm 50:23

What do you do when your life is going south? What do you do when it is 
“THANKSGIVING” and you have just lost a loved one… or just lost your job… or 
just
lost your marriage? Surely you cannot be expected to give thanks… can you?

Sometimes thanksgiving is a sacrifice. Sometimes we must thank God through 
clenched teeth and chocked back tears. Thanksgiving in the midst of a 
terrible
storm brings tremendous joy to His heart. It shows the Lord that we really 
trust Him… regardless of the adverse circumstances we are facing.

THE THANKSGIVING CONSTANT

Perhaps you are one this year who is having trouble finding good in your 
life. Look no further than Jesus. He never changes. Despite everything 
you
might be facing, you can rejoice in Him. You can give thanks for Him and 
His love and care for you. You can give thanks that He promised to work all 
things
together for good.

Train yourself to give thanks in everything. Remember… a sacrifice of 
thanksgiving brings honor to the Lord. Thank Him for that trial you are 
facing.
Thank Him for that sorrow. He will use your thanks for His glory and your 
ultimate good!

Love,
Jeff Schreve
Jeff Schreve founded From His Heart Ministries,
www.fromhisheart.org,

3941 cdd The Runaway
Wednesday November 25, 2015
Volume 16 Number 235

Today's Author: Pastor Bill

Scripture: Psalm 100:4
"Come into his city with songs of thanksgiving and into his courtyards with 
songs of praise. Thank him and praise his name" NCV

From the pen of an unknown author --- "Once again, at the age of twelve, I 
had run away from the orphanage. It had not even entered my head that 
tomorrow
was going to be Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving Day just happened to be one of 
the few days that we kids got to eat all that we wanted.

I was headed out of Jacksonville, Florida, and I think I was westward 
bound -- whatever that direction was. All I knew was that someone had told 
me that
I was born somewhere in California, and I had a mother and father out there 
somewhere.

It was November so it was getting cold as the sun went down. I knew from 
past experience that I could not stay on any of the main roads as the police 
would
be looking for me. They would return me to the Juvenile Hall or worse, back 
to 'The Orphanage'.

As I walked along, I came across some railroad tracks which I thought I 
would follow in hopes they might lead me to my mother somewhere in 
California.
After about an hour or two of walking the tracks, I came across a large 
bonfire. There were several men standing around in a circle trying to stay 
warm.

'Where you headed kid?' yelled one of the men.

'Going to California to find my mom and dad,' I hollered back at him.

'Going the wrong way kid,' he said, cupping his hands over his mouth like a 
bull-horn.

Slowly I walked over to where the men were standing and I asked if I might 
get warm by the fire.

'Get that empty can over there and I'll give you a cup of hot beans,' said 
one of the men who was sitting on an old stack of tires.

They sure were good beans too! I think I ate two cans. Sure was nice of them 
to give me some of their food.

'Might as well stay here for the night,' said the man with a sling on his 
arm. I know my eyes got real big and I got a little scared when he put his 
good
arm around me.

'It's gonna be ok kid. I'll look after you,' said the man who had given me 
the beans.

I slept pretty good considering how cold it was out there by the tracks. I 
curled up under a few old army blankets that smelled real bad, but they sure
were warm and a bit itchy.

The next morning we had beans once again for breakfast. That was the first 
time I ever had coffee and it was real good tasting. Made you feel real warm
inside. After breakfast we cleaned up our mess and burned it all in the fire 
and then we poured water over the fire until it went out.

For most of the day we walked down the railroad tracks. Once in a while, we 
would sneak over a fence and pick some sweet tasting fruit to eat.

Right before dark one of the men went into a small store and asked if he 
could do some work for a loaf of white bread and some meat. The store man 
told
him 'No.' Later on, I went back to the store and asked to work for some 
food. The man agreed and later I returned with a loaf of bread and two packs 
of
meat which had bad tasting pickles in it.

That night we had fruit, pickle meat sandwiches, and beans for Thanksgiving 
Dinner. We called it 'Supper'.

I never knew that hobos ever said grace before they ate. But they did, and 
they really meant it too, because I could tell it in their voices when they
all said 'Amen'.

'How come you people always say grace before you eat? You're like me. You 
ain't got nothing to be thankful for,' I said.

'Ain't you got two arms and two legs kid?' asked one of the men.

'Course I got two arms and two legs,' I told him.

'Then you got something to be thankful for,' said the man, as he raised his 
pants leg and showed me his fake leg.

'Did the war do that to you?' I asked him. The man did not answer me. He 
just got up from the ground and walked away into the darkness.

'It's OK kid. He just takes the war harder than the rest of us. We were all 
in the war,' said his friend.

'You was in the war too?' I asked.

He looked down at the ground without answering my question. Then he broke 
into tears and covered his face. I sat there not knowing what to say. I just
sipped on my coffee and tried to stay warm. The next thing I remember it was 
morning.

The four men all told me goodbye, except the one who could not talk -- he 
spoke with his hands and fingers. Then they jumped a slow moving train and 
left
me standing all alone beside the railroad tracks.

I took my two good arms and my two good legs and I walked back to the 
orphanage. When I saw the head matron, Mrs. Walters, I told her, (with my 
mouth that
could speak words) that I was very sorry I had run away and that I was very 
ashamed for not being thankful for all that God had given me."

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and as we survey the chaos in the world let us give 
thanks to the Lord for His provision in our lives. Giving thanks for our 
families,
friends, health, freedom and shelter. And may those in need of a special 
touch from the Lord, in their body, mind or spirit be fulfilled.

Prayer: Psalm 100
Shout to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with joy; come before him 
with singing. Know that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him; 
we
are his people, the sheep he tends.

Come into his city with songs of thanksgiving and into his courtyards with 
songs of praise. Thank him and praise his name. The Lord is good. His love 
is
forever, and his loyalty goes on and on. (NCV) In the name of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Amen!

Philippine Crosses Information: Currently we stand at $10,178.00 short of 
our budget. Thank you for your prayers and please help financially if you 
can.
Cross Giving
Click Here
Pastor Bill Team Prayer:
Father please bring 1............. 2............. 3.............. into your 
kingdom.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Copyright (c) 2015
Pastor Bill Christian Cyber Ministries
All Rights Reserved

Today's Turning Point with David Jeremiah
Weekend, November 14 & 15

Blessings Abound: Blessings From Around

Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His 
wonderful works to the children of men!
Psalm 107:21

Recommended Reading
Psalm 107:33-43
Just when you think poetry has gone out of style, someone quotes a stanza 
that expresses just the right thoughts in the right way. For example, in an 
old
book of poetry, there’s this verse by Mark Bullock on the subject of 
thanksgiving: “When you ask God in the morning / For His guidance through 
the day,
/ Thank Him for the many blessings / He in love has sent your way. / When 
you’re asking aid from Heaven, / Mingle with your morning prayer / A word of
praise and gratitude / For all His kindly care.”

Watch This Week's TV Broadcast
When you learn to do this, it becomes a very practical habit. When washing 
the dishes, thank God for hot water. When taking your medicine, thank Him 
for
your doctor and for advanced medical technology. When grabbing a shopping 
cart at the grocery, thank Him for the abundance of food in the store. When 
dressing
in the morning, thank Him for providing your clothing. When retiring at 
night, thank Him for the blessings of darkness and moonlight; and upon 
arising,
thank Him for awakening you to a new day. Blessings abound, so thank God for 
scattering them all around you!

When you send up your petition / To the Throne of Grace on High, / Thank Him 
for the many favors / That His mercy does supply.
Mark Bullock

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Acts 8 – 11
DavidJeremiah.org - Delivering
Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah
Copyright © 2015 Turning Point for God. All rights reserved.

Fulfillment
3913 cdd Fulfillment
Friday October 16, 2015
Volume 16 Number 207

Today's Author: Pastor Bill

Christian Cyber Ministries participants V & D. C. from Murrieta, California 
contributed financially in support of today's cdd. Thank you - PTL! Pb

Scripture: Psalm 57:2
"I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me" NLT

Life is full of seasons. The school/adolescence years, learning/training 
years, active/growth years, family/relationship years, senior/mentor years. 
No
matter what season in life you find yourself allow each season to be a 
fulfillment of your relationship with Jesus. He placed you here for HIS 
purpose.

In the bulb there is a flower, in the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise, butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there's a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

There's a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
There's a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future, what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

In our end is our beginning, in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing, in our life, eternity,
In our death, a resurrection at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season something God alone can see. (Words by Natalie 
A. Sleeth)

Driving a taxi, running a business, an electrician, builder, pilot, 
housewife, actor or a sales person --- no matter the occupation --- no 
matter the skills
--- no matter the talents --- consider it your personal gift from Jesus and 
a fulfillment of HIS purpose in your life.

Do your best to fulfill your seasons for Jesus. Don't waste your seasons!

Prayer: Father thank you for my seasons of life and helping me fulfill all 
You have for me. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

We covet your prayers and financial support for
The Mission Ball Cross
in Brandon, South Dakota. Cross Giving

Pastor Bill Team Prayer:
Father please bring 1............. 2............. 3.............. into your 
kingdom.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Copyright (c) 2015
Pastor Bill Christian Cyber Ministries
All Rights Reserved

Can a Good God Bring Pain?
Dave Zuleger / October 5, 2015
Can a Good God Bring Pain?

Do you believe that God can author pain or suffering in your life for your 
good? Could affliction, from a larger, longer perspective, be a carefully, 
lovingly
chosen method for blessing?

Some say absolutely not. If our heavenly Father brings pain, he would be an 
abusive parent. And so they are offended by
statements like this:

Suffering is one of the great instruments in God’s hands to continue to 
reveal to us our dependence on him and our hope in him. God is good to give 
us
the greatest gift he can give us, which is more of himself, and he’s good 
however he chooses to deliver that gift.

For some facing excruciating pain or loss, they’re some of the sweetest 
words they’ve ever heard. For others, the same vision of God makes them sick 
to
their stomach.

At least part of the problem is how this vision of God’s goodness in 
bringing suffering is often presented. Sadly, some of us have been guilty of 
entering
a painful situation, rattling off Romans 8:28, and expecting everyone to 
feel better. Romans 8:28 is a beautiful promise, but it can also feel like a 
blunt
sledgehammer to people who are hurting and don’t yet understand quite what 
God is doing in their pain, even if they believe Romans 8:28 with all their
hearts.

On the other hand, some will simply say that all Romans 8:28 means is that 
God will turn this evil thing, a thing that he could not help from 
happening,
into some sort of good for us. They present a God suddenly sovereign enough 
to reverse the situation, a situation he wasn’t sovereign enough to stop in
the first place.

With the first person, we are left wondering, “But what is the good in this 
situation, God? What is the good in this deep pain?” With the second, we 
have
the nagging feeling that even though sin, Satan, and a fallen world have 
something to do with our pain, the all-sovereign God who loves us couldn’t 
stop
it.

Two Layers of All Pain

A way forward lies in seeing the two-tiered reality of our pain. In all 
pain, there are always two sources or agents at work, but only one is 
ultimately
ruling. One source is the reality of brokenness and sin. Because of the 
worldwide rebellion against God, Satan rules the current evil age. The other 
and
ultimate source of every pain is God, who “declares the end from the 
beginning” (Isaiah 46:10) and “does whatever pleases him” (Psalm 135:6).

In Job 2:5, Satan asks God for permission to afflict Job to prove that Job 
will turn his back on God. Satan does not get the final call. God grants him
permission, and establishes rules (2:6). Satan afflicts him, sparing his 
life (2:7–8). Job’s wife comes and says, “Curse God and die,” because of the 
suffering
(2:9). Job responds, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not 
receive evil?” (2:10).

God could have stopped it. Someone might protest and rebuke Job, “Job, don’t 
say that! God doesn’t bring pain. It was Satan!” However, the immediate 
context
in Job says, “In all this, Job did not sin with his lips” (2:10). Job got it 
right. Later, his friends came to comfort and show sympathy for “the evil
the Lord had brought upon him” (Job 42:11).

Job’s experience sounds a lot like Amos 3:6, “Does disaster come to a city, 
unless the Lord has done it?”

The Pain of Calvary

Or, what about the most undeserved pain ever inflicted, the crucifixion of 
Jesus Christ? Clearly, Satan was at work, entering into Judas (Luke 22:3) to
betray Jesus into the hands of his murderers. However, when we read about 
the suffering of Christ in the Bible, we find a different person writing the
gruesome story.

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief. 
(Isaiah 53:10)

Again, Satan seems to be instigating the evil, and yet God is sovereignly 
willing the death of his Son. Pilate and the religious leaders delivered him
up to the cross, so maybe they’re the ones to blame. But ultimately the 
Bible won’t go there either: “This Jesus, delivered up according to the 
definite
plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of 
lawless men” (Acts 2:23). Satan is at work, yet God is still sovereign over 
the
cross (and over Satan). God wills pain for good purposes and results. Like a 
Father disciplining his children for their long-term maturity and happiness,
God brings pain into our lives for our good (Hebrews 12:5–11).

As we read and see that Christ endured the suffering “for the joy set before 
him” (Hebrews 12:2), we begin to see that maybe God knows what we need to
be truly, eternally safe and happy far better than we do ourselves. Even 
when Satan and this broken world around us try and afflict us to kill us, if 
we
belong to Christ, God is authoring it for our greatest, most lasting good 
(Romans 8:28; Genesis 50:20).

Two More Examples

In 2 Corinthians 12:7, a “messenger of Satan” afflicts Paul. Certainly, 
Satan is the source here, right? Yes, except that the purpose given for the 
messenger
is, “to keep me from becoming conceited.” Do we think Satan didn’t want Paul 
to be conceited? No, this must be God’s purpose in Paul’s pain. And Paul 
asks
God to take it away. But he says, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Enduring 
pain, Paul learns to rely on the grace of God. Though afflicted, he gets 
more
of God.

Likewise, Peter says these Christians he was writing to rejoice while they 
are “grieved by various trials” (1 Peter 1:6). The purpose of their 
suffering
is that as their faith, when tested with trials, comes out on the other 
side, it becomes more precious than the most refined gold (1 Peter 1:7). 
Again,
deep, durable, and precious faith must be a purpose of God, not of Satan. 
Satan hates faith. And this tested-through-fire faith results in 
“inexpressible
and glorified joy” (1 Peter 1:8).

The Best God Gives

So, what is the good from God in pain? Where is the joy in suffering? It’s 
in more of God. It’s more dependence (2 Corinthians 1:9), less sin (2 
Corinthians
12:7), deeper faith, and increasing, everlasting, unshakeable joy that can 
only be found through refining. To be sure, this process only works if you 
have
a vision of life and reality that prizes God’s glory as the only place 
anyone can be fully and eternally happy.

As believers, we should be slow to speak and quick to listen when we enter 
into others’ pain, giving time and perspective to let God speak into the 
situation.
At the same time, let’s not run from the reality that God indeed brings 
pain. It’s a hard, but necessary truth for our faith and joy in Christ that 
will
ultimately enable us to persevere and heal with hope and confidence. He 
knows what we need better than we do. As a master physician with a painful 
prescription,
his ultimate goal is not our harm, but our greatest good.

I Want to Do Big Things
SUZIE ELLER

"The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. 
You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you
many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’"
Matthew 25:21
(NLT)

Every Wednesday night, a handful of women gather around my kitchen table to 
laugh, eat and study the Bible together.

These women haven’t had it easy. Life is downright hard sometimes, but they 
are feisty and fun. I can’t imagine Wednesdays without them.

Not too long ago, I read an article about several Christian women who were 
making a difference in the world. One raised funds to dig wells in villages
desperate for clean water. Another started a school for girls rescued from 
the slave trade. One after another, I read these stories of brave women who
grabbed these assignments from God and ran with them.

For a moment it caused me to look at my own life. God, have I missed my 
assignment? Is there something BIG I’m supposed to be doing?

Before the words even left my mouth, I felt His gentle rebuke.

I thought about the week before. One of the women around my kitchen table 
said there was a time when she didn’t know anything about Scripture, but now
it was changing her.

Just the day before, one woman wanted to take a walk after our meeting. As 
we trekked down the walking trail, we talked about Jesus and prayed 
together.

My focus had almost shifted to the "bigness" of other women’s assignments 
rather than settling into the beauty of my own.

In Matthew 25:14-30,
Jesus tells a story of a man about to take a long trip. He called his 
servants together and entrusted each with a measure of responsibility. He 
gave five
bags of silver to one servant, two bags of silver to another and one bag of 
silver to a third servant.

While he was away, the servant with five bags invested it and earned five 
more. The man with two bags went to work and earned two more. But, the man 
who
had been given one bag dug a hole in the ground and buried it.

When the master returned, he was filled with praise for the two who had 
multiplied the silver entrusted to them. As we see in our key verse "Well 
done,
my good and faithful servant," he said to each. "You have been faithful in 
handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more 
responsibilities.
Let’s celebrate together!"

His reaction to the man who had hidden the bag in the ground was much 
different: "Why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could 
have gotten
some interest on it"
(Matthew 25:27,
NLT).

It’s worth noting that this story is not really about money. It was a 
parable Jesus taught to convey a spiritual truth.

Jesus was about to leave the disciples. In His absence, each would have an 
assignment. Some would pray and watch miracles take place. Others would 
plant
churches. Some would disciple new believers. Others would serve and love 
people one by one. Whether the assignment seemed big or small, it’s what 
they
did with it that mattered.

My treasured assignment is to love the four to six women who meet around my 
table every Wednesday night. I get to do that by fixing dinner for them and
celebrating birthdays with a cake made just for that individual. I get to do 
that as we dig deep into the Word of God and grow in our faith together.

Whatever our assignment, it’s BIG because every single person impacted by 
the name of Jesus counts.

If you are teaching teens, mentoring or putting out chairs for a Sunday 
morning service, let’s celebrate together!

If you’re feeding the hungry, singing sweet words over the heart of a 
troubled child, sending an encouraging note to a friend or praying for the 
leaders
of our nation, let’s celebrate together!

Whatever He’s trusted us to do, let’s celebrate together as we make a 
difference in the world in His name.

Savior, today I take my eyes off anyone else’s assignment and I thank You 
for the beauty of mine. If I’m burying that assignment because of 
uncertainty
or comparison, I hold it up to You. Thank You for showing me what to do and 
multiplying it for Your sake. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
1 Corinthians 12:4,
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them." 
(NIV)

Colossians 3:23,
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, 
not for human masters." (NIV)

RELATED RESOURCES:
If you’re wondering about God’s plans for you, no matter how big or small,
What Happens When Women Say Yes to God
by Lysa TerKeurst will encourage you.

Join Suzie Eller and friends today in a conversation on her
blog
about discovering our faith assignment as well as the chance to win a 
giveaway.

REFLECT AND RESPOND:
You can have five "bags of silver" and bury it or use it. It’s not about how 
gifted you are; it’s about how faithful you are with your gifts.

What is one way you desire to make a difference? How has God uniquely 
created you to do that right where you are?

© 2015 by Suzie Eller. All rights reserved.

"What Will Your Legacy Be?"
Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Contributor

One of the most spiritually provocative songs I’ve ever heard is called War 
Sweater by the band Wakey!Wakey!.

“New York is dangerous, littered with thieves
We’ve no morals here, we just do as we please…”

…sings the narrator in the opening lines. He continues:

“But I don’t want to go home where they all stare at me
‘Cause I’m tattooed and fired up and drunk and obscene.”

I’m sure many of us can picture a similar “wayward”
family
member or friend. But why exactly does this narrator feel so uncomfortable 
with this scrutiny? He explains in the following chorus:

“You wear your religion like a War Sweater
You ask for the truth, but you know you could do so much better
And you sat on your fences, and you’ve screamed “no retreat!”
…So what will your legacy be?”

Every time the singer repeats that phrase, “what will your legacy be?” I get 
knots in my stomach. Because I know my actions and my words will create 
whatever
legacy I leave behind. Reputations are not created by beliefs – rather they 
come about by observed behavior. No one will remember me simply for getting
all my doctrine right or wrong.

They will remember, though, if I wear my religion like a War Sweater. If I 
thrash my
faith
about like a flag and scream in the faces of unbelievers. Sadly, many 
Christians have created such legacies for themselves. Emperor Constantine 
created
the legacy of Christianity’s ties to the government. The Crusaders connected 
Christianity with war. Even today there are self-professing Christians who
stand on street corners and picket funerals, wearing their religion like a 
War Sweater.

But my faith, my religion, informs me of something better. My religion tells 
me to do what the Word says, not merely listen to it (
James 1:22).
My religion does not allow me to sit on a pedestal and judge; it says to to 
serve one another in love (
Galatians 5:13).
My religion tells me (
Psalms 149:4)
that salvation cannot come through pride. My religion does not stand for 
violently demanding all people bow to my standards; rather, it tells me 
that,
"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with 
everyone" (
Romans 12:18).

So take a look at the words you speak, at the people you mock, at the bumper 
stickers adorning your car.

Are you wearing your religion like a War Sweater?

What will your legacy be?

Intersecting Faith and Life: When confronted with a hard situation today, 
see how you can leave a legacy of Christ’s love.

Further reading

Matthew 5:9

John 16:33

2 Corinthians 2:11

Tears
by Charles R. Swindoll

Lamentations 1:12-16; 3:46-50; Jeremiah 50:4; Luke 7:36-50

When words fail, tears flow.

Tears have a language all their own, a tongue that needs no interpreter. In 
some mysterious way, our complex inner-communication system knows when to 
admit
its verbal limitations . . . and the tears come.

Eyes that flashed and sparkled only moments before are flooded from a secret 
reservoir. We try in vain to restrain the flow, but even strong men falter.

Tears are not self-conscious. They can spring upon us when we are speaking 
in public or standing beside others who look to us for strength. Most often
they appear when our soul is overwhelmed with feelings that words cannot 
describe.

Our tears may flow during the singing of a great, majestic hymn or when we 
are alone, lost in some vivid memory or wrestling in prayer.

Did you know that God takes special notice of those tears of yours? Psalm 
56:8 tells that He puts them in His bottle and enters them into the record 
He
keeps on our lives.

David said, "The Lord has heard the voice of my weeping."

A teardrop on earth summons the King of Heaven. Rather than being ashamed or 
disappointed, the Lord takes note of our inner friction when hard times are
oiled by tears. He turns these situations into moments of tenderness; He 
never forgets those crises in our lives where tears were shed.

One of the great drawbacks of our cold, sophisticated society is its 
reluctance to show tears. For some strange reason, men feel that tears are a 
sign
of weakness . . . and many an adult feels to cry is to be immature. How 
silly! How unfortunate! The consequence is that we place a watchdog named 
"restraint"
before our hearts. This animal is trained to bark, snap, and scare away any 
unexpected guest who seeks entrance.

The ultimate result is a well-guarded, highly respectable, uninvolved heart 
surrounded by heavy bars of confinement. Such a structure resembles a prison
more than a home where the tender Spirit of Christ resides.

Jeremiah lived in no such dwelling. His transparent tent was so tender and 
sensitive he could not preach a sermon without the interruption of tears. 
"The
weeping prophet" became his nickname and even though he didn't always have 
the words to describe his feelings, he was never at a loss to communicate 
his
convictions. You could always count on Jeremiah to bury his head in his 
hands and sob aloud.

Strange that this man was selected by God to be His personal spokesman at 
the most critical time in Israel's history. Seems like an unlikely 
choice---unless
you value tears as God does. I wonder how many tear bottles in heaven are 
marked with his name.

I wonder how many of them bear your initials. You'll never have many until 
you impound restraint and let a little tenderness run loose. You might lose
a little of your polished respectability, but you'll have a lot more 
freedom. And a lot less pride.

Excerpt taken from
Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life,
Copyright © 1983, 1994, 2007 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights 
reserved worldwide. Used by arrangement with Zondervan Publishing House..

KenBible.com

New Post on KenBible.com - When I’m Ill
----------------------------------------------------------

When I’m Ill

Posted: 11 Oct 2015 09:55 PM PDT

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my 
spirit.”
(Luke 23:46, NIV)

When I’m ill,
I want to escape the pain.
I want to escape the weakness and
get back to normal.

I’m frustrated when I cannot.
And when the illness is potentially life-threatening,
it’s frightening.
I feel the disease eating away at my life, and
I am powerless to stop it.

When Jesus was on the Cross,
racked with pain and His life ebbing away,
He committed himself entirely into His Father’s hands.

That’s what I do now, God.
Whatever part of my body is ill,
I put it into Your hands.

Experiencing LIFE Today

Time is Too Slow for those who Wait, Too Swift for those who Fear, Too Long 
for those who Grieve, Too Short for those who Rejoice; but for those who 
Love,
Time is not. – Henry van Dyke, Music and Other Poems

One of our parenting challenges was recognizing when to get involved and 
when to stand back. Sometimes Libby or I would overhear conversations or 
watch
some bullytype behavior toward our kids, and we’d want to intervene, 
proclaiming, “Hey, you 8-year-old punk! You can’t talk to my kid like that!”

Thankfully, we refrained and no young people left our home traumatized. Over 
time our kids grew up and selected encouraging friends. Seeing them choose
well was incredibly rewarding. But waiting for growth when we wanted to 
intervene? That was hard.

Jesus could stop our suffering. He could intervene, but instead He waits. 
Why? If He’s in charge and could stop this mess, why does He wait?

• “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your 
feet.” - (Hebrews 1:13,
emphasis mine)
• “‘What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care 
for him? You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with
glory and honor and put everything under their feet.’ In putting everything 
under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we
do not see everything subject to them.” - (Hebrews 2:6-8,emphasis mine)

We’d be missing out if we didn’t consider how difficult the wait must be for 
God. His love for us is so great that I wonder how often He wants to come
down to earth and say, “Hey, you punk! I see what you’re doing to My kid!”

The day when God punishes those who did evil to His children will come. But 
in the meantime, we live in the “until.”

Are you able to trust God with the wait? Are you able to say, “I know You 
love me even though You aren’t showing up right now”? The truth is this: One
day it will all be made right, but we haven’t arrived at that day – yet. 
Until we do, we trust. And as He waits, something incredible is happening: 
the
Kingdom is growing, and the family of God is growing closer and becoming 
ever larger.

Jesus, how I’d love to see the world as You do – not as a single day, but as 
all the days leading toward one great day of restoration. On behalf of 
everyone
who accepted You today, I’m thankful for Your delay. Grant me courage to 
talk about You so that our family can become even larger. Amen.

Listen to Pete, Jill & Stuart Briscoe on the
Telling the Truth broadcast
at OnePlace.com

Why Following God Will Not Always be Easy
Kate McCord

In January 2001, I sat in a friend’s living room, surrounded by the members 
of my small group and quietly announced, “I believe God’s calling me to 
Afghanistan.”

My friends protested. “No. He’s not.”

In those days, the Taliban ruled the country and what few reports we saw 
were full of horror and oppression. How could God possibly call anyone 
there?
I tucked the dream into my pocket, kept praying, and waited. Less than a 
year later, the Towers fell and I knew God was calling me to Afghanistan. I 
returned
to my small group, and this time they agreed.

On my first trip to Afghanistan, a woman covered in a light blue burqa 
grabbed my hand and, through her tears and the help of a translator, told me 
the
story of the day she lost seven sons in one Taliban bomb. I knelt on the 
ground and with my own tears, shared her loss. I knew, even as I did, that 
Christ
shared her loss as well.

When Jesus suffered the brutal horror of His passion, He loved this 
precious, grieving mother. When He invited me to sit in the dust beside her, 
He showed
her His love.

I knew why God had called me to Afghanistan – because He loves the people of 
Afghanistan. He loves the people of Syria and Yemen, too. He loves the 
refugees
flooding into Europe. He loves the brave and frightened people who will 
receive them into their communities. God loves and calls us to love. 
Sometimes,
He calls us to love sacrificially.

Of course, it doesn’t make sense. How could it? We are raised to pursue the 
American dream. We lose our focus and equate the good life with God’s 
Shalom,
His blessing. Yet God’s blessing is found in walking with Him, wherever He 
leads, no matter how much it costs. But would God really lead His precious,
beautiful children into a dangerous place?

I look to Jesus and know the answer.

The God of the universe wrapped Himself in the body of a child and entered a 
very dangerous place - our world. He lived, taught, healed, suffered, and
died to show the depth of God’s love for each one of us; Jew, Gentile, 
American, Afghan. Then, He asked us to carry His expensive love to the 
darkest corners
of the earth.

When I returned from my first trip to Afghanistan, my friends in America 
looked into my eyes and understood. I showed them photographs of people; old 
women,
young children, striding men – all precious human beings whom God has loved 
from the foundations of the world. “These,” I said, “belong at the table and
until they come, their places are empty.”

We know that God doesn’t want anyone to die a Christ-less death. He wants 
all to turn and come to Him. God’s love is always expressed in action. Jesus
came to our world then said to us, “Go out quickly to the streets and lanes 
of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame… Go out
to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may 
be filled.” (
Lk 14:21-23)
God loves the people of the world so much that He sent His only begotten Son 
and then, His only begotten Son sent us.

Over the years, as I worked in Afghanistan, my small group members and other 
brothers and sisters walked with me through their prayers, encouragement,
and financial support. They looked at my pictures, read my stories, and 
shared in my joys. They also tasted my sorrows. From the relative safety of 
America,
they saw my frustrations, my discouragements, and the deterioration of my 
physical health. When other workers were brutally killed, my American 
friends
tasted my fears and shuddered at my losses.

Everyone who’s walked with me knows that it was hard. We reminded one 
another; Jesus never said it would be easy. Quite the opposite. “In the 
world, you
will have tribulation.” (
Jn 16:33)

And in truth, I’ve tasted trouble and suffering – my own and that of others 
around me. I would have collapsed beneath the weight had Christ not 
companioned
me. And yet He did. He was always with me, even in the darkest moments. Even 
when I couldn’t find Him. I walked with Jesus in Afghanistan. Through the
journey, my faith was purified and my love for God and my neighbors 
deepened.

Others, workers from the four corners of the earth, all speak of their 
journeys in dangerous places as a privilege. We each count ourselves 
grateful for
the gifts we’ve received through both the joys and the sufferings we’ve 
experienced with Christ.

And what about my friends back home? What about the members of my small 
group, my family, and my church community? I’ve watched so many who love me 
weep
and shudder at the horrors of my experiences and I’ve wondered; why would 
anyone want to share such a journey?

In emails, Facebook messages, and one on one conversations, friends and 
family members shared their stories with me. They talked of being lifted 
above
their desires for safety, comfort, and predictability. They recounted their 
own experiences of being drawn more deeply into the painfully sacrificial 
love
of Christ. They celebrated their freedom from the small worries and concerns 
that choke their spiritual roots. They saw how their love for distant 
strangers
strengthened their love for those in their homes, communities, workplaces, 
and churches. They, too, count themselves privileged.

I’ve asked God, “Why would You call us to dangerous places?” and I’ve seen 
His answer. God calls some of us to dangerous places because He longs to 
share
His love with all of us.

Kate McCord,
author of “ Why God Calls us to Dangerous Places
”, “
In the Land of Blue Burqas
” and “ Farewell Four Waters
” lived her Christian identity and served as an Aid worker in Afghanistan 
for nine years. During her time in country, Kate learned the local language 
and
developed deep and lasting friendships with local Afghans. Currently, Kate 
spends her time writing and providing spiritual direction for those 
exploring
a call to cross-cultural life.

An Agenda That Will Never Satisfy
LYSA TERKEURST

"He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them 
out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons."
Mark 3:14-15
(NIV)

I should have been happy. I knew it. I could have listed so many things for 
which I was thankful.

So, what was this undercurrent of disappointment that ebbed and flowed just 
beneath the surface of my more honest moments? I got still and I got sad.

Then I would see something horrific on the news that other people are 
facing, and I felt so horribly guilty for even daring to give myself 
permission to
entertain anything other than gratitude.

Which just heaped shame on top of my sadness. So I’d reach for a handful of 
something chocolate. And I’d wash it down with a Diet Coke and determine 
that
maybe all this off-kilterness was just because I was running a little low on 
sugar and caffeine.

But the real answer was something I already knew but didn’t want to admit.

I was doing many things, pouring myself out for God, but not really spending 
time getting refilled by God.

Maybe you can relate?

We run at a breakneck pace to try and achieve what God wants us to slow down 
enough to receive.

He really does have it all worked out. The gaps filled. The needs met. The 
questions answered. The problems solved.

And the parts He’s purposed for us? They’re all perfectly portioned out in 
assignments meant for us today. No more. No less.

All He asks is that we personally receive from Him before setting out to 
work for Him. In doing so we are fueled by His power and encouraged by His 
presence.
This is the daily sacred exchange where ministry duty turns into pure 
delight.

How it must break His heart when we work like we don’t believe He’s capable. 
We say we trust Him but act like everything depends on us. We give all we
have to the tasks at hand with only occasional leftovers of time to slightly 
acknowledge Him.

Imagine a little girl running while holding a cup, sloshing out all it 
contains. She thinks what will refill her is just ahead. So she presses on 
with
sheer determination, clutching an empty cup.

She keeps running toward an agenda He never set, one that will never 
satisfy.

She sees Him and holds out her cup. But she catches only a few drops as she 
runs by Him because she didn’t stop long enough to be filled up. Empty can’t
be tempered with mere drops.

The tragic truth is what will fill her … what will fill us … isn’t the 
accomplishment just ahead.

That shiny thing is actually a vacuum that sucks us dry — but never has the 
ability to refill.

I should know because that’s where I was. There’s no kind of empty quite 
like this empty — where your hands are full but inside you’re nothing but an 
exhausted
shell.

Since my fast pace chase had gotten me into this mess, I knew it would take 
slow moments to get me out of it.

I needed to reconnect with the One who knows how to breathe life back into 
depleted and dead places. Jesus doesn’t participate in the rat race. He’s 
into
the slower rhythms of life like abiding, delighting and dwelling — all words 
used to describe us being with Him.

As a matter of fact when Jesus appointed the disciples, there were two parts 
to their calling, as we see in today’s key verse of
Mark 3:14-15:

"He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them 
out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons."

Yes, they were to go to preach and drive out demons, but the first part of 
their calling was to "be with him."

Fullness comes when we remember to be with Him before going out to serve 
Him.

He wants our hearts in alignment with Him before our hands set about doing 
today’s assignment for Him.

So, He extends what we need and invites us each day to receive in prayer, 
worship and truth from His Word. And He lovingly replenishes our cup while 
whispering:
This isn’t a race to test the fastest pace. I just want you to persevere on 
the path I have marked out especially for you. Fix your eyes, not on a 
worldly
prize, but on staying in love with Me.

That’s an agenda that’s always completely satisfying.

Dear Lord, I’m choosing to stop in the midst of everything to just be with 
You. Let me never forget what a gift it is to spend this sacred time in Your
presence. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
John 15:5,
"Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in 
them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing." (NLT)

Hebrews 12:1b-
2a,
"And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our 
eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." (NIV)

RELATED RESOURCES:
If you feel like you’ve set your life to the rhythm of rush and your 
relationship with God is suffering, Lysa’s book The Best Yes can help.
Purchase your copy here.

RELFECT AND RESPOND:
When you hear the words "abide, delight and dwell," what comes to mind? How 
could you delight yourself in the Lord today?

© 2015 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved.

Justice Will Be Done

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it 
is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
(Romans 12:19)

All of you have been wronged at one time or another. Most of you, probably, 
have been wronged seriously by someone who has never apologized or done 
anything
sufficient to make it right.

And one of the deep hindrances to your letting that hurt and bitterness go 
is the conviction — the justified conviction — that justice should be done,
that the fabric of the universe will unravel if people can just get away 
with horrible wrongs and deceive everyone.

That is one of the hindrances to forgiveness and letting grudges go. It’s 
not the only one. We have our own sin to deal with. But it is a real one.

We feel that just to let it go would be to admit that justice simply won’t 
be done. And we can’t do it.

So we hold on to anger, and play the story over and over again with the 
feelings: It shouldn’t have happened; it shouldn’t have happened; it was 
wrong;
it was wrong. How can he be so happy now when I am so miserable? It is so 
wrong. It is so wrong!

This word in
Romans 12:19
is given to you by God to lift that burden from you.

“Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God.” What does this 
mean for you?

Laying down the burden of anger, laying down the practice of nursing your 
hurt with feelings of being wronged — laying that down — does not mean there
was no great wrong against you.

It does not mean there is no justice. It does not mean you will not be 
vindicated. It does not mean they just got away with it. No.

It means, when you lay down the burden of vengeance, God will pick it up.

This is not a subtle way of getting revenge. This is a way of giving 
vengeance to the one to whom it belongs.

It is taking a deep breath, perhaps for the first time in decades, and 
feeling like now at last you may be free to love.
Copyright Information

This devotional is written by John Piper. For more information about Piper's 
ministry, writing, and books, visit DesiringGod.org.

The Praying Beliver

Lamentations 3:41

The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is a very salutary 
lesson for proud people like us. If God gave us favors without constraining 
us
to pray for them, we would never know how poor we are, but a true prayer is 
an inventory of wants, a catalog of necessities, a revelation of hidden 
poverty.

While prayer is an application to divine wealth, it is also a confession of 
human emptiness. The most healthy state of a Christian is always to be empty
of self and constantly depending upon the Lord for provision; to be 
consistently poor in self and rich in Jesus; to be weak as water personally, 
but mighty
through God to do great exploits. This is where prayer comes in, because 
while it adores God, it puts the creature where it should be-in the dust.

Prayer is in itself, apart from the answer that it brings, a great benefit 
to the Christian. As the runner gains strength for the race by daily 
exercise,
so for the great race of life we acquire energy by the holy exercise of 
prayer. Prayer thins the feathers of God's young eaglets, so that they can 
learn
to soar above the clouds. Prayer readies God's warriors and sends them out 
to combat with their sinews braced and their muscles firm. The praying 
believer
comes out of his closet, even as the sun rises from the chambers of the 
east, rejoicing like an athlete about to race. Prayer is the uplifted hand 
of Moses
that defeats the Amalekites more than the sword of Joshua; it is the arrow 
shot from the prophet's chamber announcing defeat to the Syrians. Prayer 
equips
human weakness with divine strength, turns human folly into heavenly wisdom, 
and gives the peace of God to troubled souls.

We do not know what prayer cannot do! We thank You, great God, for the 
mercy-seat, a wonderful evidence of your marvelous loving-kindness. Help us 
to use
it properly throughout this day!

Family
Bible
reading plan

verse 1 1 Kings 14

verse 2 Colossians 1

Honest Evangelism: How to Talk About Jesus Even When It’s Tough

The changes taking place in Western cultures are both discouraging to
Christians
and, ironically, encouraging. More precisely, most of the changes themselves 
are discouraging, but they are calling forth a different set of changes that
are encouraging. The discouraging changes are easy to list. Rising biblical 
illiteracy means that there is less and less cultural consensus around 
things
like the Ten Commandments. Honor is an old-fashioned word, easily mocked; 
truth is increasingly flexible; the lust for power, success, and money has 
become
more and more transparent and unchecked; dignity is old-fashioned; cruelty 
and vengeance are sometimes depicted as virtues.

Short, clear, realistic and humorous, this book will challenge you to be 
honest in your conversations about Jesus, help you to know how to talk about 
him,
and thrill you that God can and will use ordinary people to change eternal 
destinies.
From Morning & Evening revised and edited by Alistair Begg copyright © 2003. 
Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News 
Publishers,
Wheaton, IL 60187,
www.crossway.org.

LightSource.com Featured Ministry

Bishop T.D. Jakes


Vol. 17 No. 41 October 12, 2015
God's Love For Differences
You wake up one morning and step outside and realize it is Spring.
The air is clear.
The temperature is warmer.
There is a sweet fragrance in the air.
The birds are letting you know they have a new song to sing.
You wake up one morning and step outside and realize it is Summer.
The air is thick.
The temperature is hot.
The humidity is high.
The grass has a crunch, you begin to sweat and think, “This is a 
bummer.â€
You wake up one morning and step outside and realize it is Fall.
The air is fresh.
The temperature is cool.
The humidity is low.
The breeze stirs the leaves that are turning colors and it is time for 
football.
You wake up one morning and step outside and realize it is Winter.
The air is cold.
The temperature is low.
There is ice in the forecast.
You bundle up snug, rush to your car, and think about chili for dinner.
God woke up the mornings, the seasons, and days.
The days are all different.
The mornings are all new.
The seasons are all unique.
He designed each to be special and cause us to marvel His ways.
With the world in full motion, in the fullness of time He came here to 
dwell.
To bring us new life.
To bring us new truth.
To bring us a new way.
So His Kingdom has come to bring us hope, and life, and show all is well.
His Kingdom is as diverse as the seasons, all colors, all races, all ages, 
all people, is inclusive, is welcoming, is open to all.
With God’s love for differences in all He has created being so obvious, 
maybe we would do well to develop a love for differences as well. That just 
makes
good sense.
Tom
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2015. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

What to Do When Worry Gets the Best of You
Cindi McMenamin
One of my friends sent me a text upon learning her husband was diagnosed 
with colon cancer. I was surprised—yet encouraged—by her reaction.
"God's got this," she said confidently.
I want that type of unswerving trust in the One who can handle all things.
Then I realized something. You and I have the ability to have that kind of 
trust in God because we've been given the same thing that my friend, 
Allison,
has been given: God's trustworthy Word. And his trustworthy character. 
Still, we tend to be people who worry.
When I asked a group of Christian women to tell me what they worry about 
most, this is what they said:
• I worry about my children, and that they will wander from the Lord.
• I worry that I don't have any friends.
• I'm concerned about unsaved
family
members. I want them to know Christ and spend eternity with him.
• I'm worried about the stability of my
marriage
and my husband's desire for a divorce.
I'm so comforted to know that God is intimately acquainted with all our ways 
and that he knows our thoughts (and concerns) before we even think them
(Psalm 139:2).
That assures me he is already working on the matters that concern us most.
I'm also glad God knew we would be worriers and prone to anxiety and stress. 
And I'm SO glad he had the Apostle Paul address our "anxious thoughts" in

Philippians 4:6-7:
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what 
you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s 
peace,
which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts 
and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
So, according to that verse, if you're worried about not having friends, 
tell God about it, and thank him that he already knows your situation. Ask 
his
wisdom in leading you toward trusted friends and then rest in the peace that 
comes from trusting him.
If you’re concerned your unsaved family members, remember that God desires 
their salvation even more than you do. So thank him that he is the One who 
draws
all men to himself, and then pray specifically for them, trusting God's 
timing and methods. He may choose to reach them through you and he may not.
And when you start to stress out about your marriage, remember that God's 
heart breaks over broken marriages—not because he can't fix them, but 
because
we often give up before we allow him the chance to restore it all. He is the 
God of reconciliation, not the God of giving up. He is also the author of
persevering love. Pray, dear friend, for your husband's heart to soften 
toward the Lord and that, in the process, you can love him as God loves him.
Any time you find yourself in a situation you can't do anything about (which 
is why we worry in the first place) trust that God is who he says he is and
he can work out that situation far better than you.
In my life, when I begin to worry that God hasn't "done something yet," I 
have to remind myself that he is who he says he is. He doesn't need my help.
He doesn't need my stress. He desires my trust. When I acknowledge that he 
is God and I am not and that his plan is always better than mine, that is 
when
he gives me that peace that guards my heart and soul—as Philippians talks 
about.
He still expects me to be a good friend before I can find a good friend. He 
still expects me to share my faith and talk openly of his goodness, in case
he wants to use me to reach my unsaved family members. And he still expects 
me to work at my marriage and be the wife he called me to be, regardless of
what I might feel. But when you've done what you can, go confidently back to 
the principles in
Philippians 4:6-7
and “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God 
what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience 
God’s
peace, which exceeds anything we can understand…” (NLT).
The next time you begin to worry, ask yourself "What am I believing about 
God that isn't true?" "Do I believe he is true to his word? Do I believe he 
can
really take care of this?”
Trust that he really can work ALL things together for good to those who love 
him and are called according to his purpose (
Romans 8:28).
And through this time of waiting and trusting (rather than worrying), you 
can also have peace knowing that during your time of trusting, he is making 
you
more like his Son (
Romans 8:29).
Today, my friend’s husband who was diagnosed with colon cancer is doing 
remarkably well. It’s been two years. The cancer is gone. They’re still 
living
day by day in the palm of God’s hand. And they’re still convinced—and so am 
I—that “God’s got this.”
Cindi McMenamin is a national speaker and author of several books, including
When Women Walk Alone
(more than 120,000 copies sold),
God's Whispers to a Woman's Heart,
and her newest,
When God Sees Your Tears.
For more on her ministry or for free resources to strengthen your soul, 
marriage, or walk with God, see her website:
www.strengthforthesoul.com
Publication date: June 26, 2015

The Lord's rod has a voice!

(James Buchanan,
"
CONSIDERATION"
1840)

"Affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble spring from the 
ground. Yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward!" Job 5:6-7

As affliction proceeds neither from blind necessity, nor from casual 
accident--but from the hand of your Omniscient Governor and Judge; so 
nothing can
be more certain than that it is designed for the accomplishment of some 
great and useful purpose!

Now the design of affliction is expressly revealed in the Word of God. He 
has condescended to explain the reasons of His dealings with you--and it is 
alike
your duty and your privilege to consider and to concur in His declared 
design.

The general end of affliction, as it is explained in God's Word, is the 
moral and spiritual improvement of believers--in other words, their 
progressive
sanctification, and their preparation for glory. Oh! how important must the 
right use of affliction be, if it is intended to terminate in such a blessed
result. It stands connected with our everlasting welfare--with all that we 
can enjoy on earth, and all that we hope for in Heaven.

But more particularly, the day of adversity is intended for our INSTRUCTION. 
The Lord's rod has a voice which speaks to us lessons of heavenly wisdom.
Therefore, we are required "to hear the rod, and Him who has appointed it." 
(Micah 6:9.) "The rod and reproof give wisdom." (Proverbs 29:15.) It 
presents
to our minds many of the same great truths which are declared in 
Scripture--but which we may have overlooked, or failed rightly to 
understand--until they
were pressed on our attention, and made the matter of our personal 
experience in the day of trouble.

Thus, it teaches most impressively, that great Scriptural truth of the 
vanity of the world, and its insufficiency as the portion of rational and 
immortal
beings. This is a truth which might almost be regarded as self-evident; yet 
it is one which is very slowly and reluctantly admitted by the young 
disciple,
and which can only be effectually impressed on his mind, and unfolded in all 
its extent, by the experience of disappointment and sorrow.

In like manner, the day of adversity teaches us the great lesson of our 
entire and constant dependence on God. But a little while before, we were 
rejoicing
in the midst of prosperity--our health was sound, our business prosperous, 
our families entire. But the sudden stroke has come which has smitten . . .
our bodies with disease,
our business with bankruptcy,
or our families with death.
And that stroke has come from the Lord's hand!

Oh! in such circumstances, we are impressively taught . . .
that we are absolutely in God's power;
that all that we have is at His sovereign disposal;
that we depend on Him, day by day, continually for . . .
our personal preservation,
our worldly prosperity,
our domestic comfort,
for all, in short, that we desire or need on earth.

These are some of the lessons which adversity, when viewed as a means of 
moral instruction, is fitted to inculcate and to impress with great 
practical
power on our hearts. When these lessons are duly considered; and, above all, 
when they are submissively embraced and acted on--the disciple will learn
from his own experience the value of affliction, and admire the wisdom with 
which God suits His lessons to the most urgent necessities of his soul.

~ ~ ~ ~

We have published
James Buchanan's
superb article, "
CONSIDERATION".
This is perhaps the best article we have ever read on affliction--MUST 
reading!

~ ~ ~ 
Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited 
by them!

Experiencing LIFE Today

The Bible was not given for our information but for our transformation. – D. 
L. Moody

During the 1900s, the death rate for nine different diseases dropped by 100 
percent. By exposure through injection, public immunity was generated, and
life expectancy increased.

But in other realms, inoculation works against us. In fact, I believe that 
repeated exposure to church might be keeping some of you from salvation. It’s
completely possible to hear the Gospel so many times without responding to 
it that you become inoculated to the Good News. That’s some frightening 
immunity,
right?

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so 
that we do not drift away. - (
Hebrews 2:1)

The author of Hebrews begs us to combat inoculation by paying closer 
attention to what we’ve heard. Paying closer attention was a nautical term 
referencing
the only action that keeps a boat from drifting – tying it to its mooring. 
Essentially, we are being told to anchor ourselves to the Gospel.

And so what is it that makes Jesus so much better than anything you’ll leave 
behind to follow Him? With fresh eyes, read the Gospel once more.

Scripture is categorically clear: God is perfect and we are not. Sin 
separates us from Him and fragments our earthly relationships. But God loves 
us too
much to leave conditions as they are, and so He executed a plan that began 
unfolding centuries ago. His eternal Son entered earth fully God and became
man – living a perfect life. Around Jesus’ 33rd birthday, He offered Himself 
for us. He went to a cross and sacrificed Himself. This is historically 
true.

And in that moment, Jesus made it possible for our sins to be erased. He 
closed the separation between God and us. He died. He came back to life. He 
ascended
to heaven.

When we admit that we cannot save ourselves and we cry out for Him to save 
us, He does. But He doesn’t stop there. He also transforms us as His Spirit
comes to live in us.

He died, He rose, we receive, and He then transforms and indwells. This is 
the Gospel.

Will you let it infect you?

Jesus, my Savior, today is the day I surrender. I receive Your forgiveness 
and give over my shame. I empty myself of ambition and invite Your Spirit to
indwell me. Thank You for rescuing me from death and bringing me into life. 
Amen.

Listen to Pete, Jill & Stuart Briscoe on the
Telling the Truth broadcast
at OnePlace.com

Your Word

"Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, 
and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he 
passed over unto the children of Ammon. And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the 
LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon 
into mine hands, Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors 
of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, 
shall surely be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. So 
Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and 
the LORD delivered them into his hands. And he smote them from Aroer, even 
till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the 
vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were 
subdued before the children of Israel. And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his 
house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with 
dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor 
daughter. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, 
and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one 
of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I 
cannot go back. And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy 
mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of 
thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine 
enemies, even of the children of Ammon. And she said unto her father, Let 
this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and 
down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. And he 
said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her 
companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. And it came to 
pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did 
with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And 
it was a custom in Israel, That the daughters of Israel went yearly to 
lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year." (Judges 
11:29-40, KJV)

I have heard some people years ago say that their word was their bond. This 
meant that whatever they said, they would do. They didn’t need to sign a 
contract, just a handshake sealed the deal. Jephthah was like this. He made 
a promise to God not knowing how it would turn out. There has been a debate 
among scholars on this Scripture how it actually did turn out. Some say that 
Jephtha did sacrifice his daughter and could give valid reasons for this. 
Others say Jephtha knew god had said no one was to sacrifice their children 
and god would not have accepted a person as a burnt offering. So instead, 
Jephtha gave his daughter to serve in the tabernacle the rest of her life. 
This is why she would not have any children. That is why both of them were 
sad because ancestry was important to the people then. The original 
languages don’t help us with the interpretation of this Scripture since the 
word “whatever” has many meanings including “whoever”. But whatever the 
outcome Jephtha did follow through with his promise to God.

How many times have people gotten into problems and promised God they would 
do something or other? If all these people’s word was their bond, how many 
church buildings would be full? How many Bibles would be worn out? How many 
prayer warriors would we have? Who knows what else might be done.

Is your word good? If Jephthah can sacrifice his only child, can’t you 
follow through with what you have promised God you would do?

by Dean W. Masters

Broken but Grateful
Aaron “Canon” McCain and Phillip Holmes / September 29, 2015
Broken but Grateful

“Aaron, wait! Don’t jump!”

It was the last thing Aaron “Canon” McCain heard before he leaped forty feet 
off a bridge in December, 2014. He woke up in a haze, flat on his stomach,
pressed against the concrete. He couldn’t feel his legs. His jaw was numb.

“I tasted blood and dirt in my mouth, and it felt like some of my teeth were 
missing,” Aaron recalls. “At that moment, I couldn't remember how I got to
where I was. My teeth felt jagged, chipped — I saw blood and started to cry 
for help. I saw more blood spilling from my face that I ever thought 
possible.
A blurry face overhead assured me in a panicked tone, ‘Don’t move. Stay 
awake. An ambulance is coming.’”

Earlier that evening, Aaron had finished a concert in Clarksville, 
Tennessee, and was headed in his tour bus to a restaurant for a post-show 
meal. Suddenly,
his road manager, Brandon, slowed down and turned on his hazard lights. 
There was an accident ahead. Brandon stopped. They got out of his truck and 
ran
towards the wreckage. Approaching the mangled vehicles cautiously, Aaron 
heaved when he discovered two unknown men lying nearly unconscious inside a 
truck
that had flipped upside down in the middle of the interstate.

“Brandon urgently shattered the glass of the driver’s window. I smashed the 
backseat window. I reached my hand through the window to see if the driver
and passenger could reach me. Brandon yelled to the driver, ‘Hey man — don’t 
turn on the car!’ The truck was covered in gasoline.”

Suddenly, the dazed driver attempted to start the engine, and Aaron ran for 
cover, fearing that the truck would explode. He ran towards what he thought
was a median, but because he was unfamiliar with the area, and it was dark, 
he instead jumped in a ravine. His life would never be the same.

“When I finally understood what was taking place, I had shattered my left 
ankle, fractured my left leg, and broken my right jaw. I realized I was not 
only
physically scarred, but also mentally and emotionally damaged. I was later 
diagnosed with Clinical Depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I had
night terrors that caused me to involuntarily kick and scream in the middle 
of the night.”

Pain in the Plan of God

Aaron believes in the sovereignty of God, but he didn’t immediately find 
comfort there. The sovereignty of God only confused and frustrated him more. 
How
could a good God let something like this happen? How could this be meant for 
good?

“The pain and frustration placed upon my wife and me were a part of God’s 
plan. I understood that my new physical limitations were a part of God’s 
will.
Knowing the implications of having new difficulties affecting my marriage, 
social life, and career, it took many months to find comfort. It destroyed 
my
emotional security.”

The accident also had profound implications on Aaron as an artist. Before 
the accident, his concern performances involved acrobatics that left the 
crowd
in awe. And having been a full-time artist, he now found himself unable to 
provide financially for his new bride. The accident ended his stream of 
income,
and the financial burden was placed on this wife.

“During this time, along with income saved from prior concerts and newlywed 
gift cards, my wife had to take on our household finances on her own. This
made our new marriage very difficult. Men by nature were designed to lead, 
protect, provide, and comfort. I couldn’t do any of those things. I felt 
helpless
and hopeless.

“As a new husband, those moments broke my spirit in the worst ways. It was 
hard not to place my identity in my talents, and tasks as a husband. It was
so difficult to feel accepted in my weakness. I often fell into the lies of 
trusting in my works — that God and my wife would only love and embrace me
if I performed well as a husband.”

Embracing Weakness

Yet Aaron found hope. He discovered that the Spirit was calling him to 
embrace his weakness and trust in the strength of God. God was teaching him 
and
his wife dependence.

“I felt God was crushing our pride and growing in my wife and me a sense of 
true dependency toward God. We could not just make it through a trial 
without
God; we would have never been able to make it through a life in marriage 
without him. This taught us that God alone can sustain and build us up in 
the
many ways we needed it.

“God would not have been glorified in a marriage of self-dependence. It 
would have, at best, bred self-righteousness in our hearts, which would have 
cannibalized
us. Through this injury, God wanted us to slow down and get this right. By 
his grace, we are still learning.”

Soon Aaron did find comfort in God’s sovereignty. It gave him hope in his 
darkest hours. Because God was good and in control, even in the midst of 
suffering,
Aaron could trust that God was with him. He understood that no matter how 
difficult life became, the best was yet to come.

“God has preordained trials of hardship, in order that we would gain a gift 
greater than the trial itself. If we would last, making it to the end, we 
would
be glorified in Christ with Christ forever. These minor setbacks are nothing 
less than a hair of a distraction in light of the greater gain eternally.
It is because of God’s sovereignty I am allowed to taste the goodness of his 
grace when all seems lost. My jaw is only temporary. My feet and legs will
one day be replaced. My pain and suffering will be traded for an everlasting 
joy that only God can supply.

“I was angry and frustrated with God, and honestly still struggle today to 
fight for my joy in him. However, time to heal and meditation on the Bible 
have
lead me to believe that not all good things are easily seen with our eyes, 
but with the sobering of our hearts. You cannot simply understand the weight
of God’s power and control until all has been taken from you for his glory. 
What a terrifying thing it is to fall into the hands of a sovereign God 
(Hebrews
10:31), yet what a comfort there is to know, by faith, that his sovereign 
ruling is for our good because of his unfailing love for his people.”

New Man

Today, Aaron is a changed man. Before the accident, he was more concerned 
with finding security in the approval of others than pleasing Jesus. He read
the Bible for knowledge, but didn’t live a life that realized the 
implications of what he knew. Now he’s a man without fear — except fear of 
God.

“I have literally no fear besides the reverence I have for the Lord now. 
None. No man on this earth has a heaven to place me in, nor a hell to throw 
me
in. Once your life is threatened with walking the thin line of life and 
death, nothing shakes you but what God chooses to do.

“I’m no longer concerned with quieting the truth for likes and approval. You 
either love me for my authenticity or hate me for being real. I’m more 
afraid
of what my silence to the world would communicate about God, rather than 
fearing that people misunderstand the truth of God.”

Aaron is back at work. When I spoke to his wife, Ritz McCain, she reported 
that he’s “at 70% according to our last doc visit. [He] still has to build 
back
up his strength and mobility in his ankle and leg.”

He’s producing an album and recently released a new single titled Grateful. 
In the interview, he told me he’s come to grips with many things in his 
life.
He realizes that apart from Christ, he’s nothing. He finds his worth and 
identity in the one who is able to do anything but fail. He believes he’s 
the
man in Christ he is today because of the accident, and he’s grateful that 
though Satan meant it for evil, God meant it for good.

“I am the man I am today because I have been broken down to my weakest 
state. God doesn’t use what he cannot break (Proverbs 29:1), and there is no 
one
too firm he cannot shake.”

Anne Graham Lotz - One Need
View this email in your browser

One Need
God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you . . . may have an 
abundance for every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:8, NKJV

Thirty-five years ago, just about every self-respecting person in the South 
went to church on Sunday. It was part of our culture. But I knew the 
religious
pablum the people were being fed didn’t even come close to satisfying their 
emptiness within-because I knew I wasn’t satisfied.

Looking back, I can plainly see that God was using my need to stir me up and 
make me aware of the needs of others. But what could one person do in the
face of such overwhelming spiritual hunger? When a friend suggested that I 
do something about the spiritual starvation in our city, I actually laughed.
But I started a Bible class that has multiplied ten times during the past 
thirty-five years so that thousands of men and women have studied God’s Word
for themselves.

There are so many needs in our cities but is there one need that God has 
brought to your attention? Describe to Him what you see and how impossible 
it
would be for you to do anything at all to meet that need. Then be alert to 
what He may reveal to you further.

Blessings,
Copyright © 2015 AnGeL Ministries, All rights reserved.


Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - A Word With You
A Word With You
Daily Devotional
When Every Day's the Same - #7496

Now I don't do movie reviews, and I sure don't recommend movies. But there 
is one they keep showing on TV over and over again, because it's got a lot 
of
laughs in it. It's called "Ground Hog Day" with Bill Murray. If you saw it, 
you know the plot. He's this not very nice TV weatherman who goes to 
Punxsutawney,
PA to broadcast that American tradition that comes from there. We're 
supposed to be able to predict whether or not there will be six more weeks 
of winter
weather based on whether or not the ground hog sees his shadow on February 
2nd.

Anyway, the weatherman, who has a serious attitude problem, wakes up at 6:00 
a.m. the next day, only to experience exactly the same events he did the day
before. And every new morning, the clock radio goes off at 6:00 a.m. and 
awakens him to the same old song, "I Got You, Babe" by Sonny and Cher. And 
day
after day, he sees the same people; he experiences the same relationships, 
the same places, the same rhythm - even down to the guy in the diner 
dropping
a plate the same time each day. It becomes very frustrating - experiencing 
the same day over and over again.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "When 
Every Day's the Same."

The plot of the movie obviously is fantasy. The plight of having the same 
day over and over again is reality for a lot of people. In some ways, it 
might
describe how your life feels right now. Life has taken on this monotonous 
sameness - a predictability. It seems like no matter what happens, or who 
happens,
you have the feeling of "been there, done that." Maybe your life seems to be 
suffering from a meaning deficit.

Actually, life was never meant to be monotonous. After all, your life was 
given to you by a God who creates blazing sunsets and fall colors, people 
with
fingerprints that are like no one else who has ever been born, galaxies, 
comets and supernovas. Now would a Creator with that kind of creativity 
create
us to have days that all seem the same? The only reason life would be like 
that is if we are, in reality, trying to live without our Creator.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, steps into our hunger for something more 
meaningful and more colorful when He gives us our word for today from the 
Word of
God in John 10:10. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and 
have it to the full." Now obviously, Jesus isn't talking about life in the 
sense
of eating, breathing, and existing. We already have that kind of life. He's 
talking about life that's fulfilling, challenging, and satisfying - life to
the full.

We don't have life like that because we don't have the Life-Giver. According 
to God's Book, the Bible, you and I have, in fact, taken our life out of our
Creator's hands and put it in our own. In the Bible that's called sin. In 
God's words we are, "without hope and without God" (Ephesians 2:12).

It all seems so empty. Everyone seems as trapped in meaninglessness as you 
do. There seems to be no hope. Until you let Jesus Christ reconnect you to 
the
God you have sinned against. Jesus died on that cross to pay for the sin 
that separates you from God. And when you put your trust in Him to take down 
the
wall between you and God, He starts to infuse your days with a sense of 
meaning and destiny which you were created for. Each day you're discovering 
a little
more of who you were born to be.

While your environment may be pretty much the same every day, your 
INvironment - what's in you - is experiencing ever new experiences of God's 
love, God's
joy, God making a difference in your life, God making a difference through 
your life.

Maybe you've never begun this relationship that is what you were made for. 
In the Bible's words, you were "created by Him and for Him" but you've not 
really
had Him in the leadership of your life. You can trust Him. He loved you 
enough to die for you. He'll change things you can't change because He was 
powerful
enough to walk out of His grave and He's ready to walk into your life on 
your invitation. You say, 'Jesus, beginning today I am Yours. I trade the 
life
I've been running for the life You died to give me right now."

If you want to do that, we would love to be there for you. Text us, would 
you, at 442-244-WORD. Or you can go to our website ANewStory.com.

Your life was never meant to be this small. There is something so much 
bigger - days where you are finally experiencing the One you were created 
by, and
the One you were created for.
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc. · P.O. Box 400 · Harrison, Arkansas 72602 · 
USA


You should consider from whose hand it has been sent to you!

(James Buchanan,
"Comfort in Affliction" 1837)

"In the day of prosperity be happy--but in the day of adversity CONSIDER: 
God has made the one as well as the other." Ecclesiastes 7:14

In the day of adversity, you should consider from whose hand it has been 
sent to you! It comes direct from the hand of God!

Intermediate agencies may have been employed in inflicting it:
a cherished family member may have been the messenger of disease;
a treacherous friend may have been the cause of bankruptcy;
an avowed enemy may have been the author of reproach and shame;
Satan himself may have been allowed to smite you! But through whatever 
secondary agency it may have been conveyed--adversity comes from God's hand!

"I form the light--and create darkness; I make peace--and create evil. I the 
Lord, do all these things." Isaiah 45:7

"Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good 
things come?" Lamentations 3:38

"Shall we receive good at the hand of God--and shall we not receive evil?" 
Job 2:10

"Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or 
makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD?" Exodus 4:11

"See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides Me. I put to death and 
I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out
of My hand!" Deuteronomy 32:39

"The LORD brings death and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and 
raises up. The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts." 1 
Samuel
2:6-7

"This is what the LORD says: As I have brought all this great calamity on 
this people . . ." Jeremiah 32:42

"When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?" Amos 3:6

"For He wounds, but He also binds up; He injures, but His hands also heal." 
Job 5:18

From these and many other passages, it is plain that temporal affliction is 
ascribed to God in the Holy Scriptures. No one who acknowledges God's 
Providence
at all, can fail to believe that the numerous afflictions and calamities of 
human life are permitted, appointed, and overruled by the Supreme Governor
of the world!

This is a consideration of great practical importance, and should be 
seriously weighed in the day of adversity.

It assures us that our afflictions are neither imposed by a fatal necessity, 
nor produced by the uncertain vicissitudes of chance--but come forth from
the hand of One who is infinitely wise and just and good!

It also teaches us in many of our afflictions, and those which it is indeed 
most difficult to bear--to look beyond, and to rise above, the consideration
of the mere human agency by which they have been inflicted. I refer to such 
afflictions as are brought on us through the malice of our fellow-men, in 
regard
to which we are too apt to alone consider the secondary agency through which 
they fall upon us--instead of steadily contemplating God as addressing to
us, through human agency, the warnings and lessons which we need to learn 
and improve.

Whereas, did we consider all afflictions, of whatever kind, as emanating 
from the unerring heart of our loving Father--we would find, that even those 
which
the hand or the tongue of man inflicts--are a wholesome discipline, and 
means of spiritual improvement.

Let us remember, then, that every affliction, through whatever channel it 
may flow--comes to us ultimately from God's loving hand!

~ ~ ~ ~

We have published
J.R. Miller's
practical two page article, "
Summer Gathering for Winter's Needs".

~ ~ ~ ~

Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited 
by them!

I Believe He Said, “Close Your Mouth!”
by Dean Masters

Psalm 4:4
Be angry and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be 
silent.

“I’m sorry, what was that you said Lord? Zip it? Be quiet, don’t say another 
word?”

Uhmmmmm, Yup! I believe He is kindly saying, “Close your mouth!” It is okay 
to get angry, but don’t sin in your anger by allowing things to come out of
your mouth that shouldn’t! You can’t take what you say back, so guard your 
mouth, put your hand over it if you must, but don’t say another word while 
you
are still angry! Go find a place to get yourself under control!

So often the first response when we get angry is to lash out, after all we 
are hurt and what the other person did was hurtful and wrong! That doesn’t 
make
it right! One hurtful thing added on top of another will not make things 
right! If you thought you had work to do in that relationship before, just 
start
speaking your mind and see how long it takes to work through it!

When you are angry your first course of action needs to be to stop, don’t 
say anything hateful and find a place to cool down and think things through 
and
pray! Bill and I had a very heated argument a while back and it took me days 
to get over it! The thing I struggled with the most was that we could allow
something stupid (who knows what it was because I don’t remember ~ couldn’t 
have been that important!) to say things to each other that were hurtful and
wrong! How stupid! I had a more difficult time forgiving myself for allowing 
my anger to get the best of me than I did forgiving him. We solved nothing
by arguing other than we both agreed we will not allow that to happen again! 
We could always blame it on the fact that he is Italian and I have Irish,
German and well Indian, even though Indians aren’t known for their temper 
the thought of scalping him may have crossed my mind a few times during that
tiff! But here’s the deal: I don’t care what your heritage is, you have a 
choice in how you react to things! We are called on to be godly and self 
controlled;
Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 
long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. 
Against
such there is no law.” Yeeaaaah, I don’t remember anything in that argument 
containing any of the above!

When you react in anger you are basically asking God to stay out of it! 
“Here, sit over here a minute Lord and watch us act like total fools.” I don’t
think He appreciates that much!

We have a choice! There is a choice you make every time you react! You can 
either be filled with your anger and lash out or you can be filled with the
Holy Spirit and take some time to cool down and behave like the godly adult 
you were called to be! Your attitude is your choice, no one can take yours
and no one can give you theirs ~ it is your choice how you will behave! You 
can’t blame your reaction on “well, he/she did or said…….”, they may have 
and
they were probably wrong, but you still need to be self-controlled enough to 
allow the Holy Spirit take control of you and your response!

If you are struggling with anger, I would encourage you to get to the root 
of it! Anger doesn’t just wander into your life, there is a root cause for 
that
anger. Anger usually stems from something that hurt you that you never dealt 
with and over time has turned into one big, overflowing, boiling pot of 
anger!
Don’t think you can just stuff those hurts and they will stay there or go 
away on their own, you have to talk through them! If your friend, boss, 
spouse
or child relationship means anything to you then you need to talk through 
those hurts and frustrations, it is vital to your relationship! Don’t allow 
every
little thing become some deep hurt either. It is easy to allow a big hurt to 
snowball by picking up every little hurt along the way until it is just one
humongous ball of hurt just waiting to run the next person over that says or 
does something wrong! Stop, deal with it and give your hurts and anger to
God! Choose to forgive and allow that feeling of freedom from that thing 
wash over you like a gentle rain on a hot day.

The bottom line is this; your anger, if not controlled will hurt more than 
it could ever help in any situation. Someone else may deserve your anger, 
but
if you allow your anger to control you then you are the one who pays the 
biggest price in the end. Satan would like to destroy all of us with 
uncontrolled
anger, take a look at the world around us and see what anger is doing to 
people when it is allowed to just rage. Don’t allow Satan to get the best of 
you
because of hurt that hasn’t been dealt with in the past! If you are really 
struggling in this area, talk to someone, find a counselor or pastor that 
can
help you work through it. Don’t ignore the problem, it will not leave on it’s 
own!

You can have victory over all of this by giving it to God, one hurt and 
frustration at a time. Find a great life coach to walk you through it all 
and ask
God to fill you with all of the fruit of the Spirit, don’t hold anything 
back! The best is yet to come!

Quote:
“How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of 
it.” Marcus Aurelius

“If a person doesn’t govern his temper, his temper will govern him.” John 
Maxwell

Meant for Service

1 Kings 19:8

All the strength supplied to us by our gracious God is meant for service, 
not for indulgence or pride. When the prophet Elijah found the cake baked on
the coals and the jar of water placed at his head as he lay under the 
juniper tree, he was not being given a special treat that he could lie back 
and enjoy–he
was being sustained so that he could fulfill his responsibilities for the 
next forty days and forty nights. When the Master invited the disciples to 
come
and eat with Him, after the meal was over He said to Peter, "Feed my sheep," 
then added, "Follow me."

It is the same for us; we eat the bread of heaven so that we can expend our 
strength in the Master's service. We come to the table and eat of the 
paschal
lamb in a spirit of readiness, so that we may leave as soon as we have 
satisfied our hunger.

Some
Christians
are for living on Christ but are not so anxious to live for Christ. Earth 
should be a preparation for heaven; and heaven is the place where saints 
feast
most and work most. They sit down at the table of our Lord, and they serve 
Him day and night in His temple. They eat of heavenly food and offer perfect
service.

Believer, in the strength you daily gain from Christ, work for Him. Some of 
us have a lot to learn concerning the design of our Lord in giving us His 
grace.
We are not to hide the precious grains of truth without giving that truth an 
opportunity to grow: We must sow it and water it. Why does the Lord send the
rain upon the thirsty earth and give the sunshine? Is it not in order that 
sun and rain may help the fruits of the earth to yield food for us? Even so
the Lord feeds and refreshes our souls so that we may use our renewed 
strength in the promotion of His glory.

Family
Bible
reading plan

verse 1 1 Kings 8

verse 2 Ephesians 5

Honest Evangelism: How to Talk About Jesus Even When It’s Tough

The changes taking place in Western cultures are both discouraging to 
Christians and, ironically, encouraging. More precisely, most of the changes 
themselves
are discouraging, but they are calling forth a different set of changes that 
are encouraging. The discouraging changes are easy to list. Rising biblical
illiteracy means that there is less and less cultural consensus around 
things like the Ten Commandments. Honor is an old-fashioned word, easily 
mocked;
truth is increasingly flexible; the lust for power, success, and money has 
become more and more transparent and unchecked; dignity is old-fashioned; 
cruelty
and vengeance are sometimes depicted as virtues.

Short, clear, realistic and humorous, this book will challenge you to be 
honest in your conversations about Jesus, help you to know how to talk about 
him,
and thrill you that God can and will use ordinary people to change eternal 
destinies.

From Morning & Evening revised and edited by Alistair Begg copyright © 2003. 
Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News 
Publishers,

Today's Turning Point with David Jeremiah
Turning Point
Tuesday, October 6

The Ripple Effect

So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the 
weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.”
Judges 6:15

Recommended Reading
Daniel 3
Each of us has influence. Even if we do not intentionally influence those 
around us, we are making a difference, for better or worse. When God prompts
us to action, it’s easy to make excuses. Gideon’s list of excuses in the 
verse above illustrates our natural reaction to stepping outside of our 
comfort
zone. If we are not careful, we miss opportunities to bring God glory.

Listen to Today's Radio Broadcast
Our lists are self-focused, but God has a heart for others. Our decision to 
obey God affects more than just ourselves because He delights in allowing us
to participate in His work in the lives of others. When Gideon obeyed God, 
the Israelites were delivered. When a boy gave his fish and loaves to Jesus’ 
disciples, a
crowd was fed. An entire nation heard about God as a result of Shadrach, 
Meshach, and Abed-Nego standing up for their faith. When you stand up for 
Christ,
you often don’t realize who is watching, but you can be assured that God is 
using you for His kingdom.

God created us for this: to live our lives in a way that makes him look more 
like the greatness and the beauty and the infinite worth that he really is.
This is what it means to be created in the image of God.
John Piper

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Matthew 12 – 13
DavidJeremiah.org