18) When they arrived he declared, “You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now 19) I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews. 20) I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes. 21) I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus. 22) “And now I am bound by the Spirit[a] to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, 23) except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. 24) But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. ~ Acts 20: 18-24
The apostle Paul was consumed by a passion that was even greater than his desire for life or the dread of suffering. He had a ministry to fulfill and a message of salvation to deliver. His words in Acts 20:24 help us understand the foundational concept involved in our salvation. Paul called it "the gospel of the grace of God."
We're saved simply because the Lord is gracious. He knew we could never be good enough to bridge the gap between our sin and His holiness. That's why you will never hear of "the gospel of the Law of God." That would not be good news at all! Can you imagine singing, "Amazing law, how fearful the sound, that saved a wretch like me"? We could never fulfill the requirements, especially the way Jesus enlarged the meaning of the law in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). But grace--that's totally different. It has nothing to do with our worthiness or good performance, but is solely based on God's unmerited favor towards us.
What's most amazing is that the avenue for our salvation is through faith alone. The grace that God extends in saving us is His gift, and not anything we can add to by our works (Eph. 2:8-9). Otherwise, we'd have to clean up our lives in order to be saved, and that would nullify grace.
Praise the Lord for His wonderful plan of salvation. Christ paid our sin debt with His death, and all we have to do is believe it. Even after salvation, God’s grace keeps flowing. We never have to worry that we aren't good enough and will fall out of favor. His grace is forever.
(Via Charles Stanley)
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Friday, June 8, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
A Flourishing Finish
Today's Scripture:
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus
Philippians 1:6, NIV.
Today's Word:
Everyone goes through seasons of disappointment or difficulty. We all have unexpected setbacks. Maybe you’re going through something right now that you don’t understand. Here’s the good news: that disappointment is not the final chapter. God never ends in a negative. If you will keep moving forward with your life, God promises that He will bring you to a flourishing finish. Not a defeated finish, a bankrupt finish, a betrayed finish, or a barely-get-by finish. No, in your future, God has a victorious finish.
That setback, disappointment or betrayal that seems like it’s working against you, God knows how to turn it around and cause it to work for you. The key is that when you’re in difficult times, don’t settle where you are. Don’t put your roots down and think that things are never going to change. No, for every setback, God has already lined up a comeback. For every injustice, He has vindication. For every disappointment, He has restoration. Right now, just begin to thank Him for what He’s going to do. Praise Him for His faithfulness. Rejoice today because He has a plan to bring you into a flourishing finish!
Prayer for Today:
Father, thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness in my life. I choose to cast my cares on You. I choose to trust even when I don’t understand. I choose to believe that You have a good plan and will bring me to a flourishing finish in Jesus’ name! Amen.
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus
Philippians 1:6, NIV.
Today's Word:
Everyone goes through seasons of disappointment or difficulty. We all have unexpected setbacks. Maybe you’re going through something right now that you don’t understand. Here’s the good news: that disappointment is not the final chapter. God never ends in a negative. If you will keep moving forward with your life, God promises that He will bring you to a flourishing finish. Not a defeated finish, a bankrupt finish, a betrayed finish, or a barely-get-by finish. No, in your future, God has a victorious finish.
That setback, disappointment or betrayal that seems like it’s working against you, God knows how to turn it around and cause it to work for you. The key is that when you’re in difficult times, don’t settle where you are. Don’t put your roots down and think that things are never going to change. No, for every setback, God has already lined up a comeback. For every injustice, He has vindication. For every disappointment, He has restoration. Right now, just begin to thank Him for what He’s going to do. Praise Him for His faithfulness. Rejoice today because He has a plan to bring you into a flourishing finish!
Prayer for Today:
Father, thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness in my life. I choose to cast my cares on You. I choose to trust even when I don’t understand. I choose to believe that You have a good plan and will bring me to a flourishing finish in Jesus’ name! Amen.
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Written For Our Learning
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. — Romans 15:4
One thing that arrests my attention about Peter's preaching in the book of Acts is his grasp and knowledge of Scripture. He had not been educated in the Talmud or the Torah in some rabbinical school. He just studied the Scriptures on his own. The old fisherman had done his homework, and he was ready. He had a firm grasp on Scripture and quoted it frequently when he spoke.
When you have been with Jesus, you will study the Word of God. There is no growing in the Christian life without the Bible as a regular part of your schedule. This means that every day, you need to read the Bible. Some may call that legalism. Call it what you like, but I think it is a good discipline to open up God's Word every day and let it speak to you.
Jesus said, " 'Behold, I have come—in the volume of the book it is written of Me . . .' " (Hebrews 10:7). The great thing is that we can know the Author of this Book.
When I read Laura Hillenbrand's book, Unbroken, I didn't know Louis Zamperini. But when I read his story, I was blown away. And when I found that he was living in Southern California, I knew I had to meet him. I wanted to ask him about things that were in the book. He has since told his story at a Harvest Crusade and at Harvest Christian Fellowship. What a privilege it has been to talk to a man who has lived history and to find out more of his story.
God has given us His Book, and He will reveal things to us as He speaks to us through it. Are you letting God speak to you through His Word today?
(Via Greg Laurie)
Be Blessed!
Dawn
One thing that arrests my attention about Peter's preaching in the book of Acts is his grasp and knowledge of Scripture. He had not been educated in the Talmud or the Torah in some rabbinical school. He just studied the Scriptures on his own. The old fisherman had done his homework, and he was ready. He had a firm grasp on Scripture and quoted it frequently when he spoke.
When you have been with Jesus, you will study the Word of God. There is no growing in the Christian life without the Bible as a regular part of your schedule. This means that every day, you need to read the Bible. Some may call that legalism. Call it what you like, but I think it is a good discipline to open up God's Word every day and let it speak to you.
Jesus said, " 'Behold, I have come—in the volume of the book it is written of Me . . .' " (Hebrews 10:7). The great thing is that we can know the Author of this Book.
When I read Laura Hillenbrand's book, Unbroken, I didn't know Louis Zamperini. But when I read his story, I was blown away. And when I found that he was living in Southern California, I knew I had to meet him. I wanted to ask him about things that were in the book. He has since told his story at a Harvest Crusade and at Harvest Christian Fellowship. What a privilege it has been to talk to a man who has lived history and to find out more of his story.
God has given us His Book, and He will reveal things to us as He speaks to us through it. Are you letting God speak to you through His Word today?
(Via Greg Laurie)
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
God Magnified
1) I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2) My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. 3) Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! 4) I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. —Psalm 34:1-4
Do you want to be able to say, “God delivered me from all my fears”? When God is magnified, fear vanishes.
Do you remember as a kid playing with a magnifying glass? Does the magnifying glass make things bigger? No, it just makes things look bigger in my eyes. When God is magnified—when we sing, “Be magnified, O Lord,” we don’t make God bigger; we recognize Him better for what He really is through that focus. When God is magnified, fear leaves the building.
Fear and a right view of God cannot co-exist. If my heart is filled with fear, I am not rightly estimating God in His capacities and interest and His care in my life. Go ahead and say it out loud: “When God is magnified fear is gone.”
In 2 Chronicles 20:1-30, there’s a classic fear-inducing episode. Judah was being threatened with an impressive force of ‘ites (Moabites, Ammonites, Meunites). These were surrounding nations that decided Judah was easy pickings. They formed a flash-mob and “came against Jehoshaphat” (v.1). Chronicles is famous for big odds: God’s people, few; God’s enemies, many. When God was forgotten, the odds were overwhelmingly bad; when God was magnified, the odds didn’t matter anymore.
Jehoshaphat was a good king; not a great king, just a good one. Not an evil king; just an average, good king. God was judging him. Judah was in the south where Jerusalem is, the smaller portion of the nation of Israel—a divided kingdom. And Jehoshaphat was the fourth king over Judah. This turned out to be his shining moment!
Like David in today’s Psalm, Jehoshaphat “was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord” (v.3). After a fast, the king gathered the people and magnified the Lord. In verses 5-12, Jehoshaphat turned the whole problem over to God. What a great way to end a prayer: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You!” We magnify the Lord so that we can see Him more clearly! We magnify the Lord so that we can admit we bring little to the battle because the battle belongs to the Lord!
Journal
How will I magnify the Lord in at least three ways today?
In what areas of life would it help for me to pray, “I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on You, Lord.”
Prayer: When I magnify You, Father, and see You more clearly in Your greatness, everything else shrinks in size to nothing. Instead of being mesmerized by my fears or struggles or challenges, help me to turn my eyes from those and gaze at all that You are. Even when I don’t know what to do, having my eyes on You will make all the difference. You will make a way where I can’t see a way. Be magnified in my life today, O Lord! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
(Via Greg Laurie)
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Do you want to be able to say, “God delivered me from all my fears”? When God is magnified, fear vanishes.
Do you remember as a kid playing with a magnifying glass? Does the magnifying glass make things bigger? No, it just makes things look bigger in my eyes. When God is magnified—when we sing, “Be magnified, O Lord,” we don’t make God bigger; we recognize Him better for what He really is through that focus. When God is magnified, fear leaves the building.
Fear and a right view of God cannot co-exist. If my heart is filled with fear, I am not rightly estimating God in His capacities and interest and His care in my life. Go ahead and say it out loud: “When God is magnified fear is gone.”
In 2 Chronicles 20:1-30, there’s a classic fear-inducing episode. Judah was being threatened with an impressive force of ‘ites (Moabites, Ammonites, Meunites). These were surrounding nations that decided Judah was easy pickings. They formed a flash-mob and “came against Jehoshaphat” (v.1). Chronicles is famous for big odds: God’s people, few; God’s enemies, many. When God was forgotten, the odds were overwhelmingly bad; when God was magnified, the odds didn’t matter anymore.
Jehoshaphat was a good king; not a great king, just a good one. Not an evil king; just an average, good king. God was judging him. Judah was in the south where Jerusalem is, the smaller portion of the nation of Israel—a divided kingdom. And Jehoshaphat was the fourth king over Judah. This turned out to be his shining moment!
Like David in today’s Psalm, Jehoshaphat “was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord” (v.3). After a fast, the king gathered the people and magnified the Lord. In verses 5-12, Jehoshaphat turned the whole problem over to God. What a great way to end a prayer: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You!” We magnify the Lord so that we can see Him more clearly! We magnify the Lord so that we can admit we bring little to the battle because the battle belongs to the Lord!
Journal
How will I magnify the Lord in at least three ways today?
In what areas of life would it help for me to pray, “I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on You, Lord.”
Prayer: When I magnify You, Father, and see You more clearly in Your greatness, everything else shrinks in size to nothing. Instead of being mesmerized by my fears or struggles or challenges, help me to turn my eyes from those and gaze at all that You are. Even when I don’t know what to do, having my eyes on You will make all the difference. You will make a way where I can’t see a way. Be magnified in my life today, O Lord! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
(Via Greg Laurie)
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Friday, May 11, 2012
Choosing To Believe
1) There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2) After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” 3 )Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,[a] you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 4) “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 5) Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.[b] 6) Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.[c] 7) So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You[d] must be born again.’ 8) The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” 9) “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked. 10) Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? 11) I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. 12) But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13) No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man[e] has come down from heaven. 14) And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15) so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.[f] 16) “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 1)7 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 18) “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19) And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20) All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21) But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.[g]” ~ John 3: 1-21
Faith isn't something we can lay claim to because we were born to believing parents or have citizenship in a Christian country. Nor can we attain it by attending or even teaching Sunday school, though I've often heard such incorrect assertions. Instead, the following should be true of genuine believers.
A clear understanding of the gospel is essential for a person to believe and receive the good news of Jesus Christ. His death on the cross was the only sacrifice required to remove our sins. God offers His grace as a gift to anyone who will receive it.
A definite decision at a particular point in time serves as a sort of landmark of the heart and mind. People do not just slip into Christianity; faith in Jesus must be chosen. Believers are those who have made a deliberate decision to trust the Lord and follow in His ways.
A blessed assurance follows the clear-cut decision so that believers can be certain of their salvation. God wants confident, assured children (1 John 5:13).
A visible symbol of what happens when someone receives the Savior--namely, baptism--illustrates dying to one's old ways and rising to new life in Christ Jesus. Believers are to take this step as a public way of identifying with Him (Matt. 28:19).
A man or woman of faith chooses to surrender to Christ, embraces the Word of God, and lives fully for the Lord. True believers no longer muddle through the practices of religion out of habit, but instead worship and rejoice in a vibrant personal relationship with the Lord.
(Via Charles Stanley)
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Faith isn't something we can lay claim to because we were born to believing parents or have citizenship in a Christian country. Nor can we attain it by attending or even teaching Sunday school, though I've often heard such incorrect assertions. Instead, the following should be true of genuine believers.
A clear understanding of the gospel is essential for a person to believe and receive the good news of Jesus Christ. His death on the cross was the only sacrifice required to remove our sins. God offers His grace as a gift to anyone who will receive it.
A definite decision at a particular point in time serves as a sort of landmark of the heart and mind. People do not just slip into Christianity; faith in Jesus must be chosen. Believers are those who have made a deliberate decision to trust the Lord and follow in His ways.
A blessed assurance follows the clear-cut decision so that believers can be certain of their salvation. God wants confident, assured children (1 John 5:13).
A visible symbol of what happens when someone receives the Savior--namely, baptism--illustrates dying to one's old ways and rising to new life in Christ Jesus. Believers are to take this step as a public way of identifying with Him (Matt. 28:19).
A man or woman of faith chooses to surrender to Christ, embraces the Word of God, and lives fully for the Lord. True believers no longer muddle through the practices of religion out of habit, but instead worship and rejoice in a vibrant personal relationship with the Lord.
(Via Charles Stanley)
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
No-Doubt Christians
But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too." — Acts 17:6
What is a Christian? A Christian is someone who has put his or her faith in Jesus Christ, and Christ alone, as Savior and Lord and God. And according to the apostle Paul, a Christian is someone who has turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God (see Acts 26:18).
I think that because we have a lot of anemic, shallow preaching today, we also have a generation of people who think they are Christians but really are not. These are people who have been told to believe, but they never have been told to repent. They have been promised heaven, but they never have been warned of hell. They have been told that God wants them to be happy, but they never have heard that God wants them to be holy. I wonder whether a lot of these people even know what the genuine gospel message is. I read recently that 7 in 10 American adults have no clue what John 3:16 means. And barely one-third of all adults know the meaning of the term, "the gospel."
It is not for me to decide who is a Christian and who is not. That is ultimately up to God. But what we don't need more of today are sort-of Christians. What we need are no-doubt Christians—people about whom you could say, "There is no doubt in my mind that person is a follower of Jesus Christ." The fact is, what is considered as Christianity by many today would not even qualify as such in the first century.
That is where you come in. God wants you to share the gospel and make disciples in your own sphere of influence. This is what the early church did, and the world was a different place because of it.
Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing the proper fruits of it. Test and prove yourselves [ not Christ]. Do you not yourselves realize and know [thoroughly by an ever-increasing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you--unless you are [counterfeits] disapproved on trial and rejected? 2Cor. 13:5 (AMP)
Be Blessed!
Dawn
What is a Christian? A Christian is someone who has put his or her faith in Jesus Christ, and Christ alone, as Savior and Lord and God. And according to the apostle Paul, a Christian is someone who has turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God (see Acts 26:18).
I think that because we have a lot of anemic, shallow preaching today, we also have a generation of people who think they are Christians but really are not. These are people who have been told to believe, but they never have been told to repent. They have been promised heaven, but they never have been warned of hell. They have been told that God wants them to be happy, but they never have heard that God wants them to be holy. I wonder whether a lot of these people even know what the genuine gospel message is. I read recently that 7 in 10 American adults have no clue what John 3:16 means. And barely one-third of all adults know the meaning of the term, "the gospel."
It is not for me to decide who is a Christian and who is not. That is ultimately up to God. But what we don't need more of today are sort-of Christians. What we need are no-doubt Christians—people about whom you could say, "There is no doubt in my mind that person is a follower of Jesus Christ." The fact is, what is considered as Christianity by many today would not even qualify as such in the first century.
That is where you come in. God wants you to share the gospel and make disciples in your own sphere of influence. This is what the early church did, and the world was a different place because of it.
Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing the proper fruits of it. Test and prove yourselves [ not Christ]. Do you not yourselves realize and know [thoroughly by an ever-increasing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you--unless you are [counterfeits] disapproved on trial and rejected? 2Cor. 13:5 (AMP)
Be Blessed!
Dawn
Monday, May 7, 2012
The Value of Worship
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. — Acts 2:46-47
Just as something wonderful happens when God's people get together and study His Word, something extraordinary happens when God's people get together and sing His praises. Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Now this verse is not saying that God only shows up when people worship, because God is omnipresent. But He manifests His presence in a special way when His people lift up His name in praise and worship.
The early church was a worshipping church. Acts 2:46–47 tells us, "They ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people." The phrase "gladness and simplicity of heart" literally means "with unaffected joy." There was joy in the early church. There was vibrancy. But there also was reverence. A few verses earlier, we read that fear came upon every soul, and wonders and signs were done through the apostles (verse 43). There should be joy and reverence. Those are elements that should be in our worship. The Spirit-filled church will be a worshipping church, and the Spirit filled Christian will be a worshipping Christian.
Someone might say, "Well, I just don't always feel like worshipping." Do you think the first-century believers always felt like praising God? They were harassed. They were beaten. They were mocked. These Christians faced persecution on a massive scale, but they were thankful to God.
The Bible doesn't say, "Give thanks to the Lord when you feel good." Rather, it says, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!" (1 Chronicles 16:34). That is how Job was able to worship God after calamity came knocking at his door (see Job 1:20).
Sometimes worship can be a sacrifice. But we should still worship.
(via Greg Laurie)
be Blessed!
Dawn
Just as something wonderful happens when God's people get together and study His Word, something extraordinary happens when God's people get together and sing His praises. Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Now this verse is not saying that God only shows up when people worship, because God is omnipresent. But He manifests His presence in a special way when His people lift up His name in praise and worship.
The early church was a worshipping church. Acts 2:46–47 tells us, "They ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people." The phrase "gladness and simplicity of heart" literally means "with unaffected joy." There was joy in the early church. There was vibrancy. But there also was reverence. A few verses earlier, we read that fear came upon every soul, and wonders and signs were done through the apostles (verse 43). There should be joy and reverence. Those are elements that should be in our worship. The Spirit-filled church will be a worshipping church, and the Spirit filled Christian will be a worshipping Christian.
Someone might say, "Well, I just don't always feel like worshipping." Do you think the first-century believers always felt like praising God? They were harassed. They were beaten. They were mocked. These Christians faced persecution on a massive scale, but they were thankful to God.
The Bible doesn't say, "Give thanks to the Lord when you feel good." Rather, it says, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!" (1 Chronicles 16:34). That is how Job was able to worship God after calamity came knocking at his door (see Job 1:20).
Sometimes worship can be a sacrifice. But we should still worship.
(via Greg Laurie)
be Blessed!
Dawn
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