The Lord Gives and He Takes Away

Job 1:20-22

INTRODUCTION

Seemingly, Job possessed many of man's most treasured possessions: health, wealth, and a strong family unit. Suddenly, he lost them all. Job lost his health, his possessions, and his children. He also lost the esteem and approbation of his wife and friends. These events very easily could have devastated and embittered him. Yet, rather than expressions of doom and gloom, Job's words offer a profound glimpse into the depths of his contentment. In the midst of his heartache, Job exhibited an extremely important truth. A Christian's material and physical blessings, all of which are completely within the Lord's control, should never influence one's relationship with the Lord or others. Job also pointed out that man will depart this world in the same condition in which he entered: without one shred of material wealth. Ultimately, a Christian's possessions or the lack thereof reflect God's provisions; therefore, a lack of contentment reflects an unwillingness to trust in the Lord.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): What is your favorite toy? If you were asked to give that particular toy away, how would you react? How would the Lord want you to behave? Why is it so very important for us to do what God wants us to do?
• (For everyone): If God is responsible for all that we have or do not have, what does complaining about our current possessions or conditions reflect about us?
• In the midst of the many things he lost, Job also lost his children. Through it all he was still able to reflect contentment. Can you imagine how difficult things would be if the Lord allowed something like this in your life? Why do you think Job was able to lose so much and still serve the Lord? Could you have continued to serve Him?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask the Lord to teach you how to be satisfied with what you have.
• Ask God to meet your needs according to His timing and will.

What is Contentment?

Philippians 4:10-12

INTRODUCTION

The words content and contentment infer that one is satisfied with life's present conditions (Genesis 37:27
; Exodus 2:21
). Living contently is the opposite of wanting (Philippians 4:11
) and covetousness (Hebrews 13:5
) and is strongly associated with godliness (1 Timothy 6:6
). Interestingly, contentment is a learned behaviour that believers must put into practice on a consistent basis throughout life. No one is born into the world content. Yet, once learned and practiced consistently, Christians will experience contentment in spite of any circumstance faced. Unfortunately, far too often, Christians exhibit no more contentment than non-Christians. In fact, believers seem to desire and covet the things of the world more and more with each passing year. This covetousness combined with a lack of contentment amongst Christians results in less godliness and a closer association with worldly pleasures.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): God wants us to be happy with those things with which He has blessed us. Name some things you have that you really like. Are you happy with these things or do you find yourself always wanting more stuff? How could you learn to be more content? Why and how would this please the Lord and your parents?
• (For everyone): Ponder for a moment your life. Are you satisfied with your conditions and possessions or do you find yourself increasingly dissatisfied?
• Meditate for a moment on the things God has provided for you that are not directly associated with money. Can you name some specific examples of things that God has taken away from you that would have been harmful to you or others you love?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Take some time to thank God for His manifold blessings upon your life.
• Ask God to give you a greater desire to willingly sacrifice and to be zealously content.

Compassion One of Another

1 Peter 3:8-9

INTRODUCTION

Every word of God is pure, but the Bible contains words of emphasis intending to draw the reader’s attention to a specific thought. 1 Peter 3:8-9 begins with the word finally, thus signifying that this is the final statement in a list of thoughts. The closing statements on a matter frequently contain crucial truths. Certainly, these two verses offer the believer vital bits of information. They reveal five responsibilities: Believers are to be of one mind. They also are to have compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful (that is, full of pity for others), and be courteous. Verse nine defines courteous as not mistreating others even if mistreated. Finally, believers are promised that obedience offers them a great blessing.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): Name some of your friends from church. Why do you like them? Is there anyone who doesn’t treat you right? How should you treat them?
• (For everyone): What would happen if all believers obeyed the commands given in the 1 Peter 3:8-9 passage? What would happen if you obeyed them? How would it benefit the saved and the lost alike?
• Why is this passage so very important for us living in a sinful world? Why should believers have the right relationship with one another? (Hint: Consider John 13:35
  .) How could this help eliminate many of the problems experienced by churches?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask the Lord to help you obey the commands of 1 Peter 3:8-9 .
• Ask God to work in your heart to love others like you should.

Love with Action

1 John 3:14-19

INTRODUCTION

The Bible associates love with action. In this passage, the Bible speaks of the believer’s love for other believers, relating it to the Lord’s crucifixion. If a Christian knows and recognizes the love of God, it should drastically affect his relationships. He cannot deal with others as the world would because the love of God has formed compassion within in his heart. This matter is so important to the Lord that He provided believers with a scenario to help judge their level of compassion. The book of First John says that if a brother has a need, and another brother can help him with his need, yet refuses, he lacks compassion (see also James 2:15-16 ). Therefore, one’s deeds, not simply one’s words alone, demonstrate true love!

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): We need to do good to all people, but especially to our church family. What are some ways that we can help our pastor, our song leader, our Sunday School teacher, the elderly and those who clean the church, etc?
• (For everyone): Compassion requires action. If there is no action attached to one’s desires, true love or compassion does not exist. The greatest example was given by Christwhen He died on the cross. What are other examples of compassion that come to mind?
• Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ? What have you donefor others to show your love for them? Have you prayed for them? Have you helped them in a time of need?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask God to provide opportunities for you to show compassion toward others.
• Ask God to help you love others inspite of how they or others may have mistreated you.

The Sighing Saviour

Mark 7:31-37

INTRODUCTION

The journey of the Lord from Phoenicia (Tyre and Sidon) to Decapolis covered between 50 and 75 miles. No doubt much of the traveling might have taken place on foot. When He arrived at the Sea of Galilee, the Lord must have been drained physically. Yet, there was no time for rest because a man in need of healing was brought to Him. The man was deaf and had a speech impediment. The Lord separated from the multitude and healed the deaf and dumb man. He first put His fingers in the man’s ears, then spit and touched the man’s tongue. The Lord looked toward heaven and sighed, then commanded the man’s ears to be opened. Immediately, his eyes were opened and his tongue was loosed and he could both see and speak.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): Discuss how mom and dad show their love by still caring for their family even when they are tired or sick. Godhelps them to do this. Jesus cared for people even when He was tired. He even took care of people even while suffering on the cross.
• (For everyone): How would you feel after a journey of 50-75 miles? (Remember travel was not the same as it is today.) Would you easily be able to focus on helping others?
• What problems did the man in need have? How did Christ heal him? If compassion means “suffer with someone,” why is it significant that the Lord touched the man’s ear and tongue?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Thank the Lord for being touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
• Ask God to help you become more aware of His compassion.

God: Full of Compassion

Psalm 145:8-9

INTRODUCTION

God’s compassion originates from His mercy and grace and the way He deals with man displays this compassion. For example, He is “slow to anger” and “good to all,” etc. It is important to note that compassion is not something God simply does but rather a manifestation of His character. The Bible emphasizes the importance of this truth  by stating that God is “full of compassion” on five separate occasions in the book of Psalms (Psalm 78:38
; Psalm 86:15
; Psalm 111:4
; Psalm 112:4
; Psalm 145:8
). God’s actions (past, present, or future) can all be traced back to His compassion. This even includes His acts of judgment. When the Bible refers to God’s longsuffering it means that He will suffer for a long time before bringing judgment against a person, nation, or the whole world.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): When you do something wrong, your mom or dad does not just simply snatch you up and discipline you. Rather, they generally first warn you to change your behaviour. Yet, if you keep doing the same thing after you've been warned, correction usually follows. God is like that with us—He is slow to anger.
• (For everyone): Can you think of a time when God was slow to anger with you? What kind of judgment did you deserve? What kind of judgment did you receive?
• When you think of the compassion of God, what comes to mind? How has God’s compassion helped you through some difficult times?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Thank the Lord for the benefit of compassion.
• Ask the Lord for help in not abusing His compassion.

What Is Compassion?

Lamentations 3:22-23

INTRODUCTION

The word compassion consists of two components: “com” plus “passion.” Acts 1:3
defines the root word “passion” as suffering. The prefix “com” means with. Therefore, the compound word, compassion means to suffer with someone. God expects every true child of God to demonstrate compassion, but even more impressive is the thought that the Lord Jesus Christ manifested compassion during His earthly ministry. What an amazing truth—the Lord of glory willingly humbles Himself to suffer with others. One might assume this only became possible because Christ took upon Himself the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3
). Yet, the Bible attributes compassion to God prior to the first coming of Christ.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): How do you feel when someone gets sick or hurt? What can you do to help them? You want to do these things because you hurt for them. That ishow you express compassion.
• (For everyone): Upon what is the Lord’s compassion based? How does this help us understand God’s ability to have compassion before His Son came in the likeness of sinful flesh?
• What are some ways in which the Lord has had compassion on you?  Were you completely deserving of His compassion?  Were you grateful to Him for having this compassion upon you?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Take time to thank the Lord for His compassion toward you.
• Ask God to giveyou opportunities to be more compassionate toward others.

HYMN

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!

A Burning Revival

Acts 19:13-20

INTRODUCTION

When the “name of the Lord Jesus” is truly magnified (Acts 19:17
), everything contrary to Him either becomes insignificant or observably wicked. As men believe on the Lord, they naturally begin to consider the moral nature of everything else in life. As they begin to see the wickedness of their flesh, they must choose whether to obey God or to satisfy the flesh. The people in Acts chapter 19 chose to obey God. As they learned of the wickedness of their curious arts, they brought their books together to be burned. This was done at no little cost to them (Acts 19:19
), but they considered it a greater cost to displease the One who died for them. Naturally resulting from this, the word of God grew and prevailed (Acts 19:20
).

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): When we hear the word of God, it should move us to action (James 1:22
  ). Consider king Josiah's reaction to the word of God (2 Kings 23:24-25 ). Would you be willing to get rid of something displeasing to God if it were shown to you (Genesis 35:2-4 )?
• (For everyone): Is the word of God growing and prevailing in your home? If not, have you considered whether or not there are some things in your home that need to be set aflame to the glory of God?
• What is keeping you back from a closer walk with the Lord? What is more important to you—pleasing the flesh or pleasing the Lord who bought you?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask God to give you the courage to obey Him.
• Ask the Lord to help you see the cost of disobeying Him.

HYMN

AM I A SOLDIER OF THE CROSS?

A Work of the Flesh

Galatians 5:16-21

INTRODUCTION

Many have erroneously suggested that witchcraft is a spiritual gift, but the Bible plainly declares that it is instead a work of the flesh. As such, it is anti-Spirit and lustful. It is of the same kind as adultery, idolatry, hatred, heresies, murders, and drunkenness. No Christian who finds joy in these practices can rightly claim to be led of the Spirit, and so it is with Christians involved in witchcraft at any level. Unfortunately, many beguiled saints have grown increasingly accepting of witchcraft, at times even suggesting there are hidden scriptural messages. Men should not be deceived into thinking that God will partner with a work of the flesh to accomplish His work.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): God hates witchcraft (Exodus 22:18
  ; Micah 5:12
  ). If you are attracted to it, it is not God doing it (James 1:13
  ) but your own desires and longings (James 1:14
  ). Remember, in God's eyes there is no such thing as a "good" witch no matter how the world dresses them up to appear so (1 John 4:1
  ).
• (For everyone): No man can rightly suggest that God led him to get drunk or to commit adultery. Yet, why do you think people justify witchcraft as a harmless endeavor?
• The works of the flesh have bombarded man’s entertainment. Do you find witchcraft, adultery, and drunkenness entertaining?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask God to help you rid your life of the works of the flesh.
• Ask God to give you wisdom to know what is right and wrong.

HYMN

TAKE MY LIFE, AND LET IT BE

They Have Made Others to Hope

Ezekiel 13:1-9

INTRODUCTION

Due to the false hopes offered through the lies of witchcraft, many lives have been devastated. Fortune tellers, psychics, and horoscopes become a source of hope, assuring simple souls of peace when there is no peace apart from the Lord (Ezekiel 13:10
). Men expect the promises of peace to come to pass to the point that they search diligently, looking for the slightest confirmation that these counsellors speak the truth. Some have gone so far as to claim that these counsellors are of God and speak for God. Rest assured that this is not the case. Only the word of God can speak for God. Where there is hope, the word of God offers that hope. Where there is no peace, the word of God declares it plainly.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): Most people really do not want to hear the truth (Isaiah 30:9-11 ). Yet, words are useless if not from God (Jeremiah 2:8
  ; Jeremiah 14:13-16 ; Jeremiah 23:30-32 ). Simon the sorcerer wanted others to think he was great. But he needed to be saved (Acts 8:9-13 ).
• (For everyone): In whose hand is your future? Why would you trust the words of man when only God knows your future? Why is it blasphemous to trust the words of horoscopes, magicians, psychics, or other such witchcraft?
• From whence do you derive your hope? Do you reject any and all forms of witchcraft as the false prophets that they are?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask God to show you the only true source of hope.
• Thank God for giving you light.

HYMN

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

Get Under the Waterfall

by Pastor Carter Conlon 

Psalm 42, verses 7 and 8 says this, “Deep calls unto deep, at the noise of your waterfalls. All your waves and billows have gone over me. The Lord will command His loving kindness in the daytime and in the night His song shall be with me. A prayer to the God of my life.”

You know the psalmist in this passage remembers how faithful God has been to him in past times. There have been times of refreshing, deliverance, and divine strength that have come into his life. In his present time of deep need, he knows, as you and I do, that the deep compassion and strength of God will again be his. Not just for a moment, but will so carry him and so carry you and I through the day, that we will all be singing at night. Get under the waterfall of God’s love today.

It’s time to pray!

Timeless Truths for a New Generation

Timeless Truths for a New Generation 2 Timothy 3:15 From childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. One of the tragedies of our contemporary culture is that people are not convinced of the Bible's worth. I have often shared with our congregation the burden that people in the 21st century do not believe the Bible has anything to say to today's generation. Six hundred Christians from a wide range of cultures were questioned, and it was discovered that 25% read their Bible more than once a week, and most of the remaining 75% don't read it at all. Did you catch that? Over half of so-called "Christians" today do not even read their Bible! The president of the research group  summarized the findings of the survey: People aren't reading the Bible because they think it is irrelevant to everyday life. Many people, even those who read the Bible, do not see the Scriptures as containing instruction and answers that deal with the everyday problems they face. They think of the Bible as they would a cookbook. It is a wonderful thing for putting together thirty-person dinner parties, but it doesn't have any recipes in it for tonight's dinner for the family. It's great for special occasions but not for everyday situations. Is the Bible relevant today? In the 21st century, is the Word of God still as powerful as it was in Hebrews 4:12, when it was described as "living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword?" Is our Bible today the same divinely-inspired book that Paul spoke of to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, praising it as "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work"? The answer is yes!  The Bible that we hold in our hands today, translated from the original languages and passed down to us over the centuries, is just as profitable for every aspect of our lives in the 21st century as it was for believers in the first century.If you've paid attention to history, you'll understand that except for technological advances, the world hasn't changed much. People will always be people, and as Solomon wisely said in Ecclesiastes 1:9, "There is nothing new under the sun." As long as there are people to inhabit the world, there will always be a dire need for truth and direction for living. Praise be to God who has given us both in His Word! Perhaps the reason Christianity has taken somewhat of a "new face" in the present century is because we have forgotten whose face we are supposed to reflect. The Bible is clear--if we want to know God and His Son, Jesus Christ, He has been revealed in Scripture. His Word is not just a to-do list of spiritual chores, or an informative historical document; it is the way we can know Him and show Him to an unbelieving world. Scripture is God's Truth to mankind in every generation, and it never grows old . . . it's timeless! Prayer Point: If you have been taking God's Word lightly, having fallen into the belief that it is no longer relevant, confess that to God and ask Him to show you your desperate need for it. Then, thank him for calling men throughout the centuries who were willing to face death and persecution, so that you and I could have copies of the Bible in our own language.

Becoming

by Alan Smith
The famous actor Gregory Peck was once standing in line with a friend, waiting for a table in a crowded Los Angeles restaurant. They had been waiting for some time, the diners seemed to be taking their time eating and new tables weren't opening up very fast. They weren't even that close to the front of the line. Peck's friend became impatient, and he said to Gregory Peck, "Why don't you tell the maitre d' who you are?" 

Gregory Peck responded, "No, if you have to tell them who you are, then you aren't." 

There's a great deal of wisdom in that statement. There's a big difference in who we think we are, who others think we are, and who we really are. Someone has well said that, "Reputation is who others think we are. Character is who we really are." As Christians, we ought to be more concerned with character than with reputation. Christianity is more than just knowing the right facts. It's more than going through the right motions. It begins in the heart; it's who we are.
There is a continual process of growing and adding Christ-like virtues to our lives. Peter wrote, "Add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love." (2 Peter 1:5-8). We never stop "becoming"; it's an ongoing process. There's always something positive to add to our lives, always something negative to try to get rid of. 

We have different ways of measuring growth. When Sueanne and I would take our children to see the pediatrician, the nurse would always check their height and weight. Then that information was written onto a chart that gave us a picture of how they were growing. When we get to be adults, we measure our growth by whether or not we can fit into last year's pants. 

But how does a person measure his growth in Christianity? In Ephesians 4:15-16, Paul says, "...but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into him who is the head -- Christ -- from whom the whole body...causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." Paul says that it's time for us to grow up, it's time for us to mature. But what is the goal of our growth? Jesus Christ is! 

My favorite picture of the growth of Christianity is found in 2 Corinthians 3:18: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." Paul says it's as if we're holding a mirror in our left hand, and a picture of Christ in our right hand. Now when we look in the mirror and see our reflection, and we then we look at Christ, they don't look much alike. But every day as we mature, we grow up, we become more like Christ, striving for the day when we look in the mirror and see the reflection of Jesus Christ. 

Knowledge, conduct, and character must always go together. We learn God's will so that we might obey it; and in obeying it, we serve him and grow in Christian character. While none of us is perfectly balanced in these three areas, we ought to strive for that balance. 

May God bless you as you seek to "know" His will better, "do" more in service to Him, and "become" more like Jesus Christ!

Learn How to Fall

We can succeed through apparent failure, but we must learn how to fall.

When my daughter was beginning to ride her bike she discovered an all-important truth. After a particularly difficult afternoon she came inside and said; "Daddy, you know the hardest part about riding a bike? It's learning how to fall!" At five years of age she had discovered that falling was an inevitable part of the riding experience; but to have a "successful" experience, she needed to learn how to fall without causing damage to her body.

When we follow the call of God and step into the great unknown, we are ALWAYS successful. We are successful because success is defined as being obedient to His call, regardless of the physical results or accomplishments. We must never evaluate our walk with the Lord based on a worldly criteria. Rather, we are to walk by a faith which is lived out each day through trust and obedience.

When John the Baptist was in prison he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" (Matthew 11:3). This question indicates some great turmoil. John preached a message of repentance to "Prepare the way of the Lord" (Luke 3:4), and he described Jesus as, "one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie" (Luke 3:16). And when John baptized Jesus, he heard a voice from Heaven say, "This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). But while in jail, John needed to ask, "Are You really the One?"

Matthew 11:4-6
"Jesus replied, 'Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear... Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of Me.'"

The first part of this reply is what we expect. Jesus is saying, "Of course I'm the One! Don't you see the evidence?" But then Jesus answers John's real question with "Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of Me." John was doubting because he had been sent to jail for following Christ. He had taken a discouraging fall and was questioning his chosen path. Was it possible that he should experience such hardship if Jesus was really the Christ?
Our walk with Jesus is never promised to be easy - it is promised to be eternal! We are never promised success in the eyes of the world; we are promised the true success which only His peace can give...and also an eternal glory in the presence of God! His plans and purposes are perfect and will most surely include aspects we cannot understand, include times when we become discouraged and appear to fall. These are times we must fall without falling away! In falling we must fall closer to Jesus and learn to trust Him even more. We can have a successful journey even through apparent failure; we can always be successful if we continue to follow where He leads and learn how to fall.

Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries

The Book of Romans and God's Grace

(By Andrew Wommack, www.awmi.net)
Today, most Christians think the word "Gospel" is just a word that identifies religious things. They relate preaching on the wrath of God and impending judgment as the Gospel, but it's not. It's true that those who don't accept the sacrifice of Jesus will spend an eternity in hell, but that's not "good news." That's certainly not "nearly-too-good-to-be-true news." 

The Gospel is the "good news," that despite our sins and the judgment we deserve, God has provided complete redemption for us. Even more specifically, the word "Gospel" describes the grace that enables us to receive this forgiveness. 

If I told you that I had a gift of a million dollars for you, that would be good news. That would be nearly-too-good-to-be-true news. What if I put down difficult or impossible stipulations as things you must do to receive that money? Then it would cease to be a gift. Your performance would be required so you would actually be earning the money. All your joy over the "gift" would fade away as you despaired of meeting the criteria. You would probably be upset with me. It would be better to have never been offered the money than to have it dangled in front of you and then placed out of reach through impossible demands. That's the way it is with salvation. Just saying that Jesus provided salvation for us is not truly the "nearly-too-good-to-be-true news" unless it is emphasized that all Jesus provided is available to us by grace. The grace of God is the heart of the Gospel. 

Telling people they are going to hell if they don't repent is true, but it's not the Gospel. Even telling people that Jesus provided an escape is not the Gospel if we tell them they have to live holy lives in order to obtain that salvation. Putting any stipulations on what we have to do to acquire God's provision denies grace and, therefore, is not the Gospel. These are radical statements! Most of the church world doesn't define the Gospel this way, but that's the way Paul defined it, that "the gospel...is the power of God unto salvation." The power that we need to get saved and obtain everything that Jesus provided for us is in the Gospel. If we seem powerless to receive, it's because we don't have a full revelation of the true Gospel. 

I've heard people say before, "No one should hear the Gospel twice until everyone in the world has heard it once." The point is that we shouldn't put all our evangelism efforts into countries where people have already heard the Gospel. We should be putting a higher priority on bringing the Gospel to those who have never heard it. 

People have heard that there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun. They've heard that sin separates us from God and they have to be forgiven of their sins. They've even heard that Jesus died to forgive their sins. As a whole, have they heard that all that Jesus provided for us is a gift, accessible only by faith (Rom. 5:2). "Christianity" has preached that we have to live holy lives to receive from God. 

The religious system of Martin Luther's day preached Jesus. They talked about the forgiveness of sins and the wrath that awaited all who rejected the sacrifice of Jesus. They placed such a burden of personal holiness on the individual in order to receive what Jesus provided that they perverted the true Gospel with all their requirements. They were not preaching the Gospel. Martin Luther received the revelation that it is only by grace that anyone can be saved (Rom. 3:28), and it changed his life and the history of the world. Mainstream Christianity has lost the understanding of grace just as surely as it was lacking prior to Martin Luther's revelation. We need another reformation centered on the grace of God.
An amazing thing has happened in our presentation of the Gospel today. Evangelical Christianity preaches grace as the heart of the Gospel for the initial born-again experience, but then it reverts to personal performance in order to receive everything else from God. That's a perversion of the Gospel too. Paul said in Colossians 2:6, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him." That means that since we can only be born again by putting faith in God's grace, everything else in the Christian life has to come the same way. 

If it was "just as I am without one plea" to get saved, then it has to be the same to get healed or prospered or delivered. Are we so foolish to think that we got saved by grace, but now we can be made perfect through our own efforts? (Gal. 3:3) 

That's why Paul wrote the book of Galatians. The Galatians had received the Gospel and had been born again, but after being saved, they left grace and went back to trying to earn the blessings of God through their adherence to rules and regulations. This brought some of the harshest rebukes the Apostle Paul ever gave to anyone. He said in Galatians 3:1, "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?" He also said in Galatians 5:4, "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." Every great revival in history had the grace of God at its core. An awakening to the grace of God will release the power of the Gospel, and revival will be the result. Revival isn't the result of holiness. Holiness is the result of revival. 

You might ask, "Are you saying that we can live in sin because salvation is by God's grace?" I'm glad you asked that question. Paul addressed that very question four times in the book of Romans. You could even say that if that question never comes up, then the true Gospel that Paul preached hasn't been presented. Most of the Gospel messages being preached in the pulpits of America never raise that question because they aren't preaching the true Gospel. 

Of course, Paul didn't advocate a life of sin and neither am I. Holiness is a fruit and not a root of salvation (Rom. 6:22). Paul told Titus in Titus 2:11-12, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." Grace teaches us to live holy lives. Our holiness is a response to God's grace, not something we do to earn God's grace. Grace cannot be earned, or it wouldn't be grace (Rom. 11:6). When we clearly see the grace God has extended to us, the love of God will abound in our lives and we will live more holy lives accidentally than we ever have before on purpose. 

Grace doesn't give us a license to sin, but it actually frees us from sin. In Romans 6:14 Paul said, "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." Grace breaks sin's dominion over us. The law, or a performance-based message, gives sin dominion over us. 

If these truths about the Gospel of God's grace as revealed through Paul in the book of Romans have not exploded in your heart, I plead with you to change that today. I promise you that these truths will transform your life just as they have mine. The Gospel is the power you need in your life to receive whatever your needs are from the Lord.

The Old Life Is Gone

Matthew 15:15-20
(15) Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.” (16) So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? (17) Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? (18) But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. (19) For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. (20) These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." 

This “heart” issue is the reason for the apostle Paul's statement in II Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.” The new convert is a new creation, a parallel to Adam and Eve in their creation. God formed them both in His image (Genesis 1:26), though the material source of them was of the earth, which God also created. Isaiah 64:8 affirms what is occurring in those whom God calls: “But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand.”

In like manner, in the new creation, the new convert, it is God who calls (I Corinthians 7:15), who provides faith (Ephesians 2:8), who grants repentance (Acts 5:31), and who gives His Holy Spirit (Acts 5:32). Just as God provided the means for Adam and Eve to function responsibly toward Him, so has He also supplied the means we need to function responsibly as a new creation.

His purpose is to create us in His spiritual image, so that we have qualities of heart and character as He does. These qualities will enable us to provide leadership as members of the government He will establish under Jesus Christ at His return. The prophecy of Isaiah 9:6-7 speaks of this government:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
— John W. Ritenbaugh

How's Your Discernment???

Matthew 10:16
(16) “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 

Christ's mandate to us that we become "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" implies that we must develop discernment, the ability to detect motivation and the spirits that motivate. The gift of discerning the spirits will become increasingly important as we approach the end of this age because deception will be the hallmark of these extremely dangerous times.

In the Olivet Prophecy, the disciples ask Jesus to reveal the sign of His return. Jesus does not give one sign but several. At the top of the list, he warns the disciples of deception, and follows it up with warnings of false prophets, false miracles, and the warning not to be deceived (see Matthew 24:4-5, 11, 23-26).

We deduce from this last warning that false "Christian" ministers and ministries will have the capability of performing convincing lying wonders and signs. These false ministers will demonstrate power—occult power—for the specific purpose of leading all people astray, including the most sincere believer.

We have a clear warning from the apostle Paul that the battles we face on a daily basis cannot be won by conventional weapons that we can attain from the world. The weapons we must seek should be spiritual, having the power to destroy arguments and every false claim that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and God's Word (II Corinthians 10:3-5).

— David F. Maas

Hard Heart

Exodus 4:21
(21) And the LORD said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.
Exodus 7:3
(3) And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.
Exodus 14:4
(4) Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD." And they did so. 

God makes some people very difficult to deal with. "And the Lord said to Moses, 'When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go'" (Exodus 4:21). It was not mere happenstance that this Pharaoh was particularly hardheaded, nor was he merely reacting to circumstance. God caused him to be intractable. God did a similar thing to Ezekiel before Israel:
Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. (Ezekiel 3:8-9)
If God will do this for one of His servants, a prophet, why can He not do it to Pharaoh, who, though an enemy of His people, is also serving God's purpose?

Exodus says Pharaoh hardened his heart nineteen times, and of that total, ten say God hardened Pharaoh's heart and nine that Pharaoh hardened it. This shows a balance. Undoubtedly, Pharaoh had a proclivity toward stubbornness, but God helped him along whenever necessary.
This suggests that on occasion God will disregard free moral agency to suit the purpose He is working out. If life and our destiny to be in the Kingdom of God is all a matter of free moral agency, then free moral agency is supreme God, not the Creator God. But it is true, the Potter has power over the clay to do with it as He pleases (Romans 9:21). Ultimately, God's power of choice trumps man's.

This is further underscored on other occasions revealed in the Exodus events. The sovereign God's power, when combined with Pharaoh's God-aided stubbornness, produced a calamity of monumental proportions for Egypt and glory for the eternal God. God says in Exodus 7:3-5:
And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.

He was producing yet more because He makes a similar statement in Exodus 14:4, as Israel was about to be confronted with crossing the Red Sea with Pharaoh's army not far behind: "'Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.' And they did so."

Where was the Egyptians' free moral agency throughout this entire affair? The Egyptians who died—in many cases, violent deaths during the destruction of Egypt's power—had little or no choice in the matter. In addition, they came to comprehend God's power only for a brief period of time, which did them no good and brought Him precious little honor. He may have received honor in the form of terror, and little or none in the form of grateful appreciation, admiration, and obedience from them. God, however, has a longer-range view: The time is coming when they will remember and give true honor to Him in thankfulness.
— John W. Ritenbaugh

Selling Our Birthright

Genesis 25:34
(34) And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. 

We all shake our heads in disbelief when we think about the well-known story of Esau selling his birthright for a measly bowl of lentil stew. How could he do such a thing? But are we any better today? Paul reminds us that the stories God includes in the Old Testament are there to help us avoid making the same mistakes (I Corinthians 10:11-12).

We have another advantage: Esau was not converted, and we are. Through the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit, we have help he never had. We can use this godly insight and power to learn and grow in the way of living that will please God.
What did Esau give up? Of course, we understand that God had prophesied that the older would serve the younger. Perhaps Jacob was aware of this and was trying to "help God" work out His foreordained providence. Whatever the case, until this point the birthright was Esau's. Albert Barnes comments: "In after times the right of primogeniture consisted in a double portion of the father's goods (Deut 21:17), and a certain rank as the patriarch and priest of the house on the death of the father." God had already promised vast lands and wealth to the descendants of Abraham who came through the birthright son (Genesis 26:1-5).

Imagine for a second that Esau could have foreseen all of North America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, vast sections of Europe, and parts of the Middle East. Would he have had a greater appreciation for the birthright then? Possibly.

However, Esau could not imagine the unimaginable wealth, power, military might, political impact, and world leadership his descendants could have. This is not even considering the potential for a far greater spiritual inheritance—the blessing (see Genesis 27:1-29)—that accompanies the birthright. These benefits were not real to him; he could not touch them. They were too far in the future; they were not present at the moment. The only thing that was real to him was his need to eat some lentil stew. Right now.

Esau's impulsive, unholy, live-in-the-now lifestyle was about to cost him and his descendants dearly. As God says, he despised his birthright.

God has called us to a fabulous, unfathomable birthright. Our birthright, as firstfruits of God, makes Esau's birthright seem trivial. If we cannot or will not realize what God has offered us, we can let such great a prize slip away as tragically as Esau spurned his birthright (Hebrews 2:1; 12:14-17). If we do not value our birthright more than anything in this universe, we can sell it for our own equivalent of a bowl of lentil stew.

Look Back From Eternity

We will better see our purpose when we look back from eternity.

Ruth lived in the land of Moab just east of Canaan. She was not an Israelite but she married one of the sons of Naomi who had recently moved to Moab from Judah because of a famine. After ten years, Ruth's husband died. Naomi was going to return to her homeland and thought Ruth should remain with her people in Moab. But Ruth loved Naomi and desired to stay by her side.

Ruth 1:16-17
"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried."

Life back in Canaan was difficult for Naomi and Ruth. Without anyone to care for them, Ruth had to pick left over grain from the fields simply to have enough to eat. Fortunately, Jewish law made provisions for this type of charity to the poor. As a poor foreigner in a strange land, this was a very humbling time for Ruth.

After two harvesting seasons of faithfully gathering food for herself and Naomi, Ruth married Boaz who owned the field where she worked. They soon had a son, and Naomi was allowed to help care for the boy. Their life had suddenly, and wonderfully, improved. And though Ruth must have been relieved and pleased to have a son, imagine her amazement when she is allowed to look back and view the results of her life from God's perspective.

Ruth's husband, Boaz, was an Israelite from the tribe of Judah. Their son was named Obed: "He was the father of Jesse, the father of {King} David" (Ruth 4:17). From this same family line (fourteen generations later), Mary would give birth to a boy named Jesus.

Our view of God's Kingdom is VERY limited. No matter how much we desire otherwise, there are simply pieces of the puzzle we are unable to fit together. While we walk this earth and breathe this air, we most likely will never see the purpose of our struggles. Yet, we must closely follow the One who leads and give ourselves wholeheartedly to each task we are given. We must learn to trust His perfect plan!
A shining light will always penetrate the darkness. And though we may not see the impact we have on others, one day we will stand with our Heavenly Father and rejoice as He reveals how we were used for His glorious purpose. One day we will watch our life unfold and clearly see the use of every helping hand, every encouraging word, and even every smile we shared in the midst of our trials. The shining light of our life has great meaning and purpose - true meaning and purpose which we will joyfully witness when we are allowed to look back from eternity. 

Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries