When the Spirit Shuts a Door

After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithyma: but the Spirit suffered them not (Acts 16:7).

What a strange prohibition! These men were going into Bithynia just to do Christ's work, and the door is shut against them by Christ's own Spirit.

I, too, have experienced this in certain moments. I have sometimes found myself interrupted in what seemed to me a career of usefulness. Opposition came and forced me to go back, or sickness came and compelled me to retire into a desert apart.

It was hard at such times to leave my work undone when I believed that work to be the service of the Spirit. But I came to remember that the Spirit has not only a service of work, but a service of waiting. I came to see that in the Kingdom of Christ there are not only times for action, but times in which to forbear acting. I came to learn that the desert place apart is often the most useful spot in the varied life of man--more rich in harvest than the seasons in which the corn and wine abounded. I have been taught to thank the blessed Spirit that many a darling Bithynia had to be left unvisited by me.

And so, Thou Divine Spirit, would I still be led by Thee. Still there come to me disappointed prospects of usefulness. Today the door seems to open into life and work for Thee; tomorrow it closes before me just as I am about to enter. Teach me to see another door in the very inaction of the hour. Help me to find in the very prohibition thus to serve Thee, a new opening into Thy service. Inspire me with the knowledge that a man may at times be called to do his duty by doing nothing, to work by keeping still, to serve by waiting. When I remember the power of the "still small voice," I shall not murmur that sometimes the Spirit suffers me not to go.

--George Matheson

"When I cannot understand my Father's leading,

And it seems to be but hard and cruel fate,

I Still I hear that gentle whisper ever

pleading,God is working, God is faithful, ONLY WAIT."

We Are Wonderfully Made

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Psalm 139:14, niv

We can only imagine the concentrated thoughts that occupied the divine Mind and the gentle, skillful touch of the divine Hand that first shaped man from the dust. Where did the Creator begin? Did He start with a skeletal frame? Did He then cover it with an outside layer of skin, which at no place is thicker than three-sixteenths of an inch, is packed with nerve endings to enable man to feel the outside world, and is virtually waterproof? Into the skin stretched over the frame did He next place the heart that pumps seventy-two times a minute, forty million times a year? When did He hang the lungs in their sealed compartments so that the rivers of blood necessary for life can deposit the carbon dioxide and pick up oxygen to be carried to every single one of the more than twenty-six trillion cells in the body? When did He place the brain inside the bony skull and program it to send messages that travel faster than three hundred miles an hour along the nervous system to the entire body? Truly, we are fearfully and wonderfully and lovingly and personally created by an awe-inspiring, loving Creator!

God’s Story

(c)2004 Anne Graham Lotz. All rights reserved.

Make Your Talent and Skills Matter

By Rick Warren

“Use every part of your body to give glory back to God” (1 Corinthians 6:20b TLB).

When you’re getting ready to be used by God, he doesn’t just want to see that you’re spending your time on the most important things. He also wants you to use your talents in view of eternity.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:20, “Use every part of your body to give glory back to God” (TLB).

There’s a big misconception about Heaven that even many Christians have. Some people think that when you get to Heaven, all you’re going to do is kick back and eat bon-bons, wear a white robe, play a harp, and float on clouds. But none of those things are in the Bible!

So what are you going to do for all those trillions of years when you get to Heaven?

God has plans for you to serve in Heaven. There are going to be things to do in Heaven -- enjoyable things to do in order to serve God. What he’s doing right now is giving you time on Earth to practice serving. Why would God give you a place of serious service in eternity when you’ve done nothing in this world but live for yourself? If you sit on the bench all through life, saying, “I live for me,” and then when you get to Heaven you say, “OK, God, take me off the bench and put me on the A team. Let me serve you now,” God’s going to say, “Forget it. What serving skills did you develop with your time on Earth? You have no serving ability.”

You’re not going to take any of your money to Heaven. You’re not going to take any of your possessions to Heaven. You’re not going to take a single material thing to Heaven.

What are you taking to Heaven? Only two things: your character and your skills. God wants you to understand that right now is your chance to get ready for the real thing. Right now is your chance to develop your serving skills and build your character to be more like Jesus.

Are you doing anything to use your talents for God? Or are you using all your talents on yourself? God wants you to serve him well here on Earth and forever in Heaven.

THREE TIMES WHEN THE LORD WOULDN'T ANSWER

by C. R. Stam
   
In the various accounts of our Lord's earthly ministry we find three occasions when He declined to answer those who appealed to Him or questioned Him.

First there is the Gentile woman of Matthew 15:21-28. Her daughter was possessed of a demon and in her trouble she appealed to the Lord to help her, "but He answered her not a word." Finally, in His grace He did help her, but not until He had taught her the lesson that as a Gentile she had no claim on Him. As Romans 1:28 tells us, the Gentiles had been "given up" because "they did not like to retain God in their knowledge." In this connection we Gentiles should read carefully Ephesians 2:11,12 and see how utterly without hope we are apart from the grace of God.

Next there was a Jewess, in trouble of a different kind. She had been caught in adultery and was brought to him for judgment (John 8:1-11). Unlike the Gentile woman, she belonged to the chosen race and possessed God's holy Law, a distinct advantage -- unless you are a law-breaker. Our Lord also helped her in grace, but not until He had demonstrated that the law is the great leveler of mankind, bringing all guilty before God (Rom.3:19).

But finally we find how it was that our Lord could show grace -- and do it justly -- to both Jew and Gentile, for in the third instance we find the Lord Himself in trouble. On trial for His life before the representatives of Hebrew and Roman law, He is accused of all sorts of wicked crimes. But on this occasion too, He declines to answer.

First Caiaphas, the High Priest, said to Him: "Answerest Thou nothing? What is it which these witness against Thee? But Jesus held His peace..." (Matt. 26:62,63).

Next Pilate, the Gentile judge, said: "Hearest Thou not how many things they witness against Thee? And He answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marveled greatly" (Matt.27:13-14).

Why did our Lord not answer and defend Himself? Because He had come into the world specially to die for man's sins. Had the sinners of all ages been there to accuse Him of their sins, He would still have remained speechless for He stood there as man's representative, so that we might be "justified freely by God's grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom.3:24). 

FIGHTING ANXIETY AT WORK

by Pastor Ed Noble

"How come I don't feel the peace I hear Christians talk about? I'm as uptight, high-strung, freaked out, jacked up as I've ever been and I'm not sure this prayer thing is working. This constant pressure at work is causing me to lose heart!"
Although not an exact quote from one person, this is a compilation of personal interactions with so many different individuals that I can't even count them. Raw anxiety is one of the most discouraging and disheartening things that we face in our work. Anxiety frequently seems to flood in upon us and quench all sense of peace.
Then, seeming to compound the problem, God Himself tells us that if we will just pray about it, we will have the "peace that passes understanding." If your experience is at all similar to mine, that is about the time when we quickly toss up a prayer or two and then, not feeling any immediate or lasting relief from our anxiety, our discouragement mounts even more. After all, what's more discouraging than feeling like God can't even get through to us?
We must take a closer look at the promise in question in order to help. The promise in question is Philippians 4:6-7: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
It sounds simple enough, a kind of spiritualized "don't worry." But, as is often the case, a verse grabbed out of midair usually leaves us there. This whole thought starts earlier, in verse 4, where Paul writes, "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice." So suffice it to say that we can't just start in verse 6 with praying about it and expecting our anxiety to simply vanish into thin air. We have to start by habitually drinking at His well for joy, with an inclining of our heart toward Him throughout every moment of each day and every moment of life.
Today and in the coming weeks, try this. Continually walk around with the phrase "rejoice in the Lord" both in your mind and on your lips. Write it on a card. Put post-it notes on your mirrors and desk. Remind yourself and affirm with confidence the only true and reliable source for joy... rejoicing in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ through the enabling of the Holy Spirit, all to the glory of the Father!
A WORK PRAYER
Lord Jesus, you describe Yourself as the bread of life. You promise us the living water of abundant life centered on Yourself. I ask You to help me switch gears from anxiety to rejoicing, with a fresh focus on and understanding of You. Thank You. Amen.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Read and ponder Jeremiah 2:12-13 along with John 6:35 and 7:37-39.
2. What dry broken cisterns are you digging that turn you away from your joy at work?

God Is Not Politically Correct

by Dr. Larry Ollison 

    

God has not changed. The things He disapproved of during the time of Noah, Abraham, Moses and Paul, He still disapproves of today. God is not an evolving creature that changes His character depending upon His environment. God's Word always has been and will always be true. 

Growing up in the United States of America, I have become accustomed to democracy. We vote on everything. In America everyone from school leaders to community leaders to state leaders to national leaders, all are in their positions because they were the most popular. Growing up in this society tends to make one think that if something is popular, it’s right. When it comes to character, righteousness, and the spiritual things of God, nothing could be further from the truth. God's kingdom is not a democracy.

Everything God created was created by and for His Son, Jesus. We were created to fellowship with Him. It may come as a shock to some people, but in the Kingdom of God, God is the King. We don’t vote on the rules. We don’t debate the rules. We don’t argue the rules. Our duty is to willingly obey the rules of the King.

The good news is, God is a good God and He rewards those who believe in Him and receive His Son by faith with eternal life and a multitude of good gifts. God is the God of love. In fact, God is love. God is a good God and He is just. God is light and God is love. However, God is not politically correct nor will He ever be.

 

So the point is this. When you come to the point of decision in your life on any subject, never make your decision because of what is politically correct. Make you decision based on what the Word of God says. Only then will you choose correctly.

Reference Scriptures

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth. (Philippians 2:9-10)

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1 John 4:8)

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. (John 1:5)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17)

God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day. (Psalm 7:11)

Giving All That You Have

by shani4jc

The radio station I listen to is has been having share-a-thon for the past several days in order to raise the funds to continue operating that station.  They are a listener supported station with very little funds supplied by advertisements.  As I was driving home tonight, an eight year old little girl called into the station to make a monthly donation.  She said that she earned ten dollars per month by doing the dishes and reading to her brother and that she wanted to donate all ten dollars to the radio station because she wanted to help people.  I confess that I almost burst into tears at the sheer generosity and unselfishness of the young girl.  I couldn't help but think of the story in the Bible about the poor widow who put everything she had into the offering.  God honored the widow in the Bible and I have absolutely no doubt that He is going to honor the young girl's gift in ways that cannot even be imagined.  She has willingly given all that she has and God will bless her beyond measure for that gift.

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38

There is No Plan B

by shani4jc
 

Today I heard someone say something that really spoke to me. He said, "God doesn't have a plan B" which reminded me that God is never surprised by what happens.  He is never caught off guard by what we do or don't do.  He never has to reconfigure what He is going to do because we have done something that He didn't know about.  He doesn't have to come up with an alternate plan because His plans have failed or not worked out.  Every single plan He has had since before the world began has been carried out precisely how He intended it to.  It's easy for us to think that our sins derail what God intended, but the truth is, God has known about our sins since before time began.  And He has planned accordingly.  He uses everything we do, including our sins, to work in our lives.  He uses every detail to draw us closer to Him or to reveal Himself to us.  What we see as mistakes in our lives are not mistakes to Him...they are opportunities to show Himself in our lives.  What we see as failures in our lives are not failures to Him...they are opportunities to bring victory through Him.  What we see as weaknesses in our own lives are not weaknesses to Him...they are opportunities to show His strength in us.  I don't know about you, but I find great comfort in the fact that nothing derails Him.  I find assurance in the fact that nothing takes Him by surprise or leaves Him wondering "what do I do now?"  Every single detail of your life has been divinely orchestrated and you can trust that God makes no mistakes as He carries out those plans in your life.

"Depend on the Lord in whatever you do and your plans shall succeed; the Lord makes everything go as He pleases." Proverbs 16:3-4

Your Name on God’s Hand

by Max Lucado

When I see a flock of sheep I see exactly that, a flock. A rabble of wool. I don’t see a sheep. I see sheep. All alike. None different. But not so with the Shepherd. To him every sheep is different. Every face has a story.  John 10:3 says, “The sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd. He calls his own sheep by name.”

When we see a crowd, we see exactly that, a crowd. We see people, not persons. A herd of humans. But not so with the Shepherd. To him every face is different. Every face is a story. The Shepherd knows you. He knows your name. And he will never forget it.

God said in Isaiah 49:16, “I have written your name on my hand.” Quite a thought isn’t it? Your name on God’s lips. My… could it be?

From When God Whispers Your Name

Passing Inspection

Pastor Greg Laurie

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. - (2 Corinthians 5:10)

If you have been involved in a building project, then you know your project must pass a final inspection. Sometimes you pass. And sometimes you don’t pass and have to fix whatever it was that fell short of the inspector’s requirements.

The apostle Paul describes a future inspection for believers in 2 Corinthians 5:10: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” The word “bad” in the original language means “evil of another kind.” It also could be translated “good for nothingness” or “worthlessness.”

Paul was speaking of Christians who have been saved by the grace of God and have put their faith in Jesus. But they have lived lives that largely have been wasted.

We are all building on a foundation, and that foundation should be Christ. The building materials we use are important. A paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 3:10–15 puts it this way:

Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you’ll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won’t get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn’t, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won’t be torn out; you’ll survive—but just barely.

One day we will stand before God, and He will look at the materials we used. Some of us will pass. Others will hear Him say, in effect, “You are in. I love you. But you didn’t really pass inspection. You could have done more.”

Will the life you are building pass inspection?

A Simple Test

Dr. Tony Evans

In His Presence: Psalms 25:14-15

The writer of Hebrews included a simple test to determine who is a "milk" Christian—a carnal Christian—and who is a "meat" Christian—a mature Christian. "By this time you ought to be teachers" (Hebrews 5:12). We should be able to sit down with our children and explain simple Bible truths. Husbands should be able to sit down with their wives and answer their questions. By this time, if we are meaty, mature Christians, we should be able to sit down with the Bible and help someone else know the Truth. We should be able to lead an unbeliever to the Lord.

"Everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness... But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil" (Hebrews 5:13-14). If we willfully refuse to go deeper into the things of God, we will not use the Word because we won’t know the Word. The old saying goes, “If you don’t use it, you lose it." We can't lose our salvation, but we can forget how to walk in the Word and how to be His representatives.

If we are mature Christians we use God’s Word every day. We practice His Word in our everyday life. The phrase "senses trained" comes from the Greek root word for gymnasium, like a training ground. We are trained in discernment of good and evil.

One Minute Please

Moving from milk to meat is learning God's Word and practicing it until it becomes a habit, a natural way of thinking, and a normal way of perceiving things.

Why Do People Follow Jesus?

Dr. Charles Stanley

John 6:22-71

When Jesus walked this earth, a vast multitude followed Him. They came for all sorts of reasons—some noble, some selfish. The same is true today. It’s important that we understand what motivates people to come to Christ, because not all who seek Him are really His followers. In fact, we each need to analyze our own walk with the Lord: What do we want from Him? How committed are we to being His disciples?

Many of the people who followed Jesus did so because they had urgent needs that He alone could meet. Everywhere He went, the sick and demon-possessed were brought to Him—this is one of the ways that God draws us to Himself. Those who can solve all their own problems never need a Savior.

Other folks came for sensationalism. They wanted to see the signs and miracles and feel a thrill of excitement. Today some people come to church or conferences to get pumped up, but mountaintop experiences are always followed by valleys. When hardships or challenges come, such people are quick to abandon the Lord.

But Jesus’ disciples followed Him because they genuinely believed He was the Messiah, the very Son of God (Matt. 16:16). Their commitment went beyond emotions or needs. They wanted to know Christ and walk closely with Him.

Are you more interested in what Jesus can do for you than in just being with Him? Do you find it hard to stay committed without an emotional experience to sustain you? Our physical and emotional needs can draw us to the Lord, but they should never be the foundation for our walk with Him.

How your kindness can change everything

by Dr. Jack Graham

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Several years ago, I was preaching one morning on today’s Scripture, and we had a big hiccup in our sound system. The microphone was popping, squealing, and screeching. Needless to say, I was very frustrated with the whole situation.

I stepped off the stage after the sermon intending to go share my frustration with the people in the sound room. But just as I was about to open the door, I remembered the verse I preached that morning. I probably would’ve handled it okay regardless, but I do know I had an extra measure of grace in light of the verse that was fresh in my mind.

Walking away from that day, I really spent some time thinking about what our lives would look like if before every decision we made, we remembered what God’s Word said first. And I believe one of the biggest areas of our lives that would change is how we treat others.

It’s my prayer that the people of God would love one another so well that the world would see us and say, “Something is different about them.” Love one another with kindness and compassion. Not only will you be obedient to God, but you’ll also give the world a glimpse of the hope that’s in you.

Teach No Other Doctrine

By Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

In strong language the Apostle bids Timothy to “charge some that they teach no other doctrine”; no other doctrine, obviously, than that which he had taught them. In 1 Tim. 6:3-5 he closes his epistle by saying:

“If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ… from such withdraw thyself.”

In these passages the Apostle emphasizes the importance of fidelity to that heaven-sent message committed to him by revelation; that message which he says in Tit. 1:2,3 was “promised before the ages began” but made known “in due time… through preaching which is committed unto me…”

Ever since Paul’s day religious leaders have substituted other messages for that committed by the glorified Lord to Paul. The law of Moses, the Sermon on the Mount, the “great commission,” and Pentecost have all been confused with God’s message and program for the dispensation of grace. This is what has bewildered and divided the Church and ripened it for the apostasy.

With all the confused thinking about the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount fifty years ago it was little wonder that modernism swept so many off their feet with its teachings about Jesus of Nazareth, the Man of Galilee, following his footsteps, social betterment, political reform, etc. Multitudes were so taken up with the social gospel, so eager to help make the world a better place to live in, that they did not even notice or believe that the modernists denied the very fundamentals of the Christian faith.

But the new evangelicalism of our day is still more dangerous. It is big. It is well financed. It is popular. It is subtle. Perhaps its greatest danger lies in the fact that while claiming to be “conservative,” it minimizes the importance of the fundamentals and the danger of apostatizing from them.

Thus the inspired words of the Apostle Paul: “Charge some that they teach no other doctrine,” are more urgently needed in our day than they were in his.

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Coca-Cola

"Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone." Mark 16:15.

If you've traveled much or little, or have seen movies shot in various parts of the world- - inevitably you will see the Coca-Cola emblem just about anywhere you or the movie camera goes.

​O​ne thing I find fascinating about this company is that at the end of World War II- Robert Woodruff, president of the Coca-Cola Company from 1923 to 1955, had a mission.

'In my generation,' he declared, 'it is my desire that everyone in the world have a taste of Coca-Cola.'

With a vision and dedication rarely matched in corporate American culture- Woodruff and his colleagues spanned the globe with their soft drink.

Would to God that we Christians would pull together and make it our goal in our generation- - to give everybody in the world a taste of God's Water of Life!

One thing is certain, if you drink Coca-Cola or any other soft drink, you will thirst again.

But as Jesus said, "Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14.

What Jesus was referring to, of course, was the "water" of eternal life which his gift of salvation brings.

In today's world with all its turmoil, terrorism, and threat of war, perhaps now, more than ever- - people around the world are thirsting for the "Water of Life" that only Jesus can give.

"Dear God, please give me a passion to help reach my generation with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Help me to be as Christ to every life I touch and help me to stand with others who are spreading the gospel around the world. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, Amen."

==============================

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ gospelfromindia

Seepage

When sin has become unbearable-
- we have tried to dispose of it on the psychiatrist’s couch

​,​

- or tried to drown it in alcohol

​,​

- or deaden it with drugs,
- and still the deadly seepage continues.

There is only one way that sin can be permanently disposed of-
- and that is through Jesus Christ.

The Scripture says He became sin for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21.
He took our sins on the cross.

Only in Christ can sin be destroyed and disposed of.
Only at the cross can we dispose of this hideous load safely and forever.

Not by chemicals-
- but by Christ.

Not by injecting or snorting drugs-
- but by bringing the mind and heart into harmony with God through submission to His will and accepting His forgiveness as offered from the cross.

In Christ alone there is-
- deliverance from mankind’s tortured thoughts,
- healing for our weakened minds and bodies,
- and freedom from the sordid habits that are destroying many people.

But more important-
- there is hope for the future.
The Bible teaches that there is a glorious new social order coming.

It is going to be brought by Jesus Christ Himself when He comes back.
Are you ready?

​​====================================

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gospelfromindia

Why not try it?

​

"...the righteous man shall live by faith." Galatians 3:11.

God’s Word says:
“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 5:8.

Doing justice is being concerned for those who are left out, looked over, abused, and oppressed.

Loving kindness is being considerate, thoughtful, and actively working for the good of others.

Walking humbly with God is seeing God and self from the right perspective, thankful for His grace.

Today, when it seems that religious faith is seen as negative and even bigoted-
I hope you will consider God’s Word.

Only one person in all of history has lived up to this standard, and that was Jesus Christ.
He alone was just and kind and walked with His Father, God.

He can help you live your life as a demonstration of what true faith is.

​​

​​

Why not try it?

​​===========================

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gospelfromindia

What About Me?

Posted By Pastor Cornelius R. Stam 

Hebrews 2 states that unbelievers are, “through fear of death… all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Ver. 15). How often they must ask themselves: “What will become of me: finally become of me?” The best they can hope is that God will be merciful to them and accept them at last, but God cannot do this without a just basis, and since unbelievers have rejected His gracious payment for sin, they must remain under its condemnation. Many hope that physical death will be the end for them, but they fear that the Bible may be true and that death will not be the end.

This writer once talked with a profane barber who had boasted that he was his own “God,” and would be until they put him “six feet under.” To this we replied: “The Bible says that ‘it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this is the judgment.’ You may not believe this, or accept it as the Word of God, but you can’t prove it isn’t so, and I would urge you to look into it carefully, asking God to give you light.”

Here we ask the reader a very personal question: Are you saved? Have you accepted Christ and His payment for your sins, now standing before God “justified from all things,” and “accepted in the Beloved”? If not, we beg you: do not delay. These are serious times and who knows how soon God will take His own away and bring this dispensation of grace to a close. Then it will be too late, so we urge you, face up to your sinful condition now, and place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ who, in infinite love and grace, bore the burden of your guilt and condemnation at Calvary. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…” (Acts 16:31).

Article printed from Berean Bible Society: https://www.bereanbiblesociety.org

Worry from Stream in the Desert

Do not begin to be anxious (Philippians 4:6, PBV).

Not a few Christians live in a state of unbroken anxiety, and others fret and fume terribly. To be perfectly at peace amid the hurly-burly of daily life is a secret worth knowing. What is the use of worrying? It never made anybody strong; never helped anybody to do God's will; never made a way of escape for anyone out of perplexity. Worry spoils lives which would otherwise be useful and beautiful. Restlessness, anxiety, and care are absolutely forbidden by our Lord, who said: "Take no thought," that is, no anxious thought, "saying what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed?" He does not mean that we are not to take forethought and that our life is to be without plan or method; but that we are not to worry about these things.

People know you live in the realm of anxious care by the lines on your face, the tones of your voice, the minor key in your life, and the lack of joy in your spirit. Scale the heights of a life abandoned to God, then you will look down on the clouds beneath your feet.   --Rev. Darlow Sargeant

It is always weakness to be fretting and worrying, questioning and mistrusting. Can we gain anything by it? Do we not unfit ourselves for action, and unhinge our minds for wise decision? We are sinking by our struggles when we might float by faith.

Oh, for grace to be quiet! Oh, to be still and know that Jehovah is God! The Holy One of Israel must defend and deliver His own. We may be sure that every word of His will stand, though the mountains should depart. He deserves to be confided in. Come, my soul, return unto thy rest, and lean thy head upon the bosom of the Lord Jesus. --Selected

Peace thy inmost soul shall fill
Lying still!

Our Incomparable Companion

by Dr. Charles Stanley

John 14:16-18

Most of us don’t like being alone for extended periods of time. In fact, we are not designed to live in isolation. Even at the very beginning, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18). But sometimes situations in life leave us separated from others. Or perhaps we simply feel lonely, even though we live with our mate or family. But whatever your situation may be, if you are a believer, you’re never alone.

Knowing His followers could feel abandoned after His crucifixion and ascension, Jesus promised to send them a Helper who would never leave them--the Spirit of truth. The same One who came to them at Pentecost still abides within every believer. He has been sent to walk alongside us as our comforter, enabler, and guide.

The Holy Spirit, unlike human companions, is perfectly adequate to meet our every need. Since He knows us intimately, He can comfort us in pain and loss when no one else can. Anytime we find ourselves in a quandary, He knows exactly what we ought to do. Since the future is laid bare before His eyes, He’s aware of all the details that concern us. What’s more, He promises to guide us each step of the way, calming our fears and overcoming our inadequacies.

Because we were created for God, only through His Spirit are we made complete. He is the ultimate solution to man’s aloneness: He’s always available and will never forsake or forget you. When others let you down, the Comforter is present to lift you up with the reminder that you’re not alone.