April 2023
To See God
April 30, 2023
‘Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.’ —Matthew 5:8 Some have called the concept of seeing God “the brightest star in the Beatitudes’ constellation.” For ages, Christians have longed to see God. The mystics of the Middle Ages rejoiced in the concept of seeing God, calling it the “Beatific Vision.” This vision was the great quest of theology and even the quest of science as originally constructed—through the examination of the cosmos, humans hoped to more clearly see the Creator. But Scripture explicitly states that no human can see God directly and live. Yet many still seek to do so. Philip the Apostle said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Even pagan princes have sought to see God. In the ancient Roman Empire, Trajan said to a believer in the true God, “I understand that you believe your God is everywhere…I should very much like to see Him.” The believer responded, “I am afraid, sire, that no mortal eye can look upon His glory.” Nonetheless, the king commanded the believer to show him God. The believer suggested to the king that he first look at God’s ambassadors before he look God in the face. With that, the believer led the king outside on a bright, dazzling day and told the king to look at the sun. The king responded, “I cannot, for the light dazzles my eyes!” The believer then explained that if the king could not look at a mere ambassador that carries a message of God’s creation, how could he possibly look into the face of God Himself? We cannot see God with our limited human eyes. But we can see Him with our souls, experiencing His joy, His peace, and His serenity. I hope that you have the blessing of seeing God this way as you foster a pure heart. "Jesus, the very thought of Thee, with sweetness fills my breast, but even more Quote of the day: Thy face to see and in Thy presence rest." — ST. BERNARD OF CLAIRVEAUX
Sacrifice
April 29, 2023
‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’ —Mark 8:34 Have you ever noticed how virtually all of the people we call heroes have made great sacrifices in one way or another? To achieve the ends they deemed worthwhile, these people sacrificed their time, their finances, their health, even their lives. And because they willingly relinquished any claims to these things (which we take for granted), we view these people as heroes, worthy of honor and emulation. Throughout the centuries, God has used sacrifice as the marble from which He carves greatness. Here are some people we call heroes for the sacrifices they made: •the apostles who gave their lives at stakes, on crosses, and in other torturous ways; •the early Christians in the Colosseum of Rome, who watched iron grates rise and famished lions charge; •Christians who were tied to stakes and watched as torches ignited kindling beneath them; •the Pilgrims who, in the dead of winter, sailed across tumultuous seas to the inhospitable coasts of New England; •George Washington and his brave soldiers at Valley Forge, who left bloody footprints in the snow as they departed; and •Jesus Christ, who made the ultimate sacrifice, His life, at Calvary. What sacrifice can you offer to God this day? What material will you give Him so that He can carve greatness from your life? Quote of the day: "There has never yet been a man in our history who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering." — THEODORE ROOSEVELT
All Things For Our Good
April 28, 2023
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. —Romans 8:28 Have you ever looked back on a difficult time in your life and been amazed at how, in an entirely unforeseen way, it turned out positively? As we go through life, God operates behind the scenes, working everything for good on behalf of those who love Him. We may not recognize it in this lifetime, but when we get to heaven and God replays the pictures of our lives, we’ll discover the positive end to each trial we’ve endured. I hope you’ll claim this truth today. I hope you know God has everything under His control, even the chaotic times in your life. He has a plan for everything you undergo. You may face an avalanche of trial, trouble, and tribulation. Maybe you face it even today. Anyone in that situation would feel discouraged. I have often found myself in the deep, dark pit of despair and discouragement, wondering how I’d ever get out. But in those times God encourages me by reminding me of His promise: He works everything for good. We must view everything that comes our way, even the most difficult situations, through the filter of God’s love. I invite you to do that today, whatever trial you face. Remember that God has a perspective on your problems that you can’t see as a limited human being here on earth. Be encouraged that God can see the big picture and that He’ll put the pieces of your life together to an end far beyond your wildest dreams. Quote of the day: God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform. — WILLIAM COWPER
Ring The Bells
April 27, 2023
Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. —Psalm 103:1 Think for just a moment of two things. First, when was the last time you asked God to give you something? Got it in mind? Now, when was the last time you praised God just because of Who He is? So often we get on our knees and pray, “O Lord, bless my soul.” We constantly ask God to touch our lives. In contrast, the psalmist who wrote Psalm 103 got on his knees and said, “O my soul, bless the Lord.” A complete antithesis! Why? Because the psalmist was in the “graduate school” of prayer. He had risen to that elevated atmosphere of praise and adoration. As we read the rest of the Psalms we find everywhere the same note of praise: “Praise the Lord!” “Give thanks unto the Lord for He is good.” Do your prayers begin in a similar fashion? Such an element of praise and adoration, I believe, can change our lives completely. How? First, it will make a difference because we will become much more pleasing to our Father…and that will be the beginning of some wonderful things. Second, we should ring the bells of praise not only for God’s sake but also for the sake of others. Praise draws people to God, even as ringing church bells filter over the community and draw people to hear the gospel. We need to become a steeple set with bells. We need to ring out the happy bells of thanksgiving, the golden bells of praise, until the whole world abounds with the echoes of that sound. What praise can you “ring” to God today? Unbelievers yearn for real joy and praise, and when we express gratitude and praise to God, those unbelievers will be drawn to Christ. So today ring the bells of praise! Quote of the day: If Christians praised God more, the world would doubt Him less. — CHARLES JEFFERSON
The Weaker Brother
April 26, 2023
But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. —1 Corinthians 8:9 God has given us tremendous liberty. He has freed us from all sin. Yet our liberty doesn’t come without limits. According to Scripture we have three classes of actions: those commanded by God, those forbidden by God, and those which God neither commands nor forbids—“things indifferent.” To these “things indifferent,” we must apply our liberty carefully. If we, in our liberty, choose an action that causes a weak brother or sister to stumble in the faith, then we become responsible for his or her downfall. In Corinthians, Paul addresses a “thing indifferent,” an issue that the Corinthians had hotly debated: whether or not to eat meat offered to idols. We can’t relate to this issue since we don’t sacrifice meat to idols these days, but we can consider it in the same light as the issue of whether or not to drink alcohol. In the Corinthian’s situation, it appears that the stronger brethren wrote to Paul, and since Paul championed liberty, the brethren expected him to say they could eat the meat. But instead, Paul told them that while nothing forbade them from eating it, they shouldn’t do anything that would cause their weaker brethren to stumble. This principle has become known as the “Royal Law of Love.” We must freely forsake our liberties for the sake of our more vulnerable brothers and sisters. In one sense, the weak always control our lives. Often the baby decides whether you go out or stay home. The sick child decides what you do in the evening. The sprained ankle decides the rest of your physical activity. In the same way, we must place the spiritual needs of our weaker brothers and sisters ahead of our desire to indulge our liberty. As our ultimate example of this, we can look to Jesus. Because of our liberty, we may feel we have rights to certain “things indifferent.” We may resent having to give up those rights for the sake of our weaker brethren. But for us, weak as we are, Jesus gave up His rights—the right to sit at the right hand of the father, the right to be adored, the right to be worshiped and ministered to by the angels. Today, thank the Lord for your liberty. And if you have a choice about doing something that would make a weaker brother or sister stumble, choose Christ’s Royal Law of Love and sacrifice your rights for that person’ spiritual well-being. Quote of the day: Love sacrifices all things to bless the thing it loves. — EDWARD GEORGE BULWER-LYTTON
Christ In The Heart
April 25, 2023
…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith… —Ephesians 3:17 A five-year-old Christian boy was very ill, so ill that he required open-heart surgery. After a successful operation, the doctor checked on the little boy in his hospital room. With bright and eager eyes, the little boy asked, “Doctor, was He there?” The doctor asked, “Was who where?” The young lad replied, “Was He there? Did you see Jesus in my heart?” At that, the doctor suppressed a smile and replied, “Yes, son, He is there.” What does the Great Physician say about your heart today? Is Jesus there? For us to grow in grace, Christ must first dwell in our hearts. The apostle Paul prayed that Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith and that as we become rooted and grounded, we would know Christ’s love and be filled with God’s fullness. We must grasp the significance of that tremendous metaphor. Theologians say that Christ comes into our hearts, and by the continual supply of His grace and love, we grow spiritually. When Christ comes to dwell in a person’s heart, He digs the tree of that person’s life out of the bitter soil of the old nature, and He transplants it into the new, rich soil of His love. As we allow Jesus to do this, we flourish and bring forth the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Have you invited Christ to take up residence in your heart? If not, allow Him to transplant your life from your old nature into His immeasurable love. As you do, He will cause you to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Quote of the day: God has two dwellings: one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart. — IZAAK WALTON
Total Surrender
April 24, 2023
"I beseech you therefore…that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." —Romans 12:1 Many Christians live their whole lives without ever fully grasping some of the great spiritual truths of God. Foremost among these truths is that God wants to bless our lives. Anything other than that is alien to Him, for God acts out His true nature when He blesses His children. He is a God of all grace who wants nothing more than to make His love known to us. He delights in opening the windows of Heaven and pouring blessings upon us, blessings far more wonderful than most of us have ever dreamed. Isn’t that an incredible truth to hang onto? But God has a basic condition for His blessings. The apostle James says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss.” Many times when we seek God’s blessings, we ask amiss because we do not meet God’s condition for the full outpouring of those blessings: total surrender to Him! That is what God demands. In numerous places, God says the same thing over and over: Yield yourselves to God; offer your bodies as living sacrifices; present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead; yield not your members as instruments of unrighteousness, but as instruments of righteousness unto God. Is there anything in your life that holds you back from fully enjoying God’s blessings? anything you need to surrender to Him? God wants to bless our lives, but first He wants us to surrender. If we can do that, we’ll discover the blessings of heaven in a way that is far beyond our dreams. Quote of the day: …throughout the whole universe there is nothing good but that which He works. — ANDREW MURRAY
Entering The Promised Land
April 23, 2023
…‘So I swore in My wrath, “They shall not enter My rest” ’… —Hebrews 4:3 Have you ever had a relationship with someone who didn’t have faith in you? If so, how did you feel, knowing you would never fail that person yet that person failed to trust you? God feels the same way when we don’t believe in His power or desire to bless us. God feels pleased when we have faith in Him, and He feels angry when we don’t. In fact, our unbelief often short-circuits the blessings He has in store for us. Consider, if you will, this tremendous lesson from the Old Testament. God promised to deliver the Israelites into the Promised Land. To get them there, He gave them straightforward directions: Go directly to the mount, receive the Ten Commandments, proceed to Kadesh Barnea, enter the Promised Land, and occupy it. Moses sent twelve spies to scope out the land in advance, to determine the obstacles that would have to be overcome before taking possession of the land. When the twelve spies returned, ten of them reported that the giants and walled cities were greater than the Israelites could conquer. Because of the Israelites’ reliance upon themselves and unbelief in God, God condemned them to wander for forty years in the wilderness! God said, “So I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’” The Israelites did not place their trust in God; instead, they trusted in their own plans. And because they did, they delayed their entrance into the Promised Land. Their unbelief kept them from experiencing God’s perfect will for their lives. God’s plan is perfect, and we need to submit to it. Otherwise we may find our hearts and souls in the midst of a vast wilderness, wandering because of our inability to trust Him. I encourage you to pray that God would give you the will to trust Him and His perfect plan. As you believe in His ability and desire to care for you, He will surely lead you to the Promised Land. He’ll lead you there even if you make the tiniest step of faith toward him by praying as the doubting man in Mark 9 did—“Lord, I do believe; help thou my unbelief!” If you’ve missed God’s perfect will for you in the past because you’ve lacked faith, don’t be discouraged. You can still experience His will for you as you believe in Him. Trust in Him today, for He is faithful. Quote of the day: When unhappy, one doubts everything. When happy, one doubts nothing. — JOSEPH ROWE
He Didn't Lift Us Up To Let Us Down
April 22, 2023
"‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.’" —Matthew 25:29 Does this text seem fair to you? After all, why would someone who has an abundance get more? And shouldn’t the person with nothing receive something? Jesus described the principle of this passage on five separate occasions in different forms. This verse is the basis for the principle of use: “Use it or lose it.” We see this principle at work in a variety of contexts. For example, in the physical realm, the arm of the blacksmith or the body of the football player becomes more and more muscular through exercise. In the work world, the person who has the ability and desire for a job usually finds more opportunities to work and improve his or her skills. As for moral conscience, our character develops in proportion to the Bible-based choices we make day after day. And, of course, this principle applies to the spiritual realm. Charles Spurgeon spoke of two great principles of grace. The first one is that God gives grace to the empty, needy, poor, and humble. The second one is that to those to whom God has granted His grace, He continues to grant more. The more grace we need, the more grace He makes available to us. To receive more grace from God, we must use the grace He has already given us. Some people are like the little boy riding the rocking horse—they exhibit a lot of motion but little progress. These people keep bustling with activity in hopes of earning salvation, but they haven’t taken advantage of the grace God has already freely given. Others may resemble a grapevine that doesn’t grow because, instead of being planted in deep soil, its roots dangle into an empty well. Instead of growing in grace, some people wither spiritually because they haven’t planted themselves in God’s grace from the start. And others are like a sailboat with sails full of wind yet unable to move because it is still anchored to the ocean floor. Instead of moving forward in God’s grace, people like this let sin weigh them down. Have you received the grace God makes available to us all? Determine today that you will use to the fullest all the grace God has given you. Then watch as he gives you more! Quote of the day: When God pours out his initial grace upon us, it is a harbinger of grace to come.
Little Things
April 21, 2023
Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes. —Song of Solomon 2:15 In the Song of Solomon, we read of little foxes that ruin the vineyards. What are “little foxes”? I see them as the small things that don’t seem important but can spoil “tender grapes” such as a relationship, a career, or a life dedicated to Christ. How many marriages have failed because spouses paid no attention to the little things? How many athletes have lost competitions because of tiny bobbles or missteps? Many of us can see the big pictures of our lives and of our relationships with God but we neglect the details necessary for bringing the larger picture into focus. God neglects neither the great nor the small, and neither should we. Have you attended to the “little foxes” in your life, the “minor” behaviors that can either draw you to or push you from the Lord? Michelangelo, that marvelous genius and magnificent sculptor, was sculpting a figure from a block of marble while a friend looked on. After an absence of several months, the friend returned and said, “I see that you have not been working on your statue.” Michelangelo answered, “Oh yes, I have been working on it each day.” The friend asked, “Oh, how can that be?” The great artist replied, “I have softened this line here—the hem of this garment. I have straightened the lip and brought out this muscle more clearly…polished this…sharpened that.” “Well,” said his friend, “those are just trifles.” To that Michelangelo responded, “Trifles they may be, but you will remember that trifles make perfection; that perfection is no trifle.” We must attend to the “trifles” if we ever hope to succeed. Attention to detail will determine the ultimate outcome and success of our lives. And as we act faithfully in the little things, God will bless us with greater opportunities for service. We will develop the faithfulness and obedience needed to conquer the great issues in the battle of life. What “little foxes” do you need to attend to today? Commit yourself to addressing these “minor” issues, and watch how your conscientiousness affects the grander scheme of your life. Quote of the day: Little things ultimately make a big difference in life.
Apostasy
April 20, 2023
"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us…" —1 John 2:19 Do you know someone who once seemed on fire for the Lord but then backslid into spiritual oblivion? If so, then you know the grief of watching someone slip from God’s grasp, especially when that person is someone you love. You might wonder what this person’s eternal future will be, hoping God’s grace continues to cover him or her. But you also might wonder whether this person was truly a Christian in the first place. People who fall away from the Lord are called apostates. “Apostasy” means spiritual defection. The great apostate of all time was Judas Iscariot. Unfortunately, many people have followed his pattern. Charles Spurgeon tells about a great hulk of a man in the village where Spurgeon first preached. This man was a fine-looking giant of a man but a drunkard as well. He often brawled in the local bar with those who dared to cross his path. And he would have nothing to do with religion, until one day when, to the amazement of all, this man asked Jesus to be his Savior. He joined a church, attended every service, and volunteered for any work that needed to be done. But this man’s former companions made fun of him for turning to religion. After enduring about ten months of their laughter, he succumbed to their mocking. First he dropped away from the works. Soon he didn’t attend prayer meetings. For a while, he continued attending Sunday morning church, but his attendance became more and more irregular until he stopped attending altogether. He never completely returned to his former self, but often people saw him staggering drunkenly about the town. And when his unbelieving friends saw him like that, they said to each other, “Ha, there is your Christian! Hypocrites! That’s all they are.” Was this man really a Christian? The Bible plainly teaches that God will preserve until the end the ones who are truly His. Whenever the genuine work of salvation happens in the heart of a man or woman, boy or girl, God will see that it perseveres until the day of Christ. But those with sham faith will eventually fall away. If you know someone who once seemed to follow Christ but has since turned away, pray for that person today. Ask God to do a work of true salvation in that person’s heart so that he or she may know the fullness of life in Christ. Quote of the day: Those who have denied Christ have manifested the spirit of the Antichrist.
Happy In The Holy Spirit
April 19, 2023
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! —Philippians 4:4 Have you ever noticed that people who are constantly morose and miserable just don’t seem to get along with others? Everywhere the gloomy person goes, he or she runs into interpersonal problems such as rejection and poor treatment. On the other hand, have you ever noticed that happy people don’t seem to have many enemies? A joyful person finds very few relational problems. This type of person doesn’t quickly take offense and doesn’t offend people very often; rather, this person brings gladness into any situation. How does a person maintain such a consistently joyful attitude? Does God want us pretending to be happy when we’re not? Not at all! God wants us to have true joy. So how do we cultivate this attitude? The Scripture says, “In your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” This is the wonderful secret God would have us know: We find fullness of joy in God’s presence. By spending time with the Lord we will have joy infused into our souls. We’ll discover the truth that Christ is indeed no killjoy but is in fact the great King and source of all joy. Often, we don’t feel joyful because we haven’t spent enough time with God. But if we wait in the Lord’s presence, He’ll fill us with His joy. If we seek the fullness of His Holy Spirit, we’ll receive the fruit of joy. If we confess any sin that hinders us from rejoicing in the Lord, we’ll experience the joy of our salvation. If you’re running a bit low on joy today, spend some quality time with God. Allow Him to saturate your soul with His joy. Then, as you go through the day, rejoice at every opportunity you have! Again I will say, rejoice! Quote of the day: Life is a duty…Life is divine when duty is a Joy. — HENRY VAN DYKE
If God Be For Us
April 18, 2023
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? —Romans 8:31 We cannot possibly fail with Christ’s love in our corner. Paul says, in what I call the “Golden Shield” of faith, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Who can fight against us and succeed? No one! God’s love shields us from all attacks of the evil one and his followers. Despite such attacks, we are safe and secure for eternity. Who can be against us? The world, the flesh, and the devil may try to defeat us, but all will fail. To grasp the truth of Paul’s statement, think of the persecution the early Church endured. In the first few centuries of Christianity, Christ’s followers went through the most difficult persecution ever seen on this planet. For nearly three hundred years, in ten great waves of persecution, the Christian Church was under attack. The Roman pagan state used all of the hatred it possessed to try to destroy the Church. Everything the depraved and demonic mind could conceive of, the Romans did. They crucified Christians right side up and upside down; they burned Christians alive; they put Christians in sacks with vipers; they gave Christians to bulls to gore; they fed Christians to the lions. Yet nothing could break the Christian will. The Roman Empire eventually perished, but the Church remains to this day. The greatest persecution the world has ever seen (rivaled, perhaps, only by that of the Communists in our century) was unable to break the Herculean might of Christians armed with nothing but faith, prayer, and the Word of God. This applies to us today as well. With such a Golden Shield, we may deflect all of the attacks against us (from without and from within) because of what Christ has done for us. Come what may, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. If God is for us, who can possibly be against us? Quote of the day: Caesar and Christ had met in the arena [Colosseum], and Christ had won. — WILL DURANT
Who Holds The Future?
April 17, 2023
"…I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." —2 Timothy 1:12 The year was 1943. Halfway around the world, a young pilot was flying his Corsair above the scattered islands of the Pacific, scanning his radar for the enemy. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he saw enemy planes. Before the young pilot knew it, one of them was on his tail. He rolled his plane over and dove down, back up again, turning, twisting, diving, doing everything he could to escape. But he had an expert fighter pilot on his tail. In the end, Mortally wounded, the young pilot somehow managed to land his disabled plane on one of the jungle islands of the South Pacific. He struggled to crawl clear of the plane in case it exploded. Five days later his body was found. He had, clutched in his hand, a scrap of paper on which he had written his last words: “When peace like a river…” That was all. His final words were the beginning of that wonderful hymn that goes like this: “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.” Here was a young man who had learned somewhere—whether in his home or at church—Who held his future. When we recognize and acknowledge that God holds the future, we can be assured that whatever comes our way, even if it’s the worst scenario we can imagine, God can transform it into a blessing. Only when we place our entire trust in Him will we have the kind of assurance in our future that this young man had. Are you walking through a peaceful river or through rolling sea billows today? Whatever your lot, place your full trust in the Lord. Only when we trust the One who holds the future will it be well with our souls! Quote of the day: I have no http://fear...christ is the Captain of my soul. — DOROTHEA DAY
Why Do We Pray?
April 16, 2023
…you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. —1 Corinthians 1:9 “Why do we have to say our prayers?” asks a little boy as his mother prepares him for bed. This child’s simple question echoes the sentiment in the hearts of many people much older and supposedly much wiser than he. Do you ever ask that question? And if so, have you found any answers? One of the key reasons we pray is to commune with God. Prayer fosters a two-way relationship between us and the God who loves and cares for us. Consider a child growing up in a home where his parents have given him everything: life, love, food, clothes. In everything, the parents have provided the very best they could afford. But as the child gets older, he decides that he doesn’t have time for his parents, so he hardly ever comes home except when he has to. When he does, he stays busy in his room, rarely responding to his parents. Finally, the child grows into a man, goes out on his own, finds a job, and gets married. He never visits his parents; he never writes; he never calls. What would you call such a child? What would you call a person who receives life and love from his Father in heaven, the Father who watches over him and provides everything he needs in this life, including the food he eats and the clothes he wears? He receives innumerable blessings, and yet he grows up, never talking to his Father, never visiting His house. Unconcerned with his relationship with his Father, he never prays. What do you call such a person? The Scripture calls such a person a “pagan,” a person without God, a godless human being. But we who know the Lord delight in spending time with Him. Why do we pray? Not so that He will do more than we ask or think, although He does. We pray so we can walk with God. Today, spend some time with your Father. Tell Him what’s on your mind and in your heart. And listen for Him to tell you about Himself, too. He wants a daily, two-way relationship with you more than you could ever imagine. Quote of the day: Prayer does not change God, but changes him who prays. — SOREN KIERKEGAARD