DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 6.30.18

 A Prerequisite for God's Guidance - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org

 

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. -Romans 12:1

 

One of my favorite verses is Psalm 103:12: "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (NKJV). It's as though God has taken our sins, has thrown them into the sea of forgetfulness, and then posted a sign that reads, "No fishing allowed."

 

We shouldn't choose to remember what God has chosen to forget. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for us. And if we will turn from our sins and believe in Him, all of our sin is forgiven and forgotten.

 

In light of that-in light of the fact that our sin is forgiven and that our citizenship is in Heaven-we should present ourselves to God. The apostle Paul wrote, "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him" (Romans 12:1 NLT).

 

It's the idea of presenting a sacrifice. Generally, when sacrifices were presented to God in the Old Testament, they were dead. They were there to symbolically take the sins of the people upon themselves. Of course, Christ became the ultimate sacrifice at the cross, and we no longer need to do this anymore.

 

Paul is saying, "In light of what God has done for you, I urge you-I beg you-to do this." Why? It's our reasonable service. That word reasonable could be translated "logical." In other words, it's unreasonable, illogical, not to do this. To give yourself completely to God is the logical thing to do.

 

To present yourself to God as a living sacrifice is a prerequisite for His guidance.

 

If I Perish
�Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.� (Esther 4:16)

This is the courageous testimony of Queen Esther as she prepared to risk her own life in order to save the lives of her people. It was a capital crime for anyone to intrude into the king�s throne room unbidden, but she was willing to do so in order to do the will of God, knowing that �we ought to obey God rather than men� (Acts 5:29).

In the same spirit, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were willing to enter the fiery furnace rather than to worship the humanistic gods of Babylon, testifying to Nebuchadnezzar that �our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods� (Daniel 3:17-18).

God did deliver Esther and the three Jewish youths, but there have been many through the ages who have died for their faith rather than deny their faith. All the apostles (save John) died as martyrs, for example, and so have countless others throughout the centuries. �They loved not their lives unto the death� (Revelation 12:11) if it meant denying their Savior.

Believers in many nations are suffering such persecutions today, and the time is coming when the last great God-rejecting king of the earth (called the �beast� in Scripture) will �cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed� (Revelation 13:15). If a similar choice confronts us, may God give us the grace to say with Paul that �Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death� (Philippians 1:20), and with Esther: �If I perish, I perish.� HMM

 

 

In the Potter's Hands - By Greg Laurie -

www.harvest.org

 

And yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand. -Isaiah 64:8

 

The Greeks believed in many gods, thinking they would give them wisdom or direction. Then when the Romans conquered Greece, they effectively absorbed its culture and made it their own. The problem is these gods were nonexistent.

 

As Christians, we want to know the will of God. But is that even possible? Can God's will be known? Can God speak to us today? Or, are we just searching in vain, like the ancient Greeks and Romans looking into the faces of their various deities?

 

No, we aren't. Christianity is Christ taking residence in our hearts. Jesus said, "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15 NKJV).

 

God wants to speak to us today. He has a plan and a purpose for our lives, and He wants to reveal His will for our lives. So how do we know the will of God? We find an interesting passage in Jeremiah 18: "The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 'Go down to the potter's shop, and I will speak to you there.' So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over" (verses 1-4 NLT).

 

The Bible is basically saying that God is like a potter and we are like clay. God is the potter who wants to make us after His plan and purpose. And if we don't yield to the plan and purpose of God, then we'll be settling for something less.

 

Choosing the Right Building Material

1 Corinthians 3:12-15
Believers build their lives on the Rock of Ages: Jesus Christ. Every motive, every deed, and every word is material for our spiritual house. The apostle Paul warned followers to construct with care because on the day of judgment, fire will test the quality of each person’s work. This refers not to a literal fire but to the purifying presence of Jesus Christ.
When I stand in the Savior’s perfectly holy and just presence, all the wood, hay, and stubble in my life will disappear. Good things done with wrong motives will vanish along with secret sins and bad attitudes. Only what has been done and said in Jesus’ name remains. And the moment the chaff is gone, we will see that God is right--those things didn’t fit the life of His child.
On hearing this explanation, someone usually says, “All that matters is that I get into heaven.” But that attitude is shortsighted because the judgment of believers is about rewards. In the parable of the unrighteous steward, Jesus explained the basic concept to His disciples: “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10). Our time on earth is the beginning of an eternity serving and rejoicing in the Lord. God will reward us with heavenly responsibility according to our faithfulness here.
Wise people plan for the future (Prov. 27:12).I want to receive as much of God’s goodness as He offers, so I am determined to build with top-quality, enduring materials. The privilege of serving is only the beginning of the rewards. In heaven, God’s generosity will be even more abundantly unleashed.
Young Men
“I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.” (1 John 2:14)

There are two commendations about the “young men” (typically applied to those under 40) that John notes. They are “strong” (vigorous, healthy, both physically and mentally) and the word of God “abides” (remains, endures) in them. These are those who have come through their believing childhood, no doubt guided and counseled by the “fathers” in their lives, who are now active in the “good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12).

Like Abraham, they are “strong in faith” (Romans 4:20), not staggering under the burden of unbelief. Like the leaders in the church at Rome, they are willing to “bear the infirmities of the weak” (Romans 15:1) and to be alert, standing “fast in the faith” (1 Corinthians 16:13). Even though they would have faced opposition from among professing Christians, they were “strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1).

These are the ones who refused to handle the “word of God deceitfully” (2 Corinthians 4:2), but gladly received it as “it is in truth, the word of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). They know that “the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword” (Hebrews 4:12), and have taken time to store the Word in their heart (Psalm 119:11). These “young men” know that if God’s “words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7).

Those attributes make possible the result: “Ye have overcome the wicked one.” Safe in the secure saving faith of God, guided by the great truths of the Word of God, these young men have not been “overcome of evil” but have “overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). HMM III
Made in Christ
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Many men would boast of being “self-made” men, but no Christian can do this. Everything we are that is truly worthy and eternal was made in us by God through Jesus Christ. Our text is clear on this. We have been made righteous in Christ, but this was only because God made Him to be sin for us.

When He made us righteous in Christ, He also “made us accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). Furthermore, we were “made nigh by the blood of Christ” (2:13). The contexts of these passages make it abundantly clear that our being made righteous, accepted in Christ, and nigh to God, is all of grace; we did nothing to merit such privileges.

This is not all. At the same moment, He also has “made us meet [‘fit’] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light” (Colossians 1:12). That we in our poverty should be made joint-heirs with Christ once again is only by His unmerited grace. “Being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7).

In promise now and in full reality later, He has “made us kings and priests unto God and his Father” (Revelation 1:6). Positionally, we even share His throne, for He “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).

Without Him we are nothing; but in Him we have all things. He is “made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Truly, in salvation as well as in creation, “it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves” (Psalm 100:3). HMM
Thou Shalt Not
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” (Exodus 20:4)

Many secularists criticize Christianity as being a religion of negativism filled with prohibitions. In response, Christians often try to blunt this criticism by stressing Christian love and freedom from the law.

The fact is, however, that the New Testament also contains many prohibitions, including a restatement of all those in God’s laws as expressed in the Ten Commandments. The first of these in our text prohibits idolatry. Six others also begin with “thou shalt not.” “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain”; “Thou shalt not kill”; “Thou shalt not commit adultery”; “Thou shalt not steal”; “Thou shalt not bear false witness”; “Thou shalt not covet” (Exodus 20:7, 13-17).

It is inappropriate for any Christian to ignore these commandments. Godly behavior is more important now than ever before. Not only are these prohibitions all repeated in the New Testament, but there are numerous other “shalt nots” as well, all directed to Christians saved by grace, apart from the works of the law.

For example: “Be not drunk with wine” (Ephesians 5:18); “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26); “Mind not high things . . . . Be not wise in your own conceits” (Romans 12:16); “avenge not yourselves” (Romans 12:19); and many, many others.

There are numerous positive aspects to the Christian life, of course, but there are also things a Christian should not do. We do not work for our salvation, but we must work out our salvation, putting off the works of the flesh and putting on the works of a regenerate life. HMM
To the Fourth Generation
“Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.” (Deuteronomy 5:9)

This seemingly unwarranted penalty imposed on the innocent grandchildren of the idolater cannot possibly negate the later promise of God through the prophet Ezekiel: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezekiel 18:20).

And certainly it cannot obviate the clear promise of Christ Himself in the last chapter of the Bible: “Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). Anyone who desires to do so may accept the Lord’s gracious offer of salvation, regardless of the possible wickedness or anti-Christian religion of any of his ancestors.

At the same time, a man should realize that his decision to follow a false religion and then bring up his children in that false religion will almost certainly affect his grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well. Many of the latter will actually be children while their great-grandfather is still alive. It is a simple fact that most children (though not all) will continue in their parents’ “religion.” They can, if they wish, choose to leave their parents’ religion and become Christians, but most will not.

What a great responsibility, therefore, each father has! He should quickly accept Christ (whose credentials as our Creator and Redeemer are impeccable!) as his Savior and Lord, and then diligently train his own children “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). HMM
Requirements of Waiting
Psalms 25:3-5
Waiting for God's timing is neither passive nor idle--it takes discipline and commitment. I can think of four basic requirements for successful waiting.
Faith. The Lord's ways and timing are nothing like ours (Isa. 55:8-9). From a human standpoint, He usually does things in a totally different way than we expect. But as we trust Him more, we'll discover that His approach isn't so strange after all. And when we live in harmony with God's will, His timing starts to make sense.
Humility. To wait for the Lord, you must be convinced of your need for Him. Submission to His divine will requires humility--you cannot charge ahead with your own plans and at the same time be fully surrendered to God.
Patience. Are you willing to remain in your current position until you receive clear divine direction? Pausing for clarity from God does not mean that you disengage and allow circumstances to fall apart around you. Waiting upon the Lord is a deliberate decision that requires patience.
Courage. Waiting for God often takes courage, especially when there is pressure to act. If you're not careful, you might stop listening to the Lord and follow other advice. So keep your ear attuned to the voice of Almighty God, and you won t go wrong.

Waiting upon the Lord is one of the wisest, most important decisions we make in life. And contrary to popular assumptions, it is an active endeavor that requires faith, humility, patience, and courage. When you rely upon God and wait for His timing, the various facets of life fall into place.
Responding to Disappointment
Matthew 1:18-25
To find examples of wise, godly reactions to disappointment, you’re more likely to turn to Psalms than to Matthew. But thevery first chapter in the New Testament tells the story of an upright man’s reaction to painful and disheartening news.
Joseph--Jesus’ earthly father--was a righteous person. A godly man wants a wife who shares his desire to honor and obey the Lord, and Scripture indicates that Mary was exactly that sort of woman (Luke 1: 45-55). So imagine how stunned Joseph must have been when Mary returned from a long visit with her relative Elizabeth and told him that she was pregnant. Moreover, she was claiming no man had touched her.
Any way Joseph looked at the situation, it appeared grim. And yet Matthew 1:20 says that he “considered”--in other words, he sought a wise, righteous response. God entered Joseph’s life in a dramatic way to confirm Mary’s story and put a stop to his “quiet annulment” plans.
The Lord turned Joseph’s mourning into joy. Mary had told the truth--strange and startling as it was. The couple would bear the intense public censure of an early pregnancy, but Joseph stopped thinking about what others would say. God had blessed work for him: to raise the Messiah alongside a faithful woman.
Followers of Christ should seek a godly response to disappointments they face. Since the Lord always has a plan, the wisest reaction is to anticipate the good He can do and await His timing. God certainly blessed Joseph for his willingness to “seek first His kingdom” (Matt. 6:33).
 A Journey of Faith - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org

 

Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. -Ephesians 5:17

 

Having been a Christian for more than 40 years, I can tell you there have been times the Lord has spoken directly to my heart, and I've had a very clear sense of what I was supposed to do. But generally, I would have to say the Christian life is a journey of faith, one step at a time.

 

The Bible doesn't say the just shall live by feeling; it says the just shall live by faith (see Romans 1:17). We read the Word of God and then take the principles found in it, put them into practice, and start going in the right direction.

 

For example, God wants us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit is simply to ask God to empower us each and every day. The Bible tells us, "Understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 5:17-18 NLT).

 

God wants us to have an attitude of gratitude. We're told in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus" (NLT). That doesn't mean we should thank God when things are going badly. Rather, we are to give thanks that God is in control of all circumstances that surround the life of the Christian.

 

Also, God wants us to live a pure life. As 1 Thessalonians 4:3 tells us, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality" (NKJV).

 

If you're violating basic principles that are plainly declared in Scripture, then it won't help you to know God's will. Instead, be obedient to what you know is God's will for you today.

 

 The Reason We Serve Colossians 3:23-24
In His Word, God commands us to serve one another. However, there will inevitably be difficult people in life who make this mandate challenging.
Thankfully, a biblical definition of service can help us obey the Lord's instruction, no matter who the recipient may be. And the reason is that God is actually the One whom we serve.
When we have this motivation underlying everything we do, it will impact the quality of our work and keep us from becoming discouraged. Then, whatever our task--whether we lead a country, teach children, or do something that seems unattractive--if our goal is to glorify God, we will do our best in His strength. And we trust Him to use us for His purposes, even if our labor should appear fruitless to us or to others.
When I was a child, I had to wake up before daylight to deliver newspapers. Even in rain or snow, I still had to complete the job. This was hard for me to do. Then the Lord impressed upon my heart that I was not merely bringing papers to people in my town; I was serving Jesus. As I understood this truth more, waking up and working was purposeful and doable. Truthfully, I still did not always feel like facing the work, but feelings were no longer relevant. I was serving my Maker.

Whomever God calls us to serve, and whatever He tells us to do, we can obey with joyful hearts when it's done for Jesus. If this is our motivation, we won't need worldly approval or evidence of impact. We need to know only that God is pleased and promises to reward those who serve Him (Heb. 11:6).