DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 7.18.20

How to Cry Out to God Matthew 14:29-30 The phone rings, and you answer. A sullen voice informs you of a tragedy. Your heart is so heavy that you feel as though you could die. What do you do? Bad news, danger, and pain all cause us to look for help. As believers, we dwell with the almighty God, who is able to aid us. At those moments when we are sideswiped by life’s circumstances, we should cry out to Him. In the Bible, crying out refers to speaking audibly with great emotion concerning an urgent need. God invites us to use this form of prayer to communicate that we desperately need His mercy. It takes both faith and humility to share our heart’s concern aloud. Crying out, then, is a way for God’s children to express trust in the Lord’s ability and willingness to help. By calling upon Him with such urgency, wealso lay down our pride and any attitudeof self-sufficiency. The Word of God assures us that our Father hears our cries and responds. In Psalm 3:4, for example, David wrote, “I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered from His holy mountain.” When we call aloud for help in Jesus’ name, we invite His power into the situation. Remember that there is strength in just speaking Hisname. When we cry out to God, He may remove the problem immediately, yet we often have to wait for His perfect timing. Harsh circumstances might even be allowed to remain for His good purposes. But we can always count on His comfort and presence, which enableus to live with joy and hope. Breaking Down the Faith Barrier Exodus 4:1-13 A faith barrier is made up of attitudes that short-circuit our trust and prevent us from obeying the Lord's will. A negative self-image can hinder us in this way, as can ignorance of God's character and promises. Three other attitudes can also trip us up:doubt, feelings of inadequacy, and fear of failure. Moses doubted that the Israelites would believe he had been chosen by the Lord to lead them. But God graciously provided reassurance--in the form of evidence that He could accomplish everything He'd promised (Ex.4:1-5). When doubt invades our minds, it can be overcome with diligent study of Scripture and persistent prayer, which will dislodge uncertainty and replace it with biblical truth. Moses wasn't eloquent, and a perceived lack of skill left him feeling inadequate for the job--he was afraid trying to speak would make him stumble. God patiently reassured him of divine help in that task. The Lord often chooses unlikely people to carry outHis plan because He looks at the heart, not human qualifications (1 Sam. 16:7). He can overcome all our inadequacies. Sadly, Moses did not embrace what God promised but instead asked to be relieved of the assignment. A fear of failure can prevent us from saying yes to the Lord. Carrying out God's will requires a heart that trusts Him, a soul that steps out in obedience, and a mind that leaves success or failure to Him. As we break down the faith barrier, we will be able to see the evidence of God's presence and power--and experiencethe joy of obedience. Committed to Thy Trust “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositionsof science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith.” (1Timothy 6:20-21) Paul exhorted his disciple, Timothy, and by implication exhorts us, to “keep” (literally to guard or preserve) that which was placed in his trust. The context implies that the entire teaching of Paul is in mind, as well as Timothy’s position of ministry. Not only was he to preserve truth, he actively was to “avoid” error. Systems of thought were available that masqueraded as “science” (literally “knowledge”). These systems were not merely neutral but were in opposition to the truth. There can be no doubt that godless humanism (particularly as it finds its false scientific justification in evolution and uniformitarianism) has been responsible for the loss of faith in many professing Christians. Much of what is called “science” in universitiestoday could better be described as “profane and vain babblings.” But today’s students are not alone in their error. Back in the 1800s, when uniformitarianism, and later evolution, were first being championed by only a small minority of scientists, theologians led the way to their broad acceptance. Rushing to embrace CharlesLyell’s principle of uniformity and the concept of an old earth while still holding on to a charade of biblical authority, theologians proposed the tranquil flood and local flood concepts. Likewise, theologians proposed theistic evolution, the day age, andgap theories to accommodate evolution, and their theological grandchildren enjoy the majority voice at most evangelical seminaries today. It is time that Christian laity as well as those standing in our pulpits today regain “that which is committed to [their] trust” and avoid “science falsely so called.” JDM Water for Your Soul by Max Lucado Where do you find water for the soul? Jesus gave an answer one October day in Jerusalem. People had packed the streets for the annual reenactment of the rock-giving-water miracle of Moses. Each morning a priest filled a golden pitcher with water from theGihon spring and carried it down a people-lined path to the temple. He did this every day, once a day, for seven days. “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He whobelieves in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’ ” (John 7:37-38). He “stood and shouted” (NLT). The traditional rabbinic teaching posture was sitting and speaking. But Jesus stood up and shouted out. Forget a kind clearing of the throat. God was pounding his gavel on heaven’s bench. Christ demanded attention. He shouted because his time was short. The sand in the neck of his hourglass was down to measurable grains. In six months he'd be dragging a cross through these streets. And the people? The people thirsted. They needed water, not for their throats, but fortheir hearts. So Jesus invited: Are your insides starting to shrivel? Drink me. The Signs of Drifting Hebrews 2:1-3 Regularly gathering in the house of the Lord with brothers and sisters in Christ provides an "anchor" of support and accountability. But skipping church in order to pursue other interests is an obvious sign that a believer has begun to drift away from God.Less apparent are the men and women who mentally skip the worship service. The act of attending means nothing unless we make a deliberate decision to receive God's Word and apply it to our life. As the writer of Hebrews warned, if we do not pay attention towhat we have heard, we will drift away from it (2:1). However, Sunday morning is not the only time for receiving a steady diet of nourishing principles and encouragement from the Bible. We should be in its pages every day, reading and meditating for ourselves. When our interest in what God has to say decreases, we're already slipping out into troublesome waters. The only way to keep our way pure is by following His Word (Ps.119:9). If Bible reading is neglected, a prayer life has usually faded as well. Prayer is the way believers communicate with the Navigator. If we stop talking with Him, the God who once seemed so close soon feels far away. That chasm in our spirit is one more signthat we're far from shore and safety. I've watched many a captain guide his cruise ship through a narrow channel. The crew members are intensely focused on their tasks because drifting means disaster. Life is full of narrow channels to navigate. We cannot afford to drift away from God and HisWord. Only He can bring us safely through. The Consequences of Drifting Hebrews 3:12-13 Spiritual drifting--the gradual wandering away from God and His will--takes place when a believer ceases to steer toward the Lord. Like an empty boat set loose upon the waters, he or she makes a slow and lazy glide away from good practices like disciplinedobedience, regular Bible study, prayer, and assembling with fellow Christians. And there are consequences for casting yourself on uncharted and dangerous waters. A life adrift is outside of God's will and therefore in sin. The Holy Spirit pricks a believer's conscience to send a message when he is off course, but the drifter is prone to ignore such warnings. If a Christian continually excuses his wandering ways anddenies sin, then his conscience gradually numbs. A person who becomes desensitized to wrongdoing has paved the way for more sinful behavior with less guilt. Can you imagine a more dangerous situation? As the drifting believer's conscience becomes anesthetized, his spiritual ears are also deadened--truth cannot gain entrance because he has invited wrong attitudes and philosophies into his thinking process. What's more, his heart hardens to the things ofGod. Shrinking away from testimonies about divine power, grace, and mercy, he avoids situations that might reawaken the conscience and stir his spirit to repentance. People drift from God in search of more--more freedom, choices, and pleasure. But since the consequences are a hard heart, a numb conscience, and dead ears, what they end up with is less. The drifting believer sacrifices the victorious life in Christ foran existence devoid of permanent satisfaction. Learning by Example “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thouhast learned them.” (2 Timothy 3:14) When Paul wrote these words to Timothy, they were in the midst of his foreboding prophecy of coming apostasy and persecution. Furthermore, he knew that he himself would soon be executed and that these might well be his final teachings to his young discipleand to others through him. It is remarkable that in such a setting the Spirit of God impelled him to use the example of his own life as the best and most fitting climax to his great ministry. “Just keep on believing and doing what I have been teaching you—thatwhich you have seen put into practice in your own life.” These teachings and practices had just been recounted in verses 10-11, and what a remarkable summary they provide of a genuine Christian life! Doctrine—my teachings, sound and true to God’s Word Manner of life—my Christ-like behavior and habits Purpose—my sole aim, to honor God and do His will Faith—my faithfulness to His Word and its demands Longsuffering—my patient forbearance Charity—my showing true Christian love Patience—my cheerful endurance in hard times Persecutions—the unjust opposition heaped upon me Afflictions—sufferings and tortures that I endured The apostle Paul had maintained this strong and consistent Christian testimony for over 30 years following his conversion and could, in all good conscience and true humility, cite his own example as a true teaching aid for others to study and follow. May Paul’s example be ours, and may our lives likewise become true examples of Christianity for any who are watching us today. HMM Choosing the Uncommon Life by Max Lucado One can’t, at once, promote two reputations. Promote God’s and forget yours. Or promote yours and forget God’s. We must choose. Joseph did. Matthew describes Jesus’s earthly father as a craftsman (Matt. 13:55). He lives in Nazareth: a single-camel map dot on the edge of boredom. Joseph never speaks in the New Testament. He does much. Hesees an angel, marries a pregnant girl, and leads his family to Bethlehem and Egypt. He does much, but says nothing. A small-town carpenter who never said a Scripture-worthy word. Is Joseph the right choice? Doesn’t God have better options? An eloquent priest from Jerusalem or a scholar from the Pharisees? Why Joseph? A major part of the answer lies in his reputation:he gives it up for Jesus. “Then Joseph [Mary’s] husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly” (Matt. 1:19). Answers in Times of Great Disaster Deuteronomy 29:29 Almighty God reserves the right to reveal some things and conceal others. Although we may not know why natural disasters occur, the biblical truths we do know with absolute certainty allow us to trust the Lord even in times of great suffering. These include: 1. God is in control (Ps. 103:19). Nothing in heaven or on earth is outside of His rule and authority. He does notreact to events but sovereignly ordains or permits them to run their course. Although we cannot know for certain if He has sent a catastrophe or allowed it, we can trust in His goodness and wisdom. 2. The Lord loves people and wants them to be saved (John 3:16-17). Giving His Son for the salvation of the world proves without a doubt that He loves each person. This truth stands firm despite the fact that many reject the Savior. He cares for us, even when we can’t feel it or won’t accept it. 3. God ordains or permits events for His good purpose (Isa. 46:10). Though we cannot fully comprehend what He is doingin each incident, every disaster is a wake-up call for humanity. He is alerting us of the need to repent—so the lost can be saved and the saved can be revived to live totally for Him. Catastrophes open our ears to hear from the Lord. The One who loves us perfectly is in full control, working everything out according to His good purpose. Knowing this should fill us with hope, even in the midst of crisis situations. The Lord even promises to turn disaster to good for those who “are calledaccording to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). The Good Seed “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.” (Luke8:11) The Word of God is pictured by many beautiful symbols in the Scriptures, and perhaps one of the most meaningful is that of the seed sown in the field of the world by the great sower, the Lord Jesus Christ. The first reference to seed sowing in the Bible isin the story of Isaac, who “sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him” (Genesis 26:12). Now Isaac himself was the “seed” of God’s promise to Abraham, and he was a precursive fulfillment of the ultimate promised “seed, which is Christ” (Galatians3:16). Isaac’s sowing of literal seed in the land of the Philistines is thus a type of Christ’s sowing of spiritual seed throughout the world. As Isaac’s sowing brought forth a hundredfold, so the beautiful parable of the sower indicates that at leastsome of the seed “fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold” (Luke 8:8). Although not all seed will come to fruition, it must be sown throughout the world. Some of the seed will bear fruit, for God has said “that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be…it shall not return unto me void” (Isaiah55:10-11). “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Peter 1:23). The first of Christ’s parables is this parable of the sower. The second, complementing the first, indicates that the seed is not only God’s Word but also God’s children—those regenerated through the Word. “He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; Thefield is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom” (Matthew 13:37-38). Thus, we also become sowers of the Word, witnessing to the worldand bearing good fruit in His name. HMM Serve One Another by Max Lucado Jesus “set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient lifeand then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion” (Phil. 2:7–8 MSG). Let’s follow his example. Let’s “put on the apron of humility, to serve one another” (1 Pet. 5:5 TEV). Jesus entered the world to serve. We can enter our jobs, our homes, our churches. Servanthood requires no unique skillor seminary degree. Regardless of your strengths, training, or church tenure, you can … Love the overlooked. Jesus sits in your classroom, wearing the thick glasses, outdated clothing, and a sad face. You’ve seen him. He’s Jesus. Resurrection in the Old Testament “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell indust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.” (Isaiah26:19) Some have argued that the doctrine of a bodily resurrection was unknown to the Israelites of the Old Testament. In fact, this denial was a cardinal doctrine of the sect of the Sadducees at the time of Christ (Matthew22:23). Our text, however, makes it clear that this promise has always been known to the people of God. Long before Isaiah’s time, Job had said: “I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And...in my flesh shall I seeGod” (Job19:25-26). After the time of Isaiah, the promise was still known. “Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel12:2). Such promises were not referring to some vague “immortality of the soul,” as taught in pagan religions, but to resurrection of the body! First, however, the Creator must become man, die for the sins of the world, and defeat death by His own bodily resurrection. In our text, in fact, Christ is saying that Old Testament believers would be raised “together with my dead body.” This was literallyfulfilled when “the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many” (Matthew27:52-53). Then, when Jesus first ascended to heaven (John20:17), He led the souls of those who had been in “captivity” in the grave with Him into heaven (Ephesians4:8). All who have trusted Christ in the Christian era will likewise be raised from the dead when He comes again. He has defeated death and has promised, “because I live, ye shall live also” (John14:19). HMM Returning from the East by Max Lucado Somewhere Oswald Chambers wrote: “Christians must occasionally travel under sealed orders.” Such was the case for a group of us who traveled to China in August. Though we think we know the purpose of the trip, I’m confident that the real orders were seenonly by spiritual forces. Our groups consisted of ministers, representatives of two Christian colleges, a representative of Focus on the Family, a publishing delegate, a lawyer, and John Bentley, the trip facilitator and director of an orphanage in China. Our goal was simple: extend the hand of Christian friendship to high-ranking governmentofficials in China. By his grace we were granted audiences with - The China Social Service Commission - The State Department - The Department of Religion - The Communist Party Department of International Understanding The Rain and the Word “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth,and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in thething whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11) In these familiar verses, there is a beautiful anticipation and spiritual application of the so-called “hydrologic cycle” of the science of hydrogeology. The rain and snow fall from the heavens and eventually return there (via the marvelous process of riverand groundwater runoff to the oceans), then later evaporation by solar radiation and translation inland high in the sky by the world’s great wind circuits, finally to fall again as rain and snow on the thirsty land, beginning the cycle once more. But they do not return until they first have accomplished their work of watering the earth, providing and renewing the world’s water and food supplies to maintain its life. Analogously, God’s Word goes forth from heaven via His revealed Scriptures and their distribution and proclamation by His disciples. It does not return void, for it accomplishes God’s spiritual work on Earth. But it does return, for it is “for ever…settledin heaven” (Psalm 119:89). The fruitful spreading of God’s Word is presented in many other Scriptures. For example: “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.…In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whethershall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good” (Ecclesiastes 11:1, 6). Thus, as we sow and water the seed—which is the Word of God—we have God’s divine promise that it will accomplish that which He pleases. HMM Prayerful Waiting by Max Lucado “They all met together continually for prayer.” Mark uses the same Greek word here translated “continually” to describe a boat floating in the water, waiting on Jesus. The Master, speaking on the beach of Galilee, told the disciples to have a boat readyand waiting (Mark 3:9). The boat was “continually” in the presence of Christ. So are the Upper Room disciples. One day passes. Then two. Then a week. For all they know a hundred more will come and go. But they aren’t leaving.They persist in the presence of Christ. The followers were willing to do one thing: wait in the right place for power. We’re so reluctant to do what they did. Who has time to wait? We groan at such a thought. But waiting doesn’t mean inactivity—rather inHIMactivity. Waiting means watching for him. If you are waiting on a bus, you are watching for the bus. If you are waitingon God, you are watching for God, searching for God, hoping in God. Great promises come to those who do. “But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and notfaint” (Isa. 40:31). To those who still struggle, God says, “Wait on me.” And wait in the right place. Jesus doesn’t tell us to stay in Jerusalem, but he does tell us to stay honest, stay faithful, stay true. Developing Faith through Adversity 2 Corinthians 11:23-30 It doesn't seem fair, does it? Paul spent his life serving Christ, and yet he experienced continual suffering. Why would God let one of His most faithful servants go through so much pain? This isn't just a question about Paul; it's an issue we face today.In our minds, the Lord should protect His loyal followers from hardships, but He doesn't necessarily do so. Maybe our reasoning is backwards. We think faithful Christians don't deserve to suffer, but from God's perspective, suffering is what produces faithful Christians. If we all had lives of ease without opposition, trials, or pain, we'd never really know God,because we'd never need Him. Like it or not, adversity teaches us more about the Lord than simply reading the Bible ever will. The Shame of Entropy “I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be ableto judge between his brethren?” (1 Corinthians 6:5) The word for “shame” in this verse is the Greek entrope, meaning “turning inward” or “inversion.” It is used only one other time, in 1 Corinthians 15:34: “Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.” Evidently this special variety of shame is associated with taking controversies between Christian brethren to ungodly judgesand also with failing to witness to the non-Christian community. Instead of bringing the true wisdom of God to the ungodly, such “entropic Christians” were turning to worldly wisdom to resolve their own spiritual problems. This inverted behavior was nothingless than spiritual confusion! The modern scientific term “entropy” is essentially this same Greek word. In science, entropy is a measure of disorder in any given system. The universal law of increasing entropy states that every system tends to disintegrate into disorder, or confusion, ifleft to itself. This tendency can only be reversed if ordering energy is applied to it effectively from a source outside the system. This universal scientific law has a striking parallel in the spiritual realm. A person turning inward to draw on his own bank of power, or seeking power from an ineffective outside source, will inevitably deteriorate eventually into utter spiritual confusionand death. But when Christ enters the life, that person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). Through the Holy Spirit and throughthe Holy Scriptures, “his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). The law of spiritual entropy istransformed into the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:2). HMM The Footprints of Satan by Max Lucado Once he was approached by a leper, who knelt before him begging his help. “If only you will,” said the man, “you can cleanse me.” In warm indignation Jesus stretched out his hand, [and] touched him. Mark 1:40–41, NEB I was in an emergency room late one night last week. Victims of Satan filled the halls. A child—puffy, swollen eyes. Beaten by her father. A woman—bruised cheeks, bloody nose. “My boyfriend got drunk and hit me,” she said, weeping. An old man—unconscious and drunk on a stretcher. He drooled blood in his sleep. Jesus saw the victims of Satan, too. He saw a leper one day … fingers gnarled … skin ulcerated … face disfigured. And he got indignant … angry. Not a selfish, violent anger. A holy anger… a controlled frustration … a compassionate disgust. And it moved him. It moved him to action. I’m convinced that the same Satan stalks today, causing the hunger in Somalia … the confusion in the Mideast … the egotism on the movie screen … the apathy in Christ’s church. And Satan giggles among the dying. Dear Father, May we never grow so “holy,” may we never be so “mature,” may we never become so “religious” that we can see the footprints of Satan and stay calm. From Shaped by God Lose Your Religion - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. -Romans8:17 When people go through great difficulty, sometimes they say they're losing their religion. I would say that's good. Lose your religion and then replace it with a relationship with God, because the faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted. If your faith can't stand a test, then maybe it isn't real faith. The faith of real Christians will grow stronger through hardship. It won't get weaker because of it. The reality is that if you live a godly life, then you will suffer in some way. The Bible tells us that "everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2Timothy 3:12 NLT). Trials, hardships, difficulties, and yes, even suffering, come into every believer's life. It is not a matter of if, but when. That's because once you become a Christian, a new battle begins. It's a battle with the devil, the world, and the flesh. The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome, "And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory,we must also share his suffering" (Romans 8:17 NLT). We go through hardship so our faith will get stronger and so we will become more like Jesus. God is getting us ready for Heaven. And suffering reminds us that Earth is not our home. Heavenis. Yes, we will suffer as Christians, but God will be with us. Suffering and pain cause us to depend on Him instead of ourselves. It is only the Christian who can know that God is ultimatelyin control. And it is only the Christian who knows that one day we will be rewarded in Heaven. People of Purity - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. -Matthew 5:8 All too often people use the word holy in a negative sense, as in, "Oh, they're so holier-than-thou!" They're basically saying someone is conceited or uppity. This isn't a good trait, of course. But we all should want to be holy men and women. In fact, the Bible says, "But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, becauseit is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy'" (1 Peter 1:15-16 NKJV). Now, we may think that being holy means never raising our voices or occupying much space. But that isn't holiness; it's weirdness. Instead, let's spell the word holy this way: wholly, as in wholly committed. If you're wholly committed to Christ, then you'll be a holy person. Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8 NKJV). Today people speak of their hearts as their emotional centers. They might say, "My mind tells me one thing, and my heart tells me another" or "I'm just listening to my heart." But be careful, because the Bible says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV). When we talk about the heart as believers, we're talking not only about the emotional center but about the intellectual center as well. So, to be "pure in heart" means that we're pure in our inner core. It means being people of purity. But is it even possible to be pure today? Just like we easily dismiss the word holy, we also could dismiss the word pure. But "pure in heart" can be translated "single in heart." It meanshaving a single focus in life. It means that you're a focused person-focused on your relationship with God. A Different Kind of Peacemaker - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. -Matthew 5:9 In the past four thousand years on our planet, there have been less than 300 years without a major war somewhere. Someone has even described peace as "that glorious moment in history wheneveryone stops to reload." We're a people in constant conflict. James wrote, "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?" (James 4:1 NKJV). Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:9 NKJV). This is something that most everyone would applaud. "Yes, blessed are the peacemakers," we say. "Let's work for peace. Let's march for peace." However, Jesus wasn't really talking about world peace here, though we all want world peace. In context this verse primarily means, "Blessed are those who have seen themselves as they really are: Sinners without a Savior, humble and meek, hungering and thirsting after righteousness.Blessed are those who have a single focus on God and want others to come into the same relationship with Him because they're bringing the message of the Prince of Peace." The Bible says, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!" (Romans 10:15 NKJV). Yet know this: peacemakers are often troublemakers. For example, maybe you're the only Christian in your family. But then one day you became a Christian and wrecked it all. You ruined everything.Your family was in a dark place, you just turned on the light, and everyone noticed it. Just hang in there and keep following the Lord. Pretty soon another family member will come to Christ and then another. And before you know it, you'll be a Christian family because Christintervened. A happy or blessed person will be a peacemaker. What Persecution Proves - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. -Matthew 5:10 As Christians, we lay claim to God's promises of provision and protection. But when is the last time we claimed His promise of persecution? We wouldn't do that, of course. After all, who wants to suffer from persecution? Yet Jesus said in the Beatitudes, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:10 NKJV). In fact, Jesus elaborated on this statement. He said, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoiceand be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (verses 11-12 NKJV). The Bible tells us that "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12 NKJV). Or to reverse that, if you're not suffering persecution, then are you living godly in Christ Jesus? Persecution shows itself in many ways. It can be physical, obviously. It's very dangerous for Christians in some countries today. In fact, Christians are the world's mostpersecuted group. Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ live at risk the moment they declare their faith in Jesus Christ. They're tortured and put to death. Or, their families ostracizethem and declare them dead. Even in the United States, persecution against followers of Jesus Christ seems to be on the rise. If you decide to be a Christian, you can lose friends, jobs, and otherthings. People may ridicule, marginalize, mock, or even threaten you. But if no one ever persecutes you, harasses you, mocks you, or challenges you, then maybe you're not living as a child of God. However, if you're living your life as youought to and you're getting pushback, it's confirmation that you belong to Him. The Pure Word �Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.� (Proverbs30:5) When the inspired writer of Proverbs testified here that God�s Word was �pure,� he did not use the usual word for, say, moral purity or metallic purity. Instead, he asserted in effect that every word of God had been refined and purified, as it were in a spiritualfurnace, so that any and all contaminants had been purged out, leaving only the pure element. The same truth is found in the great psalm of the Scriptures (Psalm 119). �Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it� (Psalm119:140). David used the same word in another psalm, where it is translated �tried� in the sense of �tested for purity.� �As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him� (Psalm18:30). The word for �buckler� in this verse is the same as for �shield� in our text. Thus, God equips with a perfect shield against the weapons of any foe, because �His way is perfect� and �every word� in Scripture has been made �pure� before the Spiritof God approved its use by the human writer. This surely tells us that the human writer of Scripture (that is, Moses or David or John or whomever), with all his human proneness to mistakes or other inadequacies, was so controlled by the Holy Spirit that whatever he actually wrote had been purged of anysuch deficiencies. Thus, his final written text had been made perfectly �pure,� free from any defects. This control applies to �every word� so that we can legitimately refer to the Scriptures as verbally inspired and inerrant throughout. As the apostle Paul stressed, our spiritual armor in the battle against evil is �the shield of faith� and �the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God� (Ephesians6:16-17). HMM The Only One and Only by Max Lucado Two of our three daughters were born in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We lived in the North Zone, separated from our doctor�s office and hospital by a tunnel-pierced mountain range. During Denalyn�s many months of pregnancy, we made the drive often. We didn�t complain. Signs of life do a samba on every street corner. Copacabana and her bathers. Ipanema and her coffee bars. Gavea and her glamour. We never begrudged the South Zone forays. But they sure did bewilder me. I kept getting lost. I�m directionallychallenged anyway, prone to take a wrong turn between the bedroom and the bathroom. Complicate my disorientation with randomly mapped three-hundred-year-old streets, and I don�t stand a chance. I had one salvation. Jesus. Literally, Jesus. The Christ the Redeemer statue. The figure stands guard over the city, one hundred twenty-five feet tall with an arm span of nearly a hundred feet. More than a thousand tons of reinforced steel. The head alone measuresten feet from chin to scalp. Perched a mile and a half above sea level on Corcovado Mountain, the elevated Jesus is always visible. Especially to those who are looking for it. Since I was often lost, I was often looking. As a sailor seeks land, I searchedfor the statue, peering between the phone lines and rooftops for the familiar face. Find him and find my bearings. John3:16 offers you an identical promise. The verse elevates Christ to thin-air loftiness, crowning him with the most regal of titles: �One and Only Son.�