DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 3.27.21

Lifeby Death �For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.� (Philippians1:21) This profound confidence comes at the conclusion of a threefold summary of Paul�s experience while serving the Lord Jesus, as well as his deep bond with the church at Philippi. The �salvation� of which Paul speaks references victory in this life as much asthe eternal rescue at the end. Initially, the confidence comes �through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ� (Philippians1:19). Christian leaders covet the prayers of those with whom they serve. Twice, Paul specifically asked the Thessalonian church to pray for him (1Thessalonians 5:25; 2 Thessalonians 3:1). Most of us are familiar with the promise that the �effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much� (James5:16). Should we be surprised when such prayer brings boldness? There is also the experience that the �supply� of the Spirit of God engenders faith. God�s providential care, experienced during the testing of our life, produces a growing hope and confidence (Romans5:4-5). It is most often true that we learn more of God�s faithfulness in times of need than in times of plenty. Then there is an �earnest expectation and...hope� that result in �boldness� (Philippians1:20). Growing confidence in the Lord�s provision and protection undergirds an anticipation for God�s direction and wisdom. Expecting something to happen is the flip side of hope. Experience in kingdom work brings spiritual joy and peace (Romans15:13). Thus, the confident statement �now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain� (Philippians1:20- 21). HMM III ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- True Spiritual Growth James 1:17-27 If you want to genuinely grow in spiritual maturity, it is not enough to simply be instructed by the Word of God. You may love going to church or listening to Christian radio programs. You might talk about everything you hear and assume you're growing becauseyour knowledge is increasing. However, if you don't actually grow closer to God by allowing His Word to change you from the inside out, your head will merely continue to fill with information. You might even sound like a godly person who is admired for theability to quote chapter and verse. But if you don't take the next step and allow God to touch others' lives through you, you're missing the point. ------------------------------------------- Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thatthou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.” (Luke 10:21) When the Lord Jesus was here on Earth, He was, among other things, “leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). One aspect ofthat example, no doubt, was His prayer life. He prayed and gave thanks before He fed the multitude (Matthew 15:36) and also when He ate with His disciplesat the last supper (Luke 22:19). It is surely right, therefore, that we should give thanks in prayer before each meal, whether in a small group as withour family or in a large public dining place. Jesus spent much time in prayer. On at least one occasion, He “continued all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12), and no doubt a goodly portion of His prayerwas thanksgiving prayer, as well as intercession. But there seems to be only one specific item of thanksgiving by Him actually recorded in Scripture, and that is the item in our text. (The same is also given, verbatim, in Matthew 11:25, so we can infer that the Holy Spirit considered it very important.) That is this: the wonderful truths of salvation and forgiveness— eternal life in heaven and God’s guidance and provision on Earth—are easily understood by the simplest among us, even by little children, even though they often seem difficult for “the wise andprudent” to comprehend. Many are the intellectuals who can raise all kinds of objections to God’s revealed Word and His great plan of creation and redemption and who, therefore, will end up eternally lost. Many are the simple folk and children who just hear and believe and are saved. “Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.” HMM ----------------------------------------------------------------- I’m a Hypocrite by John UpChurch “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.” Matthew6:5 The college-me would call the current-me a hypocrite. That’s what I did back then. Anyone claiming to be a Christian automatically earned that prestigious title. I could judge, after all, because I sat in my lofty seat in the college library and weighedsuch grave matters in my head and in my poetry. My pencil could strike down any Christ-follower with a witty rhyme. I knew they were all fake. So, I had a lot to learn about love. But I was right about the hypocrisy thing. The current me is, in fact, a hypocrite. Jesus warned us not to be like the hypocrites, those who put on a show but don’t let the show touch their hearts. And when I’m honest, that’s exactly what I do sometimes. My worship becomes a series of movements, a tentative toe-tap into the spiritual waters.All the while, my mind has drifted off to my bank account, my schedule, and my Instagram feed. That type of worship isn’t worship. It’s a show put on for my own gratification, one that makes me feel better about doing the “Christian thing.” In those moments, I’m exactly what my college self accused me of. Hypocrite. Thankfully, Jesus warned me about all this ahead of time. When my body and mind get out of sync, when my devotion becomes a demonstration, His warnings inevitably hit me in the chin. Matthew 6 cues up on my audio Bible, His admonitions pop up on someone’s blog, or I just catch myself in the act. That’s when I see just how much I’m simply going through the motions. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Moses and Elijah “And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: Who appeared in glory, and spakeof his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:30-31) This is a mysterious passage. Peter, James, and John watched in awe as Christ was “transfigured” before them as Christ had promised (Mark 9:2). But how couldMoses and Elijah be there? Moses’ body had been buried by God in an unknown tomb in Moab some 1,500 years before, and no resurrection had yet taken place (Deuteronomy34:5-6; 1 Corinthians 15:22-23). Elijah had been taken alive into heaven in a chariot of fire over 900 years previously (2 Kings 2:11). The fact is that this whole experience was a remarkable vision! Jesus said after it was over: “Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead” (Matthew17:9). Although they had just been awakened out of sleep (Luke 9:32), the disciples knew this was not a dream. All three had seen it together and “weresore afraid” (Mark 9:6). This vision of the future kingdom was for the disciples’ encouragement (and for ours, as well), for the Lord had just been warning them of His coming death, as well as the cross which they, themselves, must take up to follow Him (Luke9:23). The kingdom of God would come on Earth in all its future power and glory. But first, He must die and rise again, and they must be His witnesses of these things. But when He did return in glory, there would be two groups of people sharing His glory with Him: Moses representing the resurrected saints, and Elijah the “raptured” saints. “The dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caughtup together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). HMM ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Overcoming the Past by Stephen Sanders I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I'vegot my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. - Philippians 3:12-14 Last night, I went to a college basketball game with my wife and kids. For the first time in a really long time, I was overwhelmed with a sense of not fitting in with those around me. As we sat and waited for the game to begin, my discomfort level steadilyincreased with every college kid that filled that arena. The clothing trends, the blaring hip-hop music and the camraderie between the students took me back to a place in time that I tend to block out. As I drove home, I couldn't help but ponder all the pressuresof my teenage years. Now don't get me wrong, I love to reminisce about the good ole days just as much as the next guy. I think we all have at least a few fond memories that cause us to close our eyes and think about the things that we really miss. For example, if you are anythinglike me, there will never be a better era for music than when I was in high school. Grunge bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots were still cranking out mainstream hits. Bands like Incubus and Rage Against the Machine were at the forefront of what would soon be called the Nu Metal movement. And I was still faithfullyrockin' that same green flannel shirt from middle school. Yep, those were the days… The good memories are something that I revisit quite frequently at this point in my life. After all, I am in my 30s now, and I am getting a gray hair or two in the old beard. I even noticed the other day that I'm starting to make strange grunting noiseswhen I sit down or stand up, like I'm in pain or something. What's up with that?!?! I also have a teenager living in my house, which never fails to take me back to all that teenage drama. My point is: it's fun to think about the fun stuff, but usually notso fun to relive the not-so-fun stuff. For me, the not-so-fun side of high school was being the loner. Now I'm not talking about that super cool James Dean or even that Arthur Fonzarelli kind of loner/rebel. See, I was always the guy in high school who didn't really fit in with anyone; at least,I never felt like I did anyway. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Recognizing God's Handiwork Psalms 33:3-11 The work God does is creative. He made heaven, earth, and all living creatures. He formed Adam and Eve in His image and knitted each of us in our mother's womb. His work is also powerful. Through His Son Jesus, He accomplished a great salvation for all who trust in the Savior. Our heavenly Father worked mightily to open a way for us to be reconciled to Him and adopted into Hisfamily. Not only that, but God's work is ongoing, and Jesus is the One who holds all things together (Col. 1:17). In order to recognize God's handiwork, we need to pray in an active, persistent manner. Christ-centered prayers narrow our focus to the Lord. Then we can more readily identify His actions and see how to join Him. Self-centered petitions serve to distractus from Him. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Love'sProduct “That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the dayof Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians1:10-11) Knowledge and judgment that are motivated by love (Philippians1:9) are directed very carefully to certain end products that will fulfill our Lord’s design and desire for His adopted sons and daughters while they are still on Earth. A repository of facts can be nothing more than a curiosity and is often an arrogant distraction. A growing intellectual ability must be useful. It is no different in God’s kingdom. Our knowledge and judgment must be used to “approve things that are excellent.” Paul’s challenge to the Roman church was that they use their minds to “prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans12:2). To his young son in the faith, Paul insisted that Timothy study to show himself “approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2Timothy 2:15). The “proving” (testing, affirming) has a twofold goal: that our life on this earth would be “sincere and without offence” and that we would be “filled with the fruits of righteousness.” Purity and productivity are earthly spiritual goals that are reiteratedmany times in the Scriptures. They, of course, are mere reflections of the holiness that our Lord creates in us when we are born again (Ephesians4:24), but they are nonetheless an often-repeated demand for those of us who claim a kinship with Christ Jesus. The Bible sums it up this way: “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1Peter 1:15-16). HMM III ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A White Bread Faith By Ryan Duncan This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.- 1 John 3:10 When I was still in high school my mother became a vegetarian. Now, I have nothing but respect for vegetarians, but as a guy who likes his steaks extra-rare, this created a few problems in our household. Suddenly our family was exploring what people called “organic” dishes. Tofu, quiche, we dined on whole-grain pasta sprinkled with nuts, strange cheeses, and enough broccoli to kill an entire fourth-grade class. It wasn’t all that bad actually; my mother was very gracious and still cooked meat for the carnivoresin the house, but I suspect a soy-based meat substitute found its way into our meals on more than one occasion. The worst part though, was the bread. My family went from using your typical sleeve of wheat bread to buying those thick, iron cast loaves so brown they were almost black. I can remember sitting in the cafeteria during lunch, watching my classmates as theyflagrantly devoured their delicious, white-bread PB&J’s, while I chewed the same bite of sandwich over and over for almost an hour because chunks of grain were still floating around in it. Back then, I would have given anything for a sandwich made from white,Wonder Bread. The thing is though, ask any nutritionist and they’ll tell you white bread barely counts as grain at all. It tastes good, but that’s because it’s been almost entirely drained of nutrients. All the beneficial vitamins and minerals have been lost, and in theend, we are left with food that really isn’t as healthy as we’d like to think it is. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Good Part “But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42) The sisters Mary and Martha both loved the Lord Jesus and wanted to please Him. Jesus also loved them (John 11:5) and apparently was an occasional guestat their home in Bethany. Martha evidently felt that activity and service were pleasing to the Lord (and these, indeed, are good and important), whereas Mary simply “sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word” (Luke10:39). To Martha’s surprise and chagrin, Jesus said that Mary had chosen the “good part”—a part more important even than service and food. Long, long before, the patriarch Job, whom God had said was “a perfect and an upright man” with “none like him in the earth” (Job 1:8), had also chosen thatgood part. “I have esteemed the words of his mouth,” Job said, “more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). We today can sit at Jesus’ feet and hear His Word only by reading and meditating on the Scriptures. Important as our daily responsibilities may be to meet our material needs and those of our families, we should make priority time available for this “good part.” The same surely applies especially to Christian leaders. They may have many important tasks to perform in the service of God, but it is still more important for them to take time to “hear His word” in the Scriptures. The unknown psalmist who wrote the grand 119th Psalm had learned this truth: “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day....How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding” (Psalm119:97, 103-104). We today have a higher privilege than Job, or the psalmist, or even Mary, for we have all the Scriptures! If we truly desire “that good part,” the Lord will surely provide the time, as He did for Mary. HMM ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Live Like You Were Dating by Shawn McEvoy Let marriage be held in honor among all…" - Hebrews 13:4 I heard the Tim McGraw song Live Like You Were Dying in the most unusual of places the other day - my head as I slept. Normally that's a huge annoyance, a song looping through my brain while I toss and turn. This time, however, I think I was sorelieved it wasn't something by The Wiggles or VeggieTales that I went along for the ride. Only thing is, I began to dream along with the music. As weird as that sounds, the dream varied just a bit from the theme of the song, which is: in order to make sure we don't take life for granted, we should check off that list of things we've always wantedto do, and do not go gently into that good night, but rather sit on top of angry bulls. Or something like that. Basically, you should act like you don't have much time left, because really you don't. But the montage that played upon my closed eyelids wasn't about me, important moments, my death, or things I want to accomplish. Instead, I was treated to a slide show of moments from my courtship with Valerie. What fun life was then! The things we did,the places we went, the way we treasured each other and every moment together... I awoke in a very good mood, even if I was confused about the connection between the song and the dream. On my drive to work some of the words from the song slapped me upside the head: "… and I loved deeper, and I spoke sweeter, and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying…" Ah, I see… that sentence sounded a lot like the guy I was when I was putting the moves on the tall, big-eyed, opinionated babe who liked my jokes. It did not sound so much like the ten-year married version of myself, who has been going through the motions. Still I wondered: how can I live like I did then, when I have none of the freedoms afforded me during those years? Unless I'm mistaken, the very word "dating" implies occasionally going on a date... I interrupt this devotional because at this point Valerie calls me from her cell phone saying she can't get the car to start. The ignition won't turn because the steering wheel is also locked, and she can't jiggle the keys or wheel enough to get eitherto turn. She's embarrassed, and I can hear her banging and straining away on the dashboard components. She thinks she's gonna be stuck in someone's driveway all day. I suggest looking in the owner's manual to see if there are suggestions. There aren't. Wedecide she'll have to call a Toyota dealer or Triple-A because I'm too far away to help. 10 minutes later I check in on her because I read online that she might want to use the parking break from now on to prevent this from happening again. Turns out thatwasn't the problem. It was that she was trying to start her Camry with the key to my Corolla… And so it occurs to me - not only can I count on my wife to spice up our life with a good laugh once in a while, but maybe our dating engine simply has to be redefined. It still exists, but it's not going to be started with the same set of keys that gotit running 10 years ago. That doesn't mean it's not a reliable vehicle for shuttling us to all of life's events in a manner befitting our faith. If I could find a way to regularly appear as outwardly joyful as I inwardly feel whenever I reflect on how blessed I am to have such a mate, I'd go a long way towards helping fulfill the purpose for this marriage, whichValerie and I long ago decided was to be better for the Lord than we are apart. That felt easier when we were dating. So with a cue from Tim McGraw, here are some ideas… Loving Deeper "Love does not seek its own…" (1 Corinthians 13:5) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- God Is at Work John5:16-19 Throughout the Bible, we observe God at work in people's lives. Sometimes He acts in dramatic fashion, as in parting the Red Sea to allow the Israelites to escape the Egyptian army. At other times it may appear as if He's not taking any action. Mary and Martha sent wordto Jesus that their brother needed His help, but Christ delayed before traveling to their home (John11:3-6). Our Father has given us the Holy Spirit to help us recognize His presence and handiwork. The Spirit cultivates spiritual discernment in us so we can understand when and where He's at work. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Price of Sparrows “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.” (Matthew 10:29) This fascinating bit of first-century pricing information, seemingly so trivial, provides a marvelous glimpse into the heart of the Creator. Of all the birds used for food by the people of those days, sparrows were the cheapest on the market, costing only afarthing for a pair of them. In fact, they cost even less in a larger quantity, for on another occasion Jesus said: “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?” (Luke12:6). The “farthing” was a tiny copper coin of very small value, so a sparrow was all but worthless in human terms. And yet the Lord Jesus said that God knows and cares about every single sparrow! God had a reason for everything He created; each kind of animal has its own unique design for its own intended purpose. Modern biologists continue to waste time and talent developingimaginary tales about how all these multitudes of different kinds of creatures might have evolved from some common ancestor. Even some evolutionists have started calling these whimsical tales “just so” stories. They would really be better scientists if theywould seek to understand the creative purpose of each creature rather than speculating on its imaginary evolution. The better we comprehend the amazing complexity and purposive design of each creature, the better we realize the infinite wisdom and power of their Creator. Then all the more wonderful it is to learn that their Creator is our Father! He has placed them allunder our dominion, and we need to learn to see them through His eyes if we would be good stewards of the world He has committed to us. We can also thank our heavenly Father that we “are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew10:31). HMM --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your Dead Will Live By Debbie Holloway “Your dead will live; their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy” - Isaiah26:19. In Luke’s account of Christ’s resurrection, angels proclaimed to the women: "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” (24:5-6). This joyous news must have taken them off guard. After all, they came to Jesus’ tomb bearingburial spices with which to anoint the lifeless body of their Lord. Instead, they find dazzling angels standing watch next to an empty tomb, and hear news that they will never find Christ in a place of death and darkness. As Easter draws closer, have you considered which aspects of your life God wants to breathe life into? Family Many of us have strained familial relationships that seem only to worsen when we get together for meals and services around the holidays. Do you pray for the members of your family regularly? Are you willing to open up your heart to start loving them theway God loves each and every one of them? Remember, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1Corinthians 13:7). Friendships If Christ’s work on the cross teaches us anything about friendships, it’s that forgiveness and grace trumps all. After all, mere hours before his gruesome death, Jesus was ignored, abandoned, denied, and betrayed by his closest friends. He could have equallybeen speaking of Peter, a man in his inner circle, when he begged on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke23:34). Yet, even after being left alone and misunderstood, Christ still made the ultimate act of love for his friends (and the world). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your Dead Will Live By Debbie Holloway “Your dead will live; their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy” - Isaiah 26:19. In Luke’s account of Christ’s resurrection, angels proclaimed to the women: "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” (24:5-6). This joyous news must have taken them off guard. After all, they came to Jesus’ tomb bearingburial spices with which to anoint the lifeless body of their Lord. Instead, they find dazzling angels standing watch next to an empty tomb, and hear news that they will never find Christ in a place of death and darkness. As Easter draws closer, have you considered which aspects of your life God wants to breathe life into? Family Many of us have strained familial relationships that seem only to worsen when we get together for meals and services around the holidays. Do you pray for the members of your family regularly? Are you willing to open up your heart to start loving them theway God loves each and every one of them? Remember, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7). Friendships If Christ’s work on the cross teaches us anything about friendships, it’s that forgiveness and grace trumps all. After all, mere hours before his gruesome death, Jesus was ignored, abandoned, denied, and betrayed by his closest friends. He could have equallybeen speaking of Peter, a man in his inner circle, when he begged on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Yet, even after being left alone and misunderstood, Christ still made theultimate act of love for his friends (and the world). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Love's Longing Prayer “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment.” (Philippians1:9) Paul’s longing for the Philippian church is eloquently expressed in his prayer for their maturation in the faith. It begins simply with a prayer for their growing love—love that will “abound yet more and more.” This phrase is only used two other times: in 1Thessalonians 4:1 and 10. Essentially, the prayer is that their love would never stop increasing. The focus of the ever-increasing love, however, is not emotive reactions or depth of feeling. It is a nonstop, evergrowing love for “knowledge” and “judgment.” And as one might expect, the Holy Spirit’s choice of words is important. Several Greek words could be translated as “knowledge.” This specific choice in Philippians 1:9 is epignosis, a term that emphasizes understanding of facts or truth and carries an intensive meaning with a fuller, clearer, more thorough knowledge than mere awareness of data. A person with epignosis knows both what and why they have certain facts. “Judgment” is the translation of aisthesis, an unusual term that demands perception, understanding, and discernment of what to do with the knowledge. Both terms are intellectually based and require a growing grasp of information. But both are the productof love—not human standards of high intelligence. We must be “rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:17), speak “the truth in love” (Ephesians4:15), and always be conscious of our relationships so that we “increase” the “edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16). Finally, there is this overarching statement: “God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16). HMM III --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NotAshamed �Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partakerof the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.� (2 Timothy 1:8) Paul had steadfast faith. He was also a very faithful encourager for the saints to �hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering� (Hebrews 10:23).In the text verse for today, he encourages Timothy to publicly express his faith in several tangible, but risky, ways. Timothy is exhorted to not be ashamed of the Lord. The Bible�s message is both very different from and also very convicting of the world�s thinking. Thus, many outside of Christ react to His messenger with ridicule and personal intimidation. It is hard to standagainst this tide, and the believer�s embarrassment may manifest itself in silence. It could have been dangerous in Timothy�s day to claim �I am a Christian,� as is still the case in some places around the world. But Paul�s exhortation also includes not being ashamed of �the testimony of our Lord,� which is His Word. Every day in schools, on TV, or in other media, the Bible and those who believe it are ridiculed. These attacks can be so scornful and relentless that even many evangelicals find it difficult to not be ashamed. Next, Paul adds himself to Timothy�s list when he says �nor of me his prisoner.� Fellow believers faithfully and accurately proclaiming God�s Word�especially those in a firestorm of resistance�need other believers to support them, not back away inembarrassment. Paul is actually urging Timothy to move beyond not being ashamed and to actively �get in the fight� with him as he says, �Be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel.� Paul knew that Timothy would feel a deep and lasting shame if he withdrewout of fear to the �safety of silence,� watching others boldly proclaim the gospel in a world that can be very hostile to the message. RJG ------------------------------------------------------------- Pass Up Payback - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. �Mark 11:25 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/pass-up-payback/- Listen I heard about a Sunday school teacher who asked her class about forgiveness. She said, �Kids, what does a person need to do to receive forgiveness from God?� There was a short pause, and then a small boy spoke up and said, �You have to sin.� We�ve all done that, haven�t we? If we�ve sinned, then we need forgiveness. The good news is that God promises in 1 John 1:9, �If we confess our sins to him, he is faithfuland just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness� (NLT). Not only do we need forgiveness when we sin, but we also need to forgive others who have wronged us. When we�ve been hurt, we have a choice: We can rehearse what happened,or we can release it. Forgiveness, however, isn�t condoning or dismissing someone�s bad behavior. It isn�t even reconciliation, because that isn�t always possible. To forgive means surrenderingour right to get even. It means we�re not going to pay that person back, even though they may deserve it. Instead, put them in God�s hands, because Romans 12:19 tells us, �Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, �Iwill take revenge; I will pay them back,� says the Lord� (NLT). Is there someone you�re holding a grudge against right now? To fail to forgive actually can bring your prayer life to a halt. Jesus said, �But when you are praying, firstforgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too� (Mark 11:25 NLT). Are you bound up in bitterness and haven�t been able to forgive? The more you know about God�s willingness to forgive you, the more you�ll be willing to extend that sameforgiveness to others. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Lovely Idea - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Make allowance for each other�s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. �Colossians 3:13 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-lovely-idea/- Listen C. S. Lewis said, �Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.� A study on forgiveness found that 75 percent of those polled believed that God forgave them for past sins. But only 52 percent said they had forgiven others. However, in what we call the Lord�s Prayer, Jesus taught us, �Pray like this: �Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. . . . Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiventhose who sin against us�� (Matthew 6:9, 12 NLT). If you�re a believer in Jesus Christ, then you�re a forgiven person. And forgiven people should be forgiving people. Of course, life is filled with hurt and disappointments. We�ve all been hurt in life. And sometimes we don�t mean to do it, but we hurt others in life as well. That is whywe must forgive. You may regard someone who has hurt you as an enemy. You even bristle when you think about them. And maybe you�re saying, �You don�t understand what this person has doneto me. I can never, ever forgive them.� Yet Scripture doesn�t simply suggest forgiveness; it commands it. Ephesians 4:32 says, �Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God throughChrist has forgiven you� (nlt). And Colossians 3:13 tells us, �Make allowance for each other�s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others� (NLT). I like this advice from my friend Max Lucado: �Before you get caught in the crazy cycle of hurt and forgiveness, try shifting your glance away from the one who hurt youand setting your eyes on the One who has saved you.� If you want to live a happy, healthy, and blessed life, then learn how to forgive. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Good Forgivers - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. �Matthew 6:14�15 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/good-forgivers/- Listen The Bible gives us 76 different word pictures for forgiveness, but the main word the New Testament uses for it means �to release.� In Scripture, to forgive means to write �canceled� over a debt. However, forgiveness isn�t giving in to another person; it�s getting free of that person. It isn�t about whether he or she deserves your forgiveness. You may even thinkthat you�re hurting someone by harboring a grudge against them. But do you know who�s really getting hurt? You are. It�s like eating rat poison and waiting for the rat to die. When we harbor anger and bitterness toward someone who has hurt us, we�re not destroying them. We�re actuallydestroying ourselves. When you withhold forgiveness, it will eat you up inside. And if you don�t forgive, then you�re choosing to hate. One person put it this way: �The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. And thefirst to forget is the happiest.� In fact, if you are married, then you really need to learn how to forgive. Someone once asked Billy Graham�s wife, Ruth, what the secret was to a strong and lasting marriage.She replied that a successful marriage is made up of two good forgivers. Is there someone you need to forgive at this very moment? Maybe it�s your mom, your dad, your child, your friend, your coworker, or your spouse. Has someone hurt or betrayedyou, and you�re sitting around plotting your revenge? That has to stop. Lay it at the foot of the cross, and put them in the hands of God. You don�t want to be bound by it anymore. Let it go. Someone has wisely pointed out that when you forgive someone, you set a prisoner free: yourself. So learn how to be a good forgiver. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reportingon the Parables �And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it,and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.� (Mark12:1) This parable of the vineyard had an obvious meaning, for even �the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders� to whom He was speaking (Mark11:27) �knew that he had spoken the parable against them� (Mark12:12). The same parable and the events surrounding it are reported in Matthew 21:33-46 and Luke 20:9-16. But there is another question that has been raised about this parable, as well as all the other parables that have been reported in two or more different gospels. That is, if the Bible is inerrant in its very words as Jesus taught (e.g., Matthew 5:18; John 10:35), then why did the writers often vary in their reporting of the words of the parable? It should be remembered, however, that Jesus probably spoke in Aramaic, whereas the written accounts were in Greek. Furthermore, two of the writers (Mark and Luke) were not present at the time so would have to obtain their accounts from someone who was there(e.g., Luke 1:1-2). Flexibility in translation and reporting is always possible with different translators and different reporters. The doctrine of divine inspiration of the Scriptures (2Timothy 3:16), however, applies not to the process but to the result. The Spirit of God was free to use the writer�s own research, vocabulary, and style in reporting an event so long as there were no factual errors or irrelevancies in the final result.In fact, such minor differences often give greater depth and credence to the reported event since they help in proving that the different writers were not in collusion but simply telling of a real event from different perspectives. HMM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM