DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 8.14.21

WillThey Know Us by Our Love? by Debbie Holloway "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John13:35). Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and it not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoiceswith the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1Corinthians 13:4-7). These two passages are arguably the most famous Bible verses about love. Love is a concept promoted by Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Muslims. It is a thing acknowledged by atheists and agnostics. Something every man, woman, and child strives to obtain every day. Love is something we all know aboutand all desire. But so often it seems to be the most difficult thing for us to practice. As Christians, we have no excuse for not knowing what love is. First Corinthians chapter 13 tells us in no uncertain terms. And Christ tells us in John 13 that the world will know that we belong to Jesus if we practice this love. But how often do we truly think of those two scriptures as one command? How often do we piece together the “how?” and the “what?” of love in our own lives? The ramifications of doing so present a clearly defined, but difficult life. If we combine 1st Corinthians 13 and John 13, what would our lives look like? How would people come to recognize Christians? Well, they would know us by our patience. They would know that we are Christians by our contentment, modesty, and humility. They would recognize us, for we would not be rude. We would seek the best for others, be difficult to make angry, and refuse to keep count of how many times we've been hurt. They would know us because evil makes us sad, and truth makes us happy. They would know us because we protect the defenseless and we do not live in suspicion of others. They would know us by our hope. They would know us by our perseverance. ------------------------------------ Soldiers for Christ 2 Timothy 2:1-4 Today's passage is from Paul's letter to Timothy. The apostle encourages the young man—and, by extension, every believer—to face difficulty as a good soldier. The military term "soldier" implies that we are in a battle.And in fact, the combat started before Adam and Eve's lifetime. We see the first evidence when almighty God, who had created all the celestial beings, nevertheless allowed Satan and other angels (thereafter known as "demons") to rebel against Him. They established their own kingdom andwaged war with the Lord. Later we see this strife extend to all humankind. In the Garden of Eden, Satan tempted Eve to violate God's command by eating forbidden fruit. Her disobedience corrupted mankind's innocence, and ever since, all human beingshave been born with a nature bent away from the Lord—and with a profound need for a Savior. Tempted by Satan in the wilderness, Jesus modeled how to be victorious in spiritual conflict: by means of Scripture. God's Word gives us everything we need to win—from offensive and defensive weapons (Eph.6:10-17) to the proper perspective on our adversaries' real identity: "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the . . . spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (v. 12). When we see ungodliness in our society, the Enemy may at times seem to be winning. Yet we who are saved have assurance that we belong to Him who is greater—and who will have the final victory (1John 4:4; John 16:33). View daily battles biblically and look to God, who is mightier than all evil. --------------------------------- Unqualified by Ryan Duncan It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. - Deuteronomy13:4 Sometimes I feel like, as a Christian, I’m no good. I have no memory for Bible verses, I don’t have any gifts in leadership or preaching, and I’ve done some pretty stupid, not to mention embarrassing, things while trying to serve Christ in the past. In moments like these, I try to remember Gladys Alyward. Gladys Alyward was a London-born woman who became a missionary to China in the 1930’s. Another missionary named Mrs. Lawson had invited Alyward to China, where the two women would run an inn and tell Bible stories to the passing travelers. Lawson and Alywardwere the only foreigners in the city, at a time when Europeans were looked on with great distrust by the Chinese, and not long after her arrival, Mrs. Lawson suffered a severe fall and died a few days later. Only a few weeks after Lawson’s death, Alyward was approached by the city’s Mandarin. The government had decided to put an end to the ancient practice of foot-binding, and this meant the government needed a foot-inspector, a woman (someone who could invadethe women's quarters without scandal) who would patrol the district and enforce the decree. Though Alyward was now running the inn by herself, she chose to accept the position and used it to minister to countless individuals. A year after that, Alyward was once again summoned by the Mandarin. A riot had broken out at a local prison, and Alyward was told to calm it. The prison guards had heard of her strange religion and wanted to put it to the test, so Alyward had no choice butto walk into the rampaging prison. To everyone’s surprise, when Alyward called for the rioting prisoners to stop, they did. She told them to select a spokesman for the prisoners whom she could speak with, which again, they did without argument. It turned outthe prisoners were confined to close quarters all day, with nothing to do and nothing to eat but food sent to them by family members. Though prison reform was unheard of at the time, Alyward managed to gather equipment the men could use to grind grain, earningthem money for food. As the years passed, the people of the city gave Alyward the name Ai-weh-deh, meaning "Virtuous One." Her inn expanded to become an orphanage where she cared for over 100 children, and when the Japanese threatened to invade in WWII, it was she wholed the children over the mountains to safety. Alyward continued to preach the message of Christ all her life until she died in 1970. ------------------------------ Handling Difficult Circumstances Philippians 3:8-11 The apostle Paul understood how to handle tough circumstances. Even while he was confined in a prison cell, he kept his eyes on Christ and trusted firmly in the Savior. Therefore, despite being in chains, he was able to celebrate the Lord’s work in his life.In fact, the epistle he wrote from jail to the Philippians was filled with rejoicing (1:18; 2:18; 3:1). Focusing on Christ is neither a natural reaction nor an easy one. Our instinct is to dwell on the situation at hand, searching for solutions or stewing over the pain and difficulty. As a result, troubles look scary and overwhelm us with a sense of defeat. However, fear and defeat cannot live long in a heart that trusts the Lord. I’m not saying you’ll forget what you’re going through, but you can choose to dwell on His provision and care instead. He is the Deliverer (2Cor. 1:10). He is the Healer (Deut. 32:39). He is the Guide (Prov.3:6). The believer who lays claim to divine promises discovers that God pushes back negative emotions. In their place, hope, confidence, and contentment take up residence (Phil.4:11). You aren’t going to be happy about a difficult situation, but you can be satisfied that God is in control and up to something good in the midst of trouble. The Lord’s principles and promises don’t change, no matter how severe or painful the situation is. Focus on Christ instead of the circumstances—God will comfort your heart and bring you safely through the trial. Then you can answer Paul’s call to “rejoicein the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4). ------------------------------ Loving God's Word “Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.” (Psalm119:140) When asked to name the greatest commandment, Jesus cited Deuteronomy 6:5: “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” One who loves God must surely also love His Word. God has given the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the primary meansto know God. Those who love God’s pure Word respond to it in obedience and faith. James instructed believers, “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James1:22). One who loves the Lord and His Word should realize that whenever the Bible says something that a reader may find unsettling, it is because humans fail to understand the infinite wisdom of God. The Lord explained this through the prophet Isaiah: “As the heavensare higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). One foundational point at which people often fail to trust God’s Word concerns the timing of creation. The first example of faith given in Hebrews 11 is “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God” (v. 3). One who truly believesthat “in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11) must also accept the chronologicalinformation the Bible provides. These data indicate that Abraham lived about 2,000 years after creation (Genesis 5 and 11), making the earth around 6,000years old, not billions of years as secular scientists claim. Christians should be known for taking God at His Word and living in obedience to it. WP ------------------------------------------------ A Messy Life for God by Sarah Phillips In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, "Thouart my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased." Mark 1:9-11 Have you ever read the biography of a great Christian, a man or woman who dedicated all to the Lord, and felt inferior? I have. It seems I am too normal and too flawed to live such a life. I am not as bold as St. John the Baptist or as eloquent as St. ThomasAquinas. I don't have a radical story like Mary Magdalene, or a dramatic calling from heaven like St. Paul. And yet deep down, I yearn to imitate "the greats" – those who loved God so much, it spilled over into every aspect of their beings. So, I was encouraged when I cracked open one of my Christmas presents this past weekend - a book titled The 33 Doctors of the Church by Fr. Christopher Rengers -- to discover that some of the most noteworthy Christians in Church history were quite normal. The book's title doesn't refer to the kinds of doctors we associate with medicine but profiles those Christians who, over the centuries, proved themselves to be exemplary docere (Latin for "teachers") of Christian doctrine. Familiar names like Augustine and Thomas Aquinas are among this group, but so far one obscure Doctor stands out to me: St. Gregory of Nazianzus. Born in 4th century Asia Minor to a family of devout believers, Gregory enjoyed blessed beginnings – excellent education, financial comfort, and great Christian friendships. But like St. Nicholas, Gregory faced a Church fraught with controversyand confusion from the Arian heresy. By the time Gregory was ordained a priest in his 30's, so many had fallen away from true faith in the divinity of Christ that an alternative Arian church hierarchy had been established. The faithful needed bold teachers of the truth to help them understand Christ's real identity and to heal the wounds of division. But "bold" didn't exactly describe this sensitive, reluctant saint. Gregory suffered from great inner turmoil over his vocationas a pastor, feeling his zealous father had pressured him into being ordained. Only after months of solitary prayer following his ordination did he embrace the responsibilities of his ministry. Even after Gregory accepted his calling, he struggled throughout his life to accept certain leadership roles, often retreating into solitude to study or in some cases, nurse wounded emotions. One of his greatest struggles occurred when his best friend, St.Basil, appointed Gregory bishop of a very undesirable region, leaving Gregory feeling exiled and useless. The damaged friendship between these two great men never fully healed. In spite of Gregory's weaknesses and relational rifts, God worked through his sensitive and solitary nature to raise up one of the greatest theologians in all of history. St. Gregory played a key role in converting powerful Constantinople from the Arianheresy, risking his life to shepherd the pathetically small community of believers. While other theologians wrote formal, lengthy treatises on Jesus Christ, Gregory was gifted at integrating and articulating truth in a way that reached both the scholarly andthe unscholarly. Fr. Renger writes that he made "true doctrine live in the minds of his audience," and the result was a flourishing church where the faith had once almost been lost. Renger goes on to describe Gregory's lasting theological influence on theearly Church. ------------------------------------------------------------ TheHand of the Lord “This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israelhad given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.” (Ezra7:6) Neither Ezra, who was a scribe, nor Nehemiah, who was apparently a butler, had been prepared by either study or experience to supervise a great construction project, rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem and the wall of the city, both of which had been destroyedmany years before by the armies of Babylon. Yet God called them to these ministries and led them and protected them as they carried them out. They were both careful, then, to give God the credit for what they had accomplished. No less than six times in Ezra and twice in Nehemiah they reminded their readers that God’s hand had been upon them as they supervised the work (see Ezra 7:6, 9, 28; 8:18-22, 31; Nehemiah 2:8, 18). There had been many difficulties and much opposition, but as Paul would later say: “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans8:31). We also need to be careful to give God the credit for anything He enables us to accomplish in His service. Even such a great and useful Christian as the apostle Paul had to say: “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed uponme was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1Corinthians 15:10). We remember, however, that the hand of the Lord can be a chastening hand as well as a guiding and providing hand. When a certain false prophet tried “to pervert the right ways of the Lord,” Paul said: “The hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind” (Acts13:10-11). And so it was. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews10:31). HMM ------------------------------------------- Playing Second Fiddle by Stephen Sanders “Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.” (Rom. 12:9-10, MSG) Shortly after I decided that I wanted to write a blog post on this passage of scripture, a funny thing happened. For the second time this week, I received a work email from one of my fellow employees titled, “free Hanover Tomatoes in the break room!” Now, as a lover of all types of tomatoes, especially those of the Hanover variety, I got this email and quickly rushed down the steps to the break room where I found a couple more of my work mates. With a speedy “hey guys,” I made a beeline for the tablewhere people place all the free stuff. As I opened the bag and reached inside, I discovered that there was just one delicious Hanover tomato left. I reluctantly picked it up and turned to toss the bag in the trash when one of my colleagues exclaimed, “Aww man! The last tomato?!?!” “Here you go, man.” I said. After all, I still had a delicious Hanover tomato in the fridge from earlier that week. He said, “No. I can’t. It’s fine, man.” “No really,” I said emphatically, “please take it.” “OK. If you say so,” he said. As I walked towards the door to head back upstairs, he said, “Wait. Here you go, man. It has a couple holes in it anyway.” “Are you sure?” I replied as I reached out for the delicious Hanover tomato. “I’m positive”, he said, “I mean, you may want to slice it up or put it on a sandwich or something like that.” “You guys are embarrassing me,” said my other workmate jokingly. When we “play second fiddle”, or as the ESV says, “outdo one another in showing honor”, the world around us takes notice. It’s the defining mark of a Christian and ultimately what causes us to shine. Sure it might make things a little awkward or uncomfortablefor everyone involved, but what’s so wrong with that? I mean, isn’t that kind of the point? ------------------------------------ Rejoicein the Lord “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Philippians4:4) The Christian has a compelling duty to rejoice. Paul stresses the Christian need to rejoice by using the tense in the Greek that specifies a continuing and habitual action. This instruction follows his mention of otherwise faithful believers in the church whowere unfortunately pursuing disharmony and dissension. Believers are reminded to restore broken relationships, follow after harmony, and rejoice. Perhaps the best reason to rejoice is that all our names are written in the “book of life” (v. 3). This precious book was mentioned from old times as “a book of remembrance...written before him for them that feared the LORD” (Malachi3:16). Christ mentioned this book as a cause to “rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke10:20). Our rejoicing will continue throughout eternity, for only “they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation21:27) will be permitted into the Lamb’s presence. Our love for the brethren and our hope for eternity are reasons to rejoice, indeed. Paul told the Philippian church they were among the reasons for his joy. “I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace” (Philippians1:7). Those who had a heart for the things of God were important to him. Therefore, “fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (2:2). “For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me” (2:18). Their joy of fellowship was rooted in the love and service of Christ, as well as His sufferings, “that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (3:10). So, rejoice! JDM ------------------------------------------- Overcoming Obstacles Joshua 6:1-5 The Lord has a beautiful plan for each believer’s life. But to thwart God’s purposes, Satan sprinkles obstacles in our path. There are many types of hindrances, such as a difficult boss, contrary family members, and financial trouble. Anything that blocks a desired goal can cause anxiety and great frustration. But remember that no obstacle can touch you without God’s consent. Consider Joshua’s army, which was no match for Jericho’s military. And the great wall protecting that city was an impossible barrier to cross. Yet God had promised the Israelites the land, and Joshua believed. He wasn’t fazed by what seemed unconquerable. Instead, he acknowledged the Lord’s power and sought His guidance. ---------------------------------------- Looking for Vulnerability - Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. �1 Peter 5:8 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/looking-for-vulnerability/- Listen Usually the easiest way for a lion to get a meal is to go after the animal that lags behind the rest of the herd. While everyone moves along together, there�s one that fallsbehind the group by about 20 feet. The lion spots that one and says, �Looks like lunch to me.� In the book of Job, we find an account of the angels of the Lord presenting themselves before God. And guess who showed up? Satan was there. He�s no longer in that exalted position in Heaven, but he has a backstage pass into the presence of God. We know that because we read about it in Scripture. So God said to him, �From where do you come?� And Satan answered, �From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it� (Job 1:7 NKJV). The Devil is roaming around, looking for trouble: �What havoc can I wreak?� �What misery can I bring?� �What life can I potentially destroy?� That�s why 1 Peter 5:8 describes him as �a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour� (NKJV). And he never takes a vacation. Wouldn�t it be nice if he did? But even then,we would still get ourselves into trouble, don�t you think? However, the Devil doesn�t take a month off. He doesn�t even take an hour off. He�s always at work. If he�s beaten, he rises again. If he can�t come through the front door,he�ll go through the back door. If he can�t climb in through the roof, he�ll tunnel up through the floor. He�ll find a way to get in. Like a lion hunting for prey, he�s looking for vulnerability. He�s looking for someone he can bring down. So, let�s be aware of that and keep our guard up. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Identified as His Own - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our heartsas the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us. �2 Corinthians 1:21�22 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/identified-as-his-own/- Listen I had just picked up my bag from the airport carousel and started wheeling it away when a frantic lady came chasing after me. �You have my bag!� she was saying again and again. I thought she was crazy. It was my bag. �Ma�am, I�m sorry,� I said to her when she caught up with me. �This is my bag.� �Open it up,� she said. I did. It was her bag. Our bags were identical. I mistook her bag for mine because I didn�t check the ID tag. The Bible tells us that God has put his ID tag on us as believers, which says, �Property of Jesus Christ.� And that ID tag is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The apostle Paul wrote, �It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the HolySpirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us� (2 Corinthians 1:21�22 NLT). Because God has put his ID tag on you and me, we�re under His protection. So, we don�t have to be afraid of what the Enemy will do. We need to be aware of it and stay alert,but we don�t have to be afraid. The good news is that on the cross, Jesus defeated Satan. Yes, the Devil can still tempt you. He can still hassle you or strike at you. Even the apostle Paul talked abouthow he was buffeted by the Enemy (see 2 Corinthians 12:7). But the Devil can never overcome you. He can never overpower you. And he can never possess you. Because you�ve put your faith in Jesus Christ. You�re under new management,and the Devil knows that. God is on your side. -------------------------------------------------------------- Anticipating the Enemy - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. �2 Corinthians 11:3 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/anticipating-the-enemy/- Listen For some inexplicable reason, I collected snakes when I was a boy. I don�t know why I liked them so much, but I had quite an exhaustive collection. A lot of those snakes bit me, and I remember a certain snake that could almost sense my fear. We had a very contentious relationship. Snakes are just that way, though. You can�t read a snake like you can read dogs, for instance. It�s easy to see where you stand with a dog. You know when dogs are happyor sad. You can pretty much know whatever dogs are feeling because you can read it in their body language. On the other hand, you always want to be aware of a snake�s threat. That�s how it is with the Devil. You don�t know what he�s going to do next. He�ll snake his way intoa given situation. The Bible tells us that the Devil came in the form of a serpent to Eve. He questioned God�s love, essentially saying, �If God really loved you, He would let you eat fromany tree in the garden. So, it must be an indication that He doesn�t really love you at all. And by the way, if you eat from this tree, you�ll become like God. You�ll know the things that only God knows.� That�s all Eve needed to hear. It appealed to her pride, and she went for it. In the same way, the Devil is cunning. He won�t come to us and say, �The Bible isn�t the Word of God.� Rather, he�ll say, �You know, it�s really not that bad for you todo that. Other people do. So why can�t you?� We�ll keep our guard up against the so-called big sins, but then we�ll lower it in areas that we perceive as insignificant. And suddenly we find ourselves defeated. ------------------------------------------ Yard Sale Christianity by Stephen Sanders As many of you know, summer is prime time yard sale time and you can�t drive anywhere in the south on a Saturday without passing at least a few. This past Saturday, we stopped at one not far from our house. In the past when I�ve been with my wife to these things, I seldom find anything that I get REALLY excited about. I usually just look for old books because that�s the only thing I can find for a buck that I might actually use. But this past Saturday, as Idug through a box of old CDs, I found something that I couldn�t pass up. When I look back at my childhood and think about music, two names come to mind: Michael Jackson and the Beastie Boys. The very 1st album that my mom ever bought me was �Thriller.� The first album that I ever bought with my own money was �Licensed to Ill� at a Kmart in Mason, Ohio with my cousin Mark. I can still vividly remember driving home that weekend with my parents in our �78 Chrysler New Yorker bumping �Fight For Your Right To Party.� We had the cassette adapter for the 8-track player that was in there.I guess this was probably about 1986-87. This tape stayed in my silver boom box until it broke a couple years later. During my middle school years, I developed a second wind of musical enlightenment. This was when hip-hop was at its peak in the early 90�s. I�d picked up this interest from my good friend Chad, who bought me an NWA tape in 1992. This was, of course, followedby Dr. Dre�s �The Chronic� in 1993...then �Enter the 36 Chambers� by Wu-Tang Clan later that year... The Beastie Boys released �Check Your Head� in 1993 also. They were still just as relevant then as they had been in the 80�s even though the style had changed a bit. They�d evolved from a party rap trio to a 3-piece jam band in what seemed like no time...butit had been 7 years. I loved this CD. My love for hip-hop slowly but surely vanished as grunge slowly gained my affection and carried me through my high school years. The Nu Metal genre developed as I entered my college years; a movement that was pretty much over almost as soon as it started.I picked up a bass guitar my freshman year at SECC and my love for hip-hop officially died. But my love for the Beastie�s never did... In 2002, on a couch at a friend�s house, I discovered �Paul�s Boutique� by the Beastie Boys. This album was released in 1989; many consider this to be their finest work. This album soon became my �favorite album to listen to while I played video games withEddie.� And even still, the Beastie�s were just as relevant in 2002 as they were in 1986... and 1989... and 1993... Now, flash-forward to 2011... I look into a box of CDs at a yard sale and find �Check Your Head� and �Paul�s Boutique� in perfect condition... for $5. SOLD! As I walked away, all I could think about were the good times I�d had with my cousin Mark, Chad,Eddie; some of the best times of my life. I couldn�t wait to listen to them when I got home. I got home, went upstairs, turned on my computer to do my homework and hit play...and immediately realized how much Christ has changed me as an individual. It�s not so much the music itself, because it is still just as creative and impressive as it everwas. It�s the message behind the music that causes a separation. It�s just not the same anymore. Jesus and Paul talked a lot about this sort of thing in the Bible. You know, the difference between who we were before accepting Christ into our hearts versus the new man who has surrendered his life to Jesus. I don�t think I�ve ever seen this played out in my life in such a real way until this episode. There issimply nothing I can gain from this music at this point in my life without turning my back on Christ. ----------------------------------- VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM