DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 1.14.23

The Assurance of Heaven - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. �Ephesians 2:9 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-assurance-of-heaven/- Listen Nineteenth-century British preacher Charles Spurgeon said, �The righteous carves his name upon the rock, but the wicked writes his remembrance in the sand. The righteous manplows the furrows of earth, and sows a harvest here, which shall never be fully reaped until he enters the enjoyments of eternity.� Only believers have a reward waiting for them in eternity. Nonbelievers, on the other hand, ultimately leave a legacy of nothingness. They may do some good works or have somefame, but in the end, it all will be gone. The British missionary C. T. Studd said, �Only one life, �twill soon be past; only what�s done for Christ will last.� What kind of legacy are you leaving? Do you have the assurance that when you die, you will go to Heaven? You might say, �Well, I�m not good enough.� We don�t go to Heaven because of good works that we do. While good works have value, we won�t go to Heaven because of them. The Bible clearly teaches this. Titus 3:4�5 says, �When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed awayour sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit� (NLT). And Ephesians 2:8�9 tells us, �God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can�t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the goodthings we have done, so none of us can boast about it� (NLT). The best and worst of us go to Heaven the same way, which is by admitting we are sinners, turning from our sin, and putting our faith in Jesus Christ alone to save us. So,make sure your life is right with God. It�s a decision that you�ll never regret. Settle it now. ------------------------- Run Fast and Long - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. —2 Timothy 4:7 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/run-fast-and-long/- Listen A lot of people start out the Christian life with so much promise. They are off and running while they leave everyone else in their dust. But when they collapse and fall,they don’t get up. They may crawl off or slow down. Or maybe they round a bend and simply walk away as though they never intended to run the spiritual race. There will be times in our lives as Christians when we collapse and fall. And when that happens, all we can do is get up again. When Paul was approaching the end of his life, he wrote, “As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have foughtthe good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful” (2 Timothy 4:6–7 NLT). Notice that he didn’t say, “I ran the race.” No, he said, “I finished the race.” That is the key. It is not enough to start well; we need to finish well too. It is not enoughto run fast; we need to run fast and long. This is a long-distance run, and the goal is to make it across the finish line. In 2 Peter 1:10–11 the apostle Peter urges us, “So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard toprove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (NLT). Keep running, because you’re going to leave a legacy. Paul wanted to join the ranks of those who had crossed the finish line. He wanted to be in the company of those in God’swinner’s circle, men like Joshua and Caleb in the Old Testament who finished their races well. This is a long-distance run. So, if you have been slowing down, it’s time to speed up. ------------------------------ TheBattle Is the Lord's �And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD�s,and he will give you into our hands.� (1Samuel 17:47) These were the ringing words of faith uttered by young David as he faced the Philistine giant Goliath. Without armor, or spear, or shield, and with only a sling and five smooth stones, David confronted the nine-foot champion of the pagan army in the name ofthe true God, and soon the giant lay dead with his face to the ground. The battle must always be the Lord�s. �For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against...the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places� (Ephesians6:12). Spiritual battles are not won by bullets, nor by ballots, nor by any human means. �Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God� (Psalm20:7). �There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength....Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy� (Psalm33:16, 18). We even have a mandate to attack the enemy in His stronghold. Christ taught, �Upon this rock [of faith in Christ as divine Savior] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it� (Matthew16:18) It is easy, in trying to do a work for God, to rely on human abilities and devices, but these will fail, for the battle is the Lord�s. When the battle is going well, we must not boast, for the battle is the Lord�s. When the battle is going hard, we must notdespair, for the battle is the Lord�s. He is our strength. �For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)� (2Corinthians 10:3-4). HMM -------------------------- Justification �And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous beforeme in this generation.� (Genesis7:1) This is the first mention of the great doctrine of justification in the Bible�that is, being seen as �righteous� by God. The same Hebrew word is translated �just� in Genesis 6:9: �Noah was a just man.� The reason why Noah was seen as righteous and therefore as just, or justified before God, was that �Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD� (Genesis6:8). This is the first mention of �grace� in the Bible. The first mention of �faith� or �belief� is also associated with justification. �[Abraham] believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness� (Genesis15:6). Thus, justification is by grace through faith in the Old Testament and certainly in the New. �Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus� and also �being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord JesusChrist� (Romans3:24; 5:1). Justification�that is, being seen and proclaimed as perfectly righteous, even in spite of past sins�must of course be authorized by God the Creator. �It is God that justifieth� (Romans8:33). That God can indeed be both �just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus� (Romans3:26) is based entirely on the substitutionary death and bodily resurrection of Christ, who conquered death. �Being now justified by his blood,� the Lord Jesus Christ �was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification� (Romans5:9; 4:25). Now, although we are freely justified by grace through faith, such justification inevitably generates good works also, for �by works a man is justified, and not by faith only� (James2:24). HMM ------------------- The Hope of Peace Romans 15:4-13 Despite man's best efforts, the world's longing for peace remains unfulfilled. Each new generation has high hopes for reconciliation among people and nations but in the end faces disappointment. One day Christ will return and make everything right. Until then, believers are called to be His ambassadors of peace. However, becoming a Christian does not automatically change us into people who pursue kindness and unity. At times we're quick-tempered and impatient and find it hard to live in harmony with others. We may have trouble letting go of attitudes or habits that hurt those around us�and occasionally we don't even want to. God knows our true character and has providedthe Holy Spirit to transform us into Jesus' likeness. The Spirit opens our minds to understand and apply Scripture. He gives us the power to say no to ungodliness and to replace me-centered thinking with a Christ-centered viewpoint. He patiently produces His fruit in us, which includes love,joy, and peace (Gal. 5:22-23). With His help, we can become peacemakers who work to bring aboutreconciliation between God and others (Matt. 5:9). While our world keeps hoping for peace through man's solutions, we know the only source of lasting unity is Jesus Christ. The Lord wants our hearts to be ruled by His peace (Col. 3:15) and our relationships to be marked by a spirit of oneness. Howencouraged other people will be when they realize it's the transforming power of God in our lives that brings about reconciliation in our marriages, families, and churches. --------------------- A Test of Your Spiritual Character - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org And now the prize awaits me�the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but forall who eagerly look forward to his appearing. �2 Timothy 4:8 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-test-of-your-spiritual-character/Listen If your life were to end today, would you be able to say, like the apostle Paul, �I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful� (2Timothy 4:7 NLT)? It doesn�t mean that you�ve never made a mistake. Rather, it means that you kept with it. Would you be able to say, �When I fought this spiritual battle, I took on a few black eyes, but I kept fighting. I was knocked down, but I never was knocked out. I alwayscame back for more�? Would you be able to say, �When I ran this spiritual race, I stumbled a few times, but I got up again and ran even harder to catch up. I finished the course. I have guardedthe faith�? If you would be able to say that, then the promise Paul spoke of is for you as well: �And now the prize awaits me�the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteousJudge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing� (2 Timothy 4:8 NLT). In this verse Paul described those who are looking forward with great anticipation to the return of Jesus Christ. He was speaking of believers who are leading lives that arehonoring to God and right before Him. Are you looking forward to Christ�s appearing? Are you looking forward to the day when He returns? When you think about the fact that Christ could return at any moment, doesyour heart leap a little with excitement? Or does it sink with dread? It�s a good litmus test of your spiritual character, because if your life is right with God, you will welcome Christ�s return. --------------------- Fulfilling the Law �Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.� (Matthew 5:17) Christ makes this profound statement shortly after the famous beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus came to fulfill the predictions made about Him in the Old Testament Scriptures. He fulfilled the Mosaic law by becoming the ultimate sacrifice for sinas the Lamb of God. He fulfilled the moral requirement of the law by His perfect obedience, which we could never do, and His atoning blood paid the price for our sins. Thus, Isaiah�s words were fulfilled: �He will magnify the law, and make it honourable� (42:21). Another point to consider is that we should beware of diminishing the importance of the Old Testament. Let us never listen to those who bid us to throw it aside as obsolete, antiquated, or useless. Its teachings are foundational to Christianity. The apostlesquoted from it frequently, especially Paul in his epistles. The Old Testament saints saw many things through a glass darkly, but they all looked by faith to the same Savior. We should also beware of despising the law of the Ten Commandments or think that it has been set aside by the gospel and that Christians should move past it. If anything, Christ exalted the law and raised its authority by going deeper and addressing the attitudesof the heart that led to its violations. By it comes the knowledge of sin through which the Spirit shows our need of Christ. While the law cannot save, it does reveal the life that is pleasing to God. In our journey of Spirit-empowered sanctification, Paulstates, �Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law� (Romans 3:31). JPT ------------------------ IfSo Be �If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.� (1Peter 2:3) The phrase �if so be� (Greek ei per) is used four times in the New Testament, each time setting forth a vital spiritual result established on the basis of a vital spiritual premise. The premise in today�s verse is that a new Christian has truly experiencedthe saving grace of Christ. The result will be these �newborn babes� will truly �desire the sincere milk of the word� (1Peter 2:2). The �word� (Greek logikos) is always both pure and reasonable. Then, �ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you� (Romans8:9). When a person truly receives Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells his body, and the result is that he will henceforth live in the guidance of the Spirit instead of the flesh. But this life in the Spirit will necessarily entail suffering for the sake of Christ, and this is the premise that assures our future inheritance and glorification. The indwelling Spirit bears witness that we are �heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together� (Romans8:17). Finally, our future resurrection is assured by the certainty of the bodily resurrection of Christ. �We have testified of God,� Paul says, �that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not� (1Corinthians 15:15). Christ�s resurrection is proved as well as any historical fact has ever been proved, so the dead surely rise also. These �if so be�s� of Scripture, although seemingly expressed in the form of conditions, actually speak great assurances. The true Christian life is one of thirst for the logical words of God, guidance by the indwelling Spirit of God, certainty of future resurrection,and anticipation of a glorious inheritance in Christ. HMM -------------------------- The Great Barrier to Discipleship - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Then Jesus said to his disciples, �If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. �Matthew 16:24 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-great-barrier-to-discipleship/- Listen What does it mean to be a disciple? Are the qualifications of discipleship different from those of simply coming to faith? I think the answer to that question is yes. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus gave the unique call of discipleship: �If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me� (NLT). First, Jesus tells us that if we want to be His disciples, we must deny ourselves. This is a foundational issue. We hear a lot about the need for a positive self-image, self-worth, self-love, and self-esteem, even within the church. But does God want us to feel good about ourselves when we are living in sin? Should we have a positive self-image if we are disobeying Him? James 4:8�9 says, �Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy� (NLT). This obsession with self is not something unique to our generation. It goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden, where Satan appealed to Eve�s selfish nature (see Genesis3:1�6). Everyone has a choice in life. We can either live for ourselves or deny ourselves, ignore the cross or take it up, lose our souls or keep them. We can share His reward andglory or lose them. Or we can invest in our lives and ultimately find them. The great barrier to being a disciple of Jesus Christ is summed up in one word: self. If you want to be His disciple, you must deny yourself.