DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 8.26.23

WhatMakes God Happy - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org So don�t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom �Luke 12:32 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/what-makes-god-happy/- Listen Sometimes when we look back on our lives, we might think, �If I would have known then what I know now, I would have done things differently to have a better life.� When you get down to it, that is what we all want: a better life. In John 10, Jesus tells us what life ought to be about and essentially reveals the meaning of our lives. He said, �The thief�s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. Mypurpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life� (verse 10 NLT). Often the Bible will contrast two things to teach us a certain principle. For example, in Matthew 7 Jesus spoke about the narrow way that leads to life and the broad way thatleads to destruction (see verses 13�14). And in the same chapter, Jesus contrasted the wise man who built his house on the rock with the foolish man who built his house on the sand (see verses 24�27). When we read these passages, we need to look at the contrast, at the choices that life presents. Here in John 10, Jesus contrasts two options for life. He was saying, �Hereis the devil�s plan. And here�s My plan.� The devil�s plan is to steal, kill, and destroy. On the other hand, Jesus has come to give us a rich and satisfying life. Why does He want to do this for us? He gives us the answer in the next verse: �I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep� (John 10:11 NLT). The word �good� that Jesus used is full of meaning here. It not only means good in a moral sense, but it also could be translated �beautiful,� �winsome,� �lovely,� and �attractive.� Therefore, Jesus is our beautiful, attractive, winsome, lovely Shepherd. And the Shepherd�s purpose for us is that we would flourish. ----------------------------------- UngodlyLifestyles “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.” (2 Timothy3:2-4) The warning in the previous verse to our text for today insists that “perilous times” will characterize the last days. This list describes the types of people who will dominate the last days, and it’s frightful. The “self love” of these people is demonstrated by internal motivations driven by the sin nature. Such people will be “covetous”; the Greek term means “fond of silver.” They will also be “boasters” (braggarts) who revel in their sinful behavior. That boastingis driven by a “proud” spirit that is arrogant, willing to show off gaudy ostentations of their conquests. Such behavior, of course, leads them to be “blasphemers,” speaking evil with low, vulgar taunts designed to be injurious. Part of this list includes Greek words with an “un” prefix. There are those who are un-persuadable by parents, obstinate, stubborn, and inflexible. Many are un-thankful, without grace, thanks, or any pleasantry. All are un-holy, without the nature to be just or moral. Some are un-affectionate, without a natural love for family or friends. There are also those who are un-reconcilable, not able to make or keep a promise. Finally, there will be those who are diabolos (like the devil). They are slanderous liars, “incontinent” (without self control), savage “despisers” who are opposed to “those who are good.” They will be treacherous, rash, and “high minded” people whoare “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.” But, “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1John 4:4). HMM III ---------------------- PerilousTimes “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” (2Timothy 3:1) There has always been some confusion about the biblical term “the last days.” Many times the phrase is associated with the Great Tribulation period. Some commentaries appear to relate the era to the final days just before the Lord returns to put an end to theuniverse. It does appear, however, that the “last days” began officially at Pentecost when the prophecy of Joel 2:28-29 was fulfilled and verified by Peter in his sermon recorded in Acts 2:14-21. That same Peter reaffirmed that the Lord Jesus “was manifest in these last times for you” (1Peter 1:20). And, just so there could not be any doubt, the apostle John said simply, “Little children, it is the last time” (1John 2:18). Paul’s warning to Timothy was that these last days will be filled with “perilous times.” The Greek term translated “perilous” is chalepos. Its basic meaning is “stress” or “fierce,” coming from a root word meaning to “reduce strength.” Other Bible versions translate the term as “dangerous” or “difficult” times. The word could well be understood as “strength-sapping pressure.” The “times” that will be perilous are “seasons” or “periods” that will characterize these “last days.” The verses that follow our text contain a list of the kinds of “peril” that will “stress” those who would live godly lives. This warning is not unique. “Nowthe Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1Timothy 4:1). No wonder we are told: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2Timothy 3:12). HMM III ----------------- TheTruth in Us “For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.” (2John 1:2) The word “truth” occurs more in the gospel of John than in any other book of the New Testament, and it occurs in the first epistle of John more than in any other book except John’s gospel. Then, it occurs more in John’s two one-chapter epistles (2 and 3 John)than in any other New Testament book save John and 1 John. Surely one of the great themes in John’s writings is truth! God is, indeed, the God of truth, and His written Word is “the scripture of truth” (Daniel 10:21). “For the word of the LORD is right; and all his worksare done in truth” (Psalm 33:4). The Lord Jesus Christ is, in fact, the very incarnation of truth. “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” He asserted(John 14:6). Surely truth dwells forever in Christ, for He is Himself the Creator and is thereby the very definition of truth. But how can it be that truth dwells in us and shall be with us forever? This is certainly not the case with the natural man. It can only be by the Holy Spirit, of course, and this is what Christ—who is the truth—has promised. “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive,because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:16-17). That being so, with the Holy Spirit of truth indwelling us forever, our words, and deeds, and our very lives should be characterized by truth and complete consistency. “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor” (Ephesians4:25). “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth” (1 John1:6). HMM -------------------- TheLiving Word “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.” (Revelation19:13) This uniquely expressive name assigned to Christ, as He returns to Earth in glory, is used also by John in his gospel (John 1:1, 14) and in his epistle (1John 1:1), referring both to His primeval work of creation and also to His human incarnation. It’s well known that “Word” here is the Greek logos. Six times it’s applied by John as a name or title of the Son of God (three times in John 1:1), the second Person of the Trinity. Actually, John used it seven times, assuming that the disputed verse 1 John 5:7 (“the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost”) is really a part of the inspired text. The Greek word logos is a remarkable word, adaptable to many meanings. It is translated in the King James New Testament by about 30 other words (“speech,” “saying,” “reason,” etc.). The lexicons add still other meanings, and some of the Greek philosophersused it to describe the intelligence behind the universe. As used by John, it becomes much more specific. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The Jehovah’sWitnesses, rejecting the deity of Christ, like to translate this as “the Word was a god,” but all knowledgeable Greek scholars agree that the King James rendering is correct. Then, says John, “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...full of grace andtruth” (John 1:14). Even though “no man hath seen God at any time” (John1:18), He has become knowable through His Son who has “declared him.” Consequently, John also can declare Him to others. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes...and our hands have handled, of the Wordof life;...That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us” (1 John 1:1, 3). HMM ------------------------ God�sUnending Favor - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. �1 Timothy 6:6 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/gods-unending-favor/- Listen Without question there is more joy in the Christian life than in any other life. Jesus said, �Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief�s purpose is to steal andkill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life� (John 10:9�10 NLT). But the rich and satisfying life that Jesus spoke of consists of more than mere happiness. And it isn�t necessarily a long life, though it may be. Nor is it a life that isfree from sorrow, heartache, and tragedy, because even Christians experience all of that. Some people have the idea that Christians are supposed to be constantly smiling and laughing. But that isn�t the abundant life. There are times to laugh, of course, but thereare also times to mourn (see Ecclesiastes 3:1�8). The life that Jesus wants to give us is the contented life. And this contentment comes from the knowledge that the Good Shepherd is always looking out for our best interests.It is His great joy. The psalmist David wrote, �The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength� (Psalm23:1�3 NLT). Have you ever gone to the beach and watched the constant crashing of the waves on the shore? It goes on all day and all night. Granted, some waves are better than others,as surfers would attest. But the waves keep coming and never stop. That is a picture of the rich and satisfying life Jesus spoke of. It�s a life in which we�re content knowing that God�s grace is more than sufficient for our needs, that nothingcan suppress it, and that God�s favor toward us is unending. ------------------------------- ThouHast Rejected Knowledge �My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also rejectthee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.� (Hosea 4:6) This lament over the ancient apostasy of Israel embodies an agelong principle that surely applies to those nations today that once professed Christianity but are now dominated by humanism. Our own nation is experiencing an awful scourge of moral anarchy amongour children and young people, and the reason why is because their parents and grandparents have largely �forgotten the law of thy God.� America�particularly its intellectual leadership�has �rejected knowledge,� so its people are being �destroyed for lack of knowledge.� This ignorance exists despite an abundance of supposed actual knowledge (i.e., �science�) in our educational institutions,for such facts are almost universally taught in a secular context. Our teachers have forgotten that �the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge� (Proverbs1:7). Even in evangelical and fundamentalist churches and schools today, there�s often too little emphasis on knowledge and too much on experience. Christian faith is not �feeling�; it�s volitional commitment to a true intellectual understanding of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. �Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish,� saidChrist (Luke 13:5). The Greek word for �repent� means �change your mind!� One can only believe right if he first thinks right, and this requires true knowledge. Listen again to Hosea�s warning: �The LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy [i.e., kindness], nor knowledge of God in the land� (Hosea4:1). �They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind� (Hosea 8:7). HMM -------------------------- Understandingthe Word of God �So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understandthe reading.� (Nehemiah8:8) Most people�even most Christians�devote very little time to the Scriptures, complaining that they are either too hard to understand or too uninteresting. Yet, when Ezra read �the book of the law of Moses� to the whole congregation of Israel, he read �from themorning until midday,� even �one fourth part of the day,� and �all the people stood up� as he read (Nehemiah8:1, 3, 5; 9:3). Such a scenario is almost impossible to imagine today. Ezra�s congregation evidently understood what he was reading and found it of vital interest. �For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law� (Nehemiah8:9). For �another fourth part [of the day] they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God� (Nehemiah9:3). Yet, all they had were the books of the Pentateuch! How much more concerned we should be, and how much better we should understand, when we have the entire Bible. Note that Ezra and his colleagues simply read the Scriptures and gave a straightforward exegesis. That was enough to enable the people to understand, and this brought repentance, confession, and worship. No emotional appeals, no gimmicks, no technology, justthe Scriptures�taken naturally and literally. The Scriptures are not hard to understand�just hard to believe, and even harder to obey. Like any book, the Bible is intended to be understood, and its author�the Holy Spirit�was able to say what He meant. The secret is in the attitude of heart with which oneapproaches it. �O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day....Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way� (Psalm119:97, 104). HMM ---------------------- SpiritualGrowth Is a Choice - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. �Philippians 2:12 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/spiritual-growth-is-a-choice/- Listen Why do some Christians succeed spiritually when others fail? It�s because of the choices they make. Some don�t want to go forward spiritually, so they don�t. Others do wantto go forward spiritually, so they do. This doesn�t come down to just one choice. Rather, it�s a matter of hundreds of choices that we make over time. The apostle Peter reminds us, �By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the onewho called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence� (2 Peter 1:3 NLT). We have everything we need to grow. So, if we want to grow, we will. And if we don�t want to grow, we won�t. This doesn�t mean that we�re living the Christian life through human effort. Rather, it�s God working through us. But we do need to yield to Him. There is God�s part, andthere is our part. God will transform us and help us. But we need to call on Him. Paul summarized it this way: �Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire andthe power to do what pleases him� (Philippians 2:12�13 NLT). Salvation is not a result of human effort, and none of us are saved by works. However, we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit, who wants to transform us. The end game is to be a fruitful Christian. And that, by the way, is why we�re here on this earth. Jesus said, �You didn�t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go andproduce lasting fruit� (John 15:16 NLT). And how do we produce lasting fruit? By sinking our roots deeply into Jesus Christ. ------------------------------ Off and Running - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. �Philippians 3:14 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/off-and-running/- Listen Are you satisfied with where you are in your spiritual growth? We need to remember that the good is often the enemy of the best. For example, some people give up after they�ve tried to lose weight and get in shape. They think, �I�m already overweight. I might as well be more overweight.� They stop exercisingand trying to control their food intake. They say, �Just forget it. There�s nothing I can do.� We can have the same attitude toward spiritual growth. We might tell ourselves that we�re not as spiritual as we ought to be, but there are a lot of people who are even worsethan we are. Even so, do we really want that as our standard of measure? Why not say, �I want to grow even more�? The apostle Paul summed it up perfectly when he wrote, �I don�t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I presson to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me� (Philippians 3:12 NLT). Or, as The Message puts it, �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 reachedout for me. . . . I�ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward�to Jesus. I�m off and running, and I�m not turning back� (verses 12�14). We want to make Jesus Christ our focus�not a person, not a pastor, and not a church. The Bible tells us, �For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have�JesusChrist� (1 Corinthians 3:11 NLT). Jesus is the only foundation that will sustain us as Christians. So let�s build our lives on Jesus Christ. ---------------------------- Delusionfrom God �And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.� (2Thessalonians 2:11) This is a startling declaration! Why would God want to deceive people and cause them to believe a lie? The �cause� that would activate such an extreme decision on God�s part must be very serious. The preceding verse states it plainly. It is �because they receivednot the love of the truth, that they might be saved� (2 Thessalonians 2:10). Because they �resist the truth� (2Timothy 3:8), they will �believe the lie�! The specific context refers to those who elect to follow the coming �man of sin,� but the principle is timeless. It tells us that God�s attitude toward men is determined by their love of the truth rather than by their knowledge of the truth. When people loveGod�s truth, there�s no limit to the amount of truth and blessing they may receive from God. Note the attitude of the writer of Psalm 119: �How sweet are thy words unto my taste!� �Thy testimonies...are the rejoicing of my heart.� �I love thy commandmentsabove gold.� �Thy law is my delight� (Psalm 119:103, 111, 127, 174). But when people begin to exhibit a disdain for God�s truth, there may soon come a time in their lives when they find it impossible even to comprehend the all-important truth of God�s saving gospel (creation, salvation, and reconciliation through Christ). Because they refused the love of His truth when it would have been easy to believe, a blindness gradually engulfs their minds until they love the deceptive philosophies of the world, and they never escape the strong delusion that God has allowed to engulf them.Henceforth, though they are �ever learning,� they are �never able to come to the knowledge of the truth� (2 Timothy 3:7). How important it is, as earlyin life as possible, to receive from God His proffered gift of the love of His truth! HMM ----------------------- Impact Without Compromise - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org You are the light of the world�like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. �Matthew 5:14 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/impact-without-compromise/- Listen Years ago, I arrived home during one of California�s rolling blackouts. All the power was gone. The Internet was down. Even the streetlights were off. There was no light anywhere. However, I did have my cell phone, which had a low battery. Still, there was a little light emanating from it, and I was able to use it to find my way around. And I discoveredthat a little light goes a long way. We live in a very dark time culturally, and a little light will go a long way. We have an entire generation of young people who seem to be adrift morally and spiritually.That is why the world so desperately needs the gospel. The Bible clearly teaches that our culture will grow darker. It isn�t going to get better; it�s going to get worse. Even though humanity has increased in scientific, medical,historical, educational, psychological, and technological knowledge to an astounding degree, we have not changed our basic nature. Our confidence has increased, but our peace of mind has diminished. Our accomplishments have increased, but our sense of purpose and meaning have all but disappeared. Insteadof improving the moral and spiritual quality of our lives, our discoveries and accomplishments have simply provided new ways to show ourselves for what we really are: depraved, sinful, and wicked. The spiral is downward, not upward. As Christians, we might be tempted to withdraw to our own subculture. But that is not what we�re supposed to do. The objective of believers is not to isolate but to infiltrate.It is not to evade but to invade. Jesus said, �You are the light of the world�like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden� (Matthew 5:14 NLT). We need to impact our culture without being compromised byit.