DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 3.16.24

 TheEverlasting Gospel “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them thatdwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Revelation14:6-7) When the Lord Jesus returned to heaven after His resurrection, He left the disciples with the Great Commission to “preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark16:15). Unfortunately, over the centuries there has developed much misunderstanding concerning the content of the gospel (“good tidings”), and many have preached “another gospel” (Galatians1:6) that can never save. This false gospel wears many faces, but inevitably, at its heart will be found the false hope of evolutionary humanism, glorifying man instead of God, worshipping and serving the creature more than the Creator (Romans1:25). We can be sure that the gospel preached in our text is the true gospel—in fact, it is called specifically the everlasting gospel! And its great burden is to call people everywhere back to faith in the one true Creator God, who made all things in heaven andEarth. The Lord Jesus Christ must be accepted, first of all, as God and Creator before it can be meaningful to present Him as Savior and Lord. Otherwise, we preach “another gospel” and “another Jesus”—neither of which are even real! The true gospel must also present Christ as the sin-bearing, crucified, resurrected Savior (1Corinthians 15:1-4) and as the coming King of kings and Lord of lords (Matthew4:23; Revelation 19:16). But it must first present Him as omnipotent and offended Creator. Then only, like the angel, do we truly proclaim the everlasting gospel. HMM -------------------- Glorifiedin the Saints “And they glorified God in me.” (Galatians1:24) It is amazing to read in the Scriptures that the God of glory can actually receive yet more glory through His people. But that is what happened in Paul. When he became a Christian, his life changed completely, and those who saw the change glorified God in Paul. Jesus prayed that this would be so, not only in Paul but in all His followers. In the upper room before His crucifixion, He prayed: “I pray for them...which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorifiedin them” (John17:9-10). He is glorified when we, like Paul, become His. But then He is further glorified as we grow in Him. Paul himself prayed for those whom he had seen come to Christ: “Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, andfulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him” (2Thessalonians 1:11-12). Finally, He shall be glorified when He comes again. “When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven...he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe” (2Thessalonians 1:7-10). As we give glory to Christ in word and deed, He truly was, and is, and will be glorified in His saints. This is a privilege greater than can be measured that more than compensates for any opposition this generates from the world. “If ye be reproached for thename of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified” (1Peter 4:14). Therefore, “let your light so shine before men, that they may...glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew5:16). HMM ------------------------- SettingUp an Ebenezer “Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name Ebenezer, saying, Hithertohath the LORD helped us.” (1Samuel 7:12) Many Christians have joined in the singing of a familiar verse in an old hymn without knowing its great meaning: “Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I’ve come.” When the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines, the old priest, Eli, andhis sons, Hophni and Phinehas, all died the same day, as did Phinehas’ wife in childbirth. It was a tragic day for Israel. But then the people returned to God under Samuel, and 20 years later the Lord gave them a miraculous victory over the superior armies of the Philistines. In commemoration of this deliverance, Samuel set up a stone monument in the same place where the Philistineshad captured the Ark 20 years before, calling the stone “Ebenezer,” a name that was always associated thereafter with the site (1Samuel 4:1; 5:1). Now “Ebenezer” means “Stone of Help,” and seeing it would always remind the people, whenever they might later come to fear the circumstances around them, that God had been their “help in ages past” and thus could be trusted as their “hope for years to come.” Only God is truly able to help in times of great need, but He is able! “From whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth” (Psalm121:1-2). It is well to remember those times in our own lives when God has helped us in some special way. We forget so easily, and the sin of ingratitude is cited by God as one of the first harbingers of imminent apostasy (note especially Romans 1:21). A physical token can help us remember, but whatever it takes—remember! God will hear and answer our prayers for future help, too, but “with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians4:6). HMM ---------------------- IsAnger Ever Justified? - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org And �don�t sin by letting anger control you.� Don�t let the sun go down while you are still angry. �Ephesians 4:26 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/is-anger-ever-justified/- Listen The Bible clearly teaches that God is a triune being. He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Yet, it�s difficult for many of us to grasp such a conceptbecause there�s no real parallel we can point to. Whatever analogy we try to use ultimately breaks down. For the most part, we can wrap our minds around the idea of God the Father and God the Son. However, God the Holy Spirit is a little tough for us. Yet the Bible teaches thatthe Holy Spirit has a distinct personality. In fact, Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit as a He, not as an it. For example, in John 16:8, Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, �And when he comes, he will convict the world of itssin, and of God�s righteousness, and of the coming judgment� (NLT). This is evidenced by the fact that we are capable of quenching, resisting, blaspheming, lying to, and grieving the Holy Spirit. One of the various ways we can grieve the Holy Spirit is by acting out in unjustified anger. The apostle Paul warned the Christians in Ephesus, �And �don�t sin by lettinganger control you� � (Ephesians 4:26 NLT). There is a difference between unjustified anger and righteous indignation. Jesus, for instance, showed anger. But let�s not misunderstand. When God is angry, His anger isnot like ours. When we are upset, we might throw a tantrum. Can you imagine God doing that? I�m so glad that God doesn�t give in to the same things that we would. He isn�t capable of it. It isn�t in His nature. So, when God does show anger, His anger is always righteous. It is there for a purpose. Jesus felt anger toward the Pharisees who misrepresented God to the people. He wasangry with the money changers in the temple, so he overturned their tables and drove them out using a whip. Of course, there are things we should be righteously indignant about as well. We should be angry when we see our country in a downward spiral, both morally and spiritually.And we should be angry enough to vote for the right policies and the right candidates. We should be angry when we see too much compromise in the church, thus making our witness ineffective. And we should be angry when we see marriages and families falling apart.This is what we would call righteous indignation. But then there is unjustified anger in which we lose our temper, say something unkind, or do things that are outright wrong. And when we sin in anger, we need to apologizeto the person or people we have offended. Paul went on to say, �Don�t let the sun go down while you are still angry� (verse 26 NLT). If you�re married, you should never go to bed when you�re angry with your husbandor wife because you don�t want that anger to turn into bitterness. We need to learn how to disagree�even argue�and then forgive. --------------------------------- Adopted, Welcomed, Loved - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. �Romans8:5 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/adopted-welcomed-loved/- Listen God wants His Spirit to permeate every area of your life: your thought life, your relationships, your work, and everything that you do. The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, �Don�t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit� (Ephesians 5:18 NLT).Another translation of the word �filled� speaks of the wind filling the sails of a boat. Imagine being out on a lake, bobbing around in a sailboat without any wind. But then a gust comes along, you hoist your sail, and you pick up speed. In the same way, how muchbetter our lives are when we let the Holy Spirit fill our sails and give us the strength to live the life God calls us to live. This isn�t about trying harder. It�s about asking God to help us because we can�t do it on our own. This is not works-based righteousness; it�s working righteousness. If youdon�t want to go backward, then go forward. The best way not to walk in the flesh is to walk in the Spirit and take practical steps to do that every day. As believers, we should start each day by asking God to fillus with the Holy Spirit. Spirit-led people are spiritually-minded people. Romans 8:5 tells us, �Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlledby the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit� (NLT). In other words, be preoccupied with things that preoccupy the Holy Spirit. And what are those things? The rest of Romans 8 answers that question. For instance, verse 14 says, �For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God� (NLT). Verses 15�16 tell us that God removes the fear of rejection and assures us that we are His children. Also, verses 26�27 tell us that the Holy Spirit gives us confidence to approach God in prayer. Therefore, God wants us to think about the fact that He adopted us, He lovesus, and He welcomes us. As a child of God, you�re adopted. I got my last name, Laurie, from a man named Oscar Laurie, one of my mother�s many husbands. He adopted me and treated me as his son. He�sin Heaven now, but I still feel a great love for him. God loves you, and He welcomes you in prayer. This is important when you�re going through something that causes you to worry. Remember, you�re God�s adopted child. He welcomesyou. He wants to hear from you. He wants you to think about Him. That is what it means to be spiritually-minded and have the Holy Spirit dominate your mind. In contrast, when the sinful nature dominates us, we �think about sinful things� (Romans 8:5). A lot can fall into this category, including lust, anger, and hatred. But italso can include empty things such as fame and fortune. Let�s fill our minds with the things of God. --------------------- TheEssence of Sin �Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said untothe woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?� (Genesis3:1) The first entrance of sin into the world was Satan�s subtle suggestion to Eve that God�s word might not be true and authoritative after all. Then came Satan�s blatant �Ye shall not surely die� (v. 4), openly charging the Creator with falsehood. Ever since thattime, the basic root of every sin has been unbelief�the implicit denial of the Creator�s Word. Therefore, God�s judgment on human sin will be in relation to His Word. Jesus said: �There is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me� (John5:45-46). He also said: �He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day� (John12:48). In principle, the Lord Jesus tells us that both the Old Testament (�the law of Moses�) and New Testament (�the law of Christ�) will be witnesses against us at God�s judgment throne. In fact, at the final judgment, the �books� are specifically said to be the basis of God�s condemnation of the unsaved: �And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened...and the dead were judged out of those things which werewritten in the books, according to their works� (Revelation20:12). These books surely include the books of the Bible, wherein are written the laws of God, against which men and women are to be judged. Since even one transgression makes one guilty (James2:10), none could ever stand at the judgment by his own works. But since unbelief is the essence of sin, faith in God�s Word and in the person and work of the Savior revealed in God�s Word brings forgiveness, salvation, and righteousness. HMM ----------------------- Prayer As a Lifestyle - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. �Psalm 4:1 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/prayer-as-a-lifestyle/- Listen Have you ever thought there was no future for you, that it was just too late? If so, then you need to know more about the power of God and what can take place through prayer. One thing that certainly stands out in the pages of Scripture is that prayer can dramatically change situations, people, and, on occasion, even the course of nature itself.But what prayer changes the most is us. God will allow hardship and difficulties in our lives so that He can reveal Himself and put His power and glory on display for those who are watching. When we pray, we�reacknowledging our need for God�s help. Maybe that is why we don�t pray as much as we ought to. Prayer is an admission of weakness on our part, and some people don�t like to admit weakness. However, we�re foolish if we think we don�t need God. The psalmist was being honest with God when he prayed, �Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Get up! Do not reject us forever. . . . Rise up! Help us! Ransom us because of yourunfailing love� (Psalm 44:23, 26 NLT). It isn�t always a bad thing to complain to God or to bring your concerns, your questions, your pain, and your sadness to Him. We repeatedly read in the Gospels that Jesus prayed, and He prayed a lot. He would spend the night in prayer, and He would rise early while the disciples were still sleepingand pray. As Jesus hung on the cross, He cried out, �My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?� (Matthew 27:46 NLT). Jesus wasn�t having a crisis of faith, as some have suggested.It was the opposite. As He was dying for the sins of the world, He simply was describing the moment when God the Father turned His holy face away and poured the sins of all humanity upon Christ, who never committed a single sin. Jesus was crying out to the Father, and we can do the same when we�re in pain. We should get into a habit of prayer. We tend to make prayer a very formal matter, and we become hung up on that. But when a burden hits us, we should pray right then. Whensomething troubles us or concerns us, we should turn it into a prayer right away. We need to develop a lifestyle of prayer. Philippians 4 reminds us, �Don�t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then, you will experienceGod�s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus� (verses 6�7 NLT). What do you do with your heartache? Pray. Commit it to the Lord. Cry out to God in your sorrow and pain. Call on God for His provision, protection, and guidance. And givethanks to Him for your joys. ---------------------------------- TheProvision of God �But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.� (Philippians4:19) Psalm 136 gives three key examples of God�s sovereign provision. He protects and shelters during our times in the �wilderness.� He makes possible victories over great �enemies.� And He gives �food to all flesh.� God�s detailed provision and the many examplesthereof in the Scriptures are inexhaustible. Yet, in these three areas, we may find hope for any situation �in time of need� (Hebrews4:16). Our �wanderings� are compared to hard-hearted Israel (1Corinthians 10) and the many physical and spiritual sins of a people in rebellion against God�s control in their lives. Jesus warned that the �cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things� would �choke the word� andmake us unfruitful (Mark4:19). Yet, even though we may be like the younger son in the story of the prodigal (Luke15:11-32) and would waste our �substance in riotous living,� God was still the Provider of the inheritance that was wasted. God was still waiting for the son to �come to himself� and return home. God still has compassion, and He forgives and restores tofellowship all who come home. And were it not for the promises of deliverance from our enemies that are so replete throughout the Scriptures, were it not for the hope that we would see deliverance �in the land of the living� (Psalm27:13), and were it not for the confident knowledge that �evildoers shall be cut off� (Psalm37:9), we would be in constant fear and torment. God promises to bring us victory! We are told that He will fight for us, and that we are not left to our own devices! Jesus said, �All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth....and, lo, I am withyou always, even unto the end of the world. Amen� (Matthew28:18-20). HMM III ----------------------------- Complete Access - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God�s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, �Abba, Father.� �Romans 8:15 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/complete-access/- Listen Years ago when I was first getting to know Billy Graham, I addressed him as �Dr. Graham.� But he said, �Don�t call me Dr. Graham. Call me Billy.� That was hard for me to do. It felt too personal. But I finally got around to calling him Billy. His children, though, had a more intimate name for him: Daddy. And his grandchildrencalled him Daddy Bill. Only his children and grandchildren had the right to address him that way. It was because of their relationship with him. As followers of Jesus Christ, we have a relationship with the Creator of the universe. And we have complete access to Him through prayer. We are God�s children, and He loves us. He wants to hear from us. He wants to talk to us and spend time with us. It�s never a drudgery; it�s always a delight. And the sameshould be true for us when we spend time with Him. We know from the Scriptures that He is a good Father. For instance, in the story of the Prodigal Son, Jesus presented God the Father as a dad who missed his wayward son andlonged for his return. Then, when his son made his way back home, he ran to him and threw his arms around him. He said, �We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found� (Luke 15:23�24 NLT). This is your Fatherin Heaven. He�s a father who always will be there, a father who listens, a father who loves you. In addition, Jesus said, �Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!� (John 14:9 NLT). Therefore, if you want to know what the Father in Heaven is like, then look at Jesus. Jesus was approachable. Little children were drawn to Him, and He blessed them. Tears streamed down His face as He stood at the grave of His friend Lazarus. In the upper room,He got down on His hands and knees and washed the feet of His disciples, including the feet of Judas Iscariot. Maybe you�re thinking, �He�s the Father in Heaven, but Heaven is so far away. I need someone on earth.� God is omnipresent, which means that He is present everywhere. And is Heaven really that far away? Perhaps, in a sense, it is. But in another sense, Heaven is closer thanwe may realize. Heaven is another dimension. It�s a supernatural realm. Thus, for the Father in Heaven to step into our world is nothing to Him. Remember, when Jesus was teaching the disciples to pray, He began His model prayer by saying, �OurFather in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven� (Matthew 6:9�10 NLT). God is deeply involved in and deeply concerned about what you�re facing right now. If it concerns you, then it concerns Him.