DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 7.20.24

ThyWord Is Settled Forever �For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.� (Psalm119:89) This is the central verse in the longest chapter in the longest book in the Bible, and it is surely one of the greatest verses in the Bible. It conveys the amazing news that the Word of God (which is the theme of the entire 119th Psalm) has existed from eternitypast and will continue to exist forever in the future. It was eternally settled in the mind of God before the world was created, then gradually inscripturated �at sundry times and in divers manners [as God] spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets� (Hebrews 1:1). Other verses in this psalm likewise stress the eternal validity of God�s words: �The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting....Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever....Thy word is true from the beginning:and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever� (Psalm 119:144, 152, 160). In the book of Isaiah appears a magnificent claim: �The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever� (Isaiah 40:8).This contrast is expanded by the apostle Peter: �Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever� (1Peter 1:23). To guarantee this great truth beyond any further question, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself made the following tremendous claim: �Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away� (Matthew24:35). �Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled� (Matthew 5:18). The entire physical universe is literally �passing away,� heading inexorably downhill toward ultimate death�with one exception! The words of our Bible and its glorious promises are eternal and immutable. HMM ----------------------- BeTruly Converted “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshingshall come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts3:19) To be “converted” can mean many things. The Greek word simply means to “turn” or “change directions.” Christian conversion, however, refers to turning away from the whole world system and turning to God through Christ. Similarly, to “repent” in the Greek essentiallymeans to “think differently” and, in a Christian context, to change one’s whole thought process from worldly reasoning to spiritual, centered in Christ and the Scriptures. Genuine Christian repentance and conversion result in having one’s “sins...blotted out” and thus true “times of refreshing” from the Lord. But without real repentance and conversion, there is no salvation. Jesus said: “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke13:3, 5), and He also said: “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew18:3). There are, sad to say, multitudes of men and women who think they are Christians but are not. This is evidenced by the lack of real change in their thinking and living from the beliefs and practices of the world. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2Corinthians 5:17). Christ Himself has warned that “many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,...And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you” (Matthew7:22-23). Therefore, it behooves all who profess Christ to seriously review their personal belief and behavior in terms of their conformity to the world of men or to the Word of God. As Paul exhorted: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; proveyour own selves” (2Corinthians 13:5). HMM ----------------------- TheTrue Charisma “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalmsand hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians3:16) One of the words that has come into wide use (actually misuse) is the word “charisma,” along with its derivative “charismatic.” We speak of a politician as having charisma or a charismatic personality, for example. Another common use of “charismatic” refersto those who practice speaking in tongues. But these are not the true meanings of these words, at least not in terms of their original usage. This latter usage in particular comes from the inclusion of tongues as one of the “gifts” of the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 12:1, 28). The Greek word is charisma. It does not mean “tongues,” and neither does it mean an outgoing and articulate manner. It simply means “gift,” or better, “free gift.” A classic example is Romans 6:23: “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Charisma, in turn, comes from charis, which means “grace” and is usually so translated. For example, in the words of our text, if the “word of Christ dwell[s] in us richly,” we shall be “singing with grace in [our] hearts.” Furthermore, justa few verses further on we are admonished to “let your speech be always with grace” (Colossians4:6). Then Paul concludes the Colossian epistle with: “Grace be with you. Amen” (v. 18). Thus, true grace in our hearts will produce grace in our speech, and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ will always be with us! This is the true charisma! A truly charismatic person is a gracious person—one to whom “God is able to make all grace abound” so that he or she, “always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2Corinthians 9:8). HMM ------------------------- Kingof Tyre “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thousealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” (Ezekiel28:12) This prophecy against the King of Tyre is very similar to the prophecy given over a century earlier against the King of Babylon (Isaiah14:3-28). Both are ostensibly addressed to earthly kings, yet both are impossible to apply to any mere human monarch. In both instances, it becomes obvious that an evil spirit—in fact, none other than Satan himself—had possessed the bodies of these kings.Thus, God, through Ezekiel, is here speaking primarily to Satan. Satan had been “full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty,” but he became proud instead of thankful. “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground” (Ezekiel28:17). He had been “the anointed cherub” on “the holy mountain of God” (v. 14), the highest of all the mighty cherubim, covering the very throne of God. But “thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I willdestroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire” (v. 16). Satan, the covering cherub, had been “created” (v. 13), but he was not content to serve his Creator. When he sinned—desiring God’s throne for himself (Isaiah14:13)—God cast him out, saying, “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created, till iniquity was found in thee” (Ezekiel28:15). Yet, he still refuses to acknowledge God and has since persuaded multitudes of men and women to assume that they, too, can be “as gods” (Genesis3:5). This belief can only—if they persist—result in their eternal ruin. HMM --------------------- GodlessReligion “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2Timothy 3:5) Included in Paul’s graphic description of the “perilous” characteristics of the “last days” (not the church age, since the prophesied last days were still future when he wrote of them in his last epistle, 2 Timothy 3:1-3) is this warning concerning the religious leaders of the last days. They would observe the outward form (church buildings, sacraments, religious services, etc.) of “godliness” (that is, “religion”) but would reject its supernatural aspects.They would desire the trappings of religious professionalism since they would be “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” (v. 4). Such specifications aptly describe the modern world of scientism and liberal theology, which pervades practically all religious denominations and overlaps with all kinds of liberal social movements (women’s liberation, gay rights, “New Age” pantheism, and others).Although these are widely diverse in structure and purpose, they all share one vital feature in common: they reject supernatural Christianity, especially literal creationism. Many liberal preachers give nominal allegiance to the teachings of Christ and theBible, but they invariably deny the mighty power of God in special creation as well as the great worldwide miracles of the Bible—the Flood, the dispersion, etc. This prophecy is not given in Scripture simply as a matter of information. It contains a warning urgently needed by Bible-believing Christians who are under pressure today to compromise with humanistic liberals on this great doctrine of God’s creative power.Many have accepted the evolutionary system of “ages geology,” and this is tragic and dangerous. Instead of compromising with evolutionary naturalists and religious liberals, as many evangelicals today are inclined to do, Paul warns: “From such turn away”! HMM ------------------- WonderfulThings to Come “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, thethings which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9) This fantastic promise refers back to another great promise given by God to His people: “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waitethfor him” (Isaiah 64:4). The Old Testament promise applied primarily to the nation of Israel, but its New Testament extension incorporates it in a global promise to all who love the Lord of glory, “crucified” by “the princes of this world” (1 Corinthians 2:8), the One who was also the Savior of the world. Comparison of the two prophetic promises yields three vital truths. First, these things that God has prepared for His loved ones have been in view “since the beginning of the world” and have been revealed in part by the prophets, who have been speaking also “since the world began” (Luke 1:70). Second, those who “wait for him” in the Old Testament are synonymous with those who “love him” in the New. The apostle Paul joins both themes together when he says: “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness ...and not to me only, but untoall them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). Finally, we cannot even begin to comprehend the glorious things God has prepared for those who love Him and wait for Him. In some measure, the Spirit later revealed them in part through John’s eyes and ears when he saw “the holy city, new Jerusalem, comingdown from God out of heaven” and heard “a great voice out of heaven saying...God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Revelation 21:2-3). Thenour eyes shall fully see, and our ears hear, and our hearts understand the fullness of God’s love in Christ. HMM ------------------------ Choosingthe Ordinary - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. �1 Corinthians 1:28 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/choosing-the-ordinary/- Listen When we think of the people God raised up to touch the world, the great apostles whom He used to start the church, we tend to see them in stained glass. And though God powerfully used them,they weren�t superhuman. They were ordinary men whom God used to touch their world. So, what kind of qualities does God look for in the person that He would use? What kind of person is He searching for? Does the Spirit of God look for different timber, if you will? One thing is clear in Scripture: It seems as though God intentionally goes out of His way to find individuals who didn�t necessarily look like they would amount to much. He chose people who,at first glance, didn�t appear to even have what it took. When God was looking for someone to lead the nation of Israel, He selected a shepherd boy named David. When God wanted someone to lead an army to defeat the enemies of Israel, the Midianites,God chose a cowardly man named Gideon who couldn�t even muster the courage to show himself publicly. Writing to the church in Corinth, the apostle Paul said, �Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world�s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead,God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful� (1 Corinthians 1:26�27 NLT). Paul concludes, �As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God� (verse 29 NLT). If we want to be used by God in any capacity, what must be foremost in our minds and hearts is not obligation, mere duty, or guilt. Rather, we must have a God-given compassion for people. Maybe you�re thinking, �Jesus felt that way, but I�m not God. I can�t feel that way toward people.� Yet isn�t it God�s objective to conform us to the image of His Son (see Romans 8:29)? Philippians 2:5 says, �You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had� (NLT). Therefore, should we not seek to imitate the Lord and have compassion? Throughout Scripture and the history of the church, we find that God has done unexpected things with unexpected people. He has done extraordinary things through ordinary people. And the Bibletells us, �The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him� (2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT). Notice this doesn�t say that God is looking for strong people; it says that He is looking for people on whose behalf He can be strong. God is not looking for ability as much as He is lookingfor availability. Would you be willing to say, �Lord, I don�t have much to offer. But what I have, Lord, I offer to You�? If you are willing to say that, then watch what God will do. ------------------------------- A Plethora of Excuses - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. �Matthew 9:36 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-plethora-of-excuses/- Listen When it comes to sharing our faith and reaching out to others with the gospel, we tend to offer a plethora of excuses as to why we cannot do it. Maybe the reason we don�t try to win peopleto Christ is because we really couldn�t care less. Now, that isn�t true of every Christian. But it is true of a lot of Christians. Jesus told a story about ten bridesmaids. Five were wise, and five were foolish. The five who were wise had oil in their lamps, and the five who were foolish did not. And when the cry wentout that the bridegroom was coming, the five bridesmaids who didn�t have oil in their lamps asked the others for some. But the bridesmaids who had the oil said to them, �We don�t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves� (Matthew 25:9 NLT). In other words, �It�s not our problem.We are set. We�re happy. Go work out your own problems.� That is the way many people in the church feel. We don�t want to be bothered with it. We just don�t care. We hear so much about the need for evangelism. We hear sermons on how to do it. Andwe engage in programs designed to mobilize the church to do it. But all this is of no consequence if we lack one simple essential: a burden and a concern for unbelievers. One of the most important things of all is motivation. We must have the motivation to share our faith. And if we don�t have the motivation, we are not going to do anything. So, do we really care? Do we really care about people who don�t know Christ? Do we really care if they go to Hell? Does it really matter to us? The great British preacher C. H. Spurgeon said, �The Holy Spirit will move them by first moving you. If you can rest without their being saved, they will rest too; but if you are filled withan agony for them, and if you cannot bear that they should be lost, you will soon find that they are uneasy too.� Everywhere Jesus went during His earthly ministry, He was mobbed by people who were pushing and pulling and always wanting something from Him. They wanted healings, like the woman who hadspent all her money on doctors and still was sick. So many wanted a touch from the Savior. But Jesus saw their deepest need. He saw where they were hurting the most. He saw behind the facades, behind the defense mechanisms people put up. Jesus heard the real cry of their hearts.And He had compassion on them. Matthew 9:36 says, �When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd� (NLT). If we are going to be used by God in any capacity, we have to develop something called compassion. We have to care. ------------------------------- A Different Kind of Influencer - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. �Colossians 4:5 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-different-kind-of-influencer/- Listen Sometimes Christians see non-Christians as the enemy: �Those sinners. Look at what they�re doing. Look at the lifestyle they�ve chosen.� Preachers rant about particular sins and certain thingspeople are doing. But let�s remember something: Behind those sins are empty, searching, lost people whom God loves. Let�s also remember that we used to be those people, and someone lovingly reached out to us. We are not called to condemn. Rather we are called to appeal to unbelievers with the message ofthe gospel. And we need compassion to do so. Compassion overflowed from the life of Jesus. He was always moved by the needs of people. When Jesus saw Mary and Martha weeping over the death of their brother, Lazarus, even though He knew that He was about to resurrect him, the Bible says that He �was deeply troubled� (John11:33 NLT). This phrase carries the idea of physical as well as emotional and spiritual anguish. And as Jesus watched them weeping over their brother, His heart went out to them. He was in anguish too. He hurt for them and with them. And He wept. Then, when He raised Lazarus from thedead, He was deeply moved because He cared. That�s our Savior. Later, when He came to the city of Jerusalem, instead of feeling anger for the people, He had compassion on them. Being God, He knew exactly what they were about to do. He knew the same crowdswho were crying out, �Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!� (John 12:13 NLT) soon would be shouting, �Crucify Him!� Yet Jesus looked at Jerusalem and had compassion on the people, saying, �O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God�s messengers! How often I have wanted to gatheryour children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn�t let me� (Matthew 23:37 NLT). As Jesus hung on the cross, despite all of His excruciating pain and anguish, whom did He think of? Whom did He pray for? He said, �Father, forgive them, for they don�t know what they aredoing� (Luke 23:34 NLT). When one of the criminals being crucified with Jesus appealed to Him, He said, �I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise� (Luke 23:43 NLT). First, He prayed for those responsiblefor His crucifixion. Then, He prayed for someone in pain. And then He looked down, and seeing His mother standing next to John, said, �Dear woman, here is your son� (John 19:26 NLT). In other words, �John, take care of My mom.� He always was thinking of others. Jesus cares. And so should we. We can reach many people far more effectively than preachers can sometimes. That�s because they work with us. They live next to us. God has given each of us a group of people whom we influence.And God wants to use us right where we are. So, let�s make ourselves available to Him. -------------------------------- TheWells of Salvation �Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.� (Isaiah12:3) This beautiful verse is in the midst of a psalm of praise for God�s deliverance of His people �in that day� (v. 4)�the coming day when the Lord shall return to the earth and reign �in the midst of thee� (v. 6). Until �that day� comes, however, we can appropriateits spiritual blessings right now. The word translated �wells� is more often translated �fountains,� denoting flowing springs of water that never run dry. It is first used at the time of the great Flood when in one �day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up� (Genesis7:11). On that day, the primeval fountains provided by God for the perpetual supply of living waters to the inhabitants of the �very good� world He had created were cleaved open, the living waters became lethal waters, and �all that was in thedry land, died� (v. 22). But one day another fountain was cleaved open. As Jesus died on the cross, �a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water� (John19:34). At the great Feast of Tabernacles, He had cried: �If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me...out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water� (John7:37-38). The blood and water flowed together from the deep fountain opened in the Savior�s side that day, and their cleansing powers became a fountain of life to all who will drink. The waters again became living waters from a fountain that will never run dry, �a pureriver of water of life...proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb� (Revelation22:1). Then, wonder of wonders, there is not just one well, for all who believe likewise send forth �rivers of living water,� as with eternal joy, we each share with one another, forever drinking from the never-drying wells of salvation! HMM ------------------------- ACall for You to Answer - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. �2 Corinthians 4:7 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-call-for-you-to-answer/- Listen Although the apostles were gifted and dedicated, they also were ordinary. Jesus did not call them because they were great. Their greatness was the result of the call of Jesus. As followers of Christ, we recognize in ourselves that we were sinners separated from God. But we also recognize that when Christ came into our lives, He gave us value. The Bible tells us, �We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is fromGod, not from ourselves� (2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT). With a new confidence and boldness, we have something to offer. But it isn�t self-confidence; it�s God-confidence. It isn�t self-esteem; it�s God-esteem. We were sinners who rebelled againstGod, but God graciously forgave us and took us into His kingdom. Each of the apostles was so different. They were holy men of God, but they also messed up sometimes. They had their great accomplishments and victories, but they also had their shortcomingsand defeats. But God used them anyway. The great Simon Peter was a man of bravery, courage, and deep conviction. He stood by his Lord. But he also could be impulsive and hotheaded. He was so utterly human. In contrast to Peter�s impulsiveness, Thomas was steady. He has been wrongly characterized as a doubter when, in reality, he was more of a skeptic. He was the kind of a person who didn�t letothers do his thinking for him. He wanted to know things for himself. Then there was John. He was sensitive and compassionate, but he also had a temper. Jesus nicknamed John and his brother, James, the �Sons of Thunder� (Mark 3:17 NLT). The apostles were people we can relate to. And they were valuable because of what Jesus did in their lives. God wrote His name on you when you gave your life to Christ. He has invested Himself in you, giving you gifts and abilities. That is where your value comes from. And that is why you can makea difference. Sadly, it seems as though the church today could be compared to a professional football game with sixty thousand people watching in the stadium while twenty-two people do all the work. Westand cheering from our seats, but meanwhile, God is saying, �I want you down on the field. I want you to carry the ball. I want you to be a part of what I am doing.� You may be a Peter, a Thomas, or a John. But God wants to use you. And He has a place for you, a part for you to play, a seed for you to sow, and a call for you to answer. God may call you to cross the sea as a missionary, or He may call you to cross the street and share the gospel with your neighbor. But what you need to say is, �Lord, I am available.� --------------------------------- The Time Is Short - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org These were his instructions to them: �The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.� �Luke10:2 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-time-is-short/- Listen Esther was a beautiful young woman who essentially won a beauty contest and became the queen over the kingdom. She also was Jewish. Then, a very wicked official named Haman developed a plotto exterminate all the Jewish people in the kingdom. And through a series of treacherous moves, he laid a trap for the Jews, who would be systematically executed. Esther�s cousin Mordecai also was a Jew, and he knew that she could do something to help her people. All she had to do was go and appeal to the king. But Esther was safe and secure there inthe palace. Everything was going okay for her, and she was reluctant to approach the king. But Mordecai sent Esther this message: �If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Whoknows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?� (Esther 4:14 NLT). Esther recognized what she needed to do. She appealed to the king, averted the plot, and the Jews were saved. She seized the moment. Sin isn�t simply doing what is wrong; sin also can be neglecting to do what is right. We can fail God in what He wants to do and miss out on His blessings as a result. Jesus said, �The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields� (Luke 10:2 NLT). Notice Jesusdidn�t say that we need to pray for more observers, more spectators, or more complainers. He said that we need to pray that the Lord would �send more workers.� God can do a lot with a little. He multiplied a boy�s lunch of five loaves and two fish and fed thousands. And He can take what we have and multiply it. He can give us gifts and abilitiesthat we�ve never had before if we simply say, �Lord, it�s not much, but it�s Yours. I give it to You. Take it over. Here I am, Lord, send me.� Will you make yourself available to God? Will you say, �Lord, I will labor in Your field�? No matter how much money you make, what career you follow, or whether you�re married or single, willyou commit to never stop being available to God as a laborer in His field? Who knows whether God has not put you where you are, at this moment, for such a time as this? This world is getting darker. The only hope for our country is a spiritual awakening. We have to get the gospel out. We have to redouble our efforts as never before because time is short.The devil knows this. And certainly, he is redoubling his efforts. He�s trying to drag as many people down as he possibly can. We need to go out and make a difference while we can.