Daily Devotional – May 17, 2012
May 17, 2012
TODAY’S ENCOURAGING WORD – 5/17/2012
Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses. –Proverbs 15:13, NLT
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love. –1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV
We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. –1 Thessalonians 1:2 NLT
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Your Crown of Glory
“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb . . . and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Rev. 12:11).
When James and John came to Christ with their mother, asking Him to give them the best place in the kingdom, He did not refuse their request, but told them it would be given to them if they could do His work, drink His cup, and be baptized with His baptism.
Do we want the competition? The greatest things are always hedged about by the hardest things, and we, too, shall find mountains and forests and chariots of iron. Hardship is the price of coronation. Triumphal arches are not woven out of rose blossoms and silken cords, but of hard blows and bloody scars. The very hardships that you are enduring in your life today are given by the Master for the explicit purpose of enabling you to win your crown.
Do not wait for some ideal situation, some romantic difficulty, some far-away emergency; but rise to meet the actual conditions which the Providence of God has placed around you today. Your crown of glory lies embedded in the very heart of these things–those hardships and trials that are pressing you this very hour, week and month of your life. The hardest things are not those that the world knows of. Down in your secret soul unseen and unknown by any but Jesus, there is a little trial that you would not dare to mention that is harder for you to bear than martyrdom.
There, beloved, lies your crown. God help you to overcome, and sometime wear it. –Selected
“It matters not how the battle goes,
The day how long;
Faint not! Fight on!
Tomorrow comes the song.”
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Would You Take Your Son to a Brothel?
Jim Daly
Posted by Jim_Daly May 15, 2012
The late Norman Vincent Peale, senior pastor of New York City’s Marble Collegiate Church for over 50 years, grew up in Ohio, a preacher’s kid. His father, Clifford Peale, was a tremendously compassionate man. If there was a need within his congregation, he was determined to meet it.
Norman remembers the phone ringing in their parsonage one cold winter’s night. His mother answered, and passed the phone to his father. The woman on the other end of the line explained that she didn’t know any other preachers, but had one night slipped into Dr. Peale’s church. She didn’t remember anything he said, but she did recall that he struck her as gentle and kind, which is why she had picked his church out of the many from the phone book. She was calling with an awkward but serious request. As it turned out, she ran a local brothel. One of the prostitutes was dying. Would Dr. Peale be willing to come and pray with her? He agreed and hung up the phone, quietly explaining the situation to his wife.
Suddenly, he turned toward his boy. “Norman,” he said, “put on your overcoat and come with me on a pastoral errand of mercy.”
The young Peale’s mother gasped. “Clifford,” she said, “you are not going to take our ten-year-old son to that place of sin.” But his father pressed on. “Yes, I am,” he replied. “Norman can see Jesus Christ reaching for one of the sheep who was lost, but wants to come home to the father’s house.”
At the brothel the Peales encountered the nineteen-year-old prostitute, now near death. “I am a bad girl Reverend,” she said, “but my family are godly people and I was raised a Christian and I attended Sunday school, I was baptized by our preacher, but I have brought shame on my mother and father. I am bad. I am a bad girl.” Norman’s dad placed her diminutive hand inside his.
“Do you love Jesus, Mary, and do you believe that he has forgiven your sins and that he will forgive your sins and wash them all away, so that in your soul you will be pure?”
“Yes.”
“Do you give yourself now, your whole soul, your whole self to the Lord asking for salvation?” Again, she said, “Yes” adding, “I asked the Lord to save my soul.” Dr. Peale then concluded. “Well, then I declare to you in the name of Jesus that you are saved.”
In the midst of this conversation, all the other women in the brothel, one by one, had begun to surround Mary, openly weeping at the sight and sound of her pain, confession and finally, absolution and assurance of salvation. Years later, Norman Vincent Peale said that night was one of the determining factors that led him to his decision to become a pastor. He had witnessed the strength and power of the Gospel firsthand.
Would you have allowed your ten-year-old son to accompany you on that mission?
I have been thinking of that in light of my own boys. I wonder if we have sterilized our faith to the point of rendering its appearance powerless to the younger generation.
If it appears all sweetness and light without struggle and strain, how is that going to match up with reality when times grow tight and tough?
Why would a young person find our faith relevant and vibrant if it doesn’t appear viable to the good and bad in life?
Norman Peale’s father gave his young son a great gift that cold winter’s night. In that difficult visit, he shared with his son a vivid snapshot of the source of our strength.
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Be on Your Guard
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 2 Peter 3:17, NIV
Who of us doesn’t remember a film, television show, book or play with some swordsman in chainmail declaring, “On guard!” before engaging in a duel with someone else?
In that type of adversarial situation, the warning is said to alert the other party that “I’m armed, so prepare to defend yourself.” And in light of the current belief battles going on today within evangelical Christianity, that meaning has been front and center in my head and heart—especially after reading through today’s verse in 2 Peter.
I did a little further study and found what I read in the New Testament portion of The Bible Knowledge Commentary to be quite helpful in understanding this passage:
If readers were not careful, they could be carried away by the error of lawless men … The verb “carried away” emphasizes a group or corporate movement. False teachers are not satisfied with ambushing one or two, now and then, here and there; they want to sweep large groups of people away from the correct doctrine of Christ. Those who keep company with such people are in danger of being led astray.
I don’t need or want to name prominent names or cite recent book titles or the like within the Christian bubble, as I’m sure that one or many have already come to your mind by this point in today’s devotional. Sadly, false teaching is everywhere these days and only seems to be gaining momentum as we head further into the twenty-first century.
It’s alarming, for sure, to hear those who are in pastoral, shepherding or leadership positions mishandle God’s Word or imply that there is suddenly a new “change” in the meaning of scriptural doctrines that trained theologians and Bible scholars have agreed upon for centuries prior.
But Truth is supposedly relative in the world where we now live, isn’t it? What’s true for you may not be true for me and so forth. Right? So how do we arm ourselves and follow Peter’s instruction to “be on your guard” as believers?
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
First, there’s grace. Unmerited favor from God. How do we grow in that? By reminding ourselves continually of what God did for each and every one of us. If we don’t understand grace, then we will never know who God is, what he stands for and what a right relationship with him looks like. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). When we get that, in turn, our lives will be lived from a place of humility and in testimony of what God has done through us.
And then there’s knowledge. We will only grow spiritually and know God as much as we can in this life if we know the Word. And that doesn’t begin and end only with what someone says the Bible says (which isn’t bad in and of itself). But it means reading the Bible for yourselfon a continuing basis, so that it will take root in your heart and inform your thinking and your actions. There is no better way to mature in the Lord and know Truth (and be corrected in your thinking, if it’s “stinking”) than to spend time getting to know God through the Word.
No one else can have your spiritual relationship for you. And anyone who leads you away from Truth is leading you away from a secure position. So be on your guard. And get in there, dig deep and know His unchanging truth.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Are you ready to confront false teaching and see through the devil’s schemes to trick and deceive—even in Christian circles? Always consider the source and always measure what you hear or read against God’s Word.
Further Reading:
Matthew 7:15-20, NIV
Ephesians 6:10-18, NIV
2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV
1 John 4:1-6, NIV
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A Faith Worth Passing Down
I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. -2 Timothy 1:3-5
The most precious thing we can pass down to children is our faith–the confident conviction that God is who He says and will do all He has promised. Timothy’s strong relationship with Christ didn’t materialize out of thin air; it grew as a result of his mother and grandmother’s example.
Here are ways we, too, can hand down a rich legacy to the next generation:
1.Teach practical biblical principles. Kids need to know God’s views on material wealth (Ps. 24:1), meeting needs (Phil. 4:19), and direction in life (Prov. 3:5-6).
2.Model character through lifestyle. How we live–whether with transparency, peace, and perseverance, or with fear, anxiety, and self-reliance–loudly communicates what we believe about God.
3.Serve God by serving others. Actions show that our faith is real (James 2:26). If we want kids not to develop a self-centered perspective, servanthood is key.
4.Intercede for them. Children won’t forget hearing us pray regularly for them.
5.Communicate love. Young people need to know we love them the way God loves us–unconditionally rather than based on what they do or don’t do. Spoken words of love breathe life into their hearts. And as we affirm them for trusting God, they see that we value their spiritual growth.
As parents, we must be intentional about leading and inspiring our sons and daughters to follow Christ. But even those without children of their own can leave a legacy. The example to follow is Paul: though neither married nor a natural parent, he was a spiritual father to many (1 Cor. 4:14-16).
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.
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Being a Person Under Authority
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Thursday, May 17 2012
…”I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” – Matthew 8:10
The centurion came to Jesus and told Him of his servant who was paralyzed and in terrible suffering. He came to Jesus because he believed He could heal him. He told Jesus of the matter, and Jesus was willing to come with the centurion. But the centurion would not have it. He knew that Jesus, being under the authority of Heaven itself, did not have to see the servant to help him. The centurion understood authority. He understood that he himself had certain rights that his position granted him to have power over situations and people. He also was a man under authority. The centurion understood Jesus’ position and what power that position held in Heaven – the power to heal his servant if He chose to exercise that authority.
When Jesus saw that the centurion understood this principle of authority and that He did not have to visit the servant to heal him, He acknowledged the centurion’s faith. Jesus knew it took great faith to understand authority and whether He had the authority to do what was being asked.
God has placed a system of authority in our world that requires faith to operate under its boundaries: fathers over sons and daughters, employers over employees, government leaders over the people, church leaders over church members. These are authority structures God has placed in our lives to protect and guide us to His will. Some confuse position with worthiness or qualifications of that position. It is the position that God works through. The fact that an authority may not be a Christian may have no bearing on whether God can work through him as your authority. It is only when that authority counsels against a biblical mandate that we should not follow that person’s guidance. The hand of the king is in the hand of God.
Today, we find few who understand this system of authority God has ordained. It requires great faith to operate in this realm. Yet Jesus said that when we understand this, we demonstrate the kind of faith that He rarely sees. Be a person of rare faith. See the authorities placed in your life as those God is using to protect you.
