The Loving Church
April 10, 2008 on 7:47 pm | In devotionals | No Comments“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” -1 John 3:18
The Bible tells us again and again that we should love one another. Love is like the glue that holds us all together. The apostle John wrote, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7). The Bible’s definitive chapter on love, 1 Corinthians 13, is, in fact, the most comprehensive description of love in all of Scripture. Paul shines love through a prism, so to speak. We see many of its colors and hues, so we can more easily understand love and apply it in a practical way. Each ray gives a different facet of God’s agape love. The Bible does not focus so much on what love is, but on what love does and does not do. The love of God that we are to demonstrate toward one another is not merely feeling or emotion. Nor is it abstract or passive. It is active. It engages. It works. It moves. God’s love does not merely feel patient; it is patient. God’s love does not simply have kind feelings; it does kind things. Love is fully love only when it is active: “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). At the same time, the Bible tells us the goal of the Christian is to be conformed to the image of Christ (see Philippians 3:10). This is what God wants you to strive for. This is what He wants you to aim toward–that the love He speaks of will work its way into your life.
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
A Place for You
April 7, 2008 on 10:06 pm | In devotionals | 1 CommentBut now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. -1 Corinthians 12:18
The Bible likens the church to a family and to a physical body. We are called as Christians to be functioning, participating, contributing members of the body of Christ. We need to be a part of a body where there is accountability, where there is friendship, and where there is koinonia. We need to be a part of a body where we come to receive and to learn, but we also need a place where we can contribute and serve the Lord with the gifts He has given us. In comparing the church to a body, the apostle Paul wrote, “But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you’” (1 Corinthians 12:20-21). I do many things with my hands, but I don’t think about how I am going to use them. My hands just sort of do what they do. Underneath the skin, everything is working together so I can use my hands. Each part of my body is dependent on another part of my body. In the same way, the church as a body is interdependent–we cannot live and flourish apart from other believers. God wants us to engage. He wants us to be a part of what He is doing. Attending church is not a spectator sport. We are here to be a functioning part of His church. Everyone has a job to do. Everyone has a need to serve. There is a place for you. Are you doing your part?
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
The Acceptable Time
January 14, 2008 on 9:51 pm | In devotionals | 1 CommentBehold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. -2 Corinthians 6:2
Some people will say the reason they are not Christians is that it is just not their time yet. They don’t think they are ready.That would be like someone who is drowning in the middle of the ocean saying to the lifeguard, “I am not ready yet.” What part of dead do they not understand? I would say that if you are drowning, then you are ready for salvation. Unbelievers are in a worse state than a person who is drowning, because they are separated from God by their sin. If they are wondering when they should come to Jesus Christ, the time is right now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not next month. It’s right now. God says, “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). This is the acceptable time. We don’t know how long it will last. There is coming a day when Jesus Christ will return to this earth for His people. There is coming a day when He will catch all true believers up into heaven with Him. We call it the rapture of the church. It is that moment that we look forward to as Christians, when we will go to be with the Lord. It is described in Scripture as happening “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (2 Corinthians 15:52). Now is the time when God is looking in grace upon those who are separated from Him by sin, and the gospel is going out to them. Now is the day of salvation.
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
His way or Your way?
January 3, 2008 on 9:45 pm | In devotionals | No CommentsCome now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit” whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. -James 4:13-14
The Bible doesn’t condemn the person who makes plans for the future. Rather, it criticizes the person who makes those plans with no thought whatsoever for the will of God. That is a dangerous thing to do. God will not share His glory with another. There is nothing wrong with making plans. Paul told the believers in Ephesus that he would return for renewed ministry among them, “God willing” (Acts 18:21). He wrote to the Corinthians that he planned another visit “if the Lord wills” (1 Corinthians 4:19). On other occasions, Paul spoke of his plans to do certain things and how the Lord changed his plans. We have our plans. We have our purposes. We have our agendas. But the Lord may redirect us. Jesus taught us to pray, “Your will be done” (Luke 11:2). Our prayers will be effective and successful when we align our will with the will of God and pray accordingly. Prayer is not getting our will in heaven; it is getting God’s will on Earth. It is not moving God our way; it is moving ourselves His way. We need to remember that His will may be different from ours. And we must be willing to accept that. Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. We can always fall back on the simple promise of Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” God’s plans for you are better than any plans you have for yourself. So don’t be afraid of God’s will, even if it is different from yours.
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
Resisting Temptation
December 23, 2007 on 9:37 pm | In devotionals | 1 CommentYour word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. -Psalm 119:11
Not only do many of us in the United States have more than one Bible, but we have them in every color and every translation. The question is do we read them? We need to read God’s Word and commit it to memory. The psalmist said, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). While it’s a good idea to carry the Bible in your briefcase or purse, the best place to carry the Bible is in your heart. I would be embarrassed to admit how many dumb songs I know. I haven’t even attempted to memorize them–I have just heard them so many times that they simply get into my brain. We should be using our memory banks for the memorization of Scripture. That way, when the enemy attacks, we will have the Word of God to call upon and to give us the strength that we need. After all, one of the best tools to use when temptation comes knocking at our door is the Word of God. He modeled that for us when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. Again and again, He answered the temptation with, “It is written . . . ” (see Matthew 4). What shape is your sword in? Is it polished from daily use as you study the Scripture on a daily basis? Has it been sharpened on the anvil of experience as you have applied and obeyed its truth in your life? Or, is your sword rusty from lack of preparation? Is it dulled by disobedience? Sin will keep us from the Word of God. But if we apply the teaching of God’s Word, it will keep us from sin.
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
Forget the Past
December 12, 2007 on 2:09 pm | In devotionals | No CommentsI press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 3:14
Everyone who has run a race knows that you can break your stride by looking over your shoulder to see how your opponents are doing. Many races have been lost when the leader looked back. When you see that finish line, you are supposed to give it everything you have, because sometimes it is mere inches that separate one runner from another. You must stay focused.This is the idea behind Paul’s statement in Philippians 3:13: “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” Paul was saying, “Don’t look back. Don’t look behind you.” When God promises, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25), He is not predicting a lapse in His memory. God is saying, “I am no longer going to hold your sin against you, because my Son has paid for it at the cross.” Therefore, we need to do what God does: forget our past. We need to learn from our mistakes and remember some of the bitter lessons we have learned. But we no longer need to be controlled by our past. That is what Paul meant by “forgetting those things which are behind. . . . ” Think about the horrible things Paul had done. He was responsible for the death of Stephen and had to carry that in his conscience until his final day. He knew that he was responsible for some terrible things. But he was able to put his past in the past. And we need to do the same.
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
Just Our Nature
December 1, 2007 on 10:13 pm | In devotionals | No CommentsBut each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. -James 1:14
We all know what it is like to be tempted. But where does temptation come from? It does not come from God. James 1:13-14 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” We play a key role in our own temptation. It is like the scorpion who wanted to cross a pond. Scorpions can’t swim, of course, so he needed a ride. He walked up to a rather unsuspecting turtle and said, “I was wondering if you might give me a lift across this little pond?” The turtle said, “Are you joking? You will sting me, and we will both drown.” The scorpion said, “My dear turtle, if I were to sting you, I would go down with you. Where would the logic be in that?” As they made their way across the little pond, the scorpion pulled out his stinger and gave the turtle a mighty sting. As they both sank to the bottom, the turtle turned to the scorpion and said, “There was no logic in stinging me. Why did you do it?” The scorpion replied, “It has nothing to do with logic. It’s just my nature.” This is a good point. When we give in to temptation, it has nothing to do with logic. It is just our nature. We like to say, “The devil made me do it” or “Circumstances overwhelmed me” or “I couldn’t control myself.” But in reality, it’s just our nature. Let’s not give in to the enticement of our own desires.
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
The Deity of Jesus
November 28, 2007 on 9:10 pm | In devotionals | No CommentsThat at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Philippians 2:10-11
There are people today who say that Jesus never claimed to be God; it is just something people dreamed up. But that is a lie. Jesus claimed to be God. And any group who says that Jesus is not God is not a Christian group, no matter how big their Bibles may be or how much they might look like Christians. Jesus made clear claims to deity. He said, “For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). When Moses saw the burning bush and walked up to it, he heard a voice speaking to him that said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. . . . I am the God of your father–the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:5-6). It was a claim to deity. So when Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins,” it means that Jesus claimed to be God. To suggest that Jesus never claimed to be God is ludicrous. For instance, we know that on many occasions He accepted worship, something that is reserved for God alone. He said to Satan during the temptation in the wilderness, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve’” (Matthew 4:10). Yet on other occasions, Jesus personally accepted worship. When Thomas saw the risen Lord, he fell down before Him and said, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Jesus accepted that, because He is indeed the Lord and God.
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
Faith and Works
November 11, 2007 on 4:58 pm | In devotionals | 1 CommentBut be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. -James 1:22
A flurry of research recently has found that in spite of the secularism of popular culture, many people believe in God and identify themselves as being strongly religious. This is not only true of adults, but also of teenagers. However, analysts said that this so-called spirituality may be only skin deep. I think there are many people who believe they are Christians, but they really are not. The apostle James, the brother of Jesus, identified for us what true religion really is, what it means to be a real Christian, what it means to be a truly spiritual person, and what real faith is. He said we have a tendency to deceive ourselves (see James 1:22) or to deceive our hearts (see verse 26). We can be deceived and think we are automatically Christians because we are in church or because we have gone through religious rituals. But James showed us the balance between faith and works and how they work together. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). The key is not only saying certain things, but also living a certain way as a result of our beliefs. James 2:26 says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (see also verses 17, 20). Let’s understand what James was saying. He was not teaching that we are justified by works alone. Rather, he was saying that having genuine faith, true spirituality, will impact a Christian’s lifestyle. If someone’s so-called faith does not produce this change, then it is not real faith at all.
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
Committed to Learn
October 29, 2007 on 9:50 pm | In devotionals | No CommentsBe diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. -2 Timothy 2:15
Have you ever had one of those golden opportunities in life to share the gospel, and you found that you just weren’t prepared? Or have you had someone fire some really hard questions at you, and you were rendered speechless? After I had been a Christian for two weeks, I felt I needed to get out and do something with my faith. I was walking down the street and who did I run into but my very close friend from elementary school. I started witnessing to him. He was listening, and he was open. It seemed as though I was making some progress. I was getting excited. I didn’t notice, however, that someone else was eavesdropping on our conversation. He walked up to me and said, “I have a few questions for you.” I thought, No problem. I have been a Christian for two weeks. I think I can grapple with most theological issues at this point. Fire away. So he fired four or five pretty tough questions at me. I can’t even remember today what they were. All I remember is that I was dumbfounded. I didn’t even have a clue. I was ashamed. I was embarrassed. But worst of all, I felt that I had let the Lord down. I made a commitment that day–a commitment to study the Bible so I would not be caught in that position again. I can’t say that I have the answer to every question now. Nor am I suggesting that I can resolve any difficulty any person has, because I can’t. But I did realize that I needed to equip myself if I was ever to be used by God. And you need to equip yourself too.
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
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