DEVOTION THUR 12-09-2010

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9TH, 2010

“WHAT’S AT THE HEART”

BY

ADRIAN ROGERS

"Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part Thou shalt make me to know wisdom." Psalm 51:6

Have you ever gone to a sawmill and watched them process timber? They take a big log out of the woods that may have bumps and knots on it, and they lay it on a cradle, running it through a saw, cutting off one side. Then they bring it back, turn it, and run it through again to cut off another side. When they're finished, if you stand and look down it, it's perfectly straight. But if you look at the end of it, the heart is still crooked. That's the way it is with some individuals who are outwardly living the Christian life. But Jeremiah 17:9 warns the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. We need regeneration. We must be born again.

Read Psalm 19:14—

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer."

Pray it from your heart — that today you would desire with everything within you to be pure in thought, word, and deed.

DEVOTION WED 12-08-2010

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8TH, 2010

“Christ - Source of the Endless Joy-filled Life”

BY

JOHN BARNETT

To begin our look at Christ's offer of endless, overflowing, joy filled life look at John 20:31.

Last century, blind Helen Lemmel wrote, "O soul are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There's life for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face…" And that is what we exactly want to do today. Look with me at THE CREDENTIALS OF THE KING OF THE ENDLESS JOY FILLED LIFE!

Jesus is introduced as the Savior of the world, in the Gospel by John. That is the purpose the Spirit of God moved upon him to write this Book. In the 1st chapter John introduces Jesus by seven successive titles of Deity. The last three have to do with the Credentials of the King. Have you considered His credentials? He has the authority and power to give exactly what He offered. Before we examine those credentials, look for a moment at His offer of an overflowing, endless, joy filled life in John 10:7-11.

"Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

Now the question for each of us today is this: If Jesus offers a life of never ending joys, and He is who He proves through His credentials that He is - why aren't we taking Him up on this life of endless joys?

Now for the credentials:

1st Christ's Names show he is the king of the endless joy filled life when John introduces jesus by the seven titles of chapter one

In a gospel written to the whole world, John presents us with the Divine Jesus. He is the Son of God -- his Divinity -- the Divine nature of God is very clearly seen. We have already seen John's incredible introduction of Jesus as the Word, the Dwelling Presence and the Glory of God. John reveals Jesus as God's unique ("only begotten," KJV) Son, and refers to God as His Father more than any other book of the Bible. The Old Testament refers to God as Father only 12 times, John 120 times! But there is one major theme that runs throughout John's Gospel: Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and if you commit yourself to Him, He will give you eternal life (John 20:31). In this first chapter, John recorded seven names and titles of Jesus that identify Him as eternal God.

1. Jesus is The Word (John 1:1)

2. Jesus is The Life and Light (John 1:4)

3. Jesus is the Son of God (John 1:18)

4. Jesus is the Lamb of God (John 1:29)

DEVOTION TUES 12-07-2010

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7TH, 2010

“FACING THE STORMS”

BY

GREG LAURIE

For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.—Matthew 5:45

Have you ever been caught an unexpected storm? When a big storm is approaching, the meteorologists usually will tell us about it. And if it is really building, if it is at hurricane strength, it might even be given a name because of its significance.

There are times when we know storms are brewing and building. And there are other times when they come out of nowhere. But one thing we need to know about life is that we will have storms—storms of hardship, tragedy, difficulty, and worst-case scenarios. Some of these storms can be life-altering: the death of someone you love, an illness, a disability, a conflict at home or work, being laid off, or even a rebellious child.

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked about two men who built their homes, and the storms came. And the storms always will come. In fact, there are really two kinds of people in the world: those who are going through a crisis and those who will go through a crisis. You either are in a storm or you are ultimately headed into one. The rain will fall, according to the Bible, on the righteous and the unrighteous. So we cannot control whether or not the storms come. All we can control is how we react to them.

I don't have any words of assurance for those who go through storms in life without God. But for the Christian, I do have some: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). For those who have put their faith in Christ, ultimately all things will work together for good. Where are you putting your faith today?

Copyright © 2010 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

DEVOTION MON 12-06-2010

MONDAY, DECEMBER 6TH, 2010

“GIVING INN TO THE SYSTEM"

BY

NELIL ANDERSON

GIVING IN TO THE SYSTEM

1 Peter 2:4

And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God

"Pastor, I'm a loser," a high school boy told me dejectedly. He explained that he wanted to be a star football player, but had been cut from the team. Instead of being in the spotlight as an athlete, he had to settle for being a member of the pep band. And compared to star quarterbacks, clarinet players were losers at his school.

The largest group of people today respond to rejection like this boy did: by simply giving in to the system. They continue their efforts to try to earn approval, but the inevitable rejection by others prompts them to believe that they really are unlovable and rejectable. The system says that the best, the strongest, the most beautiful, and the most talented are "in." Those who don't fit those categories--which includes most of us--are "out," and we succumb to society's false judgment of our worth. As a result, a large segment of the population is plagued by feelings of worthlessness, inferiority and self-condemnation.

This person may have trouble relating to God. If he blames God for his state, it will be difficult to trust Him. "You made me a lowly clarinet player instead of a star quarterback," he complains. "If I trust You with other areas of my life, how do I know You won't make me a loser there too?"

By giving in to the system's false judgment, this person can only look forward to more and more rejection. He has bought the lie and he even rejects himself. Therefore, any success or acceptance which comes his way will be questioned or doubted on the basis of what he already believes about himself.

God has not equally distributed gifts, talents or intelligence, but He has equally distributed Himself. Our sense of worth comes from knowing who we are as children of God. "See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are" (1 John 3:1).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for creating me the way You have and for making me Your child. I find my worth in You.

DEVOTION SAT 12-04-2010

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4TH, 2010

“WORTH THE WAIT"

BY

DR TONY EVANS

(Habakkuk 3:18-19)

When the storms of life hit, we are often tempted to run for cover. When they continue indefinitely, we struggle to find encouragement. When the rain and the wind gather strength until they turn into what seems to be a hurricane, we find ourselves saying, "I can't do this any longer," The truth is this: we can't, but God can.

He is the only One who can help us victoriously fight through the battles of life. Nothing can provide the type of strength that He provides, especially when we feel overwhelmed and discouraged. He stands beside us, and He never retreats.

Daniel never worried about being cast into the lion's den. He knew that the Lord would provide the help and protection he needed to make it through the night. Some of the people who read these words are fighting a battle with a life-threatening disease. It is an unseen enemy from a human standpoint but not from God's. He knows exactly what we are facing and how it is affecting our lives. \

There is an incredible sense of peace that comes from learning how to rest in the Lord and allow Him to take care of your troubles. This does not mean that you abandon the fight and just give up trying. It means that you shift the focus of your effort from yourself to God. This is where the true victory is gained.

The apostle Paul faced many life-threatening situations. At one point, he debated whether it was better to ask God to allow him to go home to heaven where he would have unending peace and glory in the presence of Christ or to continue living the earthly life God had given him. Paul chose the latter. As much as he longed to see the Lord in heaven, he loved having the opportunity here to tell others about God's unending, unconditional love and forgiveness.

The suffering you face today is directly related to the joy you will experience in the future.

DEVOTION FRI 12-03-2010

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3RD, 2010

“What if God's Will Doesn't Make Sense?"

BY

DR CHARLES STANLEY

At times we may struggle with directions we receive from the Lord. We question whether they are from Him because they...

Clash with our personal desires. The mother of James and John asked that her sons sit beside Jesus in heaven. The Lord said no to her selfish ambition and called her sons to a life of humble service to others (Matthew 20:20-28).

Conflict with our human reasoning. Some of the disciples expected Jesus to rule as the long-prophesied King. When He told them He was going to be killed by the religious leaders, His words didn't line up with their thinking about the future.

Challenge our faith. Christ told the disciples that He would be resurrected on the third day (Matthew 16:21). Peter and the others had to accept Jesus' words even though many people of the day—including some religious leaders—did not believe in the resurrection of the body (Matthew 22:23).

God's direction may call for courage as well. We see this clearly in Joshua's life. The Lord appointed him as the leader who would take Israel into the Promised Land (Josh. 1:1-6). Our heavenly Father may ask us to become a leader in our local church, to participate in a missions trip, or to serve those who are hard to love. He wants us to step forward bravely and obey.

Following God shouldn't involve guesswork. Scripture is a good source for confirming divine direction, as our Father won't give any guidance that is contrary to biblical principles. Receiving godly counsel from a pastor or mature believer can also reassure us that we've heard correctly (Proverbs 15:22).

DEVOTION THUR 12-02-2010

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2ND, 2010

“FOLLY OF BITTERNESS”

by

Stephen Arterburn

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling, and slander, along with every form of malice.

Ephesians 4:31

Two shopkeepers owned stores directly across the street from each other. Each spent his days tracking the other's business, and gloating triumphantly each time a customer chose his own store. Over time, they became bitter rivals.

One night an angel appeared to one of the shopkeepers and said, "I'll give you anything you request, but whatever you receive, your competitor will receive double. Would you be rich? You can be very rich indeed, but he'll be twice as wealthy. Do you desire a long and healthy life? Request it, but his life will be longer and healthier. What's your desire?"

The man thought for a moment, and with a sly grin, stated, "Strike me blind in one eye!"

Bitterness is relentless and dangerous when allowed to take root in our hearts. It destroys decision-making abilities and compromises otherwise focused and productive lives. Its only remedy is forgiveness—given freely by Jesus Christ. And if you believe the Bible, we are to dispense it generously to others.

Take a step out of bitterness into forgiveness today. Forgive the unforgivable. You can do it!

"We forgive to the extent that we love."

- La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)