DEVOTION - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2012

DEVOTION – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2012

“Encouragement for Your Race Today”

BY

ADRIAN ROGERS

“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” 1 Corinthians 9:24

Heaven is intently interested in what is happening here on earth. There is a grandstand in heaven filled with heroes of the faith. They are watching us and cheering us on. We are the runners; they are the spectators.

If the runners of that day were inspired when they ran their race, how much greater should our effort be today with these saints behind us? Do you feel inspired? I do! It encourages me to know that I am not alone out there in the race and that I have men and women who have run the race knowing the pitfalls that are out there.

Friend, I hope you feel encouraged and inspired to run the unique race God has set for you today. Know that we are praying for you and would be honored to hear how God is fulfilling your every need along the way.

DEVOTION - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

DEVOTION – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

“The power of adoption”

BY

PASTOR BOB COY

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself… Ephesians 1:3-5 (NKJV)

During biblical times, adoption was often the only difference between an existence of endless enslavement and a life of liberty.

If you were a minor who had been orphaned, you were typically forced into making a trade. The trade was this: You would give up your life to serve a household, and they would provide for your basic needs. For the vast majority of orphaned children, that was the simple and cruel reality they lived under until the day they died.

However, there was a possible exception. Under Roman law, a homeowner could adopt a child, entitling them to the rights and privileges of the other family members within that home. Consequently, that child would have a share in the family inheritance. Not only that, but once a child was adopted, he or she could never be disowned by their new family. Once adopted, that child instantly gained a future hope and a sense of assurance and security that non-adopted children could only dream of.

That's the cultural context we should be aware of when we read about our being adopted by God in Ephesians 1:3-5. Adoption meant everything in that day and age, and the Bible is telling us that we've spiritually gone from a place of unending bondage to a place of unprecedented blessing. But notice what secures this condition for us:

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26 NKJV)

It's faith that introduces us into God's family. By placing our trust and confidence in what Jesus Christ has done for us, we are brought into and become members of His household. Not only that, we're also given a share in God's inheritance which means we have a hope and future that's absolutely secure.

Let's not forget or lose touch with the fact that faith, in addition to its many other benefits, has made us adopted sons and daughters of God!

DEVOTION - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010

DEVOTION – THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2012

“Chosen”

BY DR ED YOUNG

But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY. - 1 Peter 2:9-10

A Bible study group I remember consisted of doctors, attorneys, CEOs, vice presidents, entrepreneurial geniuses and a street sweeper. In the initial meeting, the group leader asked each to identify himself. “I am a physician,” said one. “I’m an attorney,” another responded. “I’m vice president for operations,” answered a third. “I am a son of the King,” the street sweeper said. He had no identity in the world in which he could boast, but he knew his core identity. The others were clouded by their earthly titles, but the street sweeper knew he was chosen by the King of Kings to be a son, with all the privileges, promises and honors of that high position.

DEVOTION - WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2012

DEVOTION – WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2012

“Come Up Here”

BY

ALISTAIR BEGG

Revelation 11:12

Without considering these words in their prophetic connection, let us regard them as the invitation of our great Forerunner to His sanctified people. In due time there shall be heard "a loud voice from heaven" to every believer, saying, "Come up here." This should be to the saints the subject of joyful anticipation.

Instead of dreading the time when we will leave this world to go to the Father, we should be longing for the hour of our emancipation. Our song should be—

My heart is with Him on His throne,
And ill can brook delay;
Each moment listening for the voice,
"Rise up and come away."

We are not called down to the grave but up to the skies. Our heaven-born spirits should long for their native air. Yet the heavenly summons should be the object of patient waiting. Our God knows best when to bid us, "Come up here." We must not wish to antedate the period of our departure.

I know that strong love will make us cry,
O Lord of Hosts, the waves divide,
And land us all in heaven.

But patience must have her perfect work. God ordains with accurate wisdom the most fitting time for the redeemed to live below. Surely, if there could be regrets in heaven, the saints might mourn that they did not live longer here to do more good. Oh, for more sheaves for my Lord's harvest, more jewels for His crown! But how unless there be more work? True, there is the other side of it, that, living so briefly, our sins are the fewer; but oh, when we are fully serving God, and He is asking us to scatter precious seed and reap a hundredfold, we would even say it is well for us to stay where we are. Whether our Master shall say, "Go" or "Stay," let us be equally well pleased as long as He indulges us with His presence.

DEVOTION - TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2010

DEVOTION – TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2012

“Extraordinary Minus God Equals Failure”

BY

JAMES MACDONALLD

Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law! I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me. I cling to your testimonies, O Lord; let me not be put to shame! I will run in the way of Your commandments when you enlarge my heart. — Psalm 119:29-32

Aren’t you glad that God’s Word doesn’t picture the lives of Bible saints like some glossy retouched photos? God portrays people just as they were. They faced the same type of problems and responded in similar ways as we do.

Now, it’s easy to tell you how ordinary David was when he was just a shepherd growing up on the family farm. Although he was a great man of faith, the fact is he was just an ordinary guy. He spiraled fast when he stepped away from the extraordinary—found in his relationship with God.

If you find yourself thinking, “Man, if David—the man who loved God so much—could walk away from God’s path, then anyone can.” Ding. That’s the right answer. Anyone can. Apart from God’s extraordinary resources, we all become so ordinary, so fast.

Prosperous times produce passive wills. This is where David got off track. “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel” (2 Samuel 11:1). The text doesn’t tell us why David stayed in Jerusalem. Few of us can handle the temptation of inactivity. In our passivity, we wander around and start thinking, “Do I like my life? Do I like my wife? Do I like my house? Would I be happier in a different house or with a different wife or in another life?”

So these are ordinary temptations. What’s the remedy? Be proactive in your walk with God. Seek after God with all your heart. None of us can afford to be casual or indifferent about our walk with the Lord.

The crises of life reveal what’s been happening for a long time. While it may appear that David drove over a cliff in about six minutes, he didn’t. He made a lot of bad choices over a long period of time. He allowed his heart to become casual, passive, and indifferent, and as a result, he became vulnerable to a moral fall.

Protect your life today, do the right thing even if you don’t feel like it. Seek after God with all your heart and you will find Him. —James MacDonald

DEVOTION - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2012

DEVOTION – MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2012

“Last Words”

BY

PASTOR GREG LAURIE

As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children. (Psalm 103:15–17)

I read an article about a Metropolitan Opera tenor, Richard Versailles, who climbed a ladder during a performance as he sang, “Too bad you can only live for so long.” Immediately he had a heart attack and died. Ironically, those ended up being his last words.

One day, we all will give our final words, our last will and testament. You may know when you are giving them, and then again, maybe you won’t. So what would your last words be? How would you sum up your life?

Maybe you are living with guilt right now. Maybe the weight of your sin has come down on you like a ton of bricks. Maybe you did something recently and are beginning to realize how horrible it really was. Maybe it is something you did years ago. Whatever it is, you are living under a load of guilt and don’t know how to get rid of it. So what do you do?

Guilt is a symptom of sin. There is no good in just treating symptoms. Get to the source. You need forgiveness. There is only one way to have your sins forgiven, and that is by God through Jesus Christ. So if you will say to Him, “Lord, I am sorry for my sin. Forgive me,” then He will forgive you. The only sin that God will not forgive is the sin that we will not confess. The Bible says that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

If He forgave the people who nailed Him to the cross, then certainly He will forgive you of whatever sin you have committed. No matter how horrible it is, no matter how incomprehensible it is, He will forgive.

Summary sentence: God forgives me and I can forgive others!

Tags: Forgiveness, sin, guilt

Copyright © 2012 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version.

DEVOTION - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

DEVOTION – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

“Rich or Poor “

BY

BAYLESS CONLEY

It is interesting that Jesus, in our devotional yesterday, did not try to keep the widow from giving all she had. It is especially interesting considering what He said a little earlier in Mark 12:38-40,

Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."

You can hear the protection of God for widows in the voice of Jesus. You can hear His concern, and you can hear the judgment of God on those who manipulate, abuse, and take advantage of defenseless people and widows.

Yet, right on the heels of saying that, this widow gave all she had, which means she probably didn't even have anything left to buy food for a meal that night. With her gift of less than one penny, she had nothing left. And yet, Jesus said she gave more than everybody else.

Jesus did not give the slightest indication that she shouldn't have given an offering. He didn't run after her and say, "Now wait a minute, Ma'am! You shouldn't be doing this. You're a widow. God doesn't want this." On the contrary, it seems that He commended her for it, even calling her gift to the attention of the disciples.

Why do you suppose this lady would have given like that—all she had? I reckon because of her love for God and her love for the work of God.

Which is what Jesus looks for when we give, whether we are rich or poor.

Visit the Answers with Bayless Conley website for more ways to Connect with God