Wednesday, August 31, 2016

FREE INDEED

Free Indeed
If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. —John 8:36
Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745-1796) was only 11 years old when he was kidnapped and sold into slavery. He made the harrowing journey from West Africa to the West Indies, then to the colony of Virgina, and then to England. By the age of 20 he purchased his own freedom, still bearing the emotional and physical scars of the inhumane treatment he had experienced.
Unable to enjoy his own freedom while others were still enslaved, Equiano became active in the movement to abolish slavery in England. He wrote his autobiography (an unheard of achievement for a former slave in that era) in which he described the horrific treatment of the enslaved.
When Jesus came, He fought a battle for all of us who are enslaved and unable to fight for ourselves. Our slavery is not one of outward chains. We are held by our own brokenness and sin. Jesus said, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:34-36).
Wherever such a freedom seems unheard of, His words need to be declared. We can be liberated from our guilt, shame, and hopelessness. By trusting Jesus, we can be free indeed! —Bill Crowder
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for making the sacrifice that has secured my freedom and eternal life. May I learn to love You in a way that honors the love You have shown me.
The price of our freedom from sin was paid by Jesus’s blood.

INSIGHT: Our Lord’s conversation with religious leaders who opposed Him reveals the contrast between man-made legalism and God’s truth. Christ says, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). Human beings were made to have fellowship with God, but our rebellion resulted in our being enslaved by sin. Accepting the truth of God’s Word and yielding to Him breaks this bondage. The religious people who opposed Christ clung to their heritage as descendants of Abraham for their spiritual foundation, but only Christ can free us from our sinful, self-centered preoccupation. Dennis Fisher

Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

GENTLE INFLUENCE

Gentle Influence
Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. —Colossians 3:12
A few years before he became the 26th U.S. president (1901-1909), Theodore Roosevelt got word that his oldest son, Theodore Jr., was ill. While his son would recover, the cause of Ted’s illness hit Roosevelt hard. Doctors told him that he was the cause of his son’s illness. Ted was suffering from “nervous exhaustion,” having been pressed unmercifully by Theodore to become the “fighter” hero-type he himself had not been during his own frail childhood. Upon hearing this, the elder Roosevelt made a promise to relent: “Hereafter I shall never press Ted either in body or mind.”
The father was true to his word. From then on he paid close attention to how he treated his son—the very same son who would one day bravely lead the landing of Allied soldiers on Utah Beach in World War II.
God has entrusted each of us with influence in the lives of others. We have a deep responsibility in those relationships, not only to spouses and children, but to friends, employees, and customers. The temptation to press too hard, to demand too much, to force progress, or to orchestrate success can lead us to harm others even when we don’t realize it. For this very reason, followers of Christ are urged to be patient and gentle with one another (Col. 3:12). Since Jesus, the Son of God, came in humility, how can we withhold such kindness from one another? —Randy Kilgore
What kind of expectations do you have of the people in your life—at home and at work? Think about the influence you might have on others. How can you reflect more of the character of Jesus?
What God does for us we should do for others.

INSIGHT: Most scholars believe the apostle Paul wrote Colossians from a Roman prison cell around ad 60, about the same time he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon. Paul seems to have had two primary purposes for writing this letter to the church at Colossae. First, he wanted the Colossian believers to know that Christ is superior to all human accomplishments, philosophies, and angelic beings. Second, he longed for these dear saints to experience freedom from the moralistic regulations and religious systems that enslaved them. Dennis Moles

Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.


Monday, August 29, 2016

THE ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP

The Ultimate Road Trip
In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. —Isaiah 40:3
Madagascar’s National Road 5 offers the beauty of a white sand coastline, palm forests, and the Indian Ocean. Its 125 miles of two-track road, bare rock, sand, and mud, however, have given it a reputation for being one of the worst roads in the world. Tourists looking for breathtaking views are advised to have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, an experienced driver, and an onboard mechanic.
John the Baptist came to announce the good news of the coming Messiah to those traveling on rough roads and through barren landscape. Repeating the words of the prophet Isaiah written centuries earlier, he urged curious crowds to “prepare the way for the Lord” and to “make straight paths for him” (Luke 3:4-5; Isa. 40:3)
John knew that if the people of Jerusalem were going to be ready to welcome their long-awaited Messiah their hearts needed to change. Mountains of religious pride would need to come down. Those in the valley of despair because of their broken lives would need to be lifted up.
Neither could be done by human effort alone. Those who refused to respond to the Spirit of God by accepting John’s baptism of repentance failed to recognize their Messiah when He came (Luke 7:29-30). Yet those who saw their need for change discovered in Jesus the goodness and wonder of God. —Mart DeHaan
Father in heaven, we need You to do in us what we cannot do for ourselves. Please remove any mountain of pride or valley of despair that would keep us from welcoming You into our lives.
Repentance clears the way for our walk with God.

INSIGHT: This passage is not a message of hope only for exiled Jews. It is for us all. Isaiah is proclaiming a universal truth: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” For Jesus’s followers, trouble, sorrow, and exile last only for a season. The hope of the Lord lasts forever. Dennis Moles

Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

THE LIMITS OF PROOFS AND EVEN OF MIRACLES

THE LIMITS OF PROOFS AND EVEN OF MIRACLES

For more great blogs as this one go to Daniel’s blog site at:

When a militant atheist feels like he has been backed against the wall, he pulls out his trump-card – “Well, prove that God exists.”

Don’t be tempted by the bait. You will never be able to provide the militant with a proof that he will accept. You might even ask him, “What type of evidence would you find satisfying?”

He might respond, “If God exists, I want him to appear to me right now.” However, not even such a miraculous appearance will make any difference. The late author and scholar, C.S. Lewis, recounts an interesting story:

       One person…claimed to have seen a ghost. It was a woman; and the interesting thing is that she disbelieved in the immortality of the soul before seeing the ghost and still disbelieves after having seen it. She thinks it was a hallucination. (God in the Dock, “Miracles,” 25)

From this, Lewis concluded that “seeing is not believing.” Why not?

       Whatever experiences we may have, we shall not regard them as miraculous if we already hold a philosophy which excludes the supernatural…We can always say we have been the victims of an illusion; if we disbelieve in the supernatural this is what we always shall say. (25)

Lewis took this principle a step further:
       If the modern materialist [atheist] saw with his own eyes the heavens rolled up and the great white throne appearing, if he had the sensation of being himself hurled into the Lake of Fire, he would continue forever, in that lake itself, to regard this experience as an illusion and to find the explanation of it in psycho-analysis, or cerebral pathology. (25)

However, the resistance to the facts of our direct sensory perception is even worse than this. Years ago at a family get-together, we – all of us were either agnostic or atheistic --      stood spell-bound for an hour at the sight of our two little girl-cousins doing the Ouiji Board. The girls were spooked by this Board, and it required a lot of adult persuasion and reassurances to get them to perform. Here are the facts about which we all agreed:

1.    Even blindfolded, the disk scurried around the Board spelling out adult words with adult thoughts and personalities. None of us suspected any deception on the part of the girls.
2.    The girls came up with answers that they were naturally incapable of knowing.
3.    None of us suspected that what we were viewing was illusory or the product of an hallucination. We were all seeing and hearing the same things, even for an hour.
Over the years, I have asked my skeptical family what they had concluded from what they had seen. None had a natural explanation or would try to ascribe what they had seen to an hallucination. However, what they had seen made no impact on their worldview. As Lewis had stated, “Seeing is not believing,” even if no alternative explanation is available.

I don’t think that we can clearly comprehend humanity’s hatred of the facts. Nor can we fathom the depth of our own aversion to the light of truth. However, this is the uniform revelation of Scripture. Jesus also pronounced this very verdict against humanity:
       And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. (John 3:19-20; ESV)

For many reasons, it is important for us to grasp this truth. For one thing, we need to understand from what depths we have been rescued. For another thing, we need to understand the world. They are really not whom they seem to be. Apart from the grace of God, they are lovers of darkness and have been taken captive by what they love:

       And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:24-26)

Originally, we were not pawns of Satan. Instead, we had been “captured.”

Because we had been enemies of the truth (Romans 5:8-10), more was needed besides proper argumentation and even love to secure our freedom. God had to grant us a new heart and mind so that we could receive the truth, “come to [our] senses,” and escape our bondage.

If we fail to grasp the fact that this is a supernatural battle, we will become very frustrated with the skeptic and even with our own evangelistic efforts. However, when we are able to perceive the great extent and dimensions of the battle, we realize on Whom we must rely.

Consequently, the primarily battle for the mind is not waged against flesh and blood but against the devil himself:

       Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:11-12)

But this doesn’t mean that we are just innocent pawns in a cosmic battle. Instead, we have willingly and culpably given ourselves over to the powers of darkness:

       Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. (Ephesians 4:17-19)

Why have they given themselves over to the darkness? Because of “their hardness of heart!” We have rejected God and have devoted ourselves to our own desires. As a result of this, God has given us over to the blinding influence of these desires (Romans 1:24, 26, 28). And so, only the Lord can rescue us.

This means that we have to be patient and gentle with the skeptic.



New York School of the Bible: http://www.nysb.nyc/

NAMING GOD

Naming God
I have now seen the One who sees me. —Genesis 16:13
In his book The God I Don’t Understand, Christopher Wright observes that an unlikely person is one of the first to give God a name. It’s Hagar!
Hagar’s story provides a disturbingly honest look at human history. It’s been years since God told Abram and Sarai they would have a son, and Sarai has only grown older and more impatient. In order to “help” God, she resorts to a custom of the day. She gives her slave, Hagar, to her husband, and Hagar becomes pregnant.
Predictably, dissension arises. Sarai mistreats Hagar, who runs away. Alone in the desert, she meets the angel of the Lord, who makes a promise strikingly similar to one God had made earlier—to Abram (see Gen. 15:5). “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count” (16:10). The angel names Hagar’s son Ishmael, which means “God hears” (v. 11). In response, this slave from a culture with multiple gods that could neither see nor hear gives God the name “You are the God who sees me” (v. 13).
“The God who sees us” is the God of impatient heroes and powerless runaways. He’s the God of the wealthy and well-connected as well as the destitute and lonely. He hears and sees and cares, achingly and deeply, for each of us. —Tim Gustafson
Lord, You didn’t sugarcoat the story of Your people in the Bible and yet You loved them—as You love us—in spite of all the dirt and drama. You are the God who sees us, and yet we can still run to You.
Read about some of the names that Jesus is given. See The Amazing Names of the Messiah.
God sees us with eyes of compassion.

Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.

ARE LOVE AND KINDNESS ALWAYS ENOUGH?

ARE LOVE AND KINDNESS ALWAYS ENOUGH?

For more great blogs as this one go to Daniel’s blog site at:

In an essay entitled “Fear Not,” Presbyterian minister, Dan McNerney, argues that we should not fear Islamic oppression, terrorism, and immigration. Why not? Because God is in charge and can bring good out of the worst situations:

       Yet, they survive through their incredible faith, often becoming witnesses in jail for their Lord.

       In recent years, the underground church in Iran has become the fastest growing church in the world, now numbering three million believers.

Of course, I rejoice at such testimonies. These not only reveal the glory of our God but also His care for His Church—us! However, from such examples, McNerney also seems to argue that if God is in control we shouldn’t be. Instead, we should adopt a politically “hands-off” stance when it comes to confronting Islam:

       Too often, we prefer holding onto and controlling the reins of our lives, reluctant to trust anyone, not even God. We would rather be racked with anxiety than give up control of our lives. It makes no sense, but we do it all the time.

Certainly, we must trust in the Lord and not be “racked with anxiety,” but doesn’t the Church have a responsibility here, at least to advocate for the protection of society and the innocent? And aren’t we showing a lack of love for our neighbor when we remain silent in the face of hundreds of thousands of potential jihadists entering our neighborhoods?

McNerney’s only response to evil seems to be to “give up control of our lives” and to live without care before the proven dangers. However, we also have a role to play:

       Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. (Isaiah 1:17; ESV)

       Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. (Jeremiah 22:3)

When we can make a difference and yet fail to protect against the oppressor, we are at fault:
       So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (James 4:17)

Instead, the Church must be prophetic and expose evil:
       Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. (Ephesians 5:11)

When we fail to stand against evil and even welcome evil into our midst, we betray our calling. The Church had failed to stand against segregation and Hitler. This opened the door to great suffering and brought disrepute upon the Church.

However, it seems that McNerney would just have us pray, turn our back, and walk on.

Jesus told a parable about a Good Samaritan who took care of a man who had been mugged and left “half dead.” Seeing him, a priest and a Levite crossed over to the opposite side, but why not? Perhaps, like McNerney, they were determined not to be “racked with anxiety” over what to do about this man. Indeed, God is sovereign. It’s His business, right?

However, to be fair to McNerney, he does advocate in favor of love:
       The only thing that will bring a radical Muslim to his knees is the power, love and grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We cannot allow fear to enter our souls and extinguish our faith or hope in our own country. Fear has no place in the Gospel.

Truly, the Church must lead with love. However, love alone did not stop the Jim Crow laws or Hitler. Force also was necessary.

If Mordechai had thought according to McNerney’s thinking, he might have planted Haman a garden or polished his shoes, once he heard of the edict, inspired by Haman, for the utter destruction of the Jewish people. However, Mordechai knew that stronger measures were needed to rescue his people. Therefore, he prevailed upon Esther to approach the king, even at the risk of her own life.

While we are called to love as Jesus did, sometimes other measures are necessary to protect the innocent. That’s why God had ordained a justice system to wield His vengeful sword (Romans 13:1-4).

It is now common to hear people say that, “If Hitler had just been loved enough, he would have been tamed.” However, this is not the message of Scripture, which acknowledges that sometimes kindness and peace are not enough:

       If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Romans 12:18)

Sometimes it is not possible, since it doesn’t depend entirely on us. Jesus is our exemplar of love, and yet He was put to death. And He warned that the world would also hate us:
       “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. (John 15:18-20)

This happens, not because of our lack of love but because of evil. Therefore, there are times when love must cloth itself with coercion—even excommunication. In the case of brethren who had proved that they weren’t amenable to reason and gentleness, Jesus instructed:

       “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:17)

Notice that Jesus didn’t follow McNerney’s admonition: “The only thing that will bring a radical Muslim to his knees is the power, love and grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.” If our own brethren won’t always be brought to their knees by love, we should not expect that this one tactic will bring the radical Muslim to his knees.

Nor did Jesus castigate the Church at Pergamum for not loving enough. Instead, He criticized this church for not taking decisive measures against false teaching:
       “But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.” (Revelation 2:14)

Likewise, the Church at Thyatira had not been criticized because they did not love Jezebel enough to bring about her repentance:

       “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.” (Revelation 2:20-21)

Love will not overcome all evil. In the case of Jezebel, she refused to repent. Meanwhile, the Church at Ephesus was commended because they resorted to more coercive means:

       “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.” (Revelation 2:2)

Likewise, when Jesus returns, He will return with more than tenderness. The Prophet Malachi gives a description of what His return will be like even for some of His elect:
       But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. (Malachi 3:2-3)

Jesus will not just come with tenderness. Nevertheless, McNerney is right that we shouldn’t be shaking in fear over the Islamic threat. Our God reigns. However, we must be as wise as serpents and take a meaningful stance against this threat, if not for ourselves, then for the innocent who are now being decimated by this sword.


New York School of the Bible: http://www.nysb.nyc/


GOD'S MOUTHPIECE

God’s Mouthpiece
Who gave human beings their mouths? . . . Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak. —Exodus 4:11-12
My nerves fluttering, I waited for the phone to ring and the radio interview to start. I wondered what questions the host would ask and how I would respond. “Lord, I’m much better on paper,” I prayed. “But I suppose it’s the same as Moses—I need to trust that you will give me the words to speak.”
Of course I’m not comparing myself with Moses, the leader of God’s people who helped them escape slavery in Egypt to life in the Promised Land. A reluctant leader, Moses needed the Lord to reassure him that the Israelites would listen to him. The Lord revealed several signs to him, such as turning his shepherd’s staff into a snake (Ex. 4:3), but Moses hesitated to accept the mantle of leadership, saying he was slow of speech (v. 10). So God reminded him that He is the Lord and that He would help him speak. He would “be with his mouth” (as the original language translates, according to biblical scholars).
We know that since the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, God’s Spirit lives within His children and that however inadequate we may feel, He will enable us to carry out the assignments He gives to us. The Lord will “be with our mouths.” —Amy Boucher Pye
Lord Jesus, You dwell with me. May my words today build up someone for Your glory.
Share your story of how God helped you carry out an assignment at Facebook.com/ourdailybread.
As God’s people we are His mouthpiece to spread His good news.

Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.



HONORABLE LIVING

Honorable Living
You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession. —1 Peter 2:9
While delivering a well-publicized speech, a respected leader and statesman got the attention of his nation by declaring that most of his country’s honorable Members of Parliament (MPs) were quite dishonorable. Citing lifestyles of corruption, pompous attitudes, unsavory language, and other vices, he rebuked the MPs and urged them to reform. As expected, his comments didn’t go well with them and they dispatched counter-criticisms his way.
We may not be public officials in positions of leadership, but we who follow Christ are a “chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” (1 Peter 2:9). As such, our Lord calls us to lifestyles that honor Him.
The disciple Peter had some practical advice on how to do this. He urged us to “abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul” (v. 11). Although he didn’t use the word honorable, he was calling us to behavior worthy of Christ.
As the apostle Paul phrased it in his letter to the Philippians, “Whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Phil. 4:8). Indeed, these are the characteristics of behavior that honor our Lord. —Lawrence Darmani
Lord, when we are honest with You, we understand how often we fall far short of honorable behavior. We know how much we need You. By Your Spirit, help us replace any selfish thoughts, words, and actions with things that please You and draw others to You.
We honor God’s name when we call Him our Father and live like His children.

INSIGHT: The apostle Peter wrote this letter to encourage Jewish and Gentile Christians in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) who were going through severe trials and suffering because of their faith in Jesus. Peter says that for the Christian, trials and suffering are inevitable and to be expected (1 Peter 4:12), although often unreasonable, unjust, and inexplicable (2:19-20). But these difficulties can be valuable to the believer and therefore glorifying to God (1:6-7). Although they are universal, they are certainly temporal (5:9-10). Peter calls us to rejoice in our trials because we participate not only in Christ’s suffering but also in His glory (1:7; 4:13). Sim Kay Tee

Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.


THE WORLD NEEDS EVANGELISM BUT SO DO WE

THE WORLD NEEDS EVANGELISM BUT SO DO WE

For more great blogs as this one go to Professor Mann’s blog site at:  www.Mannsworld.blogspot.com

Jesus’ entire ministry was focused on evangelism. When He called His disciples, He promised to make them “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Interestingly, He didn’t entice them with the promise of stature, respect, or power. He didn’t promise to make them healers, deliverance ministers, miracle workers, or prophets, although He did endow some of them with these gifts. Instead, His promise to make them fishers of men was to characterize their calling.

It also characterized Jesus’ ministry. Peter and the others had found Him praying on the mountain and wanted to know why He was up there instead of coming back down to the people waiting to be healed. Jesus’ answer revealed His priorities:
       And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” (Mark 1:38; ESV)

It seems that preaching to save souls took precedence over all of His other ministries, even healing and delivering the evil spirits.

Jesus certainly taught His disciples to perform acts of mercy, but even these had a greater purpose:
       “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

Good deeds were to be performed for the glory of the Father to turn the hearts of the people to Him. Evangelism was also the prime focus of Jesus’ final instructions to His followers – the Great Commission given to spread the Gospel throughout the world:
       “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

       “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:46-48)

Regarding evangelism, there is something that we often forget or, perhaps, overlook. We also need evangelistic for our spiritual health and the health of the Church. Towards the end of the Epistle to the Ephesians, Paul had written instructions for the purpose of enabling us to stand against satanic attacks. He described these defensive measures as “the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11, 13). This armor consisted of the “belt of truth” and the “breastplate of righteousness” (14) followed by a piece of unusual armor that doesn’t seem to be defensive at all but offensive:

       As shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. Ephesians (15).

Our feet should always be ready to carry forth the Gospel. However, this is not defense but offense, right? I think that it is both. We have often heard it said, “A good defense is a good offense.” This would suggest that the Church best defends itself as it moves forward, rather than waiting defensively and fearfully for the next blow to fall.

This understanding made me think about Daniel’s description of the Church during the last days of this current era. The Church would not be cowering in the corner awaiting the next wave of persecution. Instead, the Church would be showing forth the glory and courage of her Savior:
       He [the anti-Christ king] shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. And the wise among the people shall make many understand [evangelism], though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. (Daniel 11:32-33)

I rejoiced to read this! Although we might “stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder,” we will not be cowered into submission. As He had promised, our Lord will be with us. We would endure the pain and threats by moving forward, by fulfilling our commission!

This also accords with Jesus’ teachings. After teaching how the Church would be torn by dissension and how we would be hated by the world (Matthew 24:9-12), Our Lord illustrated how that those who continue with Him will courageously carry out His evangelistic mission to the ends of the earth:
       “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

If our Lord is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31-32)!

New York School of the Bible: http://www.nysb.nyc/

Check out Professor Mann’s new book:

Prayer: Confronting the Confusion”  available on Amazon.com by clicking the link below:



REMEMBERING

Remembering . . .
I have hidden your word in my heart. —Psalm 119:11
One difficult part of growing older is the fear of dementia and the loss of short-term memory. But Dr. Benjamin Mast, an expert on the topic of Alzheimer’s disease, offers some encouragement. He says that patients’ brains are often so “well worn” and “habitual” that they can hear an old hymn and sing along to every word. He suggests that spiritual disciplines such as reading Scripture, praying, and singing hymns cause truth to become “embedded” in our brains, ready to be accessed when prompted.
In Psalm 119:11, we read how the power of hiding God’s words in our heart can keep us from sinning. It can strengthen us, teach us obedience, and direct our footsteps (vv. 28, 67, 133). This in turn gives us hope and understanding (vv. 49, 130). Even when we begin to notice memory slips in ourselves or in the life of a loved one, God’s Word, memorized years earlier, is still there, “stored up” or “treasured” in the heart (v. 11 esv, nasb). Even as our minds lose the keen edge of youth, we know that God’s words, hidden in our hearts, will continue to speak to us.
Nothing—not even failing memories—can separate us from His love and care. We have His word on it. —Cindy Hess Kasper
Lord, You are such an amazing comfort to us. Thank You that our salvation and spiritual well-being does not depend on our failing minds and bodies, but on You and Your faithfulness to Your Word.
God’s promises never fail.


INSIGHT: Psalm 119 is well known as the longest chapter in the Bible. It is an acrostic (each section beginning with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet) that praises the goodness and value of God’s law. While it may be tempting to ignore the significance of what the writer of this psalm says and consider it mere poetic license, Scripture repeatedly praises the law of God as good and valuable. Jesus Himself affirmed the value and benefit of the law on numerous occasions. Most notably in His Sermon on the Mount when He said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matt. 5:17). J.R. Hudberg

WATCH AND PRAY

Watch and Pray
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. —Mark 14:38
From my window I can see a 1,700-meter hill called the Cerro del Borrego or “Hill of the Sheep.” In 1862, the French army invaded Mexico. While the enemy camped in the central park of Orizaba, the Mexican army established its position at the top of the hill. However, the Mexican general neglected to guard access to the top. While the Mexican troops were sleeping, the French attacked and killed 2,000 of them.
This reminds me of another hill, the Mount of Olives, and the garden at its foot where a group of disciples fell asleep. Jesus rebuked them, saying, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38).
How easy it is to sleep or become careless in our Christian walk. Temptation strikes when we are most vulnerable. When we neglect certain areas of our spiritual lives—such as prayer and Bible study—we become drowsy and let our guard down, making us easy targets for our enemy, Satan, to strike (1 Peter 5:8).
We need to be alert to the possibilities of an attack and pray to maintain vigilance. If we remain watchful and pray—for ourselves and for others—the Spirit will enable us to resist temptation. —Keila Ochoa
Lord Jesus, I know my spirit is willing, but my body is weak. Help me to watch and pray today for myself and for others.
Satan is powerless against the power of Christ.


INSIGHT: The garden of Gethsemane was the starting point of the sufferings of Christ, and it could not have been more appropriately named. In Aramaic, the word Gethsemane means “olive press.” In olive tree orchards, it was normal to have a press where the harvested olives would be placed so that a heavy stone could be rolled over them—crushing the olives and removing the valuable oil from the fruit. That imagery precisely describes what Christ would undergo in His own “olive press.” Imagine the sinless Son loaded down with the weight of all the sins of the entire world from all the ages! Bill Crowder

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

AT RISK OF FALLING

At Risk of Falling
If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! —1 Corinthians 10:12
When my friend Elaine was recovering after a bad fall, a hospital worker placed a bright yellow bracelet on her wrist. It read: Fall Risk. That phrase meant: Watch this person carefully. She may be unsteady on her feet. Help her get from place to place.
First Corinthians 10 contains something like a “Fall Risk” warning for believers. With a glance back at his ancestors, Paul noted the human potential to fall into sin. The Israelites complained, worshiped idols, and had immoral relationships. God grew unhappy with them and allowed them to experience consequences for their wrongdoing. However, Paul said, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us . . . . So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (vv. 11-12).
It’s easy to trick ourselves into believing that we’re done with a particular sort of sin. Even when we’ve struggled through the worst of it—admitting our problem, repenting, and recommitting ourselves to following God’s ways—temptation may come calling. God makes it possible for us to avoid falling back into the same patterns. He does this by providing a way out of the sinful act we’re considering. Our part is to respond to His offer of escape. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Lord, let me see the way of escape You offer when I am tempted. Give me the strength to accept Your help so I can stay faithful to You. I know this is Your desire for me, and I thank You that You are at work in me.

Great blessings are often followed by great temptations.

INSIGHT: Paul tells us that the temptation to do evil is common. But God in His goodness has provided a way to escape sin. More often than not it’s best to plan an escape route before we encounter temptation. It is wise to avoid those circumstances where we are most vulnerable to sin. Dennis Fisher


Share your thoughts on today’s devotional on Facebook or odb.org.