CONFIDENT ASSURANCE

Today's promise: God's timing is perfect

Confident assurance

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot see. God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith.

Hebrews 11:1-2 NLT

Certain of what I could not see!

I led my husband from one room of the condominium to the next.…"It's perfect for us. Let's make an offer." That evening Charles pored over the numbers, making sure we could afford it. "I think we can swing it," he said. I tingled at the thought of moving into our very own home. When the owners accepted our offer, I whooped with joy. "Thank you, Lord."

…"We don't have the money now," Charles said soberly. "You're right," I said. "We don't have the money. But God does. I'm going to ask him for it." The sum of $10,000 came to mind. Each morning I prayed in faith, "Lord, thank you for the $10,000 now hidden, to be revealed according to your will."

Was I treating God like a vending machine? Pop in a prayer and out slides the answer. I remembered times in my life when I have been more focused on my own agenda that on his will. But somehow this time was different. Our new home had come into our lives in such a miraculous way. With a failed job and a bankruptcy in our past, it seemed we had lost our chance to have a place of our own. I prayed, believing, sure of what I hoped for and certain of what I did not see.

Two weeks before closing, Charles flew to Kentucky to visit his ailing parents. Charles told Robert about the condominium and my strange prayer.

A knowing smile spread across Robert's face. "I think I know the answer," he said. "Mom just released $10,000 to each of us from Dad's estate. I planned to tell you about it today."

What had been hidden was now revealed — and the timing, God's timing, was perfect.

Karen O'Connor

Adapted from The Prayer Bible Jean E. Syswerda, general editor, Tyndale House Publishers (2003), p 1369.

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

NO NEED TO WORRY

Today's promise: God's timing is perfect

No need to worry

Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth.

Colossians 3:2 NLT

Worry is the interest paid on trouble before it falls due.

Author unknown

It is not work that kills men; it is worry. Worry is rust upon the blade.

Henry Ward Beecher

Lessons of a circuit rider

When Abraham Lincoln was on his way to Washington to be inaugurated, he spent some time in New York with Horace Greeley and told him an anecdote that was meant to be an answer to the question everybody was asking him: Are we really going to have civil war?

In his circuit-riding days, Lincoln and his companions, riding to the next session of court, had crossed many rivers. But the Fox River was still ahead of them; and they said one to another, "If these streams gives us so much trouble, how shall we get over the Fox River?"

When darkness fell, they stopped for the night at a log tavern, where they fell in with the Methodist presiding elder of the district, who rode through the country in all kinds of weather and knew all about the Fox River. They gathered around him and asked him about the present state of the river.

"Oh, yes," replied the circuit rider, "I know all the Fox River. I have crossed it often and understand it well. But I have one fixed rule with regard to the Fox River — I never cross it till I reach it."

from 1001 Great Stories and Quotes by R. Kent Hughes (Tyndale) pp 430-31

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

ROOM AND BOARD

ROOM AND BOARD

READ:

John 14:1-11

I go to prepare a place

for you.  –John 14:2

On a recent trip to England, my wife and I visited Anne Hathaway’s Cottage in Stratford-upon-Avon.  The house is more than 400 years old, and it was the childhood and family home of William Shakespeare’s wife.

The tour guide drew our attention to a table made with wide boards.  One side was used for eating meals and the other for chopping food.  In English life, different expressions grew from this usage as the word board became associated with food, housing, honesty, and authority.  An in would offer “room and board” –that is, sleeping and eating accommodations.  In taverns where customers played cards, they were told to keep their hands “above board” to make sure they weren’t cheating.  And in the home, the father was given a special chair at the head of the table where he was called “chairman of the board.”

As I reflected on this, I thought about how Jesus is our “room and board.”  He is our source of spiritual nourishment (John 6:35, 54); He empowers us to live a life of integrity (14:21); He is our loving Master (Philippians 2:11); and He is even now preparing our eternal home.  He promised:  “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2; see also 14:1-4, 23).  His grace has provided our everlasting room and board. –Dennis Fisher

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow-

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside. – Chisholm

***********************************************

Christ meets our needs now and for eternity.

INSIGHT

John 13-17 records Jesus’ “farewell” speech, His last words to His disciples just hours before His crucifixion.  Jesus spoke to humble and loving service (Ch.13), of heaven (ch.14), of what it takes to be His disciple (ch.15), and of the Holy Spirit (chs. 14, 16).  His speech culminated in a prayer for His disciples (ch.17).

Have a blessed day.

God Our Creator’s Love Always

Unity & Peace

WATCH THE LORD RESCUE YOU

Today's promise: God's timing is perfect

Watch the Lord rescue you

The Lord continued to strengthen Pharaoh's resolve, and he chased after the people of Israel who had escaped so defiantely. All the forces of Pharaoh's army — all his horses, chariots, and charioteers — were used in the chase.…

As Pharaoh and his army approached, the people of Israel could see them in the distance, marching toward them. The people began to panic, and they cried out to the Lord for help.

Then they turned against Moses and complained, "Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren't there enough graves for us in Egypt? Why did you make us leave? Didn't we tell you to leave us alone while we were still in Egypt? Our Egyptian slavery was better than dying out here in the wilderness!"

But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch the Lord rescue you. The Egyptians that you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. You won't have to lift a finger in your defense!"

Exodus 14:8-14 NLT

Bearing down

Whatever your worries are today, they probably do not top the 600 Egyptian war chariots bearing down on the children of Israel! Trapped between the mountains and the sea, the people forgot the God who had delivered them from the Pharaoh's hand, and they cried out in despair. But Moses, who focused on the promise of God, stood firm in his hope. When we face our "chariots," it is quite normal to feel anxiety and fear. But when we remember God's faithfulness and his ability to bring good out of any situation, we find our fears calmed and our confidence renewed.

from TouchPoint Bible commentaries by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers (Tyndale) p 62

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

NEVER DISAPPOINTED

Today's promise: God's timing is perfect

Never disappointed

Every day I call to you, my God, but, you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief. Yet you are holy. The praises of Israel surround your throne. Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. You heard their cries for help and saved them. They put their trust in you and were never disappointed.

Psalm 22:2-5 NLT

The fugitive translator

William Tyndale was born about 1494 and educated first at Oxford, where he was ordained into the priesthood, then at Cambridge, where he joined the Reformation. He became convinced that England would never be evangelized using Latin Bibles. Tyndale's efforts to get permission to translate the Bible into English were unsuccessful, so he left England.

His first English New Testament was printed in Germany in 1525. As Tyndale's English Bibles were smuggled into England, the archbishop of Canterbury and the bishop of London began attacking him fiercely. On June 18, 1528 Thomas Wolsey, the English cardinal, ordered Tyndale's arrest and extradition to England. It took seven years to track him down, then spent eighteen months in a cold castle dungeon.

Tyndale, in his early forties, was found guilty and condemned to death as a heretic. Referring to the king's opposition to his English Bible, Tyndale said, "Lord, open the king of England's eyes."

The year that Tyndale died, there were two English Bibles containing his translation of the New Testament. When presented to Henry VIII, the king, not realizing it contained Tyndale's work, proclaimed, "In God's name let it go abroad among the people."

Tyndale's Bible translations were his lasting legacy. They were so well done that they made up 90 percent of the wording of the King James Version published nearly one hundred years later.

Adapted from The One Year® Book of Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten (Tyndale, 2003), entry for June 18.

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

ACTING IN FAITH

Today's promise: God's Word is powerful

Acting in faith

That is why we live by believing and not by seeing.

2 Corinthians 5:7 NLT

You honor Jesus when you act in faith on His Word.

Ed Cole

Fertile lives

Most of us try to get through life on human wisdom. Some of us succeed. Others of us make so many mistakes that we die with innumerable regrets. If only we could get guidance from above, we would get this "life" stuff right. If only we could hear the voice of the One who knows. If only.

The truth is that we can. The Voice has spoken. His words are available to us. But there's a catch. We have to be willing to obey it. Otherwise, we won't have what Jesus calls "ears to hear." Those who obey what they already know of God have their ears opened to more; and those who have ears open are readily obedient.

The root of the problem is that most of us have trouble, however minor it may be, with obedience. We lose our "ears to hear," and as a result, we fall back on human wisdom. Our lives never match those of the biblical heroes. Why? Human wisdom would not have pushed Abraham up a hill to sacrifice his son; it would not have led God's people to the edge of the Red Sea with an army in pursuit; it would not have marched around Jericho seven times and blasted a trumpet for the wall to fall; and, most strikingly, human wisdom would not have vilified the Son of God on a cross in order to save a wretched race.

Really, when it comes to it, would you prefer to live by the human logic that results from losing your ears to hear? Or would you prefer the cutting-edge, risky-but-real life of a true, radical believer? The answer isn't clear for everyone. But we've seen who lasts. Your Bible is full of their stories. They lived by faith, not by sight.

Adapted from The One Year® Walk with God Devotional by Chris Tiegreen, Tyndale House Publishers (2004), entry for May 30.

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

THE POWER IN PRAYER

Today's promise: God's Word is powerful

The Power in Prayer

[Jesus told them,] "Now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven."

Luke 24:49 NLT

Though the Bible be crowded with golden promises from board to board, yet they will be inoperative until we turn them into prayer.

F. B. Meyer (1847-1929)

Golden promises

Before Jesus sent out the disciples to take the message of the gospel to all nations, he assured them of his promise to send the Holy Spirit. That promise motivated them to continue with one accord in prayer (Acts 1:14). God's promises are provided to stir us and inspire us to pray. Those precious promises — there are hundreds throughout the Bible — show us things God has purposed and wants us to ask for, just as he wanted his disciples to ask for the Holy Spirit so they would have power for ministry. These golden promises teach us about how to pray, and they build our faith. "If I am to have faith when I pray," said American evangelist R.A. Torrey, "I must find some promise in the Word of God on which to rest my faith.…If there is no promise in the Word of God, and no clear leading of the Spirit, there can be no real faith." Today, ask the Lord which of his promises he wants you to pray about. The Holy Spirit will fill you with power from on high to accomplish what needs to be done.

THANK YOU, FATHER, for the promises in your word. May they be incentives for me to continue in prayer so that your will may be accomplished and your kingdom will come in my life, family, nation, and world. Holy Spirit, thank you for dwelling within me and for filling me with your power. Let my prayers be pleasing to you, Father, as your Spirit leads me in praying in light of your promises.

Adapted from The One Year® Book of Praying through the Bible by Cheri Fuller, Tyndale House Publishers (2003), entry for April 29.

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House