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Post by Obadiah on Feb 24, 2023 4:51:24 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR FEBRUARY 24TH
A Little Bird Told MeDo not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say. Ecclesiastes 10:20 Verse 20, I am sure, is the origin of the popular saying a little bird told me. This may also be the first recorded instance of the government's bugging a home! It clearly reflects the modern saying even the walls have ears. Do not complain about the government even in your bedchamber or in your innermost thoughts. This is not implying that if you do, your complaining might get back to the king and he will be angry with you and punish you. Rather, it is the idea that your constant complaining about problems in government creates a condition that spreads dissatisfaction with, and distrust of, government. We are living with a generation that, by and large, distrusts the powers and rights of government. This may be because young people who are now entering into legal adulthood have heard us older ones grumbling so much about the government that they have learned to distrust it, to feel that it is an unnecessary evil, and to react violently against it. It is remarkable that any American president is able to serve more than one term in office. The media so focuses upon the president and criticizes so vehemently everything he does and every word he speaks: that no president is able to stand the glare of such adverse publicity. The American way is to elect a man to office, give him six months to change everything, and if he does not do it, spend the next three-and-a-half years complaining about it. There is a destructive element in complaining and griping all the time about what government does. I was blessed and encouraged when several of our staff wrote letters to the mayor of San Francisco to commend her for her vetoing an ordinance that would be destructive to the social fabric. Against much of the popular opinion of the hour, the mayor found the courage to veto that measure. What a difference it makes in the quality of government if we show our support for those who are in office. The appeal of the Searcher is that if you want to be wise and in view of all that God provides in life as revealed in this book, then try to be supportive of the government. Forgive me for my complaining spirit, Lord. Teach me to spread a spirit of confidence that You are at work through the leadership of our land. Life ApplicationWhen supportive talk seems out of vogue, how easy it is to passionately complain about the government. Do our conversations betray a lack of trust in the Godhead? Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Feb 25, 2023 15:08:56 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR FEBRUARY 25TH
Live Generously
Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.
Ecclesiastes 11:1
The idea expressed here is one of openhanded generosity. Give freely, wisely, and generously to the needs of those about. This phrase, Cast your bread upon the waters, was a proverb in Israel for what looked like wasteful expenditure. No one would take good bread and throw it in the river. But here we are enjoined to do that very thing. This is not encouraging us to be spendthrifts, to thoughtlessly and carelessly give away our money, spending it like a drunken sailor. What is meant is, be willing to take a chance where a real need is evident.
When you see people in need, though you do not know how they are going to use your money--it may not be apparent that they will even use it wisely--nevertheless, be generous. Cast your bread upon the waters, for in the wisdom and purpose of God it may very well return to you some day when you are in need of help. I could relate several stories of people who helped strangers; then, at some later time when they found themselves in serious trouble, that person or that deed reappeared in such a way as to help them in their time of need.
Also, give as widely as possible: Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land (Ecclesiastes 11:2). That is not limiting us to how many we should have on our help list. This Hebrew idiom, Give portions to seven, yes to eight, was a way of saying, Give to as many as you can, and then some. Be generous. You do not know what evil may be averted by your gift.
There follow reasons for this kind of generosity in verse 3: If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie.
First, we are to give generously because it is the natural outflow of a full life, like clouds that are filled with rain and empty themselves again and again upon the earth. A life that is full of the blessing and grace of God ought to shower others with that blessing. Remember the words of Jesus, Freely you have received, freely give (Matthew 10:8). We are to give because it is the natural outflow of a life that is already filled with the blessings of God, not only physically but also spiritually and emotionally as well.
The second parable about the tree falling to the south or north is somewhat more difficult, but I saw a motto in someone's kitchen that captures exactly what this idiom is saying; it was the slogan Bloom where you are planted. That is, it is God who controls the fall of the tree out in the forest; whether it falls to the south or the north is within the scope of divine providence to determine, but where it falls, that is where it is to be. This is Solomon's way of saying to us, Where God has put you, in your present circumstances, that is where you are to give. Meet the needs around you. That does not always mean geographically. You may be in touch with someone halfway around the world whose needs you are aware of, but God has brought that to your knowledge so that you can meet that need.
Thank You, Lord, for all that I have. Help me to cast my bread upon the waters, to give boldly and in faith that needs will be met, and blessing will come in Your way and in Your time.
Life Application
Giving is a way of relieving need, but oftentimes needs are not expressed because people in their pride hide their needs. Do we have a sensitive spirit of generosity?
Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Feb 26, 2023 7:00:09 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR FEBRUARY 26TH
What To Do While You're YoungBe happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment. Ecclesiastes 11:9I am always amazed at the energy of young people. We have three grandsons living with us. When I come home, weary and tired, although they have been tearing around all day, they still want to wrestle with me. Sometimes I heave a sigh of relief when they finally give up and go to bed. George Bernard Shaw said, Youth is such a wonderful thing it is a shame to waste it on young people. God gives the gift of youth, so rejoice in it. Young people, for the most part, always believe that everything is going to turn out all right, so they energetically pursue things. This verse encourages that. Youth is the time to plan, to try new things, to explore new opportunities, new adventures. In my twenties I had the opportunity, following the outbreak of World War II, to go to the Hawaiian Islands and work in industry there. Youth is the time to seize opportunities and to follow our desires. But--there is always a but, isn't there? Remember that ultimately there must be an accounting. This book will close with that reminder again: For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil(Ecclesiastes 12:14). That is not a threat. It is simply a reminder to youth that though there are great, open doors of opportunity set before you that you will not have later in life, nevertheless, enter them with the realization that you must make wise choices. You must deny yourself the pleasures of sin; you must make choices in the light of what will ultimately be the evaluation of your life. He goes on to specify exactly what he means. First, Remove vexation from your mind (Ecclesiastes 11:10a RSV). Vexation is a word that combines the thoughts of anger and resentment. Young people tend to be angry and resentful when things do not go the way they like. That is what makes young people rebel. So remove vexation from your mind. And second, cast off the troubles of your body (Ecclesiastes 11:10). Put away dangerous things--drugs, wrongful use of your sexual powers, damaging things, smoking, drinking--stop them. That is living thoughtfully through life. Remember, too, that youth and vigor are meaningless (Ecclesiastes 11:10). Even that glorious experience of youth is not the reason life was given. Here again we see a challenge to the secular illusions that we are subjected to all the time. Youth is what is held up for us to emulate. But youth is in itself emptiness. It is not vitality that will satisfy, but a relationship with a living God. Life finds its fulfillment, its meaning, only as you develop a relationship with the living God daily through your life. That is why the Searcher goes on to say in the closing chapter, Remember your Creator in the days of your youth (Ecclesiastes 12:1a). Lord, one day I will stand before You and give an account of what I have done. Let me live now, at whatever stage I am, with this end in mind. Life ApplicationYouth with all its glory and energy is full of opportunity. While still young are we increasingly thoughtful and mindful of our relationship with the living Lord? How so? Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Feb 27, 2023 5:50:12 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR FEBRUARY 27TH
Before It's Too LateRemember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, I find no pleasure in them. Ecclesiastes 12:1
It is hard to find the answer to life when you're old. Statistics indicate that most people who come to Christ come to Him while they are relatively young. Ninety-five percent of all believers come to Christ before they are fifty years old, and most of those before they are thirty. The Searcher tells us: Remember your Creator in the days of your youth. Remembering God does not mean merely thinking about Him once in awhile. It means to relate to Him, walk with Him, discover Him, learn to know Him while you are young. There are two excellent reasons given for this. First, because days of trouble are coming. Old age is setting in, and one of the characteristics of old age is that we lose our ability to change and to learn new things; we are subjected to greater pressures. Those days become days of trouble. Temptation is all around us; it is subtle, it is powerful. The appeal of the world and the flesh is constantly with us, turning thousands of young people away from the truth of God. But it gets worse the older you grow. The pressures to conform are greater as you move out into life and business; when you become parents, when you become breadwinners and have to establish homes, the pressures to conform, to fit in with all the ways of the world, will be far more intense than they are when you are still in high school or college. Evil pressures increase; that is one good reason to remember your Creator in the days of your youth. Then, second, your motivations are highest now. The Searcher says days are coming when you will say, 'I find no pleasure in them.' That is, when you will say, I'm not motivated at all. One of the signs of age is its unwillingness to change. I have often observed the tragedy of people who have acknowledged the fact that they had missed the secret of life, but they were unwilling to change simply because it was so hard to do so when they were old. This is why the Searcher exhorts young people, Learn about God now. Learn the Scriptures now, when you are young, while motivation is high and evil pressures are fewer. We have a wonderful example of this in our Lord Jesus. He grew up in a godly home, exposed to the truth of the Scripture. The only thing that is recorded of Him in those days is given in the words, And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:52). He manifested such wisdom that when He was only twelve years old He astonished the teachers in the temple, asking them penetrating questions they could not answer. Then He went back with His mother and father to finish His boyhood in that home in Nazareth, having remembered His Creator in the days of His youth. Lord, teach me to remember You, my Creator, in these days of temptation. By Your grace, let me grow in favor with God and man. Life ApplicationHave we experienced the joy of learning the Scriptures while young? As we get older it is more difficult to change, yet it's never too late to willingly root and grow in Christ. Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Feb 28, 2023 5:27:25 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR FEBRUARY 28TH
The Need For The TruthThe words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails — given by one Shepherd. Ecclesiastes 12:11
Solomon describes the value of Scripture: it is like a goad. It makes you go where you would not ordinarily go; it delivers you by prodding you along. I remember a man who was in the grip of a terrible depression for more than a year. But he was delivered by daily meditating on a simple statement he found in Scripture, the words of Jesus, Not my will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42). Meditating on that day after day goaded him and urged him to think about his life in those terms. He was brought out of his depression within a relatively short time and never returned to it again. Scripture is also a firmly embedded nail. You can hang onto it in times of danger and temptation. Once in my own life when I was severely troubled of heart, one phrase from Jesus came into my mind again and again. It was where Jesus said to His disciples, Let not your hearts be troubled (John 14:1a RSV). I was especially gripped by those two words, Let not. They said to me that a troubled heart in the believer is subject to the will of that believer. He can let his heart be troubled, or he can let it not be troubled. The ground for letting it not be troubled is in the words that immediately follow: Jesus said, Believe in God, believe also in me (John 14:lb RSV). When the realization struck me that my living Lord was there, with wisdom and power to handle the situation, I felt the lifting of my heart's load. That is the power of Scripture. Why does it have this unique power? The reason, according to verse 11, is because their collected sayings... [are] given by one Shepherd. These are inspired, God-breathed words. The heart of God is the heart of a shepherd; He sees us as wandering sheep in need of a shepherd's care. The fact that the Lord is our shepherd is probably the reason the shepherds of Bethlehem were chosen to be the first men to hear the wonderful words of the angels: Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11). But in the hope that was awakened on that Christmas morning, there was the realization that the One who was born in the manger was the One of whom it was said, the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6b). Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to [the words of the wise], the Searcher says (Ecclesiastes 12:11). This is the word of wisdom to searchers for knowledge: Of making many books there is no end (Ecclesiastes 12:12). It is right to read and search and know and learn. But beware of letting this take you beyond the simple fact that this book so clearly declares, that God is the answer to the reason for existence. Until we discover Him, study and books will never be of any continuing value to us. Thank You for Your Word, dear Lord. May I allow it to function in my life as a goad that prods me towards You, as a firmly fixed nail I can hang onto, given by You, the Great Shepherd. Life ApplicationThe truth is always attacked by a multiplicity of lies. Have we been guided by the Word of God? Have we discovered the simple, powerful, and restful truth in Christ? Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Mar 1, 2023 5:39:53 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 1ST
SalutationsPaul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:1-2This salutation is the briefest in any of Paul's letters, yet it includes three simple things to which I will call your attention. First, Paul's credentials: Notice how he describes himself, an apostle... by the will of God. An apostle was one sent with a message. Paul gloried in the fact that he was an apostle of Jesus Christ. And, as he tells us in his letter to the Galatians, the Lord Jesus appeared to him directly. Paul did not learn what he knew about the gospel by discussing it with the other apostles. The truth that he imparts to us here he learned directly from Jesus Christ, and that is his authority. Therefore, when you read Paul you are reading an authorized spokesman for the Lord Jesus. What he says is what he has heard. So if you don't agree with Paul, you don't agree with the Lord either! Paul was always amazed by the fact that it was by the will of God that he was an apostle. He had no other glory in his life than that God, in the amazing wonder of His grace, had called this man, who was such a bitter, intense, nationalistic persecutor of the church; had arrested him and changed him; and had sent him out to be an apostle to the Gentiles. Notice that he gives no other credentials. He doesn't refer to his training at the feet of Gamaliel or his Hebrew background and pedigree or the brilliance of his intellect or anything else. He simply says, I'm an apostle by the will of God. That is the ground upon which I write. Then notice how these Christians are described: saints... the faithful in Christ Jesus. Saint is a word at which we all shudder a little. We don't like to be called saints because we have such a plaster idea of what a saint is. We think of them as being unreal so holier-than-we, so unlike ordinary human beings. But the saints of the New Testament are people like us, people who are beset with struggles and difficulties, who have disturbances at home and problems at work and troubles everywhere else. But one thing is remarkable about them: they are different. That is really the basic meaning of this word saint. In the Greek it is derived from the word for holy. And holy means distinct, different, whole, belonging to God and, therefore, living differently. Holiness is the mark of saints. It isn't that they don't have problems, but that they handle them in a different way. They have a different lifestyle. Then comes the invariable greeting of Paul to these believers: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The two great heritages of the Christian are grace and peace. You can always have grace and peace, no matter what your circumstances. These are the two characteristics that ought to mark Christians all the time. Father, help me to comprehend these great themes that have changed the history of the world. Help me by Your grace to rejoice, to lay hold of Your provision, and to be a responsive instrument in Your hand. Life ApplicationThere is a great, life-changing heritage available to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Are our lives characterized by God's gifts of grace and peace? Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Mar 2, 2023 7:14:40 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 2ND
In The HeavenliesPraise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 1:3Remember that all these blessings are available to us in the realm that Paul calls the heavenlies. He is not referring to heaven here; he does not mean going to heaven when you die. We get such distorted concepts of heaven! Heaven, as most people envision it, is not an attractive place to me—damp, rainy clouds; unstrung harps out of tune; and white robes. A good travel brochure could make west Texas look preferable to heaven. And yet most people think that this is what Paul is talking about when he speaks of the heavenlies. No, in the heavenly realms is a reference to the invisible realities of our life now. These realities certainly reach on into eternity, but they are something to be experienced now in your inner life—your thought life, where you feel conflict and pressure, struggle and disaster—that is part of the heavenlies. It is where we are exposed to the attack of the principalities and powers that are mentioned in chapter 6, those dark spirits in high places who get to us and depress us and frighten us and make us anxious or hostile. The heavenlies is not only the realm of conflict but also where God can release us and deliver us, where the Spirit of God reaches us at the seat of our intellect, emotions, and our will. It is the realm of those deep, surging urges that rise within us and create either a restlessness or a sense of peace, depending on the source from which they come. So don't read this as though it were something out in space somewhere. These blessings are yours in your inner experience now if you are in Jesus Christ. Obviously, all of this comes to us in one great package in Christ. If you are not a Christian, you cannot possibly claim these benefits, because they are not yours—there is no way you can appropriate them unless you are in Christ. But if you are in Christ, there is nothing to keep you from having all of them, every moment of every day. That is why it is so important that we discover what they are. These are much more than mere theological ideas. They are facts, foundational truths that undergird us in every moment of our life. And unless you understand those facts, you can't utilize or benefit from them. In that way they are like natural laws. The laws of nature operate regardless of how we feel—they are impersonal in that respect. In my experience of doing electrical work in an addition to my home, I've discovered that electricity follows a pattern of its own and takes no notice of how I feel at the moment. That can be a shocking experience! It is not in the slightest degree impressed with my position as a pastor. It doesn't hesitate to retaliate for any violation of its laws that I commit. It is up to me to discover how it works and then to respect it if I want to utilize it. The same thing is true of these great facts. They will not do you a particle of good if you don't discover what they are and believe them enough to operate on the basis of them. Father, thank You for these vast truths. I pray that my understanding may be made equal to them. I can't grasp them properly apart from the work of Your Spirit, and I pray that You will open my eyes and help me to see that these things are true indeed. Life ApplicationThere are foundational truths that undergird us every moment of our life. Have we moved past mere theological ideas to appropriate the Life we were designed to live? Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries
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Post by Obadiah on Mar 3, 2023 7:07:49 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 3RD
Turned On By Prayer...that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened...Ephesians 1:18a The eyes of the heart is a strange expression, isn't it? Eyes are the instrument by which we perceive things. The mind also has eyes. If you listen to truth in any area, the eyes of your mind are grasping ideas. But the apostle tells us here that not only does the mind have eyes, but the heart as well. The heart needs to see things, needs to grasp truth and understand it. And the heart is always used in Scripture as the seat of our emotions. Remember the episode in Luke 24—that walk to Emmaus when the risen Lord appears to the two disciples? The Lord joins them, but they don't know who He is. He walks along with them and unfolds to them all the Scriptures concerning the promised Messiah. Afterward, they said to one another, Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us? (v. 32). That burning of the heart represents the heart's eyes being opened. It is the inflaming of the heart, so that it comes alive and is deeply moved. It is this burning of the heart that the apostle desires for these Christians. When the heart begins to burn with truth, when it takes root in you and you simply must respond to it, that is when you know with certainty that God is real, that the hope of your calling is genuine, that the power of His presence is available, and that the riches of His ministry through you is manifest to others as well. I remember when a young man became a Christian, came into the church, and married a girl who had grown up in the church. At first his Christian life was glorious to behold. He eagerly read the Scriptures. But after a while it all began to ebb away. He lost his interest in the Scriptures, and quit coming to church. He was no longer interested in fellowship with other believers. Naturally his wife became concerned. So she and a friend decided that they would pray together for her husband every day. She decided in her heart that she would not nag him, because she didn't want him to come unless his heart genuinely directed him to. She resolved simply to pray daily. For a month or more nothing happened. But she kept on praying. Gradually her husband's attitude began to change a bit. One day she found him reading the Bible. She didn't say anything to him, but it was a note of encouragement. Then, one Sunday, he announced that he was going to church with her. Again she rejoiced inwardly. After a while, he said to her, You know, dear, I've really been way out of it! Somehow or other I lost all my interest in the Lord. But God has moved in and met me and brought me back. What a wonderful testimony to the power of prayer to open eyes! It isn't enough simply to teach truth. You never affect the whole person until the eyes of the heart are enlightened. When truth is moved from the head down to the heart, it has gripped the emotions. Then the will is properly motivated. Then the person begins to grow tremendously. Father, open the eyes of my heart. I see that for that to happen there must be the bending of the knee, the imploring of the Spirit in prayer, so that truth becomes vital and compelling. Life ApplicationFaithful prayer shortens one of the longest distances known by humanity which is the distance between our head and our heart. Have we felt the Power of His Presence? Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Mar 4, 2023 6:02:13 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 4TH
The Human DilemmaAs for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins... Ephesians 2:1 This is the apostle's great analysis of the problem, the difficulty that Jesus Christ faces when He comes to a man or a woman. And what it takes to break through this condition is nothing less than the immeasurable greatness of His power. It is extremely difficult for us to believe that we are dead. If you approach a student in the prime of youth who is involved with friends in all kinds of exciting activities and is looking forward to building a life of independence and you say, You're dead, the youth will look at you with eyes full of pity and say, What kind of person are you, some kind of nut? But listen to Paul's analysis, and you will see how true this is. For there are two basic characteristics of dead people: one is their utter impotence, their powerlessness. A friend recalled an incident when a young man who was working part-time at a mortuary took him on a tour of the place one night. They came into the room where the bodies were lying out on slabs, and he pulled back a sheet and said, Tell him about Jesus. He said, I've never forgotten that! How impotent is a person who is dead! How absolutely hopeless it is for him to respond to any appeal in his condition. The second is corruption. The reason mortuaries exist is that dead bodies tend to deteriorate. In the story of Lazarus, Martha said to Jesus, By this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days (John 11:39). That is also a mark of death--corruption. The apostle uses two words that relate to those two conditions, and these are the reasons he says that people without Christ are dead. First, he uses the word transgressions. This is a word that means to miss your step. We are guilty of missteps. We don't mean to do it, but we end up missing the way. We start out with great ideals, with an image of what we would like to be. We aim at that, but somewhere we miss the mark. We don't fulfill our ideals or realize our dreams. That is the impotence of human life. That is a mark of the death that is present in humanity everywhere. But beyond that, there are our sins. We sin when we violate what we know to be the truth. This is what creates the downward slant, the deterioration of life. Most of us start out with rather high ideals and wholesome attitudes. We approach life with good moral standards because of the homes and training we have had. And we are the ones who find it most difficult to believe this passage. Yet all of us can remember that some of the things we do now with utter disregard and total acceptance horrified us when they were first suggested to us. And even when we first did them, we were uneasy of spirit. But now they have become commonplace, and we indulge without any difficulty at all. That marks the deteriorating faculty in life. This is a mark of death, an increasing corruption, which produces this terrible sense of hopelessness and deterioration that troubles us so on every side in human society today. I Praise You, Father, that You dare to tell me the truth even though I don't want to hear it. You lay it before me in the simplest of terms, and I run from it and refuse to look at it. Thank You that you do not leave me in this hopeless state. Life ApplicationGod's infinite grace enables us to receive His gift which provides the cure for the human dilemma. What are the two basic characteristics of dead people? Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Mar 5, 2023 5:46:28 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 5TH
Alive In ChristBut because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus... Ephesians 2:4-6The most important truth in all of Christianity is stated right here: We are made alive together with Christ. Notice that Paul says with Christ three times: We are made alive with Christ. We are raised up with Christ. We are made to sit with Him. He has come to live in us, and He has joined himself to us, and we are one person with Him. That is the most important fact upon which to build all the rest of Christian faith and experience--this great, tremendous statement that we are made alive with Jesus Christ. Do you remember how the Lord himself taught that? He said, I am the vine; you are the branches (John 15:5a). Can you tell where the branch ends and the vine starts? No. They are one plant, sharing one life together. So from here on our identity is no longer in Adam but it is in Christ. We are no longer just ordinary human beings. We are new creations, begun again, linked with the life of Jesus Christ. Later in this letter Paul likens the church to a body, of which Christ is the head. Have you examined your body lately? Have you noticed that your fingers don't come off if you merely twist them a half-turn and pull? They are tied to the body, and they share the life of the body. They are not attached by any mechanical process, but rather they are an organic part. These figures are all given to us to show us the intimate way we are united to Jesus Christ, to tell us that He is our life. So never think of yourself in any other way, because the whole work of the enemy is to get you to disbelieve that and to go back to thinking that you are just an ordinary individual, struggling on through life, trying to make it the best way you can, needing to mobilize all your human resources to try to get ahead of the other fellow and to achieve as much of the fulfillment of life as you can. Any time you believe that, you go right back to acting as you once did--back to the misery, back to the heartaches. You can escape that only when you come back again to this central truth--we are alive in Jesus Christ! There is one final thing to notice here. These verbs are all in the past tense. This is something that has happened, not something that is going to happen. It has already occurred when you believed in Jesus Christ. You don't have to work toward it. It is not something that great saints achieve after years of effort. It is something that is already true, and every Christian has this experience. We were made alive in Jesus Christ. We cannot be the same again. Even if we try, we won't be able to. This is why I sometimes say to people who get discouraged with their Christian life, Well, quit then, go back, try not to be a Christian. See what will happen. They can't do it, and they know they can't, because they are new creatures, made alive in Jesus Christ. Father, thank You for this great truth. I pray that You would make plain to me that this is who I am and that I will never be able to handle life alright until I understand this. Life ApplicationExperientially, the most important truth in all of Christianity is that we are: made alive in Christ. Considering this reality, have we discovered His life which is our life? Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Mar 7, 2023 6:31:02 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 7TH
Out Of The DarknessBut now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13A South American Indian told the missionary who led him to Christ. When I was living in the jungle, we never knew a day without fear. When we woke up in the morning, we were afraid. When we went out of our houses, we were afraid. When we walked along the river, we were afraid. We saw an evil spirit in every stone and tree and waterfall. And when night fell, fear came into our huts and slept with us all night long. That is what paganism is. And this is what the world is returning to. All around us, as Christian truth begins to fade, this pagan darkness settles upon the land. How thankful it ought to make our hearts that God has called us out of such darkness! Without the instruction of those who came to know God and then brought the message to us, we would have been nothing but pagans. Without any light in our darkness other than the natural light that came from our inner being, indicating that there is a God somewhere, we would be living like that still. But now, having once been far off, we have been brought near by the blood of Christ. It isn't merely the death of Christ. Paul says that it is the blood of Christ. It is significant that he uses that term. Death, of course, is not always bloody. You can die without losing your blood. The Scriptures sometimes speak of the death of Christ and more often of the cross of Christ. But still more often they speak of the blood of Christ. Many don't like this today. They don't like to think of the cross or of the death of Jesus as being bloody. But God emphasizes it because blood is always a sign of violence. You see, the death of Jesus was not just a simple passing away—dying of old age on a comfortable bed. No, it was a violent death, a bloody, gory, ugly, revolting scene—a man hanging torn and wretched upon a cross with blood streaming down His sides. God wants us to remember that violent death, because violence is the ultimate result of paganism. It is the final expression of a godless society. Cruelty arises immediately when love and truth disappear from society. And God is reminding us that when humanity had done its worst, had sunk to its lowest, had vented its anger in the utter wretchedness and violence and blood of the cross, His love reached down to that very place and, utilizing that violent act, began to redeem, to call back those who were far off and bring them near—in the blood of Christ. And in the blood of Jesus, all the advantages the Jews had were conferred upon the Gentiles. Ignorant, pagan, darkened, foolish, struggling, hopeless—nevertheless, they had just as much access to God in the blood of Christ as any Jew ever had with his temple, his law, his priesthood, and his sacrifice. By this the apostle is trying to emphasize to us the exceedingly amazing wonder of the grace of God, which laid all these liabilities aside and reached out to us and found us just as we were and brought us near by the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. What a gift to give thanks for! Father, I thank You that I have been delivered from the darkness and brought near to You by the precious blood of Your Son.
Life ApplicationViolence & dark cruelty are the ultimate expressions of a godless society. Were it not for God's grace in Christ how would we be able to experience His peace & love? Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries
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Post by Obadiah on Mar 8, 2023 8:52:29 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 8TH
He Is Our PeaceFor he himself is our peace... Ephesians 2:14aThis is not mere doctrine. If you are having a conflict with anybody, this is the way of peace: For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one. Paul starts with a definition of what true peace really is. True peace is oneness. It is not merely the cessation of hostility, the absence of conflict; it means being one. Anything else is superficial and temporary and highly unsatisfactory. You know this to be true. You have made peace on superficial terms and have found it only external. If you merely agree not to fight, it is not peace. And invariably it results in a new outbreak, with all the previous animosity surging to the surface once again. This is why what we call peace among nations never lasts--because it isn't really peace. It isn't oneness at all. It is only a weariness with warfare, an agreement to stop it for awhile until we can all recuperate and rearm. Then it breaks out all over again, because nothing is ever settled. But here the apostle tells us the secret of peace. The secret of oneness is a Person: he himself is our peace. And when Christ Jesus makes peace--between individuals or between nations--that peace will be a satisfying, permanent, and genuine peace. 'What Paul is saying is that in order to live at peace, you must have peace. The problem with most of us is that we want to start by clearing up only the results of conflict. God never starts there; He starts with the person. He says peace is a Person, and in order for you to live at peace with someone else, you must be at peace with the Person of Christ. If you have His peace, then you can start solving the conflict around you. But you never can do it on any other basis. So the place to start, the origin of peace, is the settling of any problems between you and Jesus Christ. Many people come to me with various problems involving conflict. Usually they are upset, troubled, discouraged, or angry. They report all the terrible things the other person has done and all the reasons they are justified in being so angry. I listen to it all, and then I say to them, Yes, you've got a problem. But that isn't your only problem. You really have two problems. And the one you haven't mentioned at all is the one you must start with. Then I point out to them that their basic problem is that they don't have any peace themselves. They are upset, angry, and emotionally distraught. And everything they do is colored by that emotional state. And it is impossible to solve the problem until they themselves acquire peace. But this is the promise of God to Christians: He is our peace. And once their attitude is changed, once their heart is settled, once they have put the matter into the hands of the Lord and they see that He is active in it, that He has a solution, and their own heart is therefore at peace, then they can begin to understand what is happening and can apply some intelligent remedies to the situation that will work out the problem. There is profound psychological insight in the fact that the apostle begins with the declaration that Christ is our peace. He alone can accomplish it. Father, thank You for the access I have to You. Help me to believe the message of peace and thus to enter into the joy and peace of life with You. Life ApplicationPeace is the absence of war, but what is true peace? What is the inevitable result of peace made based on external conditions? Where do we find true peace & oneness? Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Admin on Mar 8, 2023 13:45:59 GMT -8
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Post by Obadiah on Mar 9, 2023 5:16:23 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 9TH
No Longer Strangers...you are...fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief Cornerstone. Ephesians 2:19b-20Paul says that you who have come to Christ are no more strangers and foreigners. First, you are fellow citizens with God's people. You have entered a new kingdom. You have changed your citizenship; you are now under another authority. We take for granted the rights of American citizenship so much that we have almost forgotten the fact that we are under authority. The government has certain powers over us. We are under authority—that is the first mark of citizenship. But the thing that makes us rejoice in our citizenship is that we have certain privileges. When I travel abroad I am always glad that I am an American citizen. Protection is extended to me that others do not have. In the kingdom of God you have the protection of a King. There is power available—resurrection power, the kind that works beyond human thinking and planning. And God invites you to call upon Him for that kind of resource, whenever you need it. Then, second: members of God's household. This is an advance on the first point. We are members of God's own intimate family. A child always outranks any ambassador or governor or secretary. A biography of Abraham Lincoln related an incident that occurred when the president was involved with his cabinet in a crucial meeting. They were in the cabinet room when there came a knock at the door. There stood Willy, the president's ten-year-old son, wanting to see his father. Lincoln left all the cabinet members while he saw what Willy wanted. Willy outranked all the others. This is the great truth that Paul is trying to bring home to our hearts—we have access to a Father who is the King, with tremendous authority and power in the affairs of the world. Third, Paul goes on to an even closer relationship: you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. Perhaps that seems something of an anticlimax. After all, a building is rather cold and impersonal compared with the relationship of a family. But the apostle is actually moving closer, to a more intimate relationship, because he is stressing the closeness of the members of the very habitation of God—to one another and to the Lord. It is possible for the members of a family to be scattered throughout the earth. But in the structure of a building, no separation of stones that make up the walls is possible. If the stones were separated, the building would crumble. So the apostle really is bringing us into a more intimate relationship. Father, help me to remember that in times of difficulty I have privileges and resources that many have never claimed. Help me to live in the fullness of the provision You have made for me—not as a servant but as a child of the living God. Life ApplicationCitizenship implies privilege. What are the unique privileges and resources available to those who are citizens in God's kingdom and members of His household? Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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Post by Obadiah on Mar 10, 2023 5:58:05 GMT -8
A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 10TH
The Great MysteryIn reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 3:4-6In these verses, in brief form, is Paul's statement of the mystery that lies at the heart of all life. It consists of this great truth: When they come to Christ, Jews and Gentiles together are joint heirs, joint members of one body, and joint partakers of the promise. In those three terms you have the answers to the greatest struggles with which we humans are engaged today: Heirs together has to do with possessions. Paul is touching the whole problem of humans and their universe and the reason we cannot solve our ecological riddles. The old creation that has existed since the beginning of time is gripped by an unbreakable law, which Paul calls the bondage to decay in Romans 8:21. Everything is deteriorating. This is why the ecological problems of today are unsolvable. But Paul says that in Christ the breakthrough has occurred. God is beginning a new creation, one that lives by a wholly different principle and is not subject to this law. In the realm of performance, this is already true. Why can't we get along with one another? Why are there so many family breakups? Because when we are still living in the old creation, those things are inevitable. But in the realm of the Spirit the breakthrough has already occurred. When we begin to walk in the Spirit, then we can love, forgive, begin to reach out to others. This is Paul's explanation of the great mystery. The remarkable thing about it is that you can experience it right now. It is the only hope you will ever have of living according to the glory God designed for people when He created them in the beginning. Put in these terms, this means that the present secular civilization we are living in can be likened to a cocoon, clinging lifelessly to the branch of history. One of these days that cocoon will open in the springtime of the world, and a new being will step out—a being that is being created at this time right within the cocoon. You can't wait till that time to get on the bandwagon; it has already started. This is the great mystery. You are either a part of the new creation, or you are a part of the old, but never both. You may live your life as a member of the new creation—in the midst of the old, but not part of it any more—no longer foreigners and aliens, says the apostle. Rather, break loose and be free in Jesus Christ. Thank You, Lord, for this new creation of which I am a part through faith in Christ Jesus. Help me to live as a joint heir and partaker of the promise. Life ApplicationHow can we deal with the ecological problems of today? What ramifications will our efforts produce? What is the great mystery that lies at the heart of all life? Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.
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