Video Bible Lesson - by Dr. Charles Stanley

1/2 Hour of God’s Power with Scott Ralls

4/25/2020

by Dr. Charles Stanley

1 Samuel 16:6-13

What do you live for each day? A pay raise? Retirement? Then perhaps you've discovered the reality that basing aspirations on getting ahead in this world typically ends in disappointment. People with a misguided sense of direction often wonder why they feel unfulfilled.

Maybe you've already realized a goal of saving for the future or moving up the corporate ladder. You give to charity and volunteer at church, but somehow still feel a sense of insignificance or aimlessness. If so, there is a truth you need to hear: God gives each of us life for a very specific reason: to serve Him. Nobody finds inner peace without reconciling this fact. Our society teaches us that pleasure, prosperity, position, and popularity will make us happy--but living in the service of self always leaves an emptiness no earthly reward can fill.

Besides, worldly philosophy won't stand the test of time. Few of us are going to live even 100 years. So whatever we'll become in this life, we're in the process of becoming that right now. Consider David: he was anointed king long before actually assuming the role (1 Sam. 16:12). He spent many years serving the purpose of God in insignificant places while developing into a great man. As his story shows, discovering God's purpose for your life is the surest path to success.

Our heavenly Father's purpose for our lives comes from His heart of love--which is perfect. None of us can foretell the great things He has in store for us, but we can trust His plan completely. Surrender to Him today and say, "Not my will, Lord, but Yours be done."

#Jesus, #Christian, #Bible, #Salvation, #Heaven, #God, #HolySpirit

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

And there was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre (Matt. 27:61).

How strangely stupid is grief. It neither learns nor knows nor wishes to learn or know. When the sor rowing sisters sat over against the door of God's  sepulchre, did they see the two thousand years that have passed triumphing away? Did they see any thing but this: "Our Christ is gone!"

Your Christ and my Christ came from their loss; Myriad mourning hearts have had resurrection in the midst of their grief; and yet the sorrowing watchers looked at the seed-form of this result, and saw nothing. What they regarded as the end of life was the very preparation for coronation; for Christ was silent that He might live again in tenfold power.

They saw it not. They mourned, they wept, and went away, and came again, driven by their hearts to the sepulchre. Still it was a sepulchre, unprophetic, voiceless, lusterless.

So with us. Every man sits over against the sepulchre in his garden, in the first instance, and says, "This woe is irremediable. I see no benefit in it. I will take no comfort in it." And yet, right in our deepest and worst mishaps, often, our Christ is lying, waiting for resurrection.

Where our death seems to be, there our Saviour is. Where the end of hope is, there is the brightest beginning of fruition. Where the darkness is thickest, there the bright beaming light that never is set is about to emerge. When the whole experience is consummated, then we find that a garden is not disfigured by a sepulchre.

Our joys are made better if there be sorrow in the midst of them. And our sorrows are made bright by the joys that God has planted around about them. The flowers may not be pleasing to us, they may not be such as we are fond of plucking, but they are heart-flowers, love, hope, faith, joy, peace--these are flowers which are planted around about every grave that is sunk in the Christian heart.

'Twas by a path of sorrows drear
Christ entered into rest;
And shall I look for roses here,
Or think that earth is blessed?
Heaven's whitest lilies blow
From earth's sharp crown of woe.
Who here his cross can meekly bear,
Shall wear the kingly purple there.

Developing Patience.....Dr. Charles Stanley

Developing Patience

Dr. Charles Stanley

James 1:1-4

When people confide to me that they are praying for patience, I often ask what else they're doing to acquire a calm and gentle heart. Patience isn't so much something believers receive as it is an attribute that they develop over time and through experience.

Think of patience as a muscle that you have to use in order to see it build. To that end, believers should recognize difficulty as an opportunity to flex their patience. The human instinct is to cry out to God in bewilderment when tribulation comes knocking. We blame. We resist. We complain. What we don't do is say, "Thank You, Father--it's time to grow in patience!" People aren't trained to think that way, but according to the Bible, that is exactly how Christians are to respond.

James tells us to consider trials a joy (1:2). But we often fail at this, don't we? Humanly speaking, praising the Lord for tribulation is unnatural. However, doing so begins to make sense to believers when they cling to God's promise that good comes from hardship (Rom. 8:28). We are not waiting on the Lord in vain. We can praise Him for the solution He will bring, the lives He will change, or the spiritual fruit He will develop in us.

Accepting hardship as a means of growth is a radical concept in this world. Even more extreme is the believer who praises the Lord for the storm. But God's followers have cause to rejoice. Tribulation increases our patience so that we can stand firm on His promises and await His good timing.

Build Each Other Up

Build Each Other Up
By John North

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Heavenly Father, help us to sharpen our brothers and sisters like iron. May we all grow in spirit together, encouraging one another with your words. Amen.

Don’t only work on your own spiritual life, also build up the spiritual lives of those around you!

The Bible is full of guidance on how we can grow much faster if we share in each others’ spiritual growth. When we get together with other believers, we can play a major part in helping them walk more closely with the Lord.

God wants you to learn to use your times with your brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage them spiritually, to motivate them in their times with God and in prayer, to discuss ways to more effectively share Christ with others, to serve them and help them. We miss out on so much potential growth when we only ever just “hang out” together.

Hanging out can be very restorative and stress relieving. But if we simply add a relaxed spiritual discussion to our hanging out, we will leave that time together encouraged in the Lord. And if we add a brief prayer time at the end, we will deepen our spiritual relationship with each other and the Lord even more.

Who will you see today that you could ask about what God is teaching them, or pray together, or share about what you got from the Word today? Ask God to use you when you get together to strengthen them spiritually.

Yes, there are many frightening things out in the world, but God did not give us a spirit of timidity. God gave us a spirit of power. His Holy Spirit lives in us, and it reminds us in that still, small voice to be brave even in the face of danger. Paul knew that his life would be hard, and that in following Christ he would likely lose it, but that knowledge didn’t take away his courage. Instead, he strove to live in a way that glorified God.

None of us know what the future may hold. We might find ourselves facing challenges we never thought we’d have to endure. When that happens, we must remember to have courage like Paul. If we do, we will be able to meet whatever comes and not be ashamed.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Take time to examine the life of Paul. Remember, he did not rely only on himself, but on God and those around him for support.

Further Reading

Psalm 31:24

Build Each Other Up

Build Each Other Up
By John North

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Heavenly Father, help us to sharpen our brothers and sisters like iron. May we all grow in spirit together, encouraging one another with your words. Amen.

Don’t only work on your own spiritual life, also build up the spiritual lives of those around you!

The Bible is full of guidance on how we can grow much faster if we share in each others’ spiritual growth. When we get together with other believers, we can play a major part in helping them walk more closely with the Lord.

God wants you to learn to use your times with your brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage them spiritually, to motivate them in their times with God and in prayer, to discuss ways to more effectively share Christ with others, to serve them and help them. We miss out on so much potential growth when we only ever just “hang out” together.

Hanging out can be very restorative and stress relieving. But if we simply add a relaxed spiritual discussion to our hanging out, we will leave that time together encouraged in the Lord. And if we add a brief prayer time at the end, we will deepen our spiritual relationship with each other and the Lord even more.

Who will you see today that you could ask about what God is teaching them, or pray together, or share about what you got from the Word today? Ask God to use you when you get together to strengthen them spiritually.

A Prayer for When You Feel Weary and Burdened

A Prayer for When You Feel Weary and BurdenedBy Debbie McDaniel

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28

For many of us, activity and busyness come naturally. We’re on the go, we’re in a hurry, it’s what we’re all about. We seem to be rewarded for how much we can accomplish, especially in short amounts of time. We live in a culture that praises movement, that places value on the busy. We tend to get impatient with those who are too slow about anything.

Nothing wrong being active or on the go. Except for this one thing.

We often never stop.

And it’s there – in the slowing down - that often can feel almost unnatural, in a society that moves too fast. Like we’re supposed to be doing something more but just haven’t figured it out yet.

We rub shoulders every day with people who are burdened, weary, or lonely. Sometimes we may notice, but many times we don’t. We’re just too busy or overwhelmed ourselves. And to be honest, many days, “we” are those people - the burdened, the weary, the lonely. Just needing someone to notice. To slow down. To take time.

We desperately need Christ every day, to bring joy and hope to our own lives and to those around us. Without Him, we will most certainly run dry. For we’re not meant to run on our own, our strength can’t carry us through every hard struggle and hardship we may encounter. But He promises rest and peace for our souls even in the midst of weariness and burdens.

Slowing down takes work. Stopping and just breathing deep – takes practice.

Maybe that’s why God says it so clearly, “Be still and know that I am God.” Psa 46:10

Breathing in His grace today. And remembering to take time to slow down…

Peace.

Dear God,

Thank you that your yoke is easy and your burden is light. Thank you that you promise to give the worried, the hurried, the pressured, and stressed out - rest and peace for our souls - if we'll just come before you. Thank you that you already know all that concerns us, and you care. We’re so grateful for your reminder that we don't have to carry it all on our own. Forgive us for the times that we’ve tried to fix things in our own power, for not taking the time to rest, or coming to you first with our needs and burdens.  Thank you for the refreshing that comes from your Spirit, filling us with joy, covering us with a shield, leading us forward with hope. Equip us to be those who take notice of others who seem weary and burdened too. Help us to slow down, to take the time, to point others to you.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen.