Video Bible Lesson - A Servant's Rewards by Dr. Charles Stanley

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

7/14/2020

A Servant's Rewards

by Dr. Charles Stanley

Hebrews 6:10
In His grace, God freely gives salvation to those who believe in Jesus. We cannot earn this gift, nor do we deserve it. Our Father does notice our good works, though. And He promises to reward us according to what we have done for Him.True service occurs when we allow the Lord to work through us for His glory and honor. True ministry occurs when divine resources meet human need through loving channels.Revelation 22:12 encourages us, "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done." Whether large or small, all service done in Jesus' name will be blessed. We must be careful, though, that our actions are for Christ's glory. If motives are self-serving, the only benefit we receive is the praise (if any) that we hear from people in this life. And we know that men's approval is not satisfying or lasting.While some rewards will be given in heaven, other blessings can be experienced now. For example, we know great joy when we allow God to bless others through us. And there is deep satisfaction in realizing that we are pleasing Christ. In addition, there's a profound sense of fulfillment when we lead a person to Jesus and teach him how to walk by faith.Serving others is both a great benefit and a responsibility for Christians. We should prayerfully consider our motives to make sure that our goal is to glorify Christ. Only then will we receive God's full blessings--rewards given not only in eternity but on earth as well.

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

Answers in Times of Great Disaster.....Dr. Charles Stanley

Answers in Times of Great Disaster

Dr. Charles Stanley

Deuteronomy 29:29

Almighty God reserves the right to reveal some things and conceal others. Although we may not know why natural disasters occur, the biblical truths we do know with absolute certainty allow us to trust the Lord even in times of great suffering. These include:

1. God is in control (Ps. 103:19). Nothing in heaven or on earth is outside of His rule and authority. He does not react to events but sovereignly ordains or permits them to run their course. Although we cannot know for certain if He has sent a catastrophe or allowed it, we can trust in His goodness and wisdom.

2. The Lord loves people and wants them to be saved (John 3:16-17). Giving His Son for the salvation of the world proves without a doubt that He loves each person. This truth stands firm despite the fact that many reject the Savior. He cares for us, even when we can’t feel it or won’t accept it.

3. God ordains or permits events for His good purpose (Isa. 46:10). Though we cannot fully comprehend what He is doing in each incident, every disaster is a wake-up call for humanity. He is alerting us of the need to repent—so the lost can be saved and the saved can be revived to live totally for Him. Catastrophes open our ears to hear from the Lord.

The One who loves us perfectly is in full control, working everything out according to His good purpose. Knowing this should fill us with hope, even in the midst of crisis situations. The Lord even promises to turn disaster to good for those who “are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

Three Reasons to Live Fearless

Three Reasons to Live Fearless
MARISSA HENLEY

“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.’” Revelation 1:17-18 (ESV) 

I still remember where I was when the question came. We had just started the drive to school when one of my young carpool passengers piped up from the back seat and asked, “Miss Marissa, how old will you be when Christopher graduates from high school?”

Fighting back tears, I struggled to figure out the answer to her question. I had recently finished treatment for a rare cancer called angiosarcoma. I was begging the Lord for another year or two but didn’t dare let myself think about attending my second-grader’s graduation.

We find many reasons for fear in this life, and death is often at the top of the list.

Whether it’s cancer or a contagious new virus, reminders of our mortality can shake our security and peace. Christ’s promise of eternal life soothes our doubts about eternity, but we might fear the process of dying or dread the loss of our loved ones.

In the book of Revelation, God gives us hope as we face all our fears. He pulls back the curtain of heaven to show us the present reality of Christ’s reign and the future consummation of His triumph over the grave. Turning our eyes to victorious Jesus gives us hope and comfort in the face of death.

In today’s key verse, John has seen the Lord standing in the midst of the seven lampstands. (Revelation 1:12-16)

John falls on his face in reverent awe of the power and majesty of Christ: “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades’” (Revelation 1:17-18).

In Christ’s words, we find a command —“fear not”— and three reasons to trust Him. We can live fearlessly in a frightening world because of who Christ is, what He has done and what He will do.

Jesus is the first and the last. The Son was with the Father in the beginning, and He will reign forever. Through Him, we have a living hope that will never end.

Jesus died and rose again. Christ died the death we deserved and secured our eternal life. His resurrection guarantees the future resurrection of all who belong to Him. Because He lives, we also will live.

Jesus has “the keys of Death and Hades.” Christ’s resurrection also demonstrates His dominion over the grave. Death may break our hearts now, but its impact is fleeting because of the eternal victory He has won. Revelation promises that when Christ returns and makes His dwelling with us, there will be no more death, no more pain and no more tears.

Christ’s victory isn’t just a future expectation; it’s a present reality. God has conquered death and given you new life. (2 Corinthians 5:17) And one day soon, He will make all things new. This is the message of Revelation that brings hope and light to our deepest fears and darkest moments.

When my carpool passenger asked me that memorable question years ago, I couldn’t fathom being alive in 2022 for my son’s graduation. But God has mercifully preserved my life and health, and I’m hopeful I’ll be there, holding a tear-stained tissue, as my son receives his diploma.

But if I once again walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I have these reasons to fear no evil. (Psalm 23:4)

My Shepherd is the Alpha and Omega.
My Savior died and rose again.
My Sovereign Lord holds “the keys of Death and Hades.”

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son to conquer death and rise again to give me eternal life. When I struggle with fear, help me turn my eyes to my victorious, risen Savior and remember the promises of Your Word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
John 11:25-26, “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’” (ESV)

John 14:18-19, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” (ESV)

Simon Says Walk by Faith

Simon Says Walk by Faith
by Shawn McEvoy

Jesus said... "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Matthew 16:24

You remember how to play Simon-Says, don't you? It's probably been a few years. It's the children's game where a leader gives verbal commands that are to be followed if and only if they are preceded by an explicit statement of permission bearing the warrant of mighty Simon himself. Non-"Simon-Says" commands are worthless, and following them only gets you in trouble.

Aside from being fun (for a few minutes anyway), the game also helps kids work on motor skills, coordination, listening skills, manners, and respecting authority. But, shhhh... don't tell them that.

I'm not convinced the game's so popular these days, as everyone's more interested in raising leaders than followers anymore, but I digress.

Let's just look closely at the three actions in the verse above, which begins not with "Simon Says," but rather, "Then Jesus said..."

1) Turn Around ("let him deny himself..."). This is what denying one's self is all about. Repentance. Seeing things God's way. Going from darkness to light. Playing the fool for God. Even the notion of playing a child's game is apropos here, as we must not use our own adult human knowledge and wisdom to accomplish this step, but instead we die to self and come willingly in faith like a child.

2) Bend Over, Stand Up ("take up his cross..."). When you pick up the cross, you have to set down other burdens, the other things that you tend to think define you. Taking up your cross does not equal the burden of being you, your identity. You are indeed unique, but each day you should take on something new from Christ that makes you more like Him.

3) Go Forward ("...and follow Me"). Following = sacrificial living. It's advancement toward a Kingdom goal. In Matthew 8:1 we find that when Jesus "had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him." He had just finished teaching them; they had received instruction from one who had no place to lay his head and was feeding thousands on mere loaves and fishes. Moving forward in the Kingdom can only involve putting others in front of self. Is it really all that foreign to us? People sacrifice all the time to climb ladders in their career and for other personal goals. Why not sacrifice without the ladders?

Intersecting Faith & Life: Are these three instructions hard, or easy? The answer depends on perspective. Quitting smoking looks easy to the non-smoker, but the smoker must take it one minute, one day, one step at a time. Losing weight is a manageable goal for most, but if the focus is on losing 60 pounds in the first day the dieter is fighting a losing battle. Make it your goal to Turn Around, Bend Over/Stand Up, and Go Forward one day this week and see where playing "Jesus Said" takes you.

Pride Brings Failure, Humility Lifts You Up

Pride Brings Failure, Humility Lifts You Up
By: Amanda Idleman

“Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” - Proverbs 16:18

Essentially, this simple verse summarizes the sin-cycle that we all battle. Pride blinds us to our need for God and then failure, disconnection, and destruction becomes the product of our lives. For us to know God and enjoy his blessings, we need a humble heart. James 4:10 describes the posture we should take as believers. It says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Humble is defined as “not proud or haughty” which is exactly the opposite of what Proverbs 16:18 warns will bring us bad results.

This ancient and simple verse still is extraordinarily applicable to our lives today! We are living in a culture that does not accept God and His role in our lives. Our abilities to “make our own way” or “work hard enough to find success” are just a few obvious ways that our world has bought into the lie that we have the ability to control our destiny apart from a reliance on God.

More subtly, our pride is what causes fights in our marriage, gets in the way of us loving our neighbor well, and creates divides in our communities. When we live with the idea that “our way is best,” then there is no room for God or the people around us to influence our lives. Philippians 2:3 captures the posture we should take in our relationships. Philippians 2:3 says “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” Yet, how hard is this to actually live by?

It is a daily challenge to not let our desire to “make it happen” blind us from the path God has for our lives. It takes faith over fear. It takes pausing to pray before acting. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives, reminding us time and time again that God is in control.

The great news is that even when we experience those dreaded failures, God does not abandon us! Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” When we recognize that our pride has brought us to a dead end, all we have to do is ask for God’s forgiveness and He mercifully promises to be with us and guide us to more solid ground.

A Prayer for When You Feel Stuck

A Prayer for When You Feel Stuck
by J. Scott McElroy

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

Does it ever seem hard to make progress in your life; to reach goals (even daily ones) and fulfill your calling? You seem to be going in the right direction, making a little progress… and then you get bogged down. That stuck feeling surfaces again. Maybe it's caused by distraction, fear, or something that's just hard to put a finger on.

I’ve experienced this feeling more often than I care to admit.

I think I have a pretty good handle on my personal calling and the work God has prepared for me (Eph 2:10), but getting there or letting him take me there can be a struggle. I can get stuck along the way.

A few weeks ago God unexpectedly shined some light on my dilemma.

I’d been leading a book study of Finding Divine Inspiration for several weeks with a sweet group of ladies here in Indianapolis. In response to one of the chapters, we took a few minutes to quiet ourselves and listen for God’s voice. I find these exercises very fruitful; it’s often surprising how easily we’ll hear God’s still small voice if we just get quiet for a few minutes.

I wasn’t thinking about this stuckness issue as I sat there silently, but God decided it would be a good time to talk about it. What he showed me felt like an instant mini-revelation, and I impulsively laughed out loud at his wisdom and grace.

He took me back to a recent moment when my wife and I were working on our bathroom, preparing to turn our upstairs into an Airbnb. Danielle volunteered to repaint all the cabinets under the sink, and she did a wonderful job. A little too wonderful, in fact. She painted the drawer --including the sides—a nice, thick, shiny coat of white enamel. It looked like new.

This is the kind of drawer that slides in and out on a hard plastic rail, so the sides of the drawer must make contact with that rail when you open it. You can see where this is going.

When I put Danielle’s pristine drawer in the slot after the paint dried, it immediately got stuck. Would not budge. The beautiful new paint had completely gummed up the simple slide system.

I’d spent over an hour chipping away at the layers of paint on the sides, taking it back down to the bare wood and uncovering the plastic strip the drawer slides on.

As I sat in silence during the book study exercise, that scene played out in my imagination and God reminded me why the drawer got so quickly and completely stuck. It was because unnecessary layersof paint were added to it. Danielle thought she was making the drawer look nice and clean by adding those layers on. But they weren’t necessary, and in fact they were detrimental to the intended operation of the drawer.

God was telling me that I often get stuck because I add unnecessary layers; to projects, to my day, to my work, to my routine. I add them because I think I know what needs to be done, or how something needs to look, or because I’m craving comfort or “balance,” or because I’m not ready to go on to the next thing. I add an unnecessary layer when I decide to read one more internet news story and then spend 10 minutes in the click-bait rabbit hole. When I get distracted by a task that seems more fun than the one I need to be focused on. When my priorities get jumbled, I overdo the preparation phase on a project, or when I spend unnecessary time and energy in order to impress people.

Yep, without a doubt unnecessary layers contribute extensively to that feeling of stuckness. And often those layers create a situation I have to deal with; scraping off the gook before things can function properly.

Additionally, I think my problem with stuckness has a lot to do with communication.

If I’d told Danielle more specifically what to paint on that cabinet, it would have saved us both time and energy. When I don’t take the time to communicate and consult with God about my day or my work and instead automatically follow what I think is right, it’s easy to add unnecessary layers. The Bible tells us he’ll reveal things to us when we ask him (Jer. 33:3; Prov. 16:3; James 1:5) or even—as in my case—when we just get quiet for a moment and listen. Sometimes spending just a few minutes listening for his voice can save hours of extra work and stuckness.

God’s given me a new, very effective tool against stuckness: Keep in regular communication with him and keep asking him and myself, “Will this thing I’m doing or thinking about doing add an unnecessary layer to my life or work?” Give it a try.

What are some of the unnecessary layers you tend to add?

Let's Pray:

Lord,

We humble ourselves before you and confess that we often go our own way instead of consulting you on our plans. And sometimes we feel stuck, as a result.

Thank you for your grace and mercy towards us, to give us wisdom and understanding in how to avoid adding unnecessary layers to our lives. Please give us a listening ear to your guidance. Please give us the strength to overcome the temptation to add unnecessary layers and encourage us with a new sense of freedom. Enable us to live the life of faith that you created us for!

In Jesus Name, Amen!