There are Spoils to be Taken..... Streams in the Desert

 There are Spoils to be Taken

Streams in the Desert

No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us! —Rom 8:37

The Gospel is so arranged and the gift of God so great that you may take the very enemies that fight you and the forces that are arrayed against you and make them steps up to the very gates of heaven and into the presence of God.

Like the eagle, who sits on a crag and watches the sky as it is filling with blackness, and the forked lightnings are playing up and down, and he is sitting perfectly still, turning one eye and then the other toward the storm. But he never moves until he begins to feel the burst of the breeze and knows that the hurricane has struck him; with a scream, he swings his breast to the storm, and uses the storm to go up to the sky; away he goes, borne upward upon it.

That is what God wants of every one of His children, to be more than conqueror, turning the storm-cloud into a chariot. You know when one army is more than conqueror it is likely to drive the other from the field, to get all the ammunition, the food and supplies, and to take possession of the whole. That is just what our text means. There are spoils to be taken!

Beloved, have you got them? When you went into that terrible valley of suffering did you come out of it with spoils? When that injury struck you and you thought everything was gone, did you so trust in God that you came out richer than you went in? To be more than conqueror is to take the spoils from the enemy and appropriate them to yourself. What he had arranged for your overthrow, take and appropriate for yourself.

When Dr. Moon, of Brighton, England, was stricken with blindness, he said “Lord, I accept this talent of blindness from Thee. Help me to use it for Thy glory that at Thy coming Thou mayest receive Thine own with usury.” Then God enabled him to invent the Moon Alphabet for the blind, by which thousands of blind people were enabled to read the Word of God, and many of them were gloriously saved.
—Selected

God did not take away Paul’s thorn; He did better—He mastered that thorn, and made it Paul’s servant. The ministry of thorns has often been a greater ministry to man than the ministry of thrones.
—Selected

Finding Satisfaction..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Finding Satisfaction

Dr. Charles Stanley

Philippians 4:11-13

God has provided us with many things to enjoy. But too often our lives are filled with turmoil instead of contentment. Four practices that create dissatisfaction are . . .

Busyness. We live in a hurry-up society, dashing from one activity to another. Jesus did not rush anywhere, yet He accomplished whatever God gave Him to do. Not once did He tell His followers to move faster. He even praised Mary for choosing to stop her work and spend time with Him (Luke 10:39, 42).

Earthly perspective. Too often we live focused on our circumstances. Our minds think about what happened earlier in the week, what’s on today’s agenda, and the activities occurring next week, month, or year. No wonder enjoyment of life remains elusive. The solution is to have an eternal perspective, which acknowledges that God is in charge and our goal is to please Him.

Self-imposed pressure. We have all experienced the unavoidable burdens of schoolwork, employment, and relationships. But we bring needless pressure on ourselves when we allow unnecessary “musts” and “shoulds” to rule us. The remedy is to turn to God, acknowledge His right to order our days, and ask for His plan.

Unhealthy attitudes. Perfectionism, false guilt, and apathy all undermine our enjoyment of life.

Satisfaction is found in a life that reflects God’s priorities—and time with Him comes first. Reading His Word, we become mindful of the Father’s great love, learn what He views as important, and experience the joy of belonging to Him. When contentment is elusive, it’s time to examine our priorities.

The First Step to Smiling Without Fear..... KATY MCCOWN

 The First Step to Smiling Without Fear

KATY MCCOWN

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” Proverbs 31:10 (NIV)

It’s as though the worn-out piece of wood can tell the future. Years of use have literally left their mark on the old stick, and each time it appears, anticipation swirls in the hearts of my little people.

During the days of my husband Luke’s youth, as he and his siblings grew in age and size, Luke’s mom used a wooden board as a measuring stick. Year after year, Luke and his brothers and sister would scoot their heels all the way to the wall, stretch their necks and wait anxiously to see the new line that marked how much they had grown.

Now, decades later, my children like to measure themselves on this same old piece of wood. Mostly because my husband and his brothers now stand over 6 feet tall … and possibly because two of them played more than 10 years of professional football. So when my boys scoot their heels all the way to the wall and stretch their necks, they wait anxiously to find out if their line today matches the line of their daddy or uncles all those years ago. Because if it does, then their dreams of being tall or perhaps even of being a professional athlete seem more likely to come true.

We all have a tool by which we measure ourselves — that one person or thing that makes us believe what we’ve done, how we look or how we live is a success or a failure. But today’s key verse shows us another place to find our value.

Proverbs 31 introduces us to a woman who smiles at the future without fear. (Proverbs 31:25) The very first verse about this woman begins with value.

I don’t willingly bring up grade school math class, but for a minute, let’s go back there. Do you remember the “greater than” and “less than” symbols (> and <)? They are used for comparing numbers and expressions. They show when something is more than or less than something else. For example, 10 is more than 2, so we write 10 > 2. Whew! Glad that’s over.

Proverbs 31:10 also makes a comparison: “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” Did you catch the comparison? Based on our math lesson, it’s saying, her worth > rubies. It actually says her worth is far more than rubies, but I don’t think we have a sign for that.

While this comparison may have been shaped by a mother seeking to guide her son, the life of Jesus answers any questions we have about our value to God.

By faith in Jesus, God extends to us the right to freely receive His grace and become coheirs to His Kingdom. (Titus 3:7) Because of Christ, your value does not have to be defined by your place on the corporate ladder, the number of likes on your social media posts or the cleanliness of your kitchen counter.

When we look around at anyone or anything else to determine whether we measure up, we will live exhausted, confused and afraid — constantly adjusting our efforts to match what we see around us and hoping we don’t take a wrong turn that proves disastrous.

But when we truly believe that Jesus has defeated death and sin once and for all, we can trade the chains of performance-based acceptance for the free gift of God’s grace … and take the first step to smiling without fear of the future.

Dear God, I’m tired of trying to measure up and keep up with the ever-changing value system of the world. Help me understand Your grace in a new way today.In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (ESV)

Matthew 6:25a, 26, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life … Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (ESV)  

The Beauty in Forgiveness ..... By: Betsy St. Amant Haddox

 The Beauty in Forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-22)

By: Betsy St. Amant Haddox

Matthew 18:21-22 (ESV) Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Forgiveness can be a tricky thing. After all, we’re commanded to do so as believers. While we understand the ‘forgive” part, we’re not gifted this side of eternity with the “forget” capability. And that can make the forgiving part a lot harder.

The disciples weren’t quite sure how it all worked, either—hence Peter’s discussion with Jesus in Matthew 18. They were still thinking in terms of the law. According to Amos 1:3-13, God forgave His people three times before exacting punishment. In Peter’s day, this was a popular passage that the Rabbis taught from on the subject. Peter possibly assumed that by suggesting seven times—more than double the assumed appropriate amount—he would get brownie points with Jesus for being extra gracious. But Jesus had an answer that blew them all away. “Seventy times seven.”

As Christians today, we know Jesus didn’t literally mean 490 times, though there can be days with our children and spouses that we feel like surely, we’ve met that quota by now! This instruction from the Lord doesn’t mean that at 491 times, we can hold a grudge and be free and clear of the command to forgive. He was implying endless times. Endless grace—like God gives to us.

Now, when it comes to forgiving the same offense, or similar offenses, from the same person in our lives, this command from Jesus doesn’t mean to become a doormat or accept abuse or inappropriate behavior. It’s also important to note that Peter is asking about “my brother”. He didn’t mean his biological sibling, but rather, was referring to a fellow believer—family, spouses, friends, church members, etc. A brother seeking forgiveness from another brother (believer) implies repentance. There’s a difference between someone toxically, repeatedly treating someone poorly, and someone messing up, seeking forgiveness, and having a repentant heart that truly aims to not repeat the offense (even if they do fail again).

Peter was still focused on the law when he asked this question of Jesus, and Jesus was focused on grace when He answered. At the end of the day, when we withhold forgiveness from a brother in Christ, we’re essentially saying that the work of Jesus on the cross wasn’t sufficient for this offense. Yikes! That’s obviously not the heart posture we’re supposed to have as believers, or should even want to have. If the person seeking our forgiveness is a true believer, then their sin was already covered on the cross through Jesus’s sacrifice and blood. Who are we to withhold forgiveness if Jesus offered it freely?

If the person seeking forgiveness isn’t a believer, we’re still instructed to forgive. The penalty for that sin does fall not on us to dole out (Romans 12:19) but will be dealt with eventually one way or another by our righteous Judge—God Himself. There is also the hope that one day that unbeliever will be a believer, and your forgiveness could be a seed planted that helps point them to the life-changing grace of the Gospel.

An Eternal Moment..... by Katherine Britton

 An Eternal Moment

by Katherine Britton

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning."
John 1:1-2

The very concept of time fascinates me. Add the prospect of eternity, and I get as dizzy as anyone. Still, I can't help contemplating the mysteries of my little life running parallel to a greater human history, running parallel to a universe that doesn't measure time in rotations of the earth but by the speed of light. And then - no longer running parallel to, but encompassing that straight line of history into some greater sphere - comes eternity. Or rather, there is eternity. Or will be. Or… well, you can see why my head starts hurting when I try to visualize this mystery.

A lot of my fascination with time and eternity centers on the eternal God (Isaiah 26:4) who allowed himself to be constrained by that which he had created - time. The tangled and complex poetry of T. S. Eliot best expresses my fascination with the Incarnation:

"Then came, at a predetermined moment, a moment in time and of time,
A moment not out of time, but in time, in what we call history: transecting, bisecting the world of time, a moment in time but not like a moment of time, 
A moment in time but time was made through that moment: for without the meaning there is no time, and that moment of time gave the meaning." (from "The Rock, VII")

Consider that last line again: "… time was made through that moment: for without the meaning there is no time, and that moment of time gave the meaning." The first step of redemption began when the Jesus, who was "with God in the beginning," stepped into time and allowed himself to be bound by it for a time.

I wonder if that act of limiting himself was how he began to enter into our suffering with us. He stepped into a world where the end point is death, and after that - a meaningless eternity away from any outside purpose. It took divine intervention - a breath of eternity - to change that.

As I ponder these high and lofty mysteries that go way beyond my comprehension (Psalms 139:6), it's tempting to let my head run away in the clouds with no practical application. But Ephesians says something very different:

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16)

There is a parallel from eternity to our days. Christ provided time with meaning, and modeled what it means to "redeem time" quite literally. All of the prophets and apostles lived with the light of eternity in their eyes, and that made their days all the more valuable. Instead of dropping off into nothingness away from God, we are galloping toward the moment when time becomes so full of meaning that it bursts into eternity. Let's follow their example, shall we?

Intersection of Faith & Life: How do you treat your time? Do you use it wisely, deliberately, for a purpose? Or do you still treat it as if it has no value? A former professor once said that leisure time is important because it shows us where our hearts are, and what we value most. What does your leisure time say about you? Make a commitment with me to live deliberately this coming year, in the joy of what Christ has done for all time.

Further Reading:

Ecclesiastes 3:9-14

A Prayer for Grieving at Christmas..... By: Dena Johnson

 A Prayer for Grieving at Christmas

By: Dena Johnson

“The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." - John 10:10 NASB

I’ve spent the last eight months doing everything I can to keep my faith strong, to trust God. But this week, I am losing the battle. I am collapsing under the weight of this year.

The last few days, I find myself simply falling apart. I can’t hold back the tears another moment. I can’t put a smile on my face and pretend I am doing just fine. I can’t hold in the grief that is filling every inch of my being.

Perhaps you understand. Perhaps you too feel as if this year has been a nightmare, destroying your peace and security. Perhaps you feel as if your very life is crumbling, collapsing. Perhaps you can no longer hold in the tears, no longer pretend everything is just fine.

If you are consumed by grief this Christmas, you are not alone. Can we just take a moment to pray?

Lord Jesus,

I am so overwhelmed. My heart is heavy, burdened. The losses this year are crushing me, overcoming my peace and joy. I know you tell us you are close to the brokenhearted, but I don’t feel you. I feel lost, hopeless, abandoned.

I know this is a season, a season that has a beginning and an end. But right now it feels like it will never end. I need hope, hope to believe you will truly restore me, strengthen me. I need hope to believe you will one day have me put together and on my feet for good. I need a vision of the future you have for me, a future of hope and blessings from you.

It’s so easy to become distracted, to focus on the many losses I have experienced. Forgive me. Help me to put my thoughts, my attention on you. Help me cling to you, to your word, to your promises. Help me be fixed on you because I know it’s the only way to enjoy your perfect peace.

As I walk through this holiday season, give me a fresh glimpse of who You are. Help me remember the suffering You experienced as You watched your Son on the cross, a gift given just for me. Help me remember with joy and wonder the amazing gifts we have simply because you gave, a precious baby born that Christmas morning. Help me focus my heart and mind on Immanuel, God with me.

You are my hope, my only hope, for Christmas and every day on this earth. May I always carry your hope with me.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

This Christmas, Receive the Best Gift Ever Given..... By Rick Warren

 This Christmas, Receive the Best Gift Ever Given

By Rick Warren

“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us — set us right with him, make us fit for him — we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus” (Romans 5:1 The Message).

God knew before you were born that you would be reading this in this moment. He planned to get your attention for just a few seconds so he could say this to you: “I’ve seen every hurt in your life, and I’ve never stopped loving you. You matter to me. I love you more than you will ever know. I made you to love you, and I’ve been waiting for you to love me back.” 

If you gave me a Christmas gift and I never opened it, you would be disappointed. And it would be a worthless gift, because I don’t receive the benefit of a gift I never opened. 

Jesus Christ is God’s Christmas gift to you. Yet some of us have gone Christmas after Christmas and never opened the best gift of all: God’s gift of salvation. Why even celebrate Christmas if you’re not going to open the biggest gift? It doesn’t make sense to leave unwrapped the gift of your past forgiven, a purpose for living, and a home in Heaven.

God has made a way for you this Christmas to be right with him, and all you have to do is receive his gift of salvation. The Bible says, “By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us — set us right with him, make us fit for him — we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus” (Romans 5:1 The Message).

Below is a prayer I prayed years ago when I stepped across the line and accepted Jesus. It’s a simple prayer. If these words express the desire in your heart, then prayer them. 

“Dear God, I’m scared, but I want to get to know you. I don’t understand it all, but I thank you that you love me. I thank you that you were with me even when I didn’t recognize it. I thank you that you are for me, that you didn’t send Jesus to condemn me but to save me. 

“Today I want to receive the Christmas gift of your Son. I ask you to save me from my past, my regrets, my mistakes, my sins, my habits, my hurts, and my hang-ups. Save me from myself. 

“I ask you to save me for your purpose. I want to know why you put me on this planet. And I want to fulfill what you made me to do. I want to learn to love you and trust you and have a relationship with you. 

“I need peace with you, God, and I need you to put your peace in my heart. I need you to take away the stress and fill me with your love. Help me be a peacemaker and help others find peace with you and each other. In your name I pray. Amen.”