Leftovers..... by Skip Heitzig

 Leftovers

by Skip Heitzig

One of the great joys of Thanksgiving is leftovers. For some reason, turkey and dressing taste just as good reheated as they do fresh out of the oven, maybe better. But I found a website that added up the calories from that delicious stuff, and the exercise necessary to burn it off. How much walking would you need to do for a turkey sandwich, some stuffing, some mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and a piece of apple pie with ice cream? Over 13 miles! Add some gravy, and you're up to nearly 15 miles! I don't know about you, but I don't have the time to walk 15 miles after a meal!

But thinking about leftovers brings me back to what I was talking about last week, because we're right in the middle of the long Thanksgiving weekend. Thanksgiving is an indication of the heart. It shows that our lives are in balance—that our communication with the Lord is not all about our wants and our needs.

There are two levels of gratitude. Let's call them the lower level and the upper level. Unfortunately—and I admit I'm in this category—we kind of dwell in the lower level. That's where we see God's work in our lives as intermittent spurts of goodness. Some big blessing comes along and we say, "Thank you, Lord!" But living on that level of gratitude only shows that we are selfish, and that we miss the total perspective of God's goodness. We thank Him for the pleasurable things, because our view of goodness is comfort, rather than becoming like Jesus.

The upper level, the higher level, is consistently thanking God, in the good and the bad, believing that all things will work out for good to those who love Him (see Romans 8:28). I admit I have a long way to go on this one! I often complain instead of saying, "You're in control and I thank You, even though I don't understand it."

Corrie ten Boom was sent to a prison camp for hiding Jews from the Nazis. There, her sister said they should thank God for everything in their barracks. Corrie refused to give thanks for the fleas that infested their bedding, but later she found out that those fleas kept the guards from entering the barracks, enabling them to have daily prayer meetings. So she said, "Thank you, Lord, for the fleas!"

So while you're thanking the God "who satisfies your mouth with good things" (Psalms 103:5), remember that He's in control and He knows best. Let's bless the Lord in all things, because God is good all the time!

An Introduction to Christ..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 An Introduction to Christ

Dr. Charles Stanley

Revelation 1:4-8

The first chapter of Revelation gives a compact description of the Lord. In verses 4 to 8, John condenses the wonder of Jesus Christ to the bare but beautiful essentials of who He is:

Jesus Christ is the faithful witness. Jesus came to earth to more fully reveal the character and ways of the Father (John 14:9). The miracles He performed validated His claim to be the Son of God.

Jesus Christ is the first-born from the dead. The Savior bore our sins and died on the cross, was buried, and rose again on the third day. His resurrection proved that eternal life is possible for us, too, as Jesus taught in John 11:25: “He who believes in Me will live even if he dies.”

Jesus Christ is the ruler of the kings of the earth. It is the Lord who raises men to power, just as it is He who removes them (John 19:11; Rom. 13:1). Meanwhile, believers have access to a higher authority. In God’s throne room, we can beseech Him on behalf of our nations and lay claim to His promises.

Jesus Christ loves us and released us from our sins by His blood. Note the change of tense in John’s writing. The Lord’s love is ever-present, but He has freed believers from their past. Both the penalty and power of sin have been broken.

When people ask you about Jesus, introduce Him by guiding them through this mini-biography. In just a few sentences, John describes Christ’s character, divinity, and authority. The disciple was not timid about proclaiming the Lord. We shouldn’t be shy, either, when we serve so great a Savior.

Partnering in His Purposes..... Craig Denison

 

Partnering in His Purposes

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

To know God is to experience God. Just as we experience aspects of one another as we grow in friendship, we experience the wonders of God as we seek to simply know him. God is calling us to a life of seeking him with all we are. He is calling us to value relationship with him above all else that we would love no other but him. May you encounter wonderful aspects of relationship with your heavenly Father this week as we wholeheartedly seek to know him with all we are.

Scripture:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

Devotional:

True friends are those who are willing to partner with us in things that really matter to us. True friends are willing to help simply because they love us, even if the task isn’t something they would have ordinarily valued. In John 21:15 we gain insight into a conversation between two friends, Jesus and Simon Peter. Scripture says,

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

Jesus didn’t ask Simon Peter if his heart burned for taking care of his people. He didn’t ask Peter his plans after Jesus had gone. After being established in the heart of Peter as Lord, Jesus simply asked him if he loved him.

I’ve spent so much of my life trying to figure out what I liked—what I felt like doing. I’ve taken all the gift tests, personality tests, and strength tests. And while God absolutely fashions, forms, and equips us for unique purposes, I believe God is asking the same question of you and me that he did of Peter. I believe that our purposes are to be foundationally birthed out of utter devotion to Jesus above what we want or feel equipped to do.

Jesus is looking for disciples who will say yes to that which is greater than they could have ever imagined doing. He’s looking for friends like Simon Peter who will follow him wherever he leads, even if it means to their death. He’s looking for those who are so in love with him that at a single statement from his lips we willingly and obediently respond by taking up our cross as he did and living a surrendered, purposeful life.

Take time today to hear the voice of your Lord saying, “Do you love me?” Assess today whether he truly is your greatest love. And in response, open your heart to receive any command he would speak to you today. If you are faithful to respond with your life, you will find his strength to accomplish any purpose and the reality of his love to be your unshakable joy.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on John 21:15. Allow the word of God to search your heart.

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’” John 21:15

2. Assess whether Jesus truly is your greatest love. If he isn’t—if you wouldn’t follow him anywhere—take time to surrender anything you’ve placed above him. Confess any idols you have in your life that he might truly be crowned King of your heart today.

“Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.” Jonah 2:8

3. Ask him to speak his will to you today. Ask him what he would have you do and where he would have you do it. Be faithful to respond in obedience and trust today.

“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” John 14:21

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

In John 15:12-14 Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” Rather than placing yourself at the center of your thoughts, actions, motives, and emotions, choose to center your life around others today. Choose to serve and love others as Jesus did. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you his heart for those around you that you might be a reflection of his great love in the earth. Seeing God’s kingdom come is nothing more than choosing to love and live as Jesus did. You can be a conduit for his purposes in the earth today. May your day be filled with spectacular wonders as God manifests his kingdom through your life.

Extended Reading: John 12

Living a Confident Faith ..... JAMI AMERINE

 Living a Confident Faith

JAMI AMERINE 

“Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted to him.” Mark 11:23 (NASB)

I read these words of Jesus and believe them in my heart, but my mind says, “Well, I guess, sure, we could move that mountain … or we could use Google Maps and just drive around it. That is probably a safer way. Let’s look for a more sensible route.”

Then I pull up a map on my phone and miss the rumbling power of God, who is able and willing to pick up a mountain and toss it into the sea simply because He loves me and I ask.

When I am caught in a cycle of spiritual defeat, it’s nurtured and fed by the bad things I expect to happen. Maybe you sometimes find yourself caught there, too. If there are layoffs at our place of employment, for example, it’s hard and discouraging. But instead of believing that God has plans, hope and a future for us, (Jeremiah 29:11) and that a better opportunity is coming, we settle into the malady of fear and negativity and we experience less than heaven on earth.

When I’m stuck in a cycle like this, I cling to the Truth of Jesus. Jesus is love. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, NIV)

Love never fails.

Jesus never fails.

And if the Spirit of Christ — the hope of glory, the greatest mystery — dwells in us, guess who else will not fail? We will not fail. Even though we make mistakes, fall short, and experience pain and setbacks in our humanity, we share in the eternal victory of Jesus, who has conquered sin, death and the enemy on our behalf.

In Matthew 14:22-33, Peter was invited by Jesus to walk on water. Peter had seen Jesus perform miracles. He actually hung out with Jesus, broke bread with Him — they were good buddies. Maybe you’ve heard it said that Peter sank because he took his eyes off of Jesus. I have always believed this to be true. But Scripture doesn’t actually say that; it says when Peter “saw the wind” he began to sink (Matthew 14:30, NIV).

When Peter felt the wind and the waves, his lifetime of experience with the sea demolished his belief in Jesus in a single moment. Fear of death by drowning was greater than the love for Jesus that he professed with his mouth. Peter wanted to believe. He had walked away from his career, and Jesus was continually doing the impossible right in front of him.

Still, he sank.

So what chance do we have? We profess our belief in “water walking,” yet like Peter, we have no experience with it. We are fully aware of the dangers of getting out of a boat in the middle of the stormy sea. But even I who hate choppy water and am prone to seasickness can choose to boldly climb out of the boat and step onto the raging sea. I will not look down. I am headed straight into the arms of Jesus, who raises people from the dead and turns water into wine.

And I will follow that up with this: I believe and expect He will do great things.

Jesus invites us out onto the water; but the problem is that we keep remembering how human we are. The truth is that grace is the answer, and there is nothing left to do but believe. Step out on the water. Don’t look down. Don’t rationalize. Gravity doesn’t apply here.

Physics doesn’t have anything on the Son of Man.

Jesus, I have been in a cycle of spiritual defeat for too long. Align the belief of my heart with the belief of my head, and give me the confidence to live boldly in Your love, knowing that You are doing great things here and now. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 What’s the Big Deal About Circumcision?

Adapted from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.

"If you return, O Israel, declares the LORD, to me you should return. If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver, and if you swear, 'As the LORD lives,' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory." 

For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: "Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds." (Jeremiah 4:1-4)

In Jeremiah and Deuteronomy 30:6, we find the spiritual significance of circumcision. A prophet like Jeremiah was not likely to attach much importance to an external act like circumcision. He bluntly tells his countrymen that they are no better than Egyptians, Edomites, Moabites and Ammonites. They are uncircumcised in heart. Paul uses the term concision for this outward circumcision unaccompanied by any spiritual change (Philippians 3:2).

The question of circumcision occasioned a protracted strife among the early Christians. Judaizing Christians argued for the necessity of circumcision. It was a reminiscence of the unrelenting particularism which had sprung up during the prolonged oppression of the Greek and Roman period. According to their view salvation was of the Jews and for the Jews. It was necessary to become a Jew in order to become a Christian. Paul consented to circumcision in the case of Timothy "because of the Jews" (Acts 16:3). But he saw that a principle was at stake and in most of his epistles he points out the sheer futility of the contention of the Judaizers.

A Thought to Keep

Outward forms of faith do not impress God if there's no evidence of a changed, repentant heart. Examine yourself to see where you stand.

God’s Reminder to Us This Christmas Season: Do Not Fear..... By Debbie McDaniel

 God’s Reminder to Us This Christmas Season: Do Not Fear

By Debbie McDaniel

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy the will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10

Four times in the Christmas story, angels appeared at appointed times to give a message to key individuals who were a part of Jesus' life and birth. And every time, those to whom they appeared were greatly "troubled," "afraid," or even "gripped with fear." And every time the angels said these powerful words, "Do not be afraid..."

To the shepherds: "But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy the will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, he is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

To Mary: "But the angel said to her, Do not be afraid Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus." Luke 1:30-31

To Joseph: "...an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to give him he name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:20-21

To Zechariah: "But the angel said to him, Do not be afraid Zechariah, your prayer has been heard, Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you are to give him the name John." Luke 1:13

Just like these in the Christmas story so many years ago, we’re often people who can easily become fearful, troubled, even gripped with fear. It's a natural human emotion, but God never intends for us to stay stuck there. And His powerful words and message to us is still the same, for He never changes. He says, “Do not fear,” over and over in His Word, reminding us that He is with us. And He made sure it was part of the message given to each of those to whom an angel appeared to announce His Son's birth.

"Do not be afraid."

For perfect love casts out all fear.

Jesus came bringing peace that the world could never give.

Jesus came bringing light that the darkness could never overcome.

Jesus came bringing freedom from the barrier of sin and brought victory over death, once and for all.

The opposite of fear is not really simply "courage," but it is peace, faith, love, the assurance that we are held by a God who is Mighty and Sovereign and Strong.

Many of you have faced deep loss this year, the hurt of losing a loved one too soon, illness, cancer, financial troubles, or job loss. Others are struggling through the pain of broken relationships. Many are fighting depression and despair, facing addictions and giants that seem too big.

Whatever you might be battling this season, I pray that you will find deep peace in Him. The One who loves you so much and says, "Do not fear..."

He is greater. Always. He came to overcome it all. And He is with us.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Give God your worries and fears today, again, and afresh. Choose to leave it all in the hands that have the power to bring us deep peace and assurance, that the world can never give or take away. Be assured His Presence is with you and His love never fails.

Further Reading:
Luke 1:11-33
Luke 2:8-14
Matthew 1:20-21

A Prayer to Fight Fear and Anxious Thoughts..... By Betsy de Cruz

A Prayer to Fight Fear and Anxious Thoughts
By Betsy de Cruz

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” – Psalm 56:3-4

One minute I trust God, but the next I start imagining my greatest fears. Airplane crashes, illness, or one side of my 40-year-old house sinking. One day I might be full of faith, but the next day low-grade anxiety sets in as I start to wonder how I’m going to get everything done.

Can you relate to feeling like your mind is highjacked by anxious thoughts? Perhaps you struggle with imagined worries about something that most likely will never happen. Or maybe you’re already living your greatest fear: loss of a job, illness of a child, or the end of a marriage.

For those moments when anxious thoughts threaten our peace, we can remember David’s prayer: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

Whispering this prayer helps us turn our hearts towards God when our knees start knocking. It helps us stop the cycle of negative thoughts and remember we can trust God’s love and His commitment to care for us.

Friend, if you’re struggling with fear and anxious thoughts today, you’re in good company. David felt afraid. However, he did not allow fear to stop him from calling God’s trustworthiness to mind.  

When fearful thoughts come to mind, stop the worry cycle by centering your thoughts on God’s faithfulness instead. Feed your mind with truth from Scripture. Look for a promise you can believe and pray. 

If you are living with the stress of generalized anxiety, take a moment to stop and identify your fears and concerns. Then name them one by one before your Heavenly Father, asking Him to help you to trust Him. Surrender your specific concerns to the God who loves you and cares for your needs. 

Don’t allow fear to stop you from coming to God in prayer. As you pray, He will bring greater peace to your heart.

Heavenly Father,

I come to you in prayer today confessing my great need. Your Word tells me you care for even the smallest sparrow, yet I fear you have forgotten me. Your Word tells me you are faithful, yet I let my worries diminish my trust in you. I so easily forget all you have done for me in the past. Forgive me, Lord, and enable me to surrender my concerns into your care today.

Thank you for the precious encouragement I find in Your Word. Bring to my mind a promise I can cling to today. Strengthen my faith as I read Scripture and help me remember to turn to the unchanging truths of your Word when my changing circumstances make me fearful or anxious.

Lord, help me identify the specific worries that are robbing me of peace today. I entrust each concern into your care, and I surrender all control of my life to you. I believe you love and care for me. 

When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.