The Lure of Momentary Pleasure..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Lure of Momentary Pleasure

Dr. Charles Stanley

Genesis 25:29-34

You probably read the story of Jacob and Esau today and thought, I can't believe Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. How foolish! But let's think beyond birthrights and soup. Is there anything of true value that you are trading for something of lesser worth? In other words, what is your "bowl of soup"?

Have you pursued wealth and a career at the expense of family? Maybe your busy schedule has kept you from spending time with God in His Word each day. Some people become involved in extramarital affairs, trading the well-being of their family for the satisfaction of lustful desires. Others sacrifice their health by consuming harmful or addictive substances, or even by overindulging in food. The list of ways we make foolish, shortsighted choices is endless.

Some of the decisions we make today could rob us of the blessings God wants to give us. When you yield to temptation in a moment of weakness, you're actually sacrificing your future for momentary pleasure. We can't afford to live thoughtlessly, basing our decisions on immediate desires or feelings. Since the principle of sowing and reaping cannot be reversed, we need to carefully consider what we are planting. The harvest will come, and we'll reap what we have sown--and more than we've sown.

Are you contemplating anything that could have serious long-term ramifications if you yield to the yearning? A wise person evaluates choices by looking ahead to see what negative consequences could follow a course of action. Don't let "a bowl of soup" hinder God's wonderful plans for you.

Let Love be Genuine..... Craig Denison

 Let Love be Genuine

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview

This week we’re going to take a look at seven principles found in Romans 12 that describe the marks of a true Christian. The intent of studying this passage is not to condemn or lead you to comparison. Instead, let Paul’s teaching fill you with a deep, transformative longing to wholeheartedly pursue the life God intends for you. Ask God to help you see yourself as he sees you, to see the grace he’s placed upon your life by the blood of Jesus so that you might walk more fully in the power and anointing of the Spirit. Open your heart to God, and let him do a mighty work in you. He is near to you, ready to mold and shape you into a disciple filled with and fueled by his incredible love. May you discover God’s grace and perspective this week as you examine your life in light of this powerful passage of Scripture.

Scripture:“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” Romans 12:9-10

Devotional:

Paul begins his description of what it looks like to be a true disciple of Christ in Romans 12 with a foundational phrase for this passage: “Let love be genuine.” Genuine love is one of the most powerful forces in all of creation. Genuine love drove Jesus through his life, death, and resurrection. Genuine love started the advance of the gospel, leading to the salvation of billions. The world tirelessly searches for genuine love. And it is genuine love that is meant to set you and me apart as disciples of Jesus. Scripture says in 1 John 4:7-11:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 

Paul sums up his beautiful description of love in 1 Corinthians 13:13 this way:“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” And Jesus, when asked what the greatest commandment is, said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40).

You were created to give and receive love. Love is your highest calling. God has set you apart to minister to others, sharing the genuine love you’ve been shown. It’s only in living for love that you will truly find peace and purpose. It’s only in the giving and receiving of genuine love that you will feel whole and satisfied. The Bible is clear about God’s plan for you.God intends to pour his love out over you to the level of overflowing, enabling others to get a glimpse of his vast love for them through your life.

So, how can you be a person who shows genuine love to those around you? What does a life lived for love look like? It starts with spending time daily encountering the vast ocean of God’s love for you. In John 13:34, Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” The disciples could only love each other because they had experienced firsthand the incredible love of Jesus. You will not be able to love genuinely if you aren’t receiving God’s love for yourself. You must take time every day to simply encounter the love of your heavenly Father. His love is designed to lay the foundation for the good works you do. He never intends for you to give what you haven’t received. Romans 12:9-10 proves to be great instruction for living a life of genuine love. Paul writes, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” Choose to engage in good over evil. Fill your life with all that is good. Show grace and respect to others because that is what your heavenly Father has done for you. Live a life of outdoing those around you in showing love and honor.

God has chosen to reveal his love to the world through your life. He’s committed to using you to bring others to himself. And he has a perfect plan to mold and shape you through his love into a person who naturally shows genuine love to others out of the overflow of God’s love in your own life. You don’t need to place the weight of others’ salvation on your shoulders. Instead, encounter the love God has for you today. Let his perspective of you change the way you see yourself and others. And simply love those around you with the love you’ve been shown. Choose to live a life of genuine love today and find out just how broad, long, high, and deep is the love of Christ for both you and others around you (Ephesians 3:18-19).

Guided Prayer:

1. Spend time receiving God’s love for you. Ask him to make his nearness known to you. Let his presence fill up the places of your heart that need a fresh encounter with him.

“That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19

2. Ask God to give you a fresh revelation of how he sees you. Ask him to mold and shape you into the person he would have you be. Allow his grace and love to transform your heart.

3. Now ask the Spirit to help you show genuine love to others. Who around you needs to be genuinely loved by you today? Who needs to be shown honor and respect? Let the love that you’ve received fill you with the desire and power to love others well.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” John 13:34

 

Extended Reading: 1 John 4

What Kind of Woman Does God Approve Of?..... AMY CARROLL

 What Kind of Woman Does God Approve Of?

AMY CARROLL

“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them …” Romans 12:6 (ESV)

My pastor’s wife was a truly amazing woman. To me, a woman in my twenties, she was everything a truly godly woman should be: gentle, kind and she had some serious skills in the kitchen! I put her high up on a pedestal.

And because she was a model of godliness for me, I began to jest, “Real Christian women bake bread.” Only I wasn’t joking.

I stacked her life circumstances, talents and personality against mine, and deep down, I believed I wasn’t the kind of woman God fully endorsed.

Her kitchen was filled with yummy homemade goods; mine was stocked with meals from the frozen foods aisle.

She was a stay-at-home mom; I was a single working woman.

She was soft spoken, and I was loud and a little sassy.

Her marital and maternal status, gifts and nature were in stark contrast to mine. I just wasn’t the same kind of woman, the type I believed could be endorsed by God.

But an overview of Scripture declares a different story.

These days, as I study women in the Bible with my friend Wendy, she’s helping me to see with a renewed perspective that God delights in and approves of all the many kinds of women He’s made, gifted and called. The women in the Bible are like us, in different seasons of life with many “flavors” of personality and giftings. There are women like:

• Lydia, who opened her home and led in her church. (Acts 16)
• Shiphrah and Puah, the Jewish midwives, who bravely broke the rules for good. (Exodus 1)
• Rahab, who provided protection and shelter for God’s people. (Joshua 2)
• Mary Magdalene, who followed hard after Jesus and monetarily supported His ministry. (Luke 8)
• Huldah, who was trusted to listen to God and pass on His truth. (2 Kings 22)
• Priscilla, who taught Scripture in all its glorious fullness. (Acts 18)
• The unnamed Shunammite woman, who cared physically for God’s people. (Thank you, Lord, for the women who bake bread!) (2 Kings 4)
• Dorcas, a possible widow, who used her hands to clothe others and do charitable work. (Acts 9)

Some of these women were single, and others were married. There are incredible women in the Bible who were widows or childless, and some who were mothers. Many had questionable pasts or made mistakes along the way; still, God didn’t waste one bit of their willingness and unique experiences.

That list only scratches the surface of the women highlighted in the Bible. How amazing! There’s a veritable rainbow of different kinds of women in God’s Word, all using their various gifts and personalities for God’s glory — just as Paul commands in Romans 12:6 when he says, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them …”

The kind of woman you are is more than just OK. Your unique personality and combination of gifts are God-created and approved. God loves you and wants to use you no matter your circumstances or season of life.

Now, years after my twenties, my more-mature self knows I didn’t need to be just like my pastor’s wife for God to delight in me. We don’t have to compare ourselves to other kinds of women when we celebrate each and every one He’s made!

Lord, I thank You for the kind of woman You’ve made me. I trust You to use my gifts, my personality and my current season of life. I believe that You value me and the kind of woman I am just as much as all the other kinds of women You’ve made. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Romans 12:4, 6-8, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function … Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” (ESV)

When Opposition Comes (and It Will)..... By Jennifer Waddle

 When Opposition Comes (and It Will)

By Jennifer Waddle

Today's Bible Verse: O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” - Psalm 3:1-2 (ESV)

Of all the things that are uncertain in this life, there is something we can be sure of—opposition. Opposition will come, in one form or another, and we won’t always be prepared for it.

In the work place, it may come as a challenge to our ideas or strategies. In our families, it may be a retaliation against our principles. And in faith, opposition may come as a mockery or even a threat.

King David knew the severity of opposition and experienced it regularly throughout his reign. More than once, he fled into the mountains, fearing for his life. Frequently, he cried out to God over the extreme opposition he faced.

“Many are my foes! Many are rising against me!”

David’s experiences with his adversaries were most likely far greater than anything we have experienced or will experience. But no matter what, we can be sure of this: God is our Great Defender. There is no greater defense than that of our Father in heaven. And He urges us to allow Him to deal with our opposers instead of taking matters into our own hands.

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Romans 12:19

If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to jump into “defense” mode. It can be difficult to let things roll off my back, especially when I feel wronged. Yet, so often in my rehearsed plans of retaliation, I sense the gentle voice of the Spirit saying, “Peace…be still. Let Me go before you in this.”

When we surrender our will to the Father, no matter how justified we feel, there will be an unexplainable peace that comes. Surrendering our “fists-in-the-air” attitudes and plans of pay-back will always result in a better outcome—an outcome that is surrounded by certainty that reminds us, “God’s got this.”

The more we live out our faith in Christ, the more people will oppose what they don’t fully understand. It’s a way of retaliating against something that challenges them in some way. If you and I are actively living out our faith, walking in the fruit of the Spirit and showing God’s love, that will be a challenge for some. And in that challenge, we may find ourselves greatly opposed. Harsh words, divisive questions, and rude comments might be the ways in which people come against us. But just as David, in Psalm 3, took those oppositions to the Lord, we, too, can release them to our Mighty Defender. For in the end, only God can right the wrongs of unjust opposition.

But the Lord has been my defense, and my God the rock of my refuge. Psalm 94:22 (NKJV)

What Were You Expecting?..... by Scott Savage

 What Were You Expecting?

by Scott Savage

"When Jesus heard this, he said to him, 'One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.' But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich." - Luke 18:22-23

Every Jesus follower has the same experience at one point or another.

We recognize that the way Jesus is leading us is not the direction we wanted or intended to go. Whatever our expectation involved, we are shocked to find out Jesus has other plans.

And we are not alone. In Matthew 16, Peter heard the words "Get behind me, Satan" when he told Jesus not to go to Jerusalem and be crucified. In Luke 18, a wealthy, powerful young man turned away from Jesus when he was invited to go up the one thing he could not abandon.

At the heart of our expectation is often a desire for more. It could be more fulfillment, more meaning, or even more connection.

Comedian and actor Russell Brand would say "more" is a longing for God. In an interview with Relevant Magazine in 2017, Brand said,

“There’s a famous quote: ‘Every man who knocks on a brothel door, he’s looking for God.’ Crack houses and these dens of suffering and illicit activity, they’re all people trying to feel good, trying to feel connected. People are trying to escape. People are trying to get out of their own heads. To me, this is a spiritual impetus.”

I can relate to Brand's words. Not because I've knocked on a brothel door, but because I've longed for more. I knew I was meant for more than the role I held at a church about two years ago. And as I sought what "more" looked like beyond that, my wife and I both became convinced we were supposed to make a move.

But the move involved a major adjustment for me. It meant leaving a city of 4 million for a town of 40,000. This transition has not been easy, but we knew this was our next step of obedience.

What if “more” means a next step we weren’t expecting? Like the young man in Luke 18, we might be disappointed. Or like Peter in Matthew 16, we might be frustrated. But once our next step is clear, we have a choice to make.

It might be time to ask - are we following Jesus or are we asking Jesus to follow us?

In Luke 9:23, we read, "Then Jesus told them what they could expect for themselves: 'Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat—I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how.'"

Spend some time in prayer today, surrendering your expectations at the feet of Jesus.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Is there a step Jesus has revealed in front of you, which you were not expecting? What would it take you for you to move forward in faith?

A Prayer to Be Real..... By: Maggie Meadows Cooper

 A Prayer to Be Real

By: Maggie Meadows Cooper

I can’t seem to shake a conversation I recently had with a dear friend. We were talking about some struggles in her life, and she exclaimed, "I just wish everyone would get REAL! I feel so isolated- like I'm the only one going through things. When it’s time for prayer requests, people talk about their sick family members, but I would love to hear someone say for once that they need prayer for their marriage or a real personal struggle!”

She went on, “You know that old saying, Go to the throne and not the phone? Well, I know I need to take it to the Lord, but I also need to hear my friends talk about what's really going on in their lives so I don't feel so alone!"

Wow. The truth is that my friend is not alone. We all have struggles. But why is it that we keep them to ourselves? Why do we feel the need to carry on a facade in front of people instead of sharing our hearts? Even those closest to us?

I can't help but feel like people want truth. But I have found that the truth they want to hear is the truth that is comfortable and noncontroversial and easy to digest. A nicer version of the truth, if you will. But the problem is... that's not the real thing.

The real thing... the real truth... is uncomfortable and controversial and hard to digest many times. It sometimes breaks your heart and takes you completely out of your comfort zone. It goes under the surface and reveals those things that can be embarrassing and hard to admit. But so many times, those hard places are where the Lord shows us who He really is.

I want to be a friend who can share what is really going on in my life. I want to be able to share my heartaches, disappointments and fears, and feel completely free in doing so. I want to be a friend who can listen, without interrupting, to those I love when they share their heartaches and disappointments and fears, and have them feel completely safe in doing so, because they can trust that I will not share what I've heard. I desperately want to be REAL.

So, how do we move past a picture-perfect social media world and polite smiles and "How are you? Oh, I'm doing great!" to just. being. real? While there is no one perfect answer, I think a good place to start is taking a good look at who I really am in the Lord.

In Joel 2:12-13, Joel shares this message from the Lord: "Turn to me now while there is still time. Give me your hearts… Don't tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead."

I can just hear the urgency and frustration in His voice! He doesn't want a show for others to see. He wants our broken hearts. He wants us to take everything we have - our hopes and dreams and fears, our disappointments and hurts and every bad thing we've ever done - all of those things stored up in our hearts - and give them to Him. When we do that, when we really surrender all to Him and lay it all out there, we can face the reality of who we are.

When we understand that the Lord wants us and accepts us and LOVES us with all of our mess, it's not quite as scary to share with others. Rejection from people is not as daunting because we know we are accepted and loved by the One who matters most.

It also leaves us free to listen to our friends with judgment-free, humble hearts, because we know that we are all the same: sinners who need a Savior in a broken world that just stinks sometimes. We are freer to be the body of Christ and not just people who go to church together.

My earnest prayer is that we would all find that friend and be that friend who can just be real. That we can say, "I don't have it all together. I need prayer. I need a shoulder to cry on." And that friend will do the same in return.

But most importantly, don't ever forget that Jesus is our ultimate friend. He came to Earth to walk among us and feel what we feel. He gets it. He has been here. He is always available. And He is the only one who will never let us down.

"Search for the Lord and for His strength; continually seek Him." - 1 Chronicles 16:11

Dear Jesus,

I so desperately want to be a friend who can be real. Help me to have courage in sharing my struggles with others that they might encourage me and love me through them. Help me to be available for my friends to listen when they need me. And more than anything, Lord, help me to surrender wholeheartedly to you and seek you always.

In Your Mighty Name,

Amen.