Tragedy in the Church House..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Tragedy in the Church House

Dr. Charles Stanley

Matthew 5:14-15

Every Sunday countless people all over the world sit in church buildings with a false sense of security. They assume that their morality, lifelong church membership, or baptism will earn them a place in heaven. While many of these folks sincerely desire to please God, they are confused about what the Christian life is all about. They think in terms of doing rather than being. So they imitate the actions of good Christians: going to a weekly service, praying, reading the Bible, and trying to be decent people.

However, salvation is not the product of good works. We come into the world with a corrupt nature, and all our wrongdoing is born of a heart turned away from the Lord. Because we are sinful people, we sin. It's that simple. The good news is that in the salvation experience, we are given a brand-new nature (2 Cor. 5:17). Our sin is wiped away because Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself for us. From the moment we trust in Him, the Holy Spirit dwells in our heart so that we can live righteously.

The world values action, but the Father prioritizes relationship--specifically a right relationship with Him. People who scurry about flaunting religiosity are missing out on the deeply satisfying and joyous intimacy between a believer and the Lord.

We can help turn others' tragic misunderstanding into triumph by being ready to explain why we have hope (1 Peter 3:15). Speak of the personal relationship with Christ that's possible when a person admits his need and trusts in the Savior. If your light shines, it reflects well on the church.

The Parable of the Good Shepherd..... Craig Denison

 The Parable of the Good Shepherd

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

Jesus loved to use stories to illustrate profound, life-transforming concepts. He loved to use real and genuine settings, characters, and ideas that apply to all of us to reveal God’s heart of pursuit and love. This week we’re going to spend time allowing the parables of Jesus to speak directly to our situations, mindsets, and core beliefs about who God is. Open your heart and mind to be transformed by the powerful and captivating stories of Jesus.

Scripture: “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15

Devotional:               

Have you ever experienced a sense of grand perspective where you realize your smallness in comparison to the earth’s grandeur? Have you ever contemplated your small stature in light of how colossal the universe is? Every now and then, when I get a sense of my smallness I am overcome by the fear of being lost. I think, “Who will show me my path in this seemingly increasing world? Who will guide me through the various trials and changes that will undoubtedly come my way? Who will help me?”

One of my favorite metaphors in Scripture is God as the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the most equipped guide we could ever have. He holds all of creation in the palm of his hand, and yet he knows the number of hairs on our head. He is the God of the gigantic and a lover of every little detail about us. And he longs to lead us to safe pasture. As we look at the parable of God as the Good Shepherd today, allow your faith and affections to be stirred by God’s promise to guide you into the matchless life he has in store for you.

John 10:14-15 says, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” Jesus paved the way for us to enter into the most amazing pasture of all: the very presence of the living God.He laid down his life as our Good Shepherd that we might eat of the fruit of his death and resurrection. But God didn’t only lead us to heaven; he continually leads us as our Good Shepherd day in and day out.

In the famous Psalm 23 David writes, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:1-6).

God’s staff is meant to comfort us. As our Good Shepherd he promises to lead us daily to the plans he has for us. That doesn’t always mean that we will be led out of “the valley of the shadow of death,” but that in the valley he will “prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Our great comfort is the fact that God will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). As Psalm 139:9-10 says, “If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” God is with us in times of trouble. He will protect us, provide for us, and lead us to still waters.

God longs to guide you today. What trouble is before you? Where do you need guidance? Where do you need help? God promises to be your Good Shepherd. You have the most high God on your side. You can trust in his leadership. Jesus was faithful to come and die so that you might have eternal life. If he was faithful to lead you to heaven, he will certainly lead you through whatever trial you are going through now.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Your God is a trustworthy Shepherd. Enter into prayer with expectancy that he will guide you perfectly and in his perfect timing. Cast your cares on him and trust him. Allow him to “make straight your paths” as you follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the idea of God as your Good Shepherd. Receive the truth of his promise to lead you and protect you.

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15

“You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.” Exodus 15:13

“If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” Psalm 139:9-10

2. Where do you need his leadership today? Where do you need his protection? Cast your cares on his shoulders and receive the peace that comes from trusting in him.

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

3. Ask the Holy Spirit for leadership. Your God will directly guide you through trials. Trust in his leadership and follow whatever it is he tells you to do. If his word speaks directly to your situation, commit to obeying it! God promises to guide you as your Good Shepherd.

“This is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.” Psalm 48:14

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16

“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21

Extended Reading: John 10

For the Mom Who Feels Like a Failure Right Now ….. TRACIE MILES

 For the Mom Who Feels Like a Failure Right Now …

TRACIE MILES

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT)

There have been many seasons over the past 27 years since my first child was born when I have felt like a failure as a mom.

For example, the new-mom-of-an-infant season, where I struggled to manage the exhausting grind of caring for a newborn. The season of raising three children under the age of 6 while working full time, feeling incapable of being the attentive mom I wanted to be. Years of raising middle school tweens and high school teens where emotions and drama ran high, and every decision made in their best interest turned into a battle of wills. And now the empty-nest stage, when all my babies have spread their wings as young adults, and I worry whether I did a good enough job of preparing them for the real world.

But by far the hardest season was becoming a single mom after separation and divorce. It was and still is a season consumed with daily worry over how the brokenness of our family might affect my children’s hearts as well as my own. A season of carrying the weight of trying to be Mom and Dad and feeling like a failure at both. A season of perpetually longing to ease their emotional suffering, while at times knowing my own decisions or emotions are making things worse instead of better.

Regardless of the cause for a hard season or the ages of our children, the mind of a mom is where way too many battles take place. We constantly fight the lies of the enemy telling us we aren’t good enough and never will be. We may at times even question God as to why He made us a mother to these precious children when we in no way feel worthy, qualified or capable.

I have found comfort in reading Ecclesiastes 3:1, which says, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” The rest of the verses in this well-known passage go on to say there is a time to be born and to die, plant and harvest, tear down and build up. A time for pain and healing, breaking and mending, crying and laughing. Through this passage, Solomon reminds us we will always be in ever-changing seasons, but God has arranged every single detail of our lives within each season. We can rest in the fact that He will never leave us.

Life is full of ups and downs, good times and bad, easy seasons and hard ones, but nothing is a shock to God. His plans are always perfect, including blessing us with our roles as mothers. And because of that, we can have confidence in the call to parent the children He gave us.

Don’t let feelings of inadequacy or guilt keep you from being the beautiful, wonderful, capable and fully qualified woman God designed you to be. Don’t let criticism from a spouse, the struggle of co-parenting, hard seasons of life, mistakes children may make or your own self-condemning thoughts steal the joy of being the mom your kids desperately need. Have confidence in the abilities God gave you and the calling on your life as a mom, and lean into Him on the toughest days of parenting.

If you’re struggling for any reason today and doubting your ability and value as a mom, hear this: God has faith in your ability to mother His children. Have faith in yourself.

God knew the struggles you would face and even the mistakes you would make, yet He still made you the mom of your kids.

You are the only one — the best one — for the job of raising your children.

You are the one whose unconditional love for them is powerful.

You are the one God called to guide them through every easy and difficult season of life and to simply love them with your whole heart, even on the hardest of days.

And Mama, you are enough.

Lord, help me to be the best mom I can be, no matter what my circumstances are. May I never forget to love You, myself and my children while standing in the truth that You have equipped me to be the mom I need to be — mistakes, imperfections and all. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Proverbs 31:31, “Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” (NIV)

Are You Ready to Defend Your Faith? (1 Peter 3:15)..... By: Betsy St. Amant Haddox

 Are You Ready to Defend Your Faith? (1 Peter 3:15)

By: Betsy St. Amant Haddox

Today’s Bible Verse: ...but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. - 1 Peter 3:15-16 (ESV)

Nobody makes a better lawyer than a teenager. Upon hitting puberty, most kids seem to become gifted with the ability to argue like the most promising of attorneys. They always have a reason for the chore that wasn’t done, the curfew that was broken, or the rule that bent. While parents can laugh about it—or cry!—during those tough, transitional years, there’s actually a solid lesson to be learned from their example.

Our kids are almost always ready to give a defense for their decisions or mistakes—but are we ready to give as passionate a defense for our faith?

Peter writes in 1 Peter 3 that we, as believers, as to honor Christ in our hearts as holy. Immediately after, he instructs us to be prepared to give a defense to anyone who asks for the reason for the hope that is in us. That leads me to draw a few things from this text:

1. Honoring Christ in our own hearts as holy is the crucial first step. Without this, we aren’t ready to give a reason for our hope, because we don’t have any hope to share. We first must honor Christ and hold Him in the highest regard inside ourselves before we’re ever going to be equipped to share the Gospel.

2. We must live in a way that reflects that we are hopeful. This isn’t blatantly spelled out in the text, but just like we logically can’t share a hope we don’t possess, we can’t expect anyone to ask us about it if we aren’t living it out. We must be different in order to seem different and be approached about why.

3. We can expect persecution. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the end of these verses points out when we are slandered. Not if. We all want that success story—someone approaching us about being different, us, in turn, sharing our faith and the reason for our hope, and leading that inquiring heart to the Lord. What a win! But realistically, more often than not, we’ll be teased or ridiculed for our hope and for believing the Gospel that we share. Peter recognized that and warned the church accordingly. Knowing that we’ll most likely at some point face teasing or even persecution doesn’t give us an excuse to shrink back, but rather, should inspire us to be ready to defend.

Just like our children are typically ready to make a defense at any given moment, we too must be prepared to share our faith via a solid knowledge of the Scriptures, a personal testimony of faith, and a heart in clear communication with the Holy Spirit. It’s not our job to convert hearts—it's our job to be ready to give a defense. What do you need to do today to be prepared?

A Prayer for When You Don't Feel Worthy of Prayer..... By Liz Kanoy

 A Prayer for When You Don't Feel Worthy of Prayer

By Liz Kanoy

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace,” - Hebrews 4:16

God does not weigh your actions and set your sin on a scale to see if you’re worthy of approaching Him. If our sin level mattered, then no one would ever be worthy. But because of Jesus Christ, when God looks at us He sees His Son’s sinless life and innocent sacrifice. Therefore, because of the gospel, we are free to approach God and communicate with Him.

When Isaiah was brought before the Lord (Isaiah 6), he fell down at his own unworthiness and could not look at God. Isaiah had no merit to earn God’s favor, but through a gift God made Isaiah righteous. Just as God removed Isaiah’s guilt with a burning coal, He removes your guilt with the blood of His Son. This gift is a one-time gift; you are made guiltless in God’s eyes. However, since those saved by Christ still live in a fallen world we will still fall prey to sin. But when we pray for forgiveness, it draws us away from sin and pulls us closer to God. And when we pray often, we think about sin less.

Don’t let sin keep you from prayer. If you haven’t prayed today, or in a while, take 5 minutes today and close your eyes - thank God for who He is and who He has made you to be. Ask Him to forgive any sin in your life, especially the sin that has been holding you back from Him. Let His love pour over you and refresh you.

Dear God,
You are worthy of all praise. You have given me life even though I am unworthy and undeserving. You have taken my sin and made me guiltless. But right now I don’t feel guiltless, and my shame has made me forget who you made me to be. You have made me your child and heir, and you have given me the greatest gift anyone could ask for—eternal life in your presence. But I have forgotten this in my sin; Lord please forgive this sin and grant me mercy. I do not deserve it, but I thank you that because of your Son's sacrifice I am freely forgiven and loved. Please grant me your strength to resist this sin and other sins, and Holy Spirit please urge my soul to spend more time in prayer and praise because in your presence is where I truly belong.

In Your name Jesus,
Amen