Choosing the Right Building Material..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Choosing the Right Building Material

Dr. Charles Stanley

1 Corinthians 3:12-15

Believers build their lives on the Rock of Ages: Jesus Christ. Every motive, every deed, and every word is material for our spiritual house. The apostle Paul warned followers to construct with care because on the day of judgment, fire will test the quality of each person’s work. This refers not to a literal fire but to the purifying presence of Jesus Christ.

When I stand in the Savior’s perfectly holy and just presence, all the wood, hay, and stubble in my life will disappear. Good things done with wrong motives will vanish along with secret sins and bad attitudes. Only what has been done and said in Jesus’ name remains. And the moment the chaff is gone, we will see that God is right—those things didn’t fit the life of His child.

On hearing this explanation, someone usually says, “All that matters is that I get into heaven.” But that attitude is shortsighted because the judgment of believers is about rewards. In the parable of the unrighteous steward, Jesus explained the basic concept to His disciples: “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10). Our time on earth is the beginning of an eternity serving and rejoicing in the Lord. God will reward us with heavenly responsibility according to our faithfulness here.

Wise people plan for the future (Prov. 27:12).I want to receive as much of God’s goodness as He offers, so I am determined to build with top-quality, enduring materials. The privilege of serving is only the beginning of the rewards. In heaven, God’s generosity will be even more abundantly unleashed.

Faith Guides Us In..... Craig Denison

 Faith Guides Us In

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

Living an unveiled lifestyle is the way in which we experience the fullness of what’s available to us in our restored relationship with God. It’s a powerful lifestyle of faith, direct encounters with our heavenly Father, and life transformation. It’s when we live our lives in light of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus that we begin to experience all his death was purposed to bring us. God longs for his children to walk in intimacy with him directly connected to his wellspring of love for us. May you experience a more tangible, loving, and powerful connection with your heavenly Father this week.

Scripture: “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” Hebrews 10:22

Devotional: 

To see the living God face-to-face is to have our spiritual eyes opened through the important practice of faith. The entirety of our relationship with God really boils down to faith. By faith we trust in him even though we haven’t seen him. By faith we believe the Bible is truly his word. And it is by faith that we enter into his tangible presence where our hearts are transformed and our lives changed.

Paul prays an important prayer at the beginning of Ephesians that I believe God desires for you and me today. Ephesians 1:17-18 says, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” We need the eyes of our hearts enlightened. We need to develop spiritual eyes to see all that is available to us in God. We need faith to guide us into the deeper things of God.

Hebrews 10:19-23 says,“Therefore, brothers,since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”

God longs for us to draw near to him. He longs for us to experience him unveiled, face-to-face with the eyes of our hearts open and our hearts full of awe and wonder. The single most exciting truth of our lives is that the God of the universe, the Creator of all, can be seen and known. Spending time with him is more satisfying, entertaining, uplifting, and better than any other way our time could be spent. If we will have the faith to make time and let God move in and on our hearts, practicing faith as God’s word tells us to, we will experience a reality unknown and unseen to the naked eye. We will experience the reality of heaven: God and man joined together in communion.

Faith is a gift given to those who cry out to know God. It is a gift given by the Holy Spirit in response to our desperation for relationship. If you will seek out more in your communion with your heavenly Father, he will respond with an increase of faith. He will answer your call by carrying you into the depths of his endless love where you belong—where you’ve always belonged.

May God grant you a “Spirit of wisdom and revelation” and open “the eyes of your heart” today as you spend time in prayer.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of faith in seeking the face of God.

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” Hebrews 10:22

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened.” Ephesians 1:17-18

2. Ask God to give you an increase of faith. Ask him to open the eyes of your heart to see him. Ask him for the Spirit of wisdom of revelation in the knowledge of him. Wait on him and allow him to fill you with faith.

3. Spend time seeking the face of your heavenly Father. Rest in his presence. Allow him to show you new things about himself. Ask him how he feels about circumstances going on in your life.

“You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’” Psalm 27:8

May we be a people that seek out the fullness of God. May we be children awed by the beauty, majesty, mystery, and love of our Father. God has more in store for us than we could ever ask or imagine if we will seek him with all of our hearts. Fight the mediocrity of this world for the higher calling of experiencing all that God longs to give you.

Extended Reading: Psalms 27

Worn Out From Seeking Approval..... PHYLICIA MASONHEIMER

 Worn Out From Seeking Approval

PHYLICIA MASONHEIMER

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:3 (NIV) 

I closed the computer. If only I could also close the 10,000 tabs open in my mind — each one telling me I had failed somehow, some way, somebody.

If only I could shut down the urgency to correct people’s perceptions of me, to “set them straight” in their assumptions! If only I could run away from difficult relationships, hard-to-have conversations and that needling feeling that I won’t ever measure up to what people expect.

The constant noise is exhausting. And that’s just inside my head.

Do you hear it too?

The weight of walking well with people is tiring. On a particularly hard day, I flipped through my notepad of memory verses and came upon Hebrews 12:3: “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

This verse concludes a passage about running the race with endurance — the race being our Christian lives. Jesus, our perfect example, finished His life on earth with a victory lap of true endurance. “For the joy set before him,” says the author, “he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2, NIV). Jesus pressed through incredible pain and heartbreak to accomplish our salvation.

You might be thinking — like me — I’m not Jesus! I’m not the Son of God! That’s right — we aren’t! But the author of Hebrews tells us that He is our example, which indicates we’re to emulate His endurance. And I can’t think of anywhere I need endurance more than when I encounter “opposition from sinners.”

Opposition from sinners can be persecution for the gospel. But it can also be the wearying, everyday struggle of relationships with fallen people: coworkers, bosses, children, spouses, in-laws. All the people God has called us to love can also be the people who make us want to lose heart.

We struggle beneath the weight of their expectations and disapproval. We become discouraged when God calls us to a life significantly different than a peer’s. For many of us, following Jesus is a daily choice between serving the opinions of people and serving our Father God.

This is why Jesus is our example. Never once did He make a decision for human approval. And never once did He stop loving those same, hurtful humans. He lived in the incredible tension of God’s leading and God’s love. He was committed to obeying the Father, which inevitably resulted in disappointment for some of His followers.

In the parable of the sower, Jesus describes four kinds of soil. (Matthew 13:1-23) Only one kind, the good kind, received the seed of truth. Talking about this parable, someone once made an incredible point: Even Jesus disappointed people. Even Jesus was rejected by three-quarters of the people who heard His word. What makes us think we will fare better than Him?

Jesus obeyed God’s leading on His life, and because of His obedience, we get to be called children of God. I am so grateful He did not lose heart! What a reminder when I get weary and broken down by this world: He was consistent even unto death. I’ve not been asked to die for my world. But I have been asked to die to myself. (Galatians 2:20) Will I lay down my need for human approval so I can run this race well?

Endurance can only be cultivated by facing hard things. Sometimes opposition comes in the form of real persecution, such as many of our brothers and sisters experience around the world. And sometimes opposition comes in the form of disapproval or guilt from the people around us. Christ is our Approver — and because of Him, we can stay alert. We can be strong-hearted. We can run the race.

Father God, thank You for caring about my weariness. Thank You for loving me as I run this race and for strengthening me for what seems like too much to bear. Help me love You first so I love others better. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

How to Grow in Your Salvation..... by Lynette Kittle

 How to Grow in Your Salvation

by Lynette Kittle

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your Salvation”—1 Peter 2:2

Many think, once we accept Jesus as our Savior, we’ll just know what is true. However, if we aren’t studying God’s Word and feeding spiritually on His truth, we’re vulnerable to living more by what we feel than what is true, which over time is sure to lead us astray.

Too often we don’t realize if we don’t know the Word of God, even when we are believers, we can be led astray. Knowing what Scripture says helps us to discern if what we are hearing and reading is based on God’s truth or on the enemy’s lies.

Like 1 Peter 2:2 encourages, when it comes to the Word of God, we want to be like newborn babies who crave pure spiritual milk, so that we may grow up in our Salvation.

So what is this pure spiritual milk? Hebrews 5:12 explains how the elementary truths of God’s Word is the milk needed for our lives to grow spiritually and mature, so that we can progress to eating solid foods, which are the deeper truths.

If we don’t feed on Scripture, 1 Corinthians 3:1 describes what stage of spiritual growth we’ll remain in. “Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.”

So why is it so important to grow spiritually as a Christian? Isn’t it enough to be saved?

1 Timothy 4:1, points out the dangers of not growing in our faith. “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”

If we don’t grow in our knowledge of God’s Word, we become vulnerable to being deceived and led astray by the evil one. 2 Timothy 4:3, warns of what can happen if we haven’t matured in our faith. “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desire, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

So what can we do to make sure we’re progressing in our spiritual growth? 2 Timothy 2:15 urges us to “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

So many Christians become discouraged, feeling like they can’t even read God’s Word on their own, thinking they don’t have the education or capability to understand it. However, Jesus tells us in John 14:26, we can rely on the Holy Spirit to teach us all things.

As well, if we are diligent to read it, we will gain understanding and grow in our Salvation knowing, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrew 4:12).

Inoculated with Faith/Hope/Love..... by Shawn McEvoy

 Inoculated with Faith/Hope/Love

by Shawn McEvoy

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13).

I remember the morning following the 2012 presidential election, I found myself musing peacefully about what's important in life. I was finding out, through realizing how little the outcome affected me, how little stock I'd had in the result personally. I was neither dancing in the streets nor cursing the fates like several friends and acquaintances. How was that? Apathy? Ignorance? Internal focus? Eternal security? Just a really easy morning sending the kids off to school? 

Then it hit me. It was the theological virtues. I began to compose what became a Facebook status: 

"...I do find Faith and Hope such interesting concepts. They're so powerful. They allow so many to get on with their lives. They inform our decisions and give us empathy for others. They point us towards purpose, toward wrongs to be righted and away from what would harm us. They seem to be in short supply sometimes, even among those who proclaim them while venting frustrations and fears they'd not utter to your face, but they shine brightest in tough times if you let them. And they're most famously tied to Love. They are still here this day, even if it doesn't sound like it, for they are the virtues that 'abide.'

"So I ask regardless of political persuasion: Do you have Faith to loan to the one today who has lost his, or placed it in something temporal and disappointing? Can you spare Hope for one who doesn't understand that Despair is the only place hope functions?

"These virtues are superior inoculations against whatever goes on around us, the very infusions that make possible a mission of bringing joy, mercy and laughter into the world every day, that elevate 'I can endure all things' above a mere platitude. They task one with a job that'll get you up in the morning, any morning. They bring to our eyes opportunity: chances for justice and charity, and the exercise of freedom. And, good news for me, Faith-Hope-Love is beautifying, for I can think of none who ever saw the application of these virtues - call it Grace - in action and said, 'Ugly.'"

It wasn't long before I was tasked with the charge I had just set before others. A forlorn friend messaged me.

"I honestly need prayer. I am sincerely requesting it. I do not feel love, I do not feel any desire to "get past it and heal and show love more now than ever." ...I am disheartened to the point of despair.  ...I don't want to feel this way but I do. And it's been getting worse all day. Please pray for me. ...Considering your FB post earlier, I came to you with my request because I thought that at the least you'd understand."

After a moment of prayer I responded:

"I have already been praying for you ever since waking early and noting that you were 'heart sick.' It can start to feel like a lonely place but you are not alone. I won't try to talk you off the ledge politically because the timing's not right and there's no point in anyone else's opinion when what's killing you and eating at you so bad is how 'uninformed and wrong' all the opinions out there seem to you. I only hope you can get to the bottom of why it gets to you so bad.

"In microcosm, it reminds me of a HORRIBLE flight to Newark I shared with two of my co-workers back in April. I was convinced that nasty flight was going down. I even posted ugly things about it publicly. I was SO MAD that while I was holding on for dear life while the plane bounced (yes, bounced!) around the sky, none of the other passengers seemed to mind. At least not much. I wanted to scream, 'Come on, people! This isn't right! Why did they put us on this plane in these conditions, and why are you taking this jostling?'

"On the other hand, my friend [and Christianity.com editor] Alex really couldn't understand why I would fret at all. After all, what is the worst that can happen to the believer? Death has no victory, so it's not that. And fear? What is fear except that from which we've already been delivered (death, sin, destruction, loss)? And sovereignty - what does my angry fretting reveal about what I believe about the nature of God?

"Hey, I think it's quite possible, biblically speaking, and regardless of the results of this particular vote, that things will happen in this country that are 'undesirable.' But I also know that through them and despite them I will cherish every moment with my family, try not to hold too tightly to anything eaten by moth or rust, and look for opportunities to help, and to live out my faith, purpose, and morality individually.

"I have no doubt you will be out of this slump at some point. But it may take a while. I daresay you may even want to talk to a counselor about it (I say this as someone who's done it). 

"In the meantime, the simplest (yes, I know that can mean 'most naive') thing is to consider experience a good teacher. Nothing yet political, economic or electorial has befallen you or this country that killed either of you. In your 40 years, you have amassed great blessings; do not forget them, or Job 3:25. If you could erase everything in your mind and wake up today to discover the life you have, would your sky be nearly so dark right now?

"Rejoice! Get out of town. Go for a drive in the country with the top down. Go ahead, tell God he'd better know what he's doing allowing for the kings and counselors of the earth which he has ordained. And then leave it alone for a while. Go the indirect route. Study/read/pray about something else. Help someone else, even by just sending a note or letter to someone you know.

"These are the things that help me when I'm down, when I start hating my own people.

"Speaking of which, I sent friend requests to both ______ and ______ today. I figure it's time I stopped damming what would flow from my own heart. So please let me encourage you not to start. Much love!"

Intersecting Faith and Life: These words helped my friend, a little. This letter gave me a chance to be the hope to one person I'd challenged others to be. This day of lost faith for some became an opportunity for so many others to talk about theirs. And you know what? Today is no different. The same needs and chances are there. Apply the theological virtues with Grace in a specific way (a mere note, gift, hand-on-shoulder can suffice) before you go to bed.

Further Reading

Philippians 1:21-25
Philippians 4:13

A Prayer for Using Our Gifts to Glorify God.... By: Chelsey DeMatteis

 A Prayer for Using Our Gifts to Glorify God

By: Chelsey DeMatteis 

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. - 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

I’ll never forget the year I served at VBS as a young adult. I was given a group of 6 incredibly busy boys. Our theme for the week was: God Gives Good Gifts, and I'm here to tell you today, yes He does! These words still linger in my heart to this day, and I pray those boys who are now young men remember it too.

Paul shares with us in 1 Corinthians 12 that out of God's deep love, grace, and mercy for us He gave us good gifts. I'm not talking about the gits of His blessing that we get to experience on this side of heaven, I'm talking about the gift of Spiritual gifts. These are the gifts that are different for all of us in Christ but from the same Spirit, all different services but from the same Lord, and all shown differently but it’s always the same God who empowers them. God gives good gifts, doesn't He? This is incredibly good news! God handpick specific giftings for you and me.

This brings me such deep joy and peace. Why? Because I can see the very things in my heart that I know were knit by God's wondrous hands. Over the last almost decade of having Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I've gotten to watch the giftings He's given me flourish and from season to season. I vividly remember closing the chapter of my small business, as I walked into the season of motherhood. My husband and I both felt called for me to stay at home and I got to see firsthand through that experience that our giftings don't stop when we transition into new seasons, they just continue in the new place God has us.

I want to wrap up with Paul finishing this portion of scripture about Spiritual giftings, "For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills." 

This is a beautiful reminder about the heart of God. He knit you and me perfectly and intricately. He made each of us with specific good gifts that will always draw us back to the heart of who He is and bring His glory. I pray that you’ll find yourself thinking today about the specific gifts God’s given you and how you can use those right where He has you.

Pray with me...

Lord, thank you for the giftings you've given me, I pray that as I continue growing in my faith that I will always seek your heart and desire to serve you with the incredible giftings you knit within me. Lord, help me see the ways I can use my gifts in the season you have me in and I pray for a heart that is attentive to your leading.

In Jesus's name,

Amen.