The Consequences of Drifting..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Consequences of Drifting

Dr. Charles Stanley

Hebrews 3:12-13

Spiritual drifting--the gradual wandering away from God and His will--takes place when a believer ceases to steer toward the Lord. Like an empty boat set loose upon the waters, he or she makes a slow and lazy glide away from good practices like disciplined obedience, regular Bible study, prayer, and assembling with fellow Christians. And there are consequences for casting yourself on uncharted and dangerous waters.

A life adrift is outside of God's will and therefore in sin. The Holy Spirit pricks a believer's conscience to send a message when he is off course, but the drifter is prone to ignore such warnings. If a Christian continually excuses his wandering ways and denies sin, then his conscience gradually numbs. A person who becomes desensitized to wrongdoing has paved the way for more sinful behavior with less guilt. Can you imagine a more dangerous situation?

As the drifting believer's conscience becomes anesthetized, his spiritual ears are also deadened--truth cannot gain entrance because he has invited wrong attitudes and philosophies into his thinking process. What's more, his heart hardens to the things of God. Shrinking away from testimonies about divine power, grace, and mercy, he avoids situations that might reawaken the conscience and stir his spirit to repentance.

People drift from God in search of more--more freedom, choices, and pleasure. But since the consequences are a hard heart, a numb conscience, and dead ears, what they end up with is less. The drifting believer sacrifices the victorious life in Christ for an existence devoid of permanent satisfaction.

The Simplicity of Grace..... Craig Denison

 The Simplicity of Grace

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

The Christian life is meant to be marked by simplicity. Jesus summed up our purpose with two statements: love God and love people. But in our humanity we have made complex what God designed to be peaceful, purposeful, and simple. A. W. Tozer remarks in The Pursuit of God, “Every age has its own characteristics. Right now we are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us. In its stead are programs, methods, organizations and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention but can never satisfy the longing of the heart. The shallowness of our inner experience, the hollowness of our worship, and that servile imitation of the world which marks our promotional methods all testify that we in this day, know God only imperfectly, and the peace of God scarcely at all. If we would find God amid all the religious externals, we must first determine to find Him, and then proceed in the way of simplicity.” May we discover the peace and joy that come from pursuing a simple Christianity this week.

Scripture:“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” >1 Corinthians 15:10

Devotional: 

Grace is a glorious commodity of heaven that can only be received and experienced in surrender to the will and love of our heavenly Father. Our world is unable to offer grace because it is in a constant state of need, and grace can only be offered from a place of true wholeness and love. In utter completeness, our God is able to offer us grace because he needs nothing from us in return. He requires nothing of us, so he offers us everything apart from any ability or inherent value we possess.

Grace comprises the core of the Christian foundation. It’s God’s grace that drove him to send his Son as payment for our sins. It’s through grace that we enter into the fullness of restored relationship with our good Father. It’s through grace that we receive forgiveness for our sins. And it’s in the simplicity of grace that we are transformed into the very image of our Savior.

I find myself continually missing out on all that God’s grace offers me. I retreat into a lifestyle of works where I try to earn what God has already given me. I work for the love of my heavenly Father and others, vying for affection rather than receiving the ceaseless love of God for me. I strive and work for holiness and righteousness instead of simply aligning myself with the new nature of freedom God has offered me in grace.

1 Corinthians 15:10 says, “By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.” Can you say today that you are what you are by the grace of God? Is your life marked by and founded on God’s limitless supply of grace? Are your emotions, perspectives, pursuits, and relationships founded on the notion that God loves you simply because he loves you? Have you found total security and rest in the loving embrace of a God who longs to fill you, sustain you, bless you, provide for you, and love you simply because it’s his desire?

Allow God to fill you with a fresh revelation of his grace today. Come before him with an open heart, and allow the truth of his unceasing and grace-filled love wash through you. Allow him to cast out any fear, toil, or burden that is keeping you from the abundant life available to you. Spend time in guided prayer being transformed by the simplicity of grace.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the principles of grace. How does it work? Where does it come from? How can you experience it?Allow God’s word to lay a foundation of grace by which you live.

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” >1 Corinthians 15:10

“For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” >Galatians 2:19-21

2. In what ways are you living a works-based life? Where do you need a fresh vision for living by grace?

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a fresh vision for how deeply God’s grace goes in any and every circumstance you face. Ask him to fill you with a fresh revelation of how deeply he loves you regardless of what you do. Allow him to lead you into a lifestyle of living by grace in every pursuit, relationship, thought, and perspective.

Living in response to God’s love rather than working to earn it changes everything. It eliminates the pressures of this world that are founded upon personal success in every area of life. It frees us to live joyfully and satisfied rather than incomplete and in a constant state of want. May you make time throughout your day today to receive a fresh revelation of grace. May you discover through grace the life Jesus died to freely give. May you discover how wonderful it is to be loved by a God who requires nothing of you before he gives you everything.

Extended Reading: Ephesians 2

Finding Freedom From the Fear of Death.... LYSA TERKEURST

 Finding Freedom From the Fear of Death

LYSA TERKEURST

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55 (ESV) 

Losing someone you love can cut into your heart so viciously that it forever redefines who you are and how you think. It’s what I call deep grief.

It strains against everything you’ve ever believed. So much so, you wonder how the promises that seemed so real on those thin Bible pages yesterday could possibly stand up under the weight of this enormous sadness today.

This is part of what makes talking about death so difficult. The mere mention of death and dying can stir up a tremendous amount of unresolved grief.

I remember standing at the side of a casket too small to accept. Pink roses draped everywhere. My heart stunned and shattered. There are still certain dates on the calendar that can trigger a flood of questions and pain surrounding the tragic loss of my baby sister. I imagine you have days like that, too.

But it’s not just grief that makes it hard. There can also be a lot of fear. Fear of other loved ones dying. Fear of our own death. Fear of what the process of dying might be like for us.

It can all feel so overwhelming and paralyzing.

How thankful I am that Scripture holds powerful truths we can remember when the fear of dying tries to keep us from truly living. We can feel afraid … but we don’t have to live afraid.

We are taught early on as Christians that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23, ESV) and that Jesus came to pay that price for us. Hebrews 2:17 specifically says He came “to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (ESV). The definition of the Greek word used here for “propitiation,” hilaskomai, means both “to make atonement” and “to show mercy.”

I love how we see the mercy of Jesus on display in Hebrews 2:14-15: “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (ESV).

These words feel so very personal.

What grace and kindness, that Jesus would come to free us both from the power of death and the fear of it.

Donald Guthrie states in his commentary on Hebrews that it seems “paradoxical that Christ used death as a means of destroying the maliciousness of death.” But because death had become a reality for us as a result of sin, only the offering of Jesus’ sinless life could reverse this curse. (Romans 5:12-17)

Through His death, Jesus defeated death for us. And His resurrected body allows us to now declare, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).

This doesn’t mean our hearts won’t ever experience deep grief or feel the pain of loss this side of eternity. Even if you stripped a lethally poisonous scorpion of its venom, its sting would still hurt. But the scorpion’s strike would no longer hold the power to end your life. This is what Jesus has done. He has removed the fatality of death’s sting. He has given us the victory. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

For those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives, death isn’t the end. It’s another beginning. Death is but a passageway at God’s designated time for us to finally escape this broken world full of imperfections and be welcomed to the home we’ve been longing for our entire lives. (Revelation 21:4)

I know how incredibly hard all this can be. But let’s hold on to the sweet knowledge that Jesus has already gone before us. We don’t have to be afraid.

And if you’re struggling with the piercing pain of deep grief right now? I’m so sorry, sweet friend.

Even when we know without a doubt that someday we will see our loved one again, the reality of deep grief is that it takes time. It takes prayer. It takes wading through an ocean of tears, only to discover one day that the sun is still shining.

Give yourself some grace, and keep clinging to the knowledge that God is near and every one of His promises is true.

Father God, death feels like one of the very worst things that can happen. And yet Your Word tenderly reminds us that it is only by our physical death that we can be resurrected in perfect union with You and receive our heavenly body. Thank You that Jesus willingly experienced death so that we can have eternal life. And thank You for meeting us in our questions and tears with Your kind presence and the hope of Your Word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

You Will Be Free Indeed (John 8:36)..... By: Amanda Idleman

 You Will Be Free Indeed (John 8:36)

By: Amanda Idleman

Today’s Bible Verse: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” - John 8:36

Jesus came to Earth so we could live as free people.

The Bible tells us that God offers us access to freedom from sin, death, fear, heartbreak, relational brokenness, and he offers healing for our bodies too.

It is truly impossible to fully comprehend the extent of God’s grace for us.

That is not to say that loss and suffering are not something we endure as Christians, but it does mean that our pain is never wasted. When we invite God into our story, he flips the scripts of our lives. He redeems the moments that felt as though they had no meaning, purpose, and we can look back and see threads of hope weaved into these dark spaces.

God shines light into our despair and uses our weakness to be a testimony of His abundant grace when we give our lives over to Him.

God is with us through every season of our life, and even in death he promises a greater future free of pain and suffering in Heaven. We have access to an unreasonable sense of hope when Jesus is a part of our lives. We can live confident that God is working every part of our lives out for our good (Romans 8:28).

What does it look like to walk in the freedom God promises us?

1. By his wounds we are set free from the curse of sin and death.

1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

Jesus’ died on the cross in place of us. Our perfect God cannot be in relationship with sin-filled humanity. That is why in the Old Testament, God required rituals and sacrifice from his people. But God knew that the rituals were insufficient and came up with an unbelievable plan to give up his Son so that we can be marked as righteous ones and have full access to God’s kingdom.

On the cross Jesus bore the weight of humanity’s sin on his body. By his wounds we are set free from the curse of sin and death! The Gospel invites us into God’s family and promises a future beyond the brokenness that plaques this world. God’s sacrifice of his son grants us the hope of eternity spent with him in Heaven.

2. He sets us free from emotional brokenness.

Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Our brokenness is not limited to our bodies. Our minds, souls, and hearts can become discouraged by the trials we face in our lives. God cares about our mental health and offers a healing power that is capable of setting us free from discouragement, depression, fear, anxiety, bitterness, anger, addiction, and more.

His healing comes sometimes through a miraculous touch, through meditation on scripture, through prayer, through the accountability of Christian counseling, through the help of a doctor, and even through all of the above.

Ultimately, every path to healing is different. God’s Spirit at work in our life is unpredictable. He leads us all on different journeys. One thing is sure that God desires us to find emotional freedom through his Spirit at work in our lives.

3. Prayers of faith can bring physical freedom.

James 5:15 says, “And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”

God partners with our faith to bring physical freedom from alignments that plague our lives. When we face sickness, physical pain, ailments, and loss God promises to hear our prayers and helps us through these tough seasons. 1 John 5:14 says, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” God’s ears are open to the cries of his people.

Jesus came to earth and fully experienced what it is to be human. He knows what it is to endure physical suffering and pain. He desires to bring healing, comfort, and peace when we endure suffering of all kinds. He never leaves us alone in our moments of pain (Isaiah 41:10).

God desires that we come to know him, that we find freedom in our lives, and then take the goodness he has given us and use it to make a difference in this world for his glory. We are set free so that we can share his love with this world through our lives. It’s a beautiful cycle of holy restoration that is evidence of the amazing grace of God at work in our world.

Life Is Beautiful and Brief..... by Laura MacCorkle

 Life Is Beautiful and Brief

by Laura MacCorkle

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12, NIV

Beneath my fun-loving exterior is a very analytical person. I love my life, I love spontaneity and I also happen to love trying to figure things out!

But like all good things taken to the extreme, my analyzing can turn obsessive and my focus fixed on that which cannot be explained anyway. It’s like the quote I ran across recently from prolific author Philip Yancey: “Faith is believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.”

How true is that! Even so, I am always trying to make sense of a given situation going forward. Always.

But in light of today’s verse, how sad is that that I am consumed with trying to know what I think I need to know when I think I need to know it. Surely I’m missing out on opportunities to serve the Lord and the rest that is only found in him.

In a recent siutation when I was trying to “make sense” of what was going on, I also listened to a great sermon from Pastor Ray Pritchard of Keep Believing Ministries. And the best take-away nugget was this: “When you need to know, you’ll know.”

How simple! And yet how hard.

Here I am trying to find wisdom in what I can see and what I can figure out, when my life could be freed up by this reminder that God is sovereign and has all things under his control—no matter the circumstance.

Whatever I am trying to figure out today may not matter tomorrow. So why am I not looking to God first and seeking his direction in what matters most in this very moment?

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom,” the psalmist requests of God. And how do we gain a heart of wisdom?

By knowing the mind of Christ. By acknowledging our frailty and our humanity. And by remembering that God is God and we are not.

Earlier in Psalm 90 we read this:

You turn men back to dust ... For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.

And toward the end of the passage, it says:

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.

The psalmist reminds us that God determines our life span, and he has his own timing and plans for each of our lives. Will we serve him and seek to fear and obey him before we once again turn to dust? Or will we fix our minds on ourselves, on our current circumstances and on trying to live our lives without regard to God’s perfect purposes?

At the end of the day, even if our lives never make sense (even in reverse!), we are called to bend the knee and praise the one who has “brought forth the earth and the world.”

Because of God’s “unfailing love,” life indeed is beautiful. And though it may be brief and sometimes confusing, because of his son our eternity is secure ... causing us to “sing for joy and be glad all our days.”

Intersecting Faith & Life: Knowing that your life is beautiful and brief, have you made yourself available to God for him to work in and through you as you walk by faith? List one reason that causes you to “be glad” today, because of the new life the Father has prepared in advance for you (Eph. 2:1-10).

Further Reading:

Psa. 103:13-18, NIV

Psa. 119:133, NIV

“Take My Life and Let It Be”
Words & Music: Frances R. Havergal, 1874

Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
 Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

A Prayer to Rediscover Hope..... By: Kristine Brown

 A Prayer to Rediscover Hope

By: Kristine Brown

“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.” Ephesians 1:18 (NLT)

What is hope? If I asked that question to any stranger on the street today, I might get a cynical answer or frustration in return. Hope is something the world seems to think is in scarce supply these days. And as feelings of hopelessness spread, believers are in danger of becoming its victims, as well.

With the discouraging times we are living in, it’s easy to lose focus on our promise as children of God. We get frustrated with how things are and forget that hope has a special meaning for us. Where the world bases its hope on what we see happening around us, we know that through Christ, it means so much more.

When we invite Jesus to be Lord of our lives, we are offered the gift of eternal hope that will bring joy and peace, regardless of what we face in this life. Because we have this eternal promise, our outlook doesn’t have to be affected by what we see. We have the supernatural ability to exude hope in even the worst of situations.

Jesus was hope in human form when he walked on this earth, and he continues to be our living hope as we anticipate his return. Ephesians 1:14 explains the benefits of this hope we have in Christ. “The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people.”

The apostle Paul knew our hearts must be filled with the light of Jesus, so we will be in constant awareness of the hope God so graciously gives. The expectation that his promise will be fulfilled. If we let the light fade, we become vulnerable to the darkness of discouragement. But inspiration like the words God spoke through Paul to the Ephesians will restore our hope when our circumstances tempt us to give up.

Let’s include some inspiring verses in our prayer today to the Author of Hope. As we pray this together, let’s allow the words to guide us in rediscovering the hope that is ours as God’s precious children. May the world find this undeniable hope when they see Jesus’ light shine through us.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for giving your son Jesus Christ to be our living hope. We do not deserve the sacrifice he made for us, but you loved us enough to allow him to pay the price for our sin. Although we may never fully grasp the magnitude of his gift, we have hope because of Jesus.

Lord, we wait expectantly for Jesus’ return. We long for the day we will see him face to face. That is the confident hope Paul talks about in his letter to the church. “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.” (Ephesians 1:18) Help us to keep the light of Jesus in our hearts so we do not lose hope. The world may not see this hope right now, but through us may everyone discover and know the eternal hope of our Savior.

It’s hard to rediscover hope when bad things happen. But your word confirms that your goodness prevails through it all. You never forget the needs of your people. Psalm 9:18 says, “But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.” Thank you for this promise that even in the darkest times, hope will ultimately win.

When we feel ourselves giving in to discouragement, help us claim the words of Psalm 33:20, “We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield.” Today, tomorrow, and in the future to come, our hope remains in you.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.