God Uses the Wicked..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 God Uses the Wicked

Dr. Charles Stanley

Genesis 37

When we don't understand what God is doing or why, His ways can seem perplexing. The times when ungodly people seem to triumph over the righteous make us scratch our heads and wonder why the Lord doesn't intervene. But the truth is, He often uses the wicked to accomplish His purpose.

Joseph faced one hard-hearted individual after another during his years in exile. His brothers shipped him off to Egypt. His boss's wife accused him of an unspeakable crime. And even those he helped, like Pharaoh's cupbearer, forgot about him (Gen. 40:23). The actions (or seeming inactions) of God make little sense at this point.

But once the story of Joseph's life was written in full, it was clear that everyone who harmed or neglected the young man contributed to God's plan. The Lord used numerous people across several years to bring a humbled young Hebrew unexpectedly to power at the right moment to spare his family--who were the Messiah's ancestors--from the effects of famine.

In our circumstances, we can see God's actions only from the limited vantage point of our humanness. We experience the events He has allowed or caused but can't discern what He is thinking. Often the Lord's goals and purposes are hidden from us until His plans come to fruition.

God is sovereign over all the earth. We may wonder at the strange or even terrifying turns our lives take, but we can be certain that He is in control and at work. The wicked may triumph for a season, but the final, eternal victory belongs to Christ and His righteous followers.

Hope in Relationship..... Craig Denison

 Hope in Relationship

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

We have a great High Priest who constantly intercedes on our behalf. The Son of God and Man loves you more deeply than you can fathom. He prays for you, that you might walk in the abundant life his death affords you. And in John 17 we get a glimpse into the fullness of his desire for all those who would believe in him. As we dive deeply into the riches of Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer this week, may your heart be awakened and your life be transformed by the riches of God’s love.

Scripture:“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”>John 17:3

Devotional:

In John 17:3, Jesus states one of the most important and direct truths in all of his High Priestly Prayer. Jesus says, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Eternal life is knowing God intimately—not just knowing about God, knowing of God, or knowing others who know God, but truly knowing him yourself.

To be clear, consistently meeting with God directly is not a prerequisite for salvation. I can confidently say that I was saved as a young child, but it took years for me to discover the wealth of relationship available to me through Jesus. I went to church, heard about God, served him, and tried to live according to biblical principles, but I didn’t really know the God I was spending so many hours devoted to. I hadn’t really received his love for me. I hadn’t experienced the peace and joy of his presence. I hadn’t felt him speak to me or guide me directly. I wasn’t experiencing the abundant life that only comes from personal, intimate relationship with my Father.

The truth is that God longs to be known by you. Jesus didn’t die for the sole purpose of getting you to heaven. He sacrificed his life that you might truly live while here on earth. You are created to intimately know the God who formed you, saved you, and sustains you. And you will never find lasting peace until your life becomes wrapped up in the reality of his nearness and love.

The hope for all of humanity rests in relationship with the “only true God, and Jesus Christ whom [he] sent.” Nothing in your life will be set right or brought in line with the power of Christ’s death until you know the living God. You will not experience transformation and freedom from the depravity that surrounds you until you’ve counted “everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus [your] Lord” (Philippians 3:8).

How deeply do you know your heavenly Father? How real is he in your life? What are you still using to fill the void that can only be satisfied in intimate relationship with Jesus? Come before your Father and surrender your past, present, and future. Ask him to guide you into a deeper revelation of his reality, nearness, and love.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 says, “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” As you enter into guided prayer, spend time getting to know in greater depths the “steadfast love, justice, and righteousness” of your God.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of knowing your heavenly Father intimately.

“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”>John 17:3

“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” >Jeremiah 9:23-24

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” >Proverbs 8:17

2. Ask God to make the reality of his presence and nearness known to you in these moments.

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” >Jeremiah 29:13

3. Spend time getting to know the person of Jesus. While you may not be able to see him with your physical eyes, he will open the eyes of your heart to see him and know him. If you give him the chance, he will make his nearness known to you.

“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.” >Ephesians 1:18

As believers, we must learn to live by faith. It’s through faith in the truth of God’s word, that he is real and that he loves us, that we begin to experience the Christianity Jesus died to give us. Religion apart from relationship leads to spiritual mediocrity. Christ came to set us free from the bonds of the law. He came to usher in a new covenant of grace and intimacy with God rather than a religion of merely rules and regulations. May you grow daily in your pursuit of knowing the reality and love of your heavenly Father and Jesus whom he sent.

Extended Reading: Ephesians 1

What Are You Living For?..... By Greg Laurie

 What Are You Living For?

By Greg Laurie

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need - Matthew 6:33

There are many things you can seek to live for in life. You can live for a lot of things. You can live for your physical appearance. You can live for a successful career. You can live for pleasure. But here is what Jesus said: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33).

With those words, Jesus gave us the secret to living a worry-free life: Instead of worry, put God and His will first in your life. Among a number of options, put God in the number one position.

Here is what your goal should be: to honor God in everything you do. Here is what you need to ask yourself: “As I’m doing this thing, what is my goal?” If your goal is just to make money no matter what it takes, you have the wrong goal. Your goal should be to honor God, give honest work, and have personal integrity and a good testimony in the workplace.

When the day is done, you want to have a good name and a good reputation. Proverbs 22:1 says, “Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold” (nlt).

Seek first the kingdom of God. If you want a life free of worry, anxiety, and fear, then put God’s kingdom before everything else. Seek Him first, and He will take care of you.

Heavenly Father, help us to seek you and your kingdom above all things. It's so easy for us to give into fears and anxieties, especially when our gaze is downward, instead of upward toward you. We know that you take care of all of our needs, help us live in the joy and hope of that precious promise. May our lives be a reflection of you, may they point others to your kingdom. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Longing for the Last Trumpet..... by Mike Pohlman

 Longing for the Last Trumpet

by Mike Pohlman

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. - 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

Grandpa Erickson was a Navy man. That’s why there was a flag ceremony at his gravesite last Saturday. Having served in the South Pacific during WWII, Grandpa Erickson was appropriately honored with the playing of “Taps” on the trumpet and a “Final Salute” by two representatives from the United States Navy. The presentation of the American flag to his beloved wife Carol left few eyes dry.

I had the privilege of conducting the gravesite service—no little pressure given that we’re talking about my mother-in-law’s dad. The pressure, however, was welcome as the funeral gave me the opportunity to offer comfort to a grieving family.

I began my brief remarks by recognizing the two distinct emotional currents that undoubtedly flowed through the couple dozen people gathered namely, sorrow and joy.

We experience sorrow at the loss of a loved one because deep down we know death is not the way it’s supposed to be. Therefore, we grieve. But as Christians we do not “grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). Death will not have the final word; there is hope beyond the grave for those, like Grandpa Erickson, who die in Christ.

We hear this hope, for example, when Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death” (Jn. 8:51). A staggering promise, indeed.

I concluded my portion of the service by acknowledging the Navy representative that would come forward to play “Taps” on the trumpet. “As beautiful as this will be,” I said, “I want to point us to another trumpet—one that will sound grander and more glorious than anything we can imagine.”

It’s what the Apostle Paul calls the “last trumpet.” The thought of it was, in part, the inspiration behind Handel’s “Messiah.” And yet, as beautiful as Handel’s symphony is, I imagine the last trumpet will make Handel’s work sound like a garage band in comparison.

For the last trumpet is what announces the second coming of the Lord Jesus. This trumpet will herald the return of the King of kings and Lord of lords—the time when the dead in Christ shall rise to sing, “Death is swallowed up in victory!” What a choir this will be! It’s the sound that will usher in the new heavens and the new earth, and that climactic moment when every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. This is the trumpet sound I long to hear.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Ask yourself some probing questions today like, “Am I viewing my current circumstances in the light of eternity?” “What things in my life might be hindering me from longing for the last trumpet?” “What am I doing to help others see life in the light of eternity?”

Further Reading

2 Corinthians 4:7

A Prayer for Thankfulness When You Are Anxious..... By Tiffany Thibault

 A Prayer for Thankfulness When You Are Anxious

By Tiffany Thibault

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. - Philippians 4:6

Not a single day goes by when there is not some discouraging news, some concerning thought, some distressing information or some worrying reality. Struggle, expectations (real or imagined), obligations, responsibilities make up the reality of living in this world.

I love the words used in this Bible verse. It starts by telling us to “be anxious for nothing.” Nothing. We are not to be anxious about anything. That of course seems like such an impossible statement. For us to go through our days not being anxious seems a bit far-fetched, and even actually ludicrous!

This statement though, is absolutely not one of a brushing off, or ignoring our concerns. It's not a “don’t worry about it,” or “things always work out somehow” kind of statement.

This “be anxious for nothing” is actually a challenge that is being offered for those who dare try it out. It is a spiritual exercise that requires one to take every single fret, worry and stress and then lay it out before God in prayer. The Bible verse continues by telling us the secret to not being anxious. We are to take our requests to God in prayer and supplication. Supplication actually means to beg on your behalf or for someone else.

So often our prayers are ones of gently asking God for help, guidance, provision and healing. This verse tells us though, that we can BEG the very Creator of the Universe to work in our situations. We can pray and we can plead with the Lord for every single one of our anxiety causing problems. There is a battle going on for your heart, your mind and your soul. We must get bold in our prayers to win the battle against anxiety in all of our situations.

This verse throws in one word that doesn’t seem to belong. Thanksgiving. We are not to be anxious, we are to pray and beg for help from God and we are to do all of that while being thankful.

There is every reason to be thankful as we pray and beg God for help in every situation. Can you imagine going through these struggles without praying? Without God helping in any way? Sometimes when the storms are raging, I suddenly realize that I haven't turned to God for help. Thanksgiving overwhelms me as I realize that I do have help. There is someone that I can turn to. There is someone whom I can beg for help in every single situation. He has always been there, but He is just waiting for me to need Him.

Turn to the Lord with prayer and supplication, let thankfulness flood your heart and mind, pushing away those anxious thoughts as you keep your eyes on Him through everything. He may not remove the problem as you want. He may need you to learn something as you walk through these situations. Someday this storm will pass, but now you are spiritually ready for the next one, filled with thanksgiving because you have learned how to keep throwing your problem at the feet of Jesus, begging Him to take it and to deal with it. The more you hand over to Him, the more your heart and mind will relax, which then makes you less anxious because the situation is now in God’s hands. He will now guide, direct, change and remove as He deems best.

Dear Lord,

Thank you that you are here with me today. Thank you that nothing about my struggles surprises you. You are strong and able to change this difficult situation in my life. I beg you today to move, work, and change what is needed in my heart and life. This problem is taking my eyes off of you, it's flooding my heart with worry and fear. I need your help in this. I cannot do this without your intervention. I give this to you today. 

Help me God today I pray.

Amen.