Childlike Faith..... Craig Denison

 Childlike Faith

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

As children of the Most High God, we have been granted access to unconditional, tangible, and perfect love. All we need we have in relationship with our Father in heaven. He longs to reveal himself to us as a loving, real Father. He longs for us to live in the fullness of restored relationship with him. He longs for us to experience his vast and limitless affections. May we grow in our understanding and experience of God as our good and loving Father this week as we look at what it is to be his child.

Scripture:“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” - Mark 10:15

Devotional:

To have faith like a child is to blindly trust the goodness, care, leadership, and provision of a father. Jesus continually called his disciples to a lifestyle of surrender and trust in him, but never so simply as in Mark 10:13-16. Scripture says,

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

Mark 10 teaches that it’s in having childlike faith that we will receive the kingdom of God. Childlike faith is what fills us with the unshakable hope that we will one day dwell in heaven with our Father for all of eternity. As Christians, we’ve placed all our hope in the truth that Jesus came, died, and rose again, and that if we place our trust in him we will have a resurrection like his. We succeed in having childlike faith when it comes to salvation, but often we fail in placing our trust in our heavenly Father on a daily basis.

Being the child of God affords us the opportunity to live under his constant provision and leadership. As our good Father, he longs to provide for us a wonderfully abundant life full of joy, peace, purpose, laughter, friends, and unconditional love. But so often we go our own way and live our lives apart from all that’s available to us in God. Whether it be by a lack of revelation, impatience, fear, wrong teaching, or past experiences, we so often fail to have faith that God will shepherd us to his perfect plans.

God is calling you to a greater lifestyle of childlike faith. He is calling you to place your trust in him alone for your finances, relationships, future, past, and present. Hebrews 11:6 says, “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.” What brings our Father pleasure is unadulterated, unveiled, and glorious relationship with his children. He longs for us to draw near to him with full assurance that he is good, real, and that he longs to bless us.

“The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.” >Proverbs 22:4

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” >Colossians 3:12

In speaking of Abraham, Romans 4:20-21 says, “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” May we be children as faithful to our good and loving heavenly Father as Abraham was. May we pursue wholeheartedly the abundant life that comes from trusting in God’s reality and nearness. And may we be greater reflections of God’s unconditional love and purpose for all those weary and burdened by the stress of doing life apart from the help of the Father.

Extended Reading: Romans 4

The Lord Is with Us..... By Greg Laurie

 The Lord Is with Us

By Greg Laurie

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27

Sometimes when we end up in a certain situation, we’ll say, “Why did God allow this to happen to me?” Then later on, after a few years pass by and we have the hindsight of 20/20, we are able to look back on certain circumstances and see why the Lord did what He did—or why He did not do what we thought He should do.

To be honest, I’m glad that I don’t always know what is going on around me. We may not know the things that are happening in the supernatural as well as the natural realm, about the plots that might be out there against us, or about those who want to destroy us. But we know this: the Lord is with us wherever we are.

David, who knew something about potentially fearing for his life, wrote these words in Psalm 27:5: “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock” (NKJV).

Then we’re told in Isaiah 54:17, “‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,’ says the Lord” (NKJV).

People may be able to lie and fool everyone for a time, but eventually it all will come to light. It all will be declared for what it is. The good thing is that even if people are plotting against you as a child of God, you don’t have to be afraid. The Lord is with you. He was there with Paul in his prison cell, and He is there with you wherever you are.

Heavenly Lord, in times of fear and anger, we ask you to give us peace, wisdom, and hope. Let your truth be our comfort in difficult times. Amen.

Sweet Perfume..... by Ryan Duncan

 Sweet Perfume

by Ryan Duncan

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. – Philippians 2:3-4

Some time ago a stranger visited my church's Sunday service. He arrived early, while the worship team was still setting up, and the minute I saw him I became nervous. It was clear from his appearance that he’d made a lot of bad decisions in life. His cloths were worn and dirty, while his body had been grossly contorted by years of unhealthy living. I remember doing my best to avoid him as I went about my work, hoping that if I ignored him long enough he’d just go away.

Not exactly my finest moment. In fact, I’d say my attitude was no different than Simon the Pharisee in Luke 7:

“Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is--that she is a sinner.’" - Luke 7:36-40

This is one of the biggest dangers we face as Christians: becoming exclusive with the grace of Jesus Christ. The Church is not a showcase for saints, but a place where people of all backgrounds can come and say “I need Jesus”. Neither is God’s love ours to withhold, nor are we more deserving of His mercy than the stranger off the street. In fact, the Bible is pretty clear that Jesus made a habit of knocking “Holy” individuals down to size:

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace" - Luke 7:44-50

As for the man at the service, my friend reacted much more graciously. He struck up a conversation with the man and welcomed him to the service. He even agreed to help him go grocery shopping later on in the week. I learned a valuable lesson that Sunday; you cannot love someone by omission, you can only love them through action.

Intersecting Faith and Life: “The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost.” – G.K. Chesterton

Further Reading
Matthew 15:21-28

A Prayer to Know You Are a Conqueror..... By Victoria Riollano

 A Prayer to Know You Are a Conqueror

By Victoria Riollano

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. – Romans 8:37

More than conquerors.

I have now been a Christian for over two decades, and I have heard this phrase repeatedly. Like a cry of victory, I have heard pastors say, “I am more than a conqueror.”  Yet, if I am honest, there have been many times that I would not describe myself as a conqueror. Throughout my life, there are areas I have struggled with, leaving me to feel more like a wounded warrior than a conqueror. From failed relationships to low self-esteem to times of crippling depression, there have been moments when Romans 8:37 felt more like a fairytale than a promise from the Lord. I believe that I am not alone in this. I meet so many people who feel like these moments in the Bible that promise a joyous overcoming aren’t for them.

After years of knowing who God was and believing His word, I started to realize that my existence was trapped between knowing of God’s promises and taking hold of them for myself. I could believe that my friend with cancer could be victorious in her fight. I could trust the Lord with faith that my sister’s relationship would thrive. Yet, when it came to my own life, seeing past the here-and-now, was a struggle.

I am convinced that our faith matters most when we face trials. In other words, it’s easy to have faith when it’s easy to have faith. It’s easy to feel like a conqueror when all is going well. The true test of your trust in God is when challenges come.

However, in Romans 8:37, the word “conqueror” in the Greek means to be preeminently victorious or to have an overwhelming decisive victory. One who is more than a conqueror does not just hope for things to go according to plan, they expect to win (no matter what)! One frustrating circumstance or disappointment wouldn’t count them out! Instead, they can look to the future with hope that God will certainly deliver on their promise of victory.

More and more, I find that every time I feel defeated, I need to lean into this fact. Through Jesus, I am secure, loved, and victorious! I can face sickness with the hope of God’s healing power. I can encounter disappointment with faith that God has a better plan. I can reject every lie of the enemy as I trust in God’s undeniable love for me. Through trusting in His word fully and completely, I can say with confidence that I am more than a conqueror. Of course, I will face trials and times won’t always be easy. Yet, God has proved over and over again that He is in control and He has a plan for my life that is far beyond what I can imagine.

Dear Lord,

I thank you for the victory that is found through you. I ask that you remind me of your promises every time I feel defeated. I trust you in every trial and in every victory! Help me to remember that you are fighting every battle on my behalf and forgive me for any time I haven’t trusted you completely. I trust you completely. I know that I am a conqueror through you, who loves me. There is nothing I will face in this world that will separate me from your love. I rejoice in that today! Please help this be more real to me than any lies my sufferings tell me.