God Acts On Our Behalf..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 God Acts On Our Behalf

Dr. Charles Stanley

Philippians 4:6-7

We have become so accustomed to this hurried world that we've begun to demand speed in our spiritual life too. However, God "acts on behalf of those who wait for him" (Isa. 64:4 niv). Wise believers endure until the fruits of His labor appear.

In this devotion, we'll look at three reasons believers are called upon to wait. First, God may be preparing us to receive His blessings. Perhaps we need new skills or greater maturity. Sometimes people require fresh spiritual insight before their hands are ready to hold what their hearts desire. For example, David waited years to sit on his appointed throne. But when he did, he was a wise, strong, and battle-tested king.

Second, the Father is often teaching His children to have confidence in Him. How would believers ever learn faith if God immediately fulfilled their every request? In my own life, the Lord has often said two words: "Trust Me." And He has never been late to meet my needs. No matter how we justify rushing ahead of God, doing so amounts to saying, "I don't trust You."

Finally, the Lord will at times withhold blessing to protect us from harm we can't see. We may never find out what caused the delay. But be assured that God examines the object of our desire closely before placing it in our hands.

Waiting is rarely easy, particularly in this instant-everything world. But rushing ahead of the Lord short-circuits His plan. Believers who do are left unsatisfied, and they often must live with terrible consequences. Be patient while the Lord works out details. His best is on the way.

Eternal Impact..... Craig Denison

 Eternal Impact

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus we have been afforded an opportunity to live an incredibly abundant life here on earth. Our God is nearer, more tangible, and has a greater ability to make his presence known than we’ve yet realized. He longs to make his children more in tune and aware of the depths of his love, guidance, empowerment, and nearness. He longs for our days here on earth to be marked by unveiled communion with him. As we look at what it is to live an abundant life here on earth, I pray that your heart will be awakened to the reality of God’s presence and affection in your life.

Scripture:“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” - Ephesians 2:10

Devotional:

You and I were created to make an eternal impact that no one else can make. We’ve each been given a destiny of good works that are incredibly important and wholly unique. No one else can touch people’s lives like you can. God created you for a unique purpose that is solely yours, and he is ready today to equip and empower you to make a deep and lasting impact on this earth.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” You are the workmanship of the Master Craftsman. You are the creation of the Almighty Creator of all. And he has made you for such a time as this. You are not here by mistake. You are not less than other believers around you. Your calling and anointing carries no less weight or importance in the kingdom than anyone else’s.

As a Christian, you have been made new. The person you were before believing in Jesus has been redeemed and transformed. You now have the same Holy Spirit dwelling within you who raised Jesus from the grave, empowered the disciples to save, heal, and set free the lost, and authored the words of Scripture.

Making an eternal impact is all about you becoming and living out of who you are in Christ Jesus. It’s about adopting the new creation that you have become through the power of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. 1 Peter 2:9-10 says,

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Making an eternal impact is less about you and more about the “excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” It’s about proclaiming with your life the depth of power, love, grace, transformation, and forgiveness your heavenly Father has toward all who believe. You belong to the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is with you always and is ready to empower you for a life of eternal impact. There is no greater life than one seeing the world transformed by the love of its Creator.

Take time in guided prayer to ask God to fill you and empower you with his love, to reveal to you the impact he longs for you to make today, and to help you choose to live out of the new creation you are in Jesus.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of making an eternal impact. Reflect on the goodness of working with the Holy Spirit to transform the earth around you with God’s redeeming love.

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” - Matthew 5:16

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” - 1 Peter 2:9-10

“Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” >Titus 2:14

2. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the plans he has for you today. What good works have been prepared for you beforehand? How can you change the world with the message of God’s grace and love?

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” >Ephesians 2:10

3. Ask God to help you live out of the new creation you are in Jesus. Ask him to lead you away from temptation and toward the fullness of his presence that you might see his kingdom come to earth in all you do.

Making an eternal impact is really all about love. The world is looking for love. Love sets us free from the bonds of worldliness. Love empowers us to live for heaven over the pursuits of the world. And it’s love that will draw the lost into the fold of God. Allow the Lord to fill you with love for others around you. Ask him to give you his heart for those in desperate need of a revelation of his love. Follow the Spirit and live today to make an eternal impact with the message of God’s grace and love for all he has made (Psalm 145:9).

Extended Reading: 1 Corinthians 13

Where Is God Calling You to Rise Up and Build?..... By: Chelsey DeMatteis

 Where Is God Calling You to Rise Up and Build?

By: Chelsey DeMatteis 

And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.- Nehemiah 2:18

Rise and build - these two words can sound empowering and excitingly enticing for a culture that is all about one's self. Our current culture can cause us to pause in embarrassment, even though at some point we’ve all taken the bait. Everywhere we go, we get a dose of the fallen world, and for most of us, we don’t even have to walk out the door to experience it. We want to serve ourselves.

It’s this constant tug between honoring God or honoring ourselves. We can get caught up in this place of thinking, I’ll rise up to the occasion when I feel like it or, When I have more time, or I’ll choose which area of God’s Kingdom I’d like to help build. How interesting is it that sin begins to invade even the way we want to serve the Lord!

Thankfully, when we have hearts tethered to Christ, our hearts tend to be full of conviction. That conviction led me to fall in love with Nehemiah’s story. This is a man who trusted God in his circumstance, in his waiting, and then on his God-given assignment. He rose up to the call for which God was building him up.

The story of Nehemiah paints a beautiful picture of letting God call the shots in our lives and following His plans according to His will. We can clearly see in Nehemiah’s life that the words “rise and build” were spoken over his life as a call from the Lord. They had nothing to do with human success, but everything to do with our Almighty One.

Rise in Hebrew means to arise, stand, rise up, stand up. This calls us to action. We have to choose to stand up when God calls us.

Build stood for rebuild, establish, cause to continue. This is the action that takes place from following what God is doing and will continue to do in and through those who do work to expand His kingdom.

This gave my heart such a hope that God not only calls me to action, but He is the one building me up until that process comes to fruition.

As I continued reading Nehemiah’s story, I loved seeing when these words in Nehemiah 2:18 were spoken between him and the other men. They were so dedicated. “And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, ‘Let us rise up and build.’ So they strengthened their hands for the good work.”

It was their mission to do the work of God. Nothing would stop them, no fear from man, no scheme from the enemy. We have to ask ourselves: Am I learning His truth as much as I should? Am I leaning into the Holy Spirit the way I’m called? Am I truly on mission for Christ and His Kingdom or am I on mission for what keeps me comfortable?

When we begin to wrestle with these things, I think we’ll start to see revival in our hearts take place like these men in Jerusalem. These men fought for the things God was doing where they were. His mission for them was serious, they didn’t negate the mission because it was a call to build a wall. This is where we must take action and rise up to what God is calling us to. The thing He’s calling you to might not look glamorous, maybe it’s not something you think you’ll enjoy, maybe it’s loving a person that you think is better off being loved by someone else. This thing He’s calling you to maybe the very thing that begins rebuilding a heart for Christ.

What’s the thing God is stirring in your heart? What do you keep coming back to that feels more from the Spirit than from your own desires? Like Nehemiah, his heart grieved for what was taking place where he was from and he began praying to the Lord about how he could help. In his story, we can see that what his heart began breaking for was the same thing God had planned to use him for in his life. We see this all throughout the Bible. As hearts lean into God and have a deep relationship with Him, their desires begin to line up with what God wants to use them for. So, as we wrestle, pray, ask, and lean in, may we listen for His whisper and hold fast to the truth He who has begun a good work in us will bring it to completion (Phil 1:6).

Let’s pray.

Lord, whatever you are building up in us, I pray we will rise up to action to move where you’re calling. May you remind us that you are the source of our strength, your plans are not like ours, and your heart’s mission is to make you known. I ask that you bless us with the courage of Christ to build the Kingdom where you’re asking us, let no fear hold us back from the love you want to use to change us and those around us.

In Jesus's Name, Amen.

The Eyes of the Lord Are on You..... By: Anne Peterson

 The Eyes of the Lord Are on You (Psalm 33:18)

By: Anne Peterson

Today’s Bible Verse: Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love. - Psalm 33:18

I have developed the habit of walking. Every day I walk in the cemetery by my house. A friend of mine pointed out that she clocked that path, and two times around equaled one mile.

So, every day I walk that path and then come home and put a sticker on my calendar showing I had completed my task. I had gotten up to 5 miles a day and then even 6 miles a day.

To keep track of the times I went around, I used what I had with me: my wedding ring and my hands, moving my ring each mile. That is until Friday. When I looked down at my hands, I realized my ring was gone! Trying not to panic, I knew I would simply have to retrace my steps.

My heart started racing as I thought to myself, what if I couldn’t find it? No. I would push that thought out of my mind. I was just glad I realized it when I had, before going even further. Tears started sliding down my face.  A simple band of gold.

Sure, I could go and buy another one, but I didn’t want another one, I wanted the one Mike put on my finger. I wanted the one I had worn for 45 years.

“Lord, I need you to help me find that ring. You see exactly where it is.”

After searching that same area for about 30 minutes, I went home. I walked into the door and burst into tears.

Mike was understanding and just held me. He even told me we could get another one, but I wanted mine. The one that had withstood all the ups and downs we had gone through.

Later that day, I walked the path with my daughter. Two sets of eyes would be better. We combed the path. And after about 30 minutes, hot and exhausted, we headed home. The next day I cried as I walked the path. I kept looking down, but no ring. And the same thing happened the following day as well.

I saw a sparrow and remembered how God said we were worth more than sparrows (Matthew 10:31). And God knows when even one sparrow falls to the ground (Matthew 10:29).

I still tried singing like I usually did on the path. Even though tears would slide down my face. I knew that if I never found my ring, God would somehow bring good out of the situation (Romans 8:28).

I decided how fortunate I was to be able to say I have been married for 45 years. I thanked God for my husband. Forty-five years is a big accomplishment, ring or no ring.

A short while later, something caught my eye. Glancing down I saw something shiny.

Was it? Could it be? There, shining in the hot sun, was my gold wedding band. In the same spot I had searched days before. The same spot my daughter and I had combed.

I had even walked over that spot for 3 miles today!

I picked it up and slipped it on where it belonged. Once more, tears slid down my face. But these were tears of joy. God does keep his eyes on his children. God heard my prayers.

God tells us to cast our cares on him because he cares for us (2 Peter 5:7). I know God loves me, just as I’m sure you know God loves you. But today when I look down at my hand and see my gold band, I can’t stop smiling. Oh, how he loves you and me!

You love me more than sparrows, God;
you meet my every need.
And all you ask is that my faith
is like a mustard seed. 

- Anne Peterson

That Verse before 'All Things' by..... John UpChurch

That Verse before 'All Things'
by John UpChurch

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Philippians 4:12

I’d rather live a Philippians 4:13 type life. But that verse before it always gets me. I’d rather jump right into the “doing all things through him who gives me strength” without slogging through the “content in any and every situation” part. The second verse makes for such great posters, but now, when I read it, all I can think is “whether living in plenty or in want.”

Talk about a buzzkill.

But God’s plans come in a larger size than my earthly satisfaction. He wants my sanctification, my being-made-more-like-Jesus-ness. He wants me to see that His riches don’t come with dour-looking presidents or expiration dates or limited warranties. They aren’t earned by the sweat of my brow. Instead, His riches come pouring down in my contentment.

Paul told Timothy that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6), and he’s driving at the same thing here in Philippians. “Strength,” according to the world, boils down to laying claim to the most stuff—power, model spouses (emphasis on the plural), houses, and influence. But those who think that way can never be content no matter the situation. When their “strength” disappears, they wilt. Some do whatever it takes to get back to where they were; some end up in rehab; and some see no reason to live. Some strength, huh? 

Jesus doesn’t play by our rules, though. His Beatitude bunker busters make that pretty clear (see Matthew 5). The weak, the poor, the hungry—those are the ones who receive the treasures. You see, Jesus does want us to get to Philippians 4:13, but to do that, He has to demolish our strongholds by taking us through Philippians 4:12. We’re strong through Him only when we’ve learned to clear the detritus of what we think we need in this world and see Him for the all-sufficient treasure that He really is (Colossians 2:3).

We can do all things through Him who strengthens us. But to get to that point, we have to learn satisfaction in His “all things,” the plans He has for us. That’s because it’s His strength, not ours.

Intersecting Faith & Life: God’s plans for us don’t always send us down the paths we might choose. Okay, they rarely do. That’s why true contentment becomes so vital for the Christ follower. And the only way we can get there is to die and die and die. Every day we die to the things that supposedly make us strong in this world. Every day we kill the need to have more, to be more. Every day we die for Him.

You are strong—right where your contentment in Christ begins.

For Further Reading
Matthew 5

A Prayer to Answer Compassionate Calls..... By Meg Bucher

 A Prayer to Answer Compassionate Calls

By Meg Bucher

“The heart is free where the Spirit of the Lord is.” - 2 Corinthians 3:17 (NLV)

My daughter and I curled up on the couch, both of us leveled with Influenza A. As we sat and colored pictures and fought aches and coughs, we watched a movie about a little girl in another country that found herself in an unfair state of affairs.

“I don’t want to watch this movie, Mommy,” she said, “it’s making me uncomfortable.”

The movie was “Queen of Katwe,” about a young girl who made history as a chess player in Uganda. Her life was anything but glamorous, and the reality of her reality made my daughter uncomfortable.

“It’s important to be aware,” I explained to her. When the unfair circumstances of others make us uncomfortable, I believe that’s the seed of Christ’s compassionate heart nudging us to do something about it.

There was one scene in particular that completely confused my church-going child. She knows about hunger, donates to help those in need, and raised her hand to sponsor a child. But until that moment it was still so very far away for her.

“Why is she licking the side of that cup?” she asked.

“She’s starving,” I answered. The following night’s dinner protest at our kitchen table carried a completely different tone.

God pushes us out of our comfort zone to do some major work on our hearts. He can meet us with Influenza A on the couch in our comfortable family room, to teach us a lesson in compassion, gratefulness, and our duty to take care of each other on this earth.

He does this not to make us feel guilty for our blessings or lazy for our lack of action. He pushes us out of our comfort zones with people’s stories to set us free. Having a heart of compassion that drives us to action sets us free. The Holy Spirit will reveal the compassion and purposed actions of our hearts when we seek Him, and keep asking for more of Him, through prayer and study of God’s Word. There is no commandment greater than to love each other, and we are living truly free when we are extensions of His love.

Our afternoon conversations led us both to think about, communicate with, and pray for the child we sponsor more than we do now. It changed our perspective from complaining about being sick to feeling grateful for the popsicles in the freezer. May we all be more motivated to pray for God’s definitive action plan for each of our lives, to care for those who need Christ’s love the most.

Father,

We praise You for the stories that You place in front of us. The ones that make us unconformable and call us to action. Thank You for all those who answer calls to physically go to those far corners of the world to feed the hungry. Keep them physically safe as they travel the globe on Your behalf. For those of us who feel the stir to help around the world and in our own communities, grant us the resolve to remain obedient to Your leading. Bless all those who go hungry in this world, and show us what our part is to aid in filling their stomachs with food and their hearts with Christ’s love.

Thank You for the blessings that we count in our lives, and show us how to extend our hands and hearts to those who need Your love.There are so many souls that starve and lack for clean water and a place to call home. We lift them up to You in a special way today, and pray that those who feel the compassionate call to help answer.

Whether through prayer, finances, or physical presence, show us where our place to extend Your love is. Soften our hearts to those who suffer, and embolden us to share the Gospel where hurt and suffering are prevalent. There are so many big things, little things, daily things, that we can do. Help us to operate in Your love daily, so we don’t miss an opportunity for one.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.