Our Eternal Rewards..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Our Eternal Rewards

Dr. Charles Stanley

Revelation 4:9-11

Throughout Scripture, we find references to "crowns." Let's take a look at these eternal rewards for a victorious Christian life and a strong relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Crown of Victory. To finish life well, believers need Olympic endurance. Athletes in those ancient games received a perishable circlet of laurel leaves. But when we are effective in our God-given ministry and triumph over sin, we'll be given an imperishable crown (1 Cor. 9:25-27).

The Crown of Exultation. The believers that we had a hand in bringing to Christ will be "our glory and joy" before the Lord (1 Thess. 2:18-20). Just imagine how you will rejoice in heaven upon seeing and talking with the people who recognize your contribution to their spiritual development.

The Crown of Righteousness. The Christian life is not easy, but there is great reward for living righteously when facing temptation or hardship. Believers who pursue godliness are always thinking about the life to come and striving to meet God with a pure conscience (2 Tim. 4:5-8).

The Crown of Life. Heartache and pain are unavoidable in this life, but we can take heart because much spiritual growth happens in adversity. Hang in there to receive the crown of life that the Lord promised to those who love Him (James 1:12).

In heaven, what will we do with the crowns we have earned? We will cast them before Jesus' feet (Rev. 4:10), laying them down as a tribute to the One who saved us, gifted us, equipped us, and lived in us. Everything good and right came to us through the Lord, so He deserves our crowns.

Healed, Transformed, Freed..... Craig Denison

 Healed, Transformed, Freed

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:“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.” Psalm 103:2-4

Devotional:

Too often we as believers settle for lives less than what God intends for us. God has the desire and ability to do far greater than we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). He longs for us to live healed, transformed, and set free from the bonds of sin and slavery to the world. As we look at God’s plans for healing, transformation, and freedom today, I pray that you will be filled with a hunger for the fullness of life available to you in Christ Jesus.

Jesus spent most of his ministry doing powerful works of physical and emotional healing. And once he ascended to heaven he passed on the ministry of healing to his disciples and empowered them to do even greater works (John 14:12). God has never stopped his pursuit of healing the ailments and hearts of those he loves.

Healed, Transformed, Freed

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:“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.” Psalm 103:2-4

Devotional:

Too often we as believers settle for lives less than what God intends for us. God has the desire and ability to do far greater than we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). He longs for us to live healed, transformed, and set free from the bonds of sin and slavery to the world. As we look at God’s plans for healing, transformation, and freedom today, I pray that you will be filled with a hunger for the fullness of life available to you in Christ Jesus.

Jesus spent most of his ministry doing powerful works of physical and emotional healing. And once he ascended to heaven he passed on the ministry of healing to his disciples and empowered them to do even greater works (John 14:12). God has never stopped his pursuit of healing the ailments and hearts of those he loves.

Too often we allow the wounds of this world to settle in our hearts and dictate the way we live our lives. We agree with the lie that the pains of our past are just part of life and that true courage is taking what has hurt us, pulling ourselves up with our own strength, and pressing forward. The heart of our God is for the healing of those wounds. Psalm 147:3 plainly says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” God longs to meet you at the place of your wounds and provide healing today. He longs to reveal to you his heart for your pain, fill you with his loving presence, and walk with you through the process of healing. Choose healing for your wounds today that you might live with more abundant joy and peace instead of heartache and pain.

Our God is a God of transformation. He loves us where we are but cares for us too deeply to let us live with the lies, perspectives, and pursuits that rob us from the abundant life Jesus died to give us. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” God longs to renew your mind to the truth of his love, nearness, power, and grace. He longs to transform you into a better reflection of Jesus that you might live to the fullest. He longs to fill you with longings and passions that will guide you to a life of purpose and eternal impact. Say yes to being transformed by God’s Spirit and word that you might experience the abundant life only available in God.

Lastly, God longs for you to live this life freed from the sins and ways of this world. 1 Peter 2:16 says, “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Freedom has been bought for you by the blood of the Lamb. You are no longer a slave to this world but a slave to righteousness. In the Holy Spirit you have freedom from every past pursuit and present temptation if you will simply follow his guidance into a lifestyle of righteousness. Choose freedom today. Choose to follow the Spirit away from that which will lead you to sin and toward that which will fill you with a longing for holiness.

Take time in guided prayer to meditate on Scripture and pursue wholeheartedly a lifestyle of healing, transformation, and freedom with the help of your heavenly Father.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance and availability of living healed, transformed, and freed.

“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.” >1 Peter 2:24

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” >2 Corinthians 3:18

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” >1 Peter 2:16

2. Where do you need healing, transformation, and freedom today?

3. Ask the Lord for whatever it is you need. Trust in his goodness and have faith that he will provide for you everything you need when you ask it of him.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.” Psalm 103:2-4

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” >Mark 11:24

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” >1 John 5:14-15

May we not be children who settle for anything less than all our heavenly Father has for us. May we listen to and receive all the wealth of truth, love, and grace our God longs to lavish upon us. Pursue with your whole heart the life God intends for you. And live today out of the revelation that your God is leading you to stiller waters and greener pastures than you have yet known.

Extended Reading: Psalm 103

The Secret to Powerful Prayer..... DENISE HUGHES

 The Secret to Powerful Prayer

DENISE HUGHES

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding …” Colossians 1:9 (ESV) 

When I was a young believer and I heard other Christians talking about the “power of prayer,” I secretly wondered what they meant.

Prayer seemed to me a rather dull exercise. I mean, I loved God, and l wanted to learn more about Him through His Word, but I had a hard time getting into prayer. It felt foreign and strange, and I wondered if that meant something was defective about my faith.

Have you ever felt that way, too? Have you ever struggled with feeling like your prayers just aren’t “powerful enough”? Like maybe something is lacking in your prayer life?

That was me for a long time. And yet, the more I read through Paul’s letters in the New Testament, the more I noticed his passion for prayer. He never ceased to pray? How could he have done that?

When I compared my perfunctory prayers with Paul’s passionate prayers, I felt even worse about my lack of enthusiasm for prayer. Clearly, Paul didn’t pray like it was some obligatory ritual. He prayed with fervor, and I wanted the same kind of fervor Paul had.

Then something in Paul’s words to the Colossians stood out to me. In his opening remarks, Paul says, “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you …” (Colossians 1:9).

The part about not ceasing to pray had always caught my eye before — and left me feeling somewhat defeated — but what did Paul mean by “from the day we heard”?

A little research showed me that a pastor named Epaphras, from Colossae, visited Paul in Rome while he was under house arrest. Epaphras sought Paul’s wisdom for some of the challenges the church was experiencing back in Colossae.

And here’s the thing: Paul had never met the believers in Colossae. He had only heard about them from Epaphras. (Colossians 1:7) But Paul loved this fledgling congregation from the moment he first heard about them, and he committed himself to praying for them. Paul was literally praying for people he had never met, and he was praying that they would “be filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9).

Could the secret to a powerful prayer life be found in a genuine passion for people to know Christ and to know Him more fully? A closer study of Paul’s prayers would seem to indicate so. (Romans 1:8-10; Ephesians 1:15-16; Philippians 1:3-5)

I began to pray for certain people in my life to know Christ. And the more I prayed, the more I actually wanted to pray, which was kind of crazy. But as I prayed, my heart grew for people. They were no longer mere names on a prayer list because they were people I had begun to invest myself in.

A powerful prayer life comes from a heart that overflows with love for people and a deep desire for them to know Christ.

Friend, maybe you’ve had a passion for prayer for a long time, but maybe, like me, you’ve struggled at times with prayer, too. If that’s you, I want to encourage you with the same truth that encouraged me.

A passion for people leads to a passion for prayer.

And God is always faithful to grow in us a deeper passion for every human soul who has been made in His image. The secret to powerful prayer never starts with us. It always begins with Him and is sustained by Him. When we seek Him, He is faithful to draw near and fill us with more of Him. To God be all the glory.

Lord, I pray You grow in me a passion for people, especially for those who don’t yet know You. Create in me a heart that longs for others to know the same grace and mercy that You have shown me. May I be a living, breathing testimony to the goodness of who You are. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

How to Serve with Love..... By: Amanda Idleman

 How to Serve with Love (Galatians 5:13)

By: Amanda Idleman

“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.” - Galatians 5:13

Barnes' Notes on this passage explains to us that Galatians 5 is about people who are struggling to stay committed to their new faith. They are easily being pulled back into old bad habits. The temptation for these new Christians was to abuse Paul’s message of freedom and manipulate it into a free pass to return to their old sinful ways. Paul sternly corrects this erroneous thinking and reminds them of the true reason for the spiritual freedom Christ had died for: so that they would be free to serve others in love!

Paul teaches the Corinthians a similar message in 1 Corinthians 12. In this text, he explains that they all have gifts given by the Spirit, but these gifts are given to serve the common good. All we have been given through the Spirit of God is not for us to hold onto for our own profit. Just as 1 Corinthians 13:2 tells us if we don’t have love, we have nothing, Paul is reminding the Galatians of the same principle. We are free so that we may love!

What does love-infused service look like in practice?

The struggle many of us face is how to tote the line between servanthood and bitter martyrdom. As a mom of three young kids, and a wife, the line gets blurry for me on a regular basis. I so want to love my family well, but struggle with thoughts that reek of bitterness and discontentment.

It’s a common problem. We have all heard stories of the passionate pastors that become a bitter victim of congregations that work them into the ground. We see people who serve at church jump in with willing hearts and then become the biggest critics of how everything is done. Even eager new employees join their new team only to a year later find themselves unhappy at work once again. In marriage, spouses struggle to serve with love over the long-haul of a lifetime together.

Service without love at the center leads to bitter hearts and broken relationships.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 gives us a pretty exhaustive list of what our love should look like. Love is patient, kind, envy, doesn’t boast, does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking, is slow to anger, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil, rejoices with truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love does not fail. What a list!

If we spent our days just focused on getting just one of these aspects right in our lives, we could exhaust ourselves pretty quickly. So how do we accomplish this impossible task of letting love drive our service? 1 John 4:10-14 gives us the answer. We only love because God so graciously first loved us. Beyond just loving us he gives us His Spirit to live in us. How do we love? Only through the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is up to us to invite the Holy Spirit to give us the strength we need to do the things He has called us to do on a daily basis. It can’t be about us being perfect at everything for those we love or about us having the right answers when problems arise. We only are able to “serve one another in love” when we continuously invite God’s power to work in and through our lives.

The Happiest Place on Earth..... by Ryan Duncan

 The Happiest Place on Earth

by Ryan Duncan

In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. – John 14:2

When I was in the fourth grade, my parents decided it was time for that rite of passage all families must one day undertake. On Friday morning, as my sisters and I prepared for school, they informed us that we would be leaving class an hour early today. Naturally, my sisters and I were excited to get a jump start on the weekend, but we also couldn’t help but wonder why.

“It’s a surprise,” was all my parents would say. That gave us pause. In my family, a “surprise” could mean anything from a baseball game, to getting our Hepatitis B shots at the doctor’s office. So it was with more than a little trepidation that we entered our family van that afternoon and began speeding toward the city. After about forty minutes of driving, my Dad pulled off the road into a crowded parking lot.

“Where do you think we’re going?” he asked with a huge grin on his face. We looked around at the city, the solid concrete parking lot, and the planes soaring overhead.

“Camping?” guessed one of my sisters. My mother reached into her pocket and produced several tickets that all bore the unmistakable image of Mickey Mouse. That’s when it hit us, WE WERE GOING TO DISNEYWORLD! Normally I avoid talking about Heaven, I feel like it distracts Christians from living in the here and now, but I can’t help seeing a glimpse of our final home in that old vacation. There was so much awe, wonder, and sheer joy at just being a child in Disneyworld.

Best of all, we had no idea what was waiting for us. We all knew of Disneyworld, but we had never experienced anything like it until that trip. In much the same way, Jesus has prepared a place for us in a world we cannot begin to comprehend. Just look at this verse from Revelation,

 “No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. The angel said to me, ‘These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.’” - Revelation 22:3-7

I’m going to restrain myself from using a “Whole New World” joke. Rather, I’ll simply close with this message: This world is not our home. God made us to be a part of this world, but it is not where we truly belong. One day we will go home, and when that day comes, it will be quite the adventure.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Live for God in the here and now, but remember it is not where our story ends.

Further Reading
John 14:27-31

A Prayer for the Journey..... By: Lindsay Tedder

 A Prayer for the Journey

By: Lindsay Tedder

“I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 1:6

Do you ever feel like you are just so far off course that you will never reach your goal?

I know I sure do, from time to time. I, all too often, feel like I am just too far off course to make it to where God has destined me to be. When I feel God’s call on my heart in a certain direction, I want to jump. I want to move instantly, but I frequently get distracted. Life starts to happen, and I decide that what I’m currently doing is more important than the journey that lies before me. I can’t see the end game and sometimes, the journey towards His destination is terrifying.

Have you ever felt like you were supposed to do something that was well beyond your comfort level?

For many years, I designed a delicately crafted life of comfort. I wore comfortable clothes, I bought comfortable furniture, I didn’t push myself in any certain direction. What I learned through this season of comfort is that comfort equaled stagnation. Ouch. I’ll say it again.

Comfort = Stagnation.

By staying comfortable, we are staying still. When God calls us, the journey is typically anything but comfortable, yet we must still move. I know this is painful to digest, trust me. When I lost the idea that my life was supposed to be comfortable, I was able to clearly see that pain and discomfort aren’t always bad things.

The journey of your life was predetermined long before you were born. Your Father knew that you would venture off the path. He knew you’d mess up. He knew you’d slip up. He knew you’d falter. And He certainly knew you’d delay. But the Word says that He never stops carrying out the work He started in you, praise His name! He never gives up on you. He will ensure that His plan is carried on to completion. No matter what you do or how badly you attempt to derail His plan, He will continue to carry on His good work until completion.

This is as true today as it was when Paul wrote it to the church in Philippi. Paul made sure to add in this verse, the key phrase “until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Friends, until Jesus comes back to Earth, our Father will continue to see that His plans are carried out. He will continue to ensure that His plans are completed. He knew we would mess up and delay and attempt to derail; but the good news is, He accounted for our humanity when He called us in the first place. There is nothing we can do to “screw it up.” So long as we believe in His son Jesus and the sacrifice that was made on our behalf, our Father will diligently and lovingly continue to redirect our course to ensure we are on the path towards His predetermined destination.

I take great comfort knowing that my humanity is no match for the strength of our Father. Today, let’s pray over our journey. Let’s pray that His will be done, despite our humanity.

Father,

Thank you for your Word. Thank you for your reminders that are as pertinent to me today as they were thousands of years ago. Thank you for sending your Son to die on the cross. Thank you for the assignment you’ve placed on my life.

I know that I am far from perfect and get scared of the destination You have assigned to me. Erase my fears. Embolden me to fulfill your call and give me grace when I wander off course. I am ever grateful that you forgive me and redirect my steps. I pray for the journey to which you have called me.

I know that there is pain and fear and uncertainty, but I also know Who holds the GPS of my journey. You know where I am. You know where I am going. You know that I will continue to mess up. And I know you will continue to guide me. Your grace is sufficient for my weaknesses and distractions. Take captive my heart, Lord, and make it accountable only to You.

In your matchless name we pray,

Amen.