The Tragedy of a Wasted Life..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Tragedy of a Wasted Life

Dr. Charles Stanley

Luke 12:15-21

Death is inevitable, but at times it surprises us. Perhaps you know someone who died unexpectedly.

Today's parable is a warning about such situations. It tells of a man who acquired comfort and wealth but thought only of his time on earth. Death came without warning, and he could take nothing with him. God called him a fool for living focused on "self."

Though rich in the world's eyes, the man had no relationship with God and hadn't invested anything in Christ's kingdom. All the treasures he stored here were worthless once he died. What's worse, without Jesus, he would be separated from God forever. What a tragic waste of life.

As I think about this person's choices, two questions come to mind that are important for all of us to contemplate. First, if you were to die today, would you go to heaven? Salvation is a free gift for those who trust in Jesus as the acceptable sacrifice for our sin. He is the only way--no excuses or even sincere beliefs in other "ways" will work. And Jesus promises that when believers die, they immediately find themselves in His presence (2 Cor. 5:6).

Second, what is your life accomplishing? Are you driven by selfish purposes, storing security and wealth for yourself? Or is your motivation to further God's kingdom?

Like the man in this parable, we don't know when we will die. We do know, however, that death is inescapable. Though dying is an unpleasant topic, eternity is a long time and worthy of our attention. It's definitely a wise investment to make sure of your salvation and to invest in God's kingdom.

Encountering God through the Receiving of His Presence..... Craig Denison

 Encountering God through the Receiving of His Presence

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

Having consistent and transformational encounters with God while on earth is meant to be foundational to the Christian life. Our God has not left us. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we’ve been filled with the very Spirit of God who longs to reveal to us daily the nearness and love of our heavenly Father. We are never alone. There is nowhere we can flee from the presence of our God. May this week be filled with transformational encounters with the living God as we learn what it is to seek the face of the one who has formed us, knows us, and loves us unconditionally.

Scripture:“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” Psalm 139:7

Devotional:

God’s presence has been made fully available to us by the sacrifice of Jesus, our pure and spotless Lamb. When we become Christians we are made totally new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” We are now able to fellowship with the presence of God in a closer and more intimate way than any people of God before the coming of Christ. We can now have God himself dwelling within us, his very Spirit fellowshipping with ours.

Ephesians 5:18 says, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” To be filled with the Spirit is not a suggestion, it is a command. We as believers must continually be filled with the Spirit in order to access the fullness of relationship and life available to us on this earth. We need God’s presence as sojourners on this earth. We need God’s Spirit dwelling within us to live out the wonderful, life-giving commands of Scripture. We need God’s Spirit to experience the fullness of God’s presence available to us through the powerful sacrifice of Jesus.

You see, God’s presence is already here. Psalm 139:7-12 says,

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

You don’t have to beg for an experience with God. He doesn’t have to come from on high to the earth in order for you to encounter him. All that we have to do is quiet our hearts, align ourselves with the truth that he is here and available to us, and receive him. God never forces himself upon us. He never makes us have any part of him. But once we open our hearts to him and ask to encounter him, he is willing and able to fill us with his glorious presence. He is ready to make us aware of just how near to us he has always been—that he is closer than the very air we breathe.

Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” May you come to know to greater levels the fullness of joy and pleasure available to you in the presence of your living and active God. May you grow in your awareness of the nearness and unconditional love of the Holy Spirit who dwells within you. May you receive God’s presence throughout your day today and encounter the joy of the God who would lay down his own life simply for you to know him.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the nearness of God’s presence. Allow Scripture to fill you with the desire and faith to encounter God today.

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” Psalm 139:7-12

“And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 13:52

2. Take a minute to quiet your heart and mind. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you receive God’s presence. Take note of any desires you have as to whether you should sit quietly, worship, read, or pray. Follow whatever desire you have that will lead you into an encounter with God.

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10

3. Open your heart and simply receive the presence of the God who already dwells within you. Ask the Holy Spirit to make his presence known to you. Take time to rest in an encounter with God’s love and affection over you.

“All were made to drink of one Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:13

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

In his book The Furious Longing of God, Brennan Manningdescribes a method of prayer that has helped me greatly in learning what it is to enter into God’s presence. He says to pray this simple prayer: “Abba, I belong to you.” As you inhale, pray the word “Abba.” As you exhale, pray, “I belong to you.” This idea of breathing and praying is an incredible depiction of what it is to receive the presence of God. He is nearer to us than the very breath that fills our lungs, and he will always respond to our desire to be filled with him. May this practice of God’s presence fill you with a greater awareness of how real and near your God is to you today.

Extended Reading: Psalm 16

Holding On When You Want To Let Go..... SHEILA WALSH

 Holding On When You Want To Let Go

SHEILA WALSH

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6 (NLT) 

The past couple of years have taken a toll on all of us. Things we took for granted, like family gatherings, school, work and travel, have all looked quite different for a while. Many of my family and friends have also experienced loneliness, anxiety and depression at levels they’d never known before.

I have, too. Over the past several months, I found myself struggling to keep my head above water. I wrestled daily with feelings of despair and dread. It took me by surprise. I honestly wasn’t prepared for another battle with clinical depression threatening to pull me under.

Over and over, I prayed for quick healing. I asked God to take away the pain and struggle. Instead, He strengthened my faith by gently reminding me of the gift of His presence when I’ve walked through dark seasons before.

God has a perfect track record. He has always been faithful. In the midst of pain and sadness, tears and questions, I have clung to this profound truth from God’s Word: God began His work in you and me, and He will continue it until it’s finally finished on that glorious day when Christ returns. (Philippians 1:6) We don’t have to pretend to be perfect, to have it all together; we hold on to Jesus, knowing that He is holding us.

I have no idea what’s going on in your life as you read these words. What I do know is that we will all face challenges, heartaches, things we don’t see coming. There will be moments when we wish we could rewrite chapters of our stories. But as I began to dig deep into God’s Word recently, I saw like I’ve never seen before that God has been writing our stories from the very beginning.

I’ve been learning new lessons in this season. They are life-changing for me, and I pray that they will help you, too.

1.  We can trust God to hold us and all our missing pieces. (Isaiah 41:10)
2.  When life feels out of control, it isn't. God really is in control. (Colossians 1:17)
3.  When life is messy, remember that God is the God over the “messed up.” (Psalm 51:17)
4.  When you feel afraid and alone, and it seems as if God is silent, He is still with you in your pain, still moving. You are never alone. (Matthew 28:20)

I am learning to make peace with my story and be transparent and vulnerable with God. I pray that for you, too.

Remember that, no matter what you’ve experienced in the past, you are not your past. Your history does not determine your destiny in Christ. As a child of the King, you live under the righteousness of Christ, not under the cold blanket of shame. God began this beautiful work in you, and He will continue it until you see His face.

Today as I write this, I’m still learning, still trusting. And yes, I still shed a few tears. But I know this: No matter what circumstances you and I face today or tomorrow, we are being held by the God who will never let us go, so we hold on to Him.

Heavenly Father, thank You that I can come to You just as I am. Thank You that You have promised to finish the work You started in me. At times I am tempted to let go of You when I don’t understand what’s happening around me, but today I choose to hold on to You, believing that You are holding on to me. Thank You for loving me. Thank You for Your grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Remember the Sabbath Day by Keeping it Holy..... By Betsy de Cruz

 Remember the Sabbath Day by Keeping it Holy

By Betsy de Cruz

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” -  Genesis 2:2-3

Do you ever start your week on Monday even more tired than you were the Friday before? Many of us dread Mondays not only because it’s hard to get back into the swing of work after a break, but also because we exhaust ourselves all weekend long.

God must have known our “Do It All” tendency when He chose to rest.

Something tells me the Glorious Almighty God didn’t need to rest. But He knew we would. So he set a pattern from the beginning of creation: six days of work, followed by a day of rest. He blessed this day and made it holy. Later in Exodus 20:8-11, he made this pattern into a command:

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter… For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

The word “Sabbath” is related to a Hebrew root that means “cease” or “stop.” God commanded His people to cease from their labor, so they could rest, refresh, and refuel. He had set His people free from slavery in Egypt. As children of God, they were no longer bound to work non-stop like slaves. God gave them the gift of rest, a day to cease from working and to honor Him. In the Old Testament, Jews followed the pattern of setting apart the seventh day to keep it holy.

Most Bible scholars agree that today God also desires to give his children that same gift of rest, and Christians all around the world now observe the first day of the week, Sunday, as a day to honor God. There’s no biblical basis for changing it from the seventh day to the first, but scholars cite the fact that Jesus rose from the dead on the first day as a possible reason for this change observed in the New Testament.

Since God included the Sabbath in the 10 Commandments, He must have thought it was important. Of course today we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, not by following commandments. However, as people who want to honor and obey God, we still accept these 10 commands as a guide for how God wants us to live.

When we set aside Sundays for rest and worship, we follow the healthy rhythm God established for us, and we can start a new week on Monday refreshed instead of exhausted. If your job requires you to work on Sunday, ask the Lord for creativity and discipline to set aside another Sabbath time during your week. Whether our Sabbath is Sunday or another day, we can trust God to bless our time of rest and make us effective when we return work.

Beyond the Chariots..... by John UpChurch

 Beyond the Chariots

by John UpChurch

"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." - Colossians 1:13-14

If you've heard of Eric Liddell, you probably know him as the Chariots of Fire guy. The Scottish Olympian famously turned down what most people thought was his best chance at a gold medal, the 100-meter dash. He did so because the trials for the race fell on a Sunday and he wouldn’t budge on this matter of faith. Instead, he entered the 400-meter event, qualified, and then stormed to the finish line with a new world record. Although the theme from the movie wasn’t playing back in 1924, the whole thing makes you think it should have been as he rounded the turns with his flailing gait.

Credits roll, end of story… right? Hold your chariots. Liddell’s faith carried him far beyond a single Parisian race. After the Olympics, Eric gave up running completely—at least the type of running done on a racetrack. Instead, he focused on a much greater race. A year after standing on the platform in triumph, he arrived in China as a missionary and, later, as a pastor. No endorsements or bling, just an impoverished country and a chance to share the good news.

During the worst days of World War II, Liddell chose to stay in Japanese-controlled China to serve the people he’d come to love. However, after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Japanese military became more and more suspicious of foreigners and forbade them to preach or teach. In 1943, the Japanese sent Eric and many others to an internment camp in Weihsien. Even there, though, the preacher continued leading others in worship and being “Uncle Eric” to dozens of orphaned children.

He also made an incredible sacrifice.

During the war, Japan and Britain made a prisoner exchange deal, a deal that included the famous Scottish runner. Liddell had a wife and children waiting for him in Canada. He had every reason to go. But instead, he gave up his spot for a pregnant woman—a fact unknown even to his family until the Chinese government revealed it over 60 years later. Eric himself would never tell either because he died of a brain tumor in 1945, not long before the war ended. His friends at the camp didn’t remember him as the Olympian; they remembered him as someone who did what God called him to do.

Liddell realized that this world has nothing on the kingdom of the Son. We can win accolades, money, fame here, but none of it can touch the far, far greater rewards of Christ. In Him, redemption makes earthly recognition nothing more than dust. In Him, forgiveness makes even the greatest fortunes seem empty.

Intersecting Faith & Life: As Christians, our address has changed—and with that changes our whole way of putting value on things. If there’s nothing beyond this world, then by all means we should live to pile up accolades and plaudits. We have nothing else to live for. But if we’re focused on Christ and His kingdom, everything else just fades out. We’re no longer running for the things we can see.

For Further Reading

Colossians 1