DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 5.13.23

The Value of the Bible - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. �Psalm 19:7 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-value-of-the-bible/- Listen It can be a shock to look at your high school yearbook photo years later. And if you�re like me, you�ve said, �What was I thinking?� That�s because hairstyles change. Fashionchanges. Culture changes. And technology changes. As soon as something new comes along, something else quickly replaces it. Even newspapers become rapidly outdated because we have direct access to the latest news. In contrast, God�s Word is always fresh. It�s always new. The psalmist David wrote, �The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments ofthe Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living� (Psalm 19:7�8 NLT). Unlike the flawed, imperfect reasoning of humanity, the Word of God is perfect. The Word of God is also a treasure. David continued, �The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold� (verses 9�10NLT). The Book of Proverbs compares searching the Scriptures to mining for gold. A modern version describes it this way: �If you make Insight your priority, and won�t take no foran answer, searching for it like a prospector panning for gold, like an adventurer on a treasure hunt, believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours; you�ll have come upon the Knowledge of God� (2:3�5 MSG). That is a great way to approach the Bible. When you arrive at the last day of your life, you won�t care about how much money you have. But you will care about what the Bible says. This is the book that tells you howto go to Heaven. This is the book that helps you know God. --------------------------------- ThisSame Jesus “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Hebrews13:8) When the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, then later ascended into heaven, His body was immortal, no longer subject to death—yet it was a physical body, capable of being seen and heard and touched, even capable of eating with His disciples. He was clearly recognizable, yet could quickly ascend from Earth to heaven and could pass through a solid wall. As He ascended, two angelic messengerssaid, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts1:11). He was immeasurably different after His resurrection, yet Peter could also proclaim “that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts2:36). Furthermore, even when He returns and assumes the eternal throne of the universe, He will still be the same. “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:...they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail” (Hebrews1:8, 12). This was the same Jesus whom John the Baptist identified at the beginning of His earthly ministry. “He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizethwith the Holy Ghost” (John1:33). In fact, before His baptism, and even before His incarnation, He was the same. “In the beginning was the Word....The same was in the beginning with God” (John1:1-2). This same Jesus who lived among men, identified by John the Baptist as the Son of God, and who died on the cross, is the eternal Word by whom all things were made, as well as the resurrected Savior and coming King. Jesus Christ is truly “the sameyesterday, and to day, and for ever.” HMM --------------------- ThingsNot Seen “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the savingof his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” (Hebrews11:7) The little phrase “things not seen” is used three times in the New Testament, and interestingly enough, these refer to the past, present, and future works of God with respect to the things that are seen. At the beginning of the “faith chapter” of Hebrews occur these remarkable words: “Now faith is...the evidence of things not seen....Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of thingswhich do appear” (Hebrews11:1, 3). That is, the material things of this present world were not made of pre-existing materials; they were supernaturally created by the word of the Creator! These things that are now seen provide evidence (or better, the “conviction”) of the things notseen—that is, of God’s creative work completed in the past. The “processes” that are now seen (as distinct from the “materials”) date especially from the time of the great Flood. The “things not seen as yet” by Noah—that is, the present atmospheric circulation, the present hydrological cycle, the present seasonal changes,and many other key phenomena of the present order—all were instituted in the days of Noah when “the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished” (2Peter 3:6). Finally, “we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for...the things which are not seen are eternal” (2Corinthians 4:18). Just as surely as the materials and processes of the present world once were unseen but now are easily seen, so the future eternal world will soon be clearly seen when Christ returns. HMM --------------------- Whento Pray “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” (Colossians4:2) There is no set time to pray, for it is always appropriate. Our text tells us to “continue” in prayer, and this is the same word as in Romans 12:12, which urges us to be “instant in” prayer. In fact, the admonition of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 is to “pray without ceasing.” Children should pray, as did little Samuel. When the Lord called him, he could answer: “Speak; for thy servant heareth” (1Samuel 3:10). Young people should pray, as Timothy, who was exhorted by Paul to make “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks...for all men” (1Timothy 2:1). Adult men should pray, as did Paul himself, who could say to the Christians of Philippi that he was “always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy” (Philippians1:4). Old men should pray, like Simeon, and old women, like Anna, who “served God with fastings and prayers night and day” (Luke2:25, 36-37). And even dying men should pray, as did Stephen who, as he was being stoned to death, was also “calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts7:59). We can pray at dawn like David, who said: “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up” (Psalm5:3). In a Philippian prison, “at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God” (Acts16:25). Daniel “kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed” (Daniel6:10). There is no time that is not a good time for prayer. One should pray in times of sorrow and also in times of joy, as did Hannah in both circumstances (1Samuel 1:15; 2:1). It is a most marvelous privilege that we have through Christ that we are able to speak to the infinite God in prayer and to know that He hears and cares. Therefore, pray! HMM -------------------- Resistingthe Devil “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” (Matthew4:1) The first recorded event in Matthew’s gospel after Christ’s baptism is His temptation by Satan in the wilderness after He had fasted for 40 days. This amazing account provides us with several practical lessons. First, we need to understand that the devil is a real and serious enemy. Consider the fact that he wasn’t afraid to tempt the Lord Jesus Himself. This same devil beguiled Eve, deceived David, and sifted Peter like wheat. The Bible tells us that he is a murderer,a thief, a liar, and a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. But this enemy is also often very subtle, since he can even appear as “an angel of light” (2Corinthians 11:14). We also learn from this account that in response to Satan, Christ wielded “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians6:17). The Bible is the chief weapon we must use to resist the devil. Three times Satan attempted to deceive Jesus, and three times his offer was refuted with Scripture as Christ said, “It is written.” This is why we need to be diligent readers and studiers of the Bible. We can never fight a good fight if we don’t properly wield our chief weapon. We should not only be familiar with its contents, but also have key Scriptures stored in our memories. In fact,one of Satan’s greatest strategies is to distract us from being diligent, regular, daily, prayerful Bible readers. Thus, we’d do well to follow the two-step formula given in James 4:7—“Submit yourselves therefore to God,” and “resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” JPT --------------------- TheStrength of the Lord “I will go in the strength of the LORD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.” (Psalm71:16) Since God the Creator is omnipotent, if we can go in His strength, there would seem to be no limit to what could be accomplished. The book of Psalms, in particular, over and over again testifies that God indeed is our strength. For example, “I will love thee,O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower” (Psalm18:1-2). But how do we appropriate God’s strength, and how is it manifested in our own lives? The answer is not what most would expect. “He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD taketh pleasure in them thatfear him, in those that hope in his mercy” (Psalm147:10-11). “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah4:6). Our text itself indicates that going in the strength of the Lord is essentially to “make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.” Speaking of God’s righteousness (not ours) in the fear of the Lord and the leading of the Spirit, hoping only in Hismercy, manifests the strength of the Lord. Furthermore, “the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah8:10). And, finally, the apostle Paul, who surely exhibited the strength of God in his life as much as anyone ever did, testified that “he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly thereforewill I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2Corinthians 12:9). His grace and His joy, shining through our own weakness, enable the man “whose strength is in thee” to “go from strength to strength” (Psalm84:5, 7) in His service. HMM ------------------------- TheTruth That Sets Us Free - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Jesus said to the people who believed in him, �You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to teachings. �John 8:31 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-truth-that-sets-us-free/- Listen The word disciple comes from the root word discipline. However, we typically don�t like discipline because it�s hard. We want things fast, and we want things now. We don�tlike to wait for anything anymore. If we want something, we can order it online, and we might even get same-day delivery. If we want to watch a movie, we can download it or stream it. And if we want the latestnews, we can get it on demand instead of waiting for the evening news or the morning newspaper. So, when we read in the Bible about taking up our crosses daily and following Christ, and when we realize that we need to slow down and meditate on God�s Word, it seems almostalien to us. Yet God says, �Be still, and know that I am God!� (Psalm 46:10 NLT). If we want to be real disciples of Jesus, then we need to slow down and learn to listen. A disciple will carefully read, study, and live according to God�s Word. Jesus said, �You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will knowthe truth, and the truth will set you free� (John 8:31�32 NLT). The Bible says that He addressed these words to those who believed in Him. Jesus wasn�t referring to just any truth. This is specific, absolute truth found exclusively in Scripture. The context is reading, studying, knowing, and living God�s Word.That truth will set us free. Jesus prayed to the Father, �Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth� (John 17:17 NLT). The truth we find in the Bible is the only absolute truthwe can be certain of in life. And when we understand what God says about life, it sets us free. ------------------------------- Examples to Follow - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. �1 Corinthians 11:1 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/examples-to-follow/- Listen In the Great Commission, Jesus gave the command to �go and make disciples of all the nations� (Matthew 28:19 NLT). But we cannot take someone any further than we have comeourselves. Sometimes people who have been Christians for ten or twenty years are still spiritual babies. They haven�t learned to feed themselves spiritually. They haven�t become as matureas they ought to be. Writing to believers in Colosse, the apostle Paul said, �So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We wantto present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ� (Colossians 1:28 NLT). Some of us are not as far down the road as we should be as followers of Jesus. Yet we ought to be living godly lives to the extent that we could say, as Paul did, �And youshould imitate me, just as I imitate Christ� (1 Corinthians 11:1 NLT). In other words, �Follow my example.� Maybe you�re thinking, �We should never ask people to follow our example. We should tell them to follow Jesus.� But that would be a cop-out. Like it or not, people are looking at us as visible representatives of Jesus Christ. They are making evaluations about God according to the way that we live. Yes, it�s a lotof pressure. But it�s also part of being a disciple. Being a disciple is walking with Jesus in such a way that you can say, �Follow my example.� So, what if the church were filled with people just like you? Would it be a Bible-studying church? Would it be a worshipping church? And would it be an evangelistic church?What if everyone in the church walked and talked and dressed like you? What would the church be like? Yes, we will mess up sometimes. But that doesn�t excuse us from being examples. ------------------------ TheFather's Love for the Son �And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.� (Matthew3:17) In this remarkable verse, God the Father, speaking from heaven itself, introduces His beloved Son to the world. This is the first New Testament reference to �love,� just as the Father�s love for the Son was the first love that ever existed. As Christ prayedin the upper room, �For thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world� (John17:24). There are many other references to the Father�s love for the Son, including two to the voice at His baptism (Mark1:11; Luke 3:22) and two more in the upper room prayer (John17:23, 26). One great reason for that love is the following: �Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life� (John10:17). The extent of the Father�s love for His blessed Son was all-encompassing. �The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand� (John3:35). Furthermore, �the Father loveth the Son, and showeth Him all things that Himself doeth� (John5:20). God also spoke of His �beloved Son� on the Mount of Transfiguration, as cited four times (Matthew17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35; 2 Peter 1:17). Thus, there are seven references in the New Testament to the Father�s heavenly testimony to His beloved Son. Similarly, there are seven passages where the Son Himself testifies of that Fatherly love. In addition to the six cited above, Christsaid, �As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you� (John15:9). Seven testimonies from the Father and seven from the Son! Surely the Father loved the Son with a perfect love. And yet��Herein is love...that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins� (1John 4:10). Such love for unworthy sinners merits nothing less than total thanksgiving from us. HMM ----------------------------- Ready to Listen - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! �John 15:7 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/ready-to-listen/- Listen Did you know that it�s possible to read the Bible out of pure duty�and not remember anything? We may read three chapters, but if the words don�t affect our lives, and if wedon�t understand what we�ve read, then we would be better off reading three verses instead. In Psalm 1 we find a description of those who walk with God: �They delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank,bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do� (verses 2�3 NLT). To meditate means to ponder or chew on something. It means to think something over. When it comes to God�s Word, how do you listen? Whether you are distracted or paying attention will make all the difference in your life. Jesus said, �If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!� (John 15:7 NLT). The New King James version of thisverse begins, �If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you . . .� Think of a deeply rooted tree that is soaking up the nutrients from the soil and growing every day. In the same way, to �remain� or �abide� refers to staying in a given place.It�s staying in fellowship with Jesus. As we do this, as we start sinking our roots deeply into Christ, we will start praying for what God wants us to pray for. That is the objective of prayer. It isn�t gettingGod to do what we want Him to do. Rather, it�s doing what God wants us to do. When Jesus� words remain in us, it means that, ultimately, they affect our thinking, our living, and everything that we do. ------------------------ Godof All Graces �Now the God of peace be with you all.� (Romans15:33) Our God of all the world has been known by many names in Scripture (Elohim, Jehovah, Adonai, etc.), but He is also identified, especially in the New Testament, as the God of many virtues and graces. Our text calls Him, for example, the �God of peace.� The same appellation is given Him in Romans 16:20, Hebrews 13:20-21, and Philippians 4:9: �The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly�; �now the God of peace...make you perfect in every good work to do his will�; �the God of peace shall be with you.� He is even called the very God of peace who will �sanctify you wholly� in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. He is �the God of hope� in the beautiful invocation of Romans 15:13. �Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.� To the sorrowing, He is �the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort� (2Corinthians 1:3). And, of course, He is the �God of love,� as Paul reminded the Corinthians in closing his last letter to them. �Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shallbe with you� (2Corinthians 13:11). The apostle Peter wound up his first epistle by reminding his own readers that their God was �the God of all grace.� �The God of all grace,...make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you� (1Peter 5:10). In summary, our gracious God is the God of peace, the God of hope, the God of all comfort, the God of love, and the God of all grace. He is also �the Father of mercies� and �the Spirit of truth� (John14:17; 15:26). And the Lord Jesus Christ, His Son, is of God, �made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption� (1Corinthians 1:30). HMM ------------------------ An Imperative for Spiritual Success - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest,org Don�t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God�s will for you,which is good and pleasing and perfect. �Romans 12:2 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/an-imperative-for-spiritual-success/- Listen I�ve never met a Christian who was failing spiritually and was also studying the Bible diligently. That is because success or failure in the Christian life depends on howmuch of the Bible we get into our hearts and minds on a daily basis and how obedient we are to it. Billy Sunday became one of the great evangelists of his generation. When he was a new believer, an older Christian gave him this advice: Take fifteen minutes each day to letGod talk to you, allow fifteen minutes to talk to Him, and then spend fifteen minutes telling others about the Savior. He told Sunday that if he did these three things, no one would ever write the word backslider after his name. Not only does the Bible contain truth, but the Bible is truth. It is the standard by which we measure all other so-called truth. Romans 12:2 tells us, �Don�t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn toknow God�s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect� (NLT). If you�re a hungry person spiritually, then you�re a healthy person spiritually. Healthy people are hungry people, so it�s a good sign if you hunger for more of God�s Word. I�ve spoken at various churches over the years, and I�ve discovered that I can take the spiritual temperature of a congregation in less than five minutes. I�m able to geta very real sense of where they are spiritually by how many of them bring their Bibles to church. Of course, it�s great to have the Bible on a phone or tablet. But having said that, I think it�s really great to carry an actual Bible and mark it up as well. There is powerin the Word of God, and we should want to fill our lives with it. ----------------------------------- FaithfulMen �And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, whoshall be able to teach others also.� (2 Timothy 2:2) Although this verse has been claimed by many as a model for their ministry, the Bible warns, �Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?� (Proverbs20:6). Faithful men must be alert and aware of God�s master plan (Matthew 28:19-20), understand the reason for God�s �longsuffering� (2Peter 3:8-10), and expect and work toward Christ�s return (Matthew 24:42-26). Such men must be industrious and committed, conscious of the ultimate spiritual evaluation (Matthew 25:14-23), and concerned with even the �least� of thebiblical instructions (Matthew 5:19). They must also be faithful stewards (managers) of the mysteries of God (1Corinthians 4:2) and of the manifold grace (gifts) that the Holy Spirit distributed among His churches (1 Peter 4:10). Those who desire leadership among the churches must also be exemplary family men. �One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the churchof God?)� (1 Timothy 3:4-5). Moses is renowned in this way (Hebrews3:5), as is Abraham (Genesis 18:19). Finally, faithful men must be able to teach others. Such capability is an obvious requirement of those who would take leadership roles in the churches (Titus1:7-9), but the gift of teaching is noted among all of the biblical listings, implying that the need for such �faithful men� is widespread. However, the capacity to teach others, while a wonderful ability, must be exercised with gravity and carefulness(James 3:1). HMM III -------------------------