Salvation and Lordship

Colossians 2:6-10
How can people who have trusted Jesus as their Savior live in rebellion against God through inappropriate attitudes and behaviors? After all, when a person is saved, he’s given new life, but sinful thinking and conduct are characteristics of the old life. The truth, however, is that all believers live with this dilemma to one degree or another.
Salvation is a onetime act which God accomplishes in the life of any person who trusts in Christ‘s payment for his sins. That individual is then guaranteed a place in heaven. But did you know that the Lord wants even more for us than this? The Bible teaches that He predestined us “to become conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29-30). That’s His ultimate goal. Salvation is the door that opens the way for this process, which is accomplished by the Holy Spirit within us.
This transformation requires submission to Christ’s lordship. He paid for us with His blood, and since we are now His, He has the right to rule our lives. In other words, we received Him as Lord at salvation, and now we must walk in Him (v. 6), letting Him have complete control of every area–every decision, act, word, motive, attitude, and thought. If we don’t, our spiritual growth will be stunted, and we will yield to a sinful lifestyle.
If you see little progress in your spiritual life, the problem is probably due to an area that you are keeping for yourself. Only in surrendering it to Christ and letting Him be Lord of your entire life will you be enriched beyond measure as He changes your character, perspective, attitudes, and behavior.

Dr. Charles Stanley

Ignoring Grace

Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: Matthew 7:13-23

Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. —Matthew 7:14

In the hectic downtown of one of Asia’s great cities, I marveled at the busy sidewalks filled with people. There seemed to be no room to move in the crush of humanity, yet it also seemed that everyone was moving at top speed.

My attention was drawn to the soft, almost mournful sound of a single trumpeter playing “Amazing Grace.” The crowds appeared oblivious to both the musician and the music. Still, he played—sending a musical message of the love of God out to whoever knew the song and would think about the words as he played.

I thought of this experience as a parable. The music seemed to be an invitation to the masses to follow Christ. As with the gospel message, some believe in God’s amazing grace and choose the narrow way. Others ignore His grace, which is the broad way that leads to everlasting destruction. Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt. 7:13-14).

Jesus died so that “whoever calls” on His name (Rom. 10:13) can find forgiveness in His grace. —Bill Crowder

Amazing grace—how sweet the sound—
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see. —Newton

Christ believed is salvation received.

Lord of the Living and the Dead

Romans 14:7-12

In the New Testament, Lord is the most frequently used title for Jesus Christ. Although we rarely use this term in our daily lives, we are all quite familiar with another word: boss. That is basically what Lord means–one possessing authority, power, and control. The Word of God describes Jesus as the head of the church, the ruler over all creation, and the Lord of lords and King of kings (Col. 1:15-18; Rev. 3:14; 17:14).

The realm of Christ‘s reign covers everything that happens in heaven and on the earth. No one–not even those who deny His existence—can be free of His rule or outside His sphere of authority. Although Satan tries to convince us that liberty is found in doing what we want, true freedom is acquired only through submission to Christ’s loving lordship.

Even death cannot release anyone from the authority of God’s Son. He is Lord of both the living and the dead. All people must decide to either yield or rebel against Him, but they have the opportunity to make this choice only while they are still living. After death, they will acknowledge Christ’s lordship through accountability to Him. If we have not bowed the knee to Jesus in life, we will be forced to bend it in the judgment.

Have you submitted to Christ’s rule over your life? His authority causes anger or fear in individuals who have not yet yielded to Him, but those who have experienced His lovingkindness, trusted in His goodness, and surrendered to His authority take comfort in knowing Him as the Lord of their lives.

Dr. Charles Stanley

 

The Message the World Needs

Mark
16:15-20

Suppose I asked
what the mission of the church is–how would you answer? Although the church
accomplishes many tasks, its only message to the world is the gospel of Christ. Everything else we
do is merely an extension of that primary goal. The gospel we offer the lost is
superior to every worldly philosophy. Never outdated or in need of correction,
it is always sufficient to meet humanity’s greatest need: reconciliation with
the Creator. Although the message is always the same, methods of making it known
are many–including the spoken word, music, printed material, and electronic
media. But all these avenues of communication require the individual involvement
of God‘s people. It is every Christian’s responsibility to use his or her spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities to help fulfill
the Great Commission. Some Christians
think that this role is given only to pastors, missionaries, or other people
with an “up-front ministry.” But all of us have the responsibility to be
involved in whatever way we are able and in whatever opportunity God gives us.
Not everybody is called to go abroad as a missionary, but we all can give, pray,
and tell friends and family what the Lord has done for us. When you’re truly
committed to getting the gospel out, God will reveal what work He is calling you
to do. He has a place for every one of us–nobody is insignificant or unusable.
The limiting factor is not the Lord’s ability to use us but our availability to
His call.

Look Again And Think

“Take no thought for your life.” Matthew 6:25 A warning which needs to be reiterated is that the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entering in, will choke all that God puts in. We are never free from the recurring tides of this encroachment. If it does not come on the line of clothes and food, it will come on the line of money or lack of money; of friends or lack of friends; or on the line of difficult circumstances. It is one steady encroachment all the time, and unless we allow the Spirit of God to raise up the standard against it, these things will come in like a flood. “Take no thought for your life.” “Be careful about one thing only,” says our Lord – “your relationship to Me.” Common sense shouts loud and says – “That is absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, I must consider what I am going to eat and drink.” Jesus says you must not. Beware of allowing the thought that this statement is made by One Who does not understand our particular circumstances. Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things so as to make them the one concern of our life. Whenever there is competition, be sure that you put your relationship to God first. “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” How much evil has begun to threaten you to-day? What kind of mean little imps have been looking in and saying – Now what are you going to do next month – this summer? “Be anxious for nothing,” Jesus says. Look again and think. Keep your mind on the “much more” of your heavenly Father.

Will God Give only Good Things

 

Another very good sight filled with helpful devotionals.

http://devotionalchristian.com/will-god-give-you-only-good-things/

Upside Down

Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: Matthew 5:38-48

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, love your enemies. —Matthew 5:43-44

If you were to ask me who I am, I’d tell you that I’m a follower of Jesus. But I have to admit, at times following Him is a real challenge. He tells me to do things like rejoice when I’m persecuted (Matt. 5:11-12); to turn the other cheek (vv.38-39); to give to someone who wants to take from me (vv.40-42); to love my enemies, bless those who curse me, and do good to those who hate me (vv.43-44). This kind of lifestyle seems very upside down to me.

But I’ve come to realize that He’s not upside down—I am. We have all been born fallen and broken. Being twisted by sin, our first instincts are often wrong, which inevitably leaves a big mess.

We’re like toast slathered with jelly that has fallen upside down on the kitchen floor. Left to ourselves, we can make a pretty big mess of things. Then Jesus comes along, like a divine spatula, scrapes us off the floor of our sinful ways, and turns us right side up. And as we follow His right-side-up ways, we discover that turning the other cheek keeps us from getting caught in a brawl, that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and that dying to self is life at its best.

After all, His ways are not our ways (Isa. 55:8), and I’ve come to realize that His ways are always best! —Joe Stowell

When we’re transformed and made brand-new
We see things differently;
What once seemed right we now abhor,
And wrong we clearly see. —Sper

What may seem upside down to us is right side up to God.

The Greater Purpose of Blessings

Psalm 67

It is God‘s nature to bless. However, we need to understand that He has a greater purpose in mind than we may realize. His ultimate goal is far more encompassing than just to make us happy, peaceful, protected, and prosperous. In fact, it is never the Lord‘s intention for His blessings to end with us. Rather, He wants them to flow out to others as part of His plan for the whole earth.

As we can see in today’s psalm, the Lord blesses us so that His salvation, His ways, and His justice may be known by every nation and every people group around the globe (vv. 3-4, 7). He is always acting with this larger picture in mind–even while working personally in our individual lives. Knowing this should fill us with an awesome yet humbling sense of significance. Every believer has a part in helping others know and understand the one true God. Each blessing He gives not only benefits us personally but is intended to help further this cause. On the other hand, we may sometimes not receive the things we want because they don’t contribute to His higher purpose. But if we are willing to fit our requests into God’s greater plans, we will position ourselves to be greatly used by Him.

When the Lord blesses you, He’s not only doing something for you; He’s also doing something in and through you to affect others’ lives. Don’t let the pleasures and comforts of His blessings blind you to their intended purpose. Ask God how to use His kindnesses as a way to point people to Him.
Dr. Charles Stanley

The Blessings of God

Ephesians 1:3-14

Everyone experiences periods of difficulty in life. In such painful times, we may feel as though God is not blessing us. But even then, we are experiencing many of His amazing gifts, despite the fact that they might be escaping our notice.

Below are several examples of blessings that we can enjoy on bright or dark days:

1. We are assured that our almighty God chose us before the foundation of the world (v. 4). He predestined us to be adopted as His children (v. 5). We can feel special and wanted because the Sovereign of the universe selected us.

2. Jesus provided our salvation through His death and resurrection (v. 7). He redeemed us from sin that causes separation from God and ultimately leads to death. As a result, we receive a brand-new nature and daily forgiveness of iniquities (2 Cor. 5:17; 1 John 1:9).

3. The Holy Spirit resides within us. He guides, warns, and fills us so we are never without counsel or comfort. He also seals us so that our eternity is secure (Eph. 1: 13).

4. Our Father prepares an inheritance for us that is imperishable (1 Peter 1:4). We may experience momentary troubles, but we can look forward to living eternally in God’s presence, where there is joy and no suffering.

In the midst of painful situations, it may be easy to feel as if God’s hand is not resting on your life. But believers have wonderful spiritual blessings at all times. Without the four permanent gifts listed above, fear and emptiness would be overwhelming. So express gratitude, even in difficulty.

Dr. Charles Stanley

 

 

Who Dreamed Up This Plan For Survival?

 

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David Wilkerson Today

“And the word of the Lord came unto him [Elijah], saying, Get thee hence, and
turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before
Jordan” (I Kings 17: 2–3).

As Elijah looked ahead to the coming crisis, things must have looked absolutely
hopeless to him. But God had a specific survival plan in mind for his faithful
servant. He instructed the prophet, “Go east to the Jordan River, and there
you will find Cherith, a little tributary that runs off. You can get all the
drinking water you need from that brook. In addition, I’ve arranged for food
to be delivered to you daily, by my courier ravens!”

How could any person, in a million years, ever dream up this kind of plan for
survival? How could Elijah ever have imagined he’d be sent to a hidden brook
to find water to drink, when there was nothing but drought everywhere else in
the land? How could he ever have thought a daily supply of bread would be
brought to him by ravenous birds that ate everything they sank their beaks
into?

Later, times got hard for Elijah, because the brook finally dried up. But God
stepped in again, giving the prophet another fresh word of direction. He said,
“Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there:
behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee” (v. 9). Again, I have
to ask—how could anyone ever think a poor widow woman, in the midst of a
depression, could feed a man for days, weeks, months on end? But the fact is,
God uses the most despised, insignificant things of the world for his glory.
And he told Elijah, “If you’ll go to her and do what I tell you, you’ll
survive. Listen to me—heed my direction—and you’ll make it through!”

The evidence is overwhelming: God—our adviser, counselor and survival
expert—has a detailed plan for every one of his children, to help us face the
worst of times!