A Good Thing - Daily Devotional: Men of Faith

Men of Faith

David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?– 1 Samuel 17:29

The giant warrior Goliath stood and mocked the army, and the God, of Israel. While doubtless there were many that did not care one bit for this verbal abuse, none were willing to stand up to his savage bullying. That is, except for a young boy named David who answered with a clarion call of his own: is there not a cause?

David against Goliath! The colossal mismatch is so striking that it has made it into the language and imagery even of secular literature. Yet what often is left out of the story is the one thing that gave David the strength and courage to stand against such insurmountable odds.

What inspired David’s courage? What drove him to march forward when everyone else cowered back? It was the realization that there was a cause greater than Israel, greater than Goliath, and greater than his own life. David’s concern was for the glory of God.

Are you willing to stand, like young David, in the face of terrifying assaults and debilitating peer pressure — as perhaps the solitary and lonely figure on the scene who is concerned for the glory of God?

Would that we had more daring Davids in our classrooms, offices, barracks, prison cells, homes, and even churches. In every generation there is a dearth of men and women who are committed, above all else, to the glory of God. Will you stand like David or will you melt into the crowd?

LWF - Random Acts of Christian Kindness

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great.” Luke 6:35

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
I’ve seen bumper stickers that exhort us to “show random acts of kindness.”  I think that’s a good thing. And what is kindness?  It’s love in the little things.

A woman came down the aisle of a church to give her heart to Christ, and the preacher wanted to know what had impacted her life for Christ.
She said, “You did.”
The pastor said, “Well, I’d be interested to know what it was that I said that brought you to Christ.”
She said, “It was nothing you said. It was something you did. I was standing nearby when somebody criticized you very unfairly. I saw the kindness with which you responded, and I knew that your faith was real.”

ACTION POINT:
What random act of kindness can you do today that will demonstrate that your faith is real

Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

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RHM - The Daily Word of Hope God Time

The Daily Word of Hope Devotional

Bible Fun Fact: One of the names of God is I AM (Exodus 3:14)

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Refreshing Hope: 12-26-16 The Little Shepherd Boy

The Little Shepherd Boy

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  It happened, when they had come, that he looked at Eliab, and said, Surely Yahweh's anointed is before him. But Yahweh said to Samuel, 'Don't look on his face, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for Yahweh sees not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.' 1 Samuel 16:6 WEB
  
  When Samuel came to anoint the next king of Israel, the Lord had only told him that it would be a son of Jesse, but Jesse had eight sons to choose from. So Samuel went to see Jesse and anoint one of his sons as the next king. Jesse had lined up the seven oldest. The first son was named Eliab and he was tall and handsome. When Samuel saw him, he thought in his heart, 'Surely this is one!" but God simply told him: 'I have rejected this one.'
  
  Samuel went through the first seven sons of Jesse, and it was all the same: 'The Lord has not chosen this one.' When Samuel finally reached the end of the line and ran out of sons to look at, he asked Jesse if this was all of his sons. Jesse said that the youngest one was out tending the sheep and Samuel said: 'Bring him, he is the one.'
  
  It turned out that God wanted the little shepherd boy who was playing the harp and singing while tending the sheep: young David. He had no idea that he would be a giant killer and the next king of the land.
  
  The Lord does not look on the outward appearance like we do. He looks on the heart, the inside that we like to hide. Why you do something is more important than what you do. The pharisee that was praying on the street corner was wasting their time because they only did it to be seen by others (Matthew 6:5). Prayer was good, but their motives were bad.
  
  Still today, it will be the one that God chooses and anoints that will do His work. When God chooses you for a task, no one can stop you. Though it may feel like it is delayed, it will come to pass in His timing. God took the little shepherd boy, anointed him and raised him up to be the leader of His people, and without the approval of his brothers (1 Samuel 17:28). They looked down on him even while God was raising him up.
  
  Keep a positive attitude. Don't let the trials get you down. Keep putting God first and He will raise you up, even if it means outside of their circle. Only you can stop God's plan for your life, no one else has the authority to do so.
  
  Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You so much for all that You have done for me. Guide me to where I need to be. My life, is Yours. I choose to trust You today in blind faith. I cannot see what is coming, but You already know the outcome and are able to prepare me for anything that I face. You chose me Lord, and I choose You, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

LWF - Christmas 2016

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
 
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Christmas is spelled L-O-V-E.  What is the Christmas message?  John 3:16. God gave us the gift of love on Christmas Day.
 
It is truly said, “What the world needs now is love.” I need it. You need it. Your spouse needs it. Your child needs it. An elderly man or woman sitting alone in a nursing home today needs it. A child abandoned and alone in a children’s home needs it, too.
 
God sent His one and only Son as the Savior. He knew we couldn’t save ourselves. So He sent His Son to be born in a manger, to die on a cross, to rise again into glory, and to come again to redeem His church.
 
ACTION POINT:
Where are you spending your Christmas day? Maybe you can spare a few minutes with your family and friends to share His gift of love with someone who is all alone today.

Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers. The email address this message was sent from does not accept replies.  If you would like to send a comment, prayer or praise, please visit us here.  May God continue to strengthen and encourage you by the Love Worth Finding devotions.

Copyright © 2016 Love Worth Finding Ministries, All rights reserved.

Praying the Names of God December 19, 2016

From Praying the Names of Jesus Week One, Day One

The Name
The name "Immanuel" appears twice in the Hebrew Scriptures and once in the New Testament. One of the most comforting of all the names and titles of Jesus, it is literally translated "with us is God" or, as Matthew's Gospel puts it, "God with us." When our sins made it impossible for us to come to him, God took the outrageous step of coming to us, of making himself susceptible to sorrow, familiar with temptation, and vulnerable to sin's disruptive power, in order to cancel its claim. In Jesus we see how extreme God's love is. Remember this the next time you feel discouraged, abandoned, or too timid to undertake some new endeavor. For Jesus is still Immanuel -- he is still "God with us."

Key Scripture
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" -- which means, "God with us." Matthew 1:22-23

***

Monday
His Name Revealed

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" -- which means, "God with us." Matthew 1:18 - 23

Immanuel, I praise you for your faithful love -- drawing near when I was far from you. Instead of casting me away from your presence, you came to call me home. Instead of punishing me for my sins, you came to free me from them. Immanuel, my God, you are here with me today. Live in me and glorify your name, I pray.

Understanding the Name

The name "Immanuel" (im-ma-nu-AIL) first appears in Isaiah 7:14 as part of a prophetic word that Isaiah spoke to King Ahaz of Judah (the southern kingdom) at a time when Syria and Israel (the northern kingdom) had formed a coalition against Assyria. The prophet Isaiah counseled Ahaz not to join in their uprising against Assyria, the region's greatest power, assuring him it would not succeed. He urged Ahaz to trust in the Lord rather than to appeal to Assyria for help against Syria and Israel, who were threatening to invade Judah for not joining their uprising. Then he invited Ahaz to ask the Lord for a sign to confirm the prophetic word, but the unfaithful king refused, having already decided to place his trust not in the Lord but in Assyria.

In response to Ahaz's refusal to trust God, Isaiah proclaimed: "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of human beings? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

Shortly after that Syria and Israel were soundly defeated, exactly as Isaiah had prophesied. Many years later the southern kingdom of Judah was destroyed by Babylon, its people taken captive.

Matthew's Gospel recalls Isaiah's prophecy, applying it to the child who would be born of Mary, the virgin betrothed to Joseph. The sign given hundreds of years earlier to an apostate king was meant for all God's people.

In fact the Bible is nothing if not the story of God's persistent desire to dwell with his people. In Jesus, God would succeed in a unique way, becoming a man in order to save the world not from the outside, but from the inside. Immanuel, God with us, to rescue, redeem, and restore our relationship with him.

Studying the Name

1. How have you experienced "Immanuel" -- God being with you, in your life thus far?
2. Matthew begins and ends his Gospel (see Matthew 28:20) with the promises that God is with us. How would your life be different if you began and ended each day with the firm belief that God is with you?
3. What does this title of Jesus reveal about his nature? 

For more from Ann Spangler, please visit her blogspot on Christianity.com. And be sure to check out Ann's newest books on AnnSpangler.com.

A Good Thing December 19

Day 19 Theme: Patience and Hope

Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy– James 5:11

The end,or purpose, of the Lord for his people is full of pity and tenderness.

When we feel deeply afflicted, it is hard for us to believe that God is tenderly involved in our lives. We feel as though perhaps God has forsaken us or—worse still—is punishing us for some mistake we have made.

Job, as he was enduring the pain and sorrow of his lengthy ordeal, felt as if he had been utterly forsaken by God. Yet by faith he trusted in God, saying, “He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (23:10). He relied on God’s good purposes, in the midst of personal pain and loss and anguish.

This is a difficult exercise, because it means living entirely by faith, regardless of our present circumstances. It means trusting God and patiently waiting for him to fulfill his perfect and merciful purposes for us. It means tenaciously holding to a heavenly and eternal perspective, rather than seeking pleasure and fulfillment here and now.

But the example of Job should remind us that even when grief or turmoil hide the face of God from us, he is still working tenderly toward our sanctification and glory.

For this reason, James declares, we count them happy which endure. Those who steadfastly endure the trials God sends their way are, in the end, the most blessed people on earth. Their lives have brought glory to God, their testimony has pointed to eternity, and their faithfulness has reminded us of God’s goodness.

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