By Greg Laurie ”You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” - Isaiah 26:3 If you want to overcome fear and worry, then you need right thinking. In other words, think about what you think about. We’re told in Philippians 4:8, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (NLT). If you want personal peace, this is where it begins. Why is the mind important? It’s command central. With our minds we reach to the past through memories, and we reach to the future through imagination. We need to learn how to think properly and biblically. As 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ” (NLT). The next time you’re troubled, you might try talking to yourself. We need to tell ourselves to think biblically, because it doesn’t always come naturally. For example, we see the writer’s despair in Psalm 42: “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?” But then the writer continues, “I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (verses 5–6 NLT). Many of the Psalms are songs and prayers. They … [Read more...]
The two most unlikely people
By Waylon Bailey Were there ever two more unlikely people than Joseph and Mary? Is there any more improbable event than the birth of Jesus Christ? Joseph and Mary were peasants from an obscure village in an obscure part of the world. Only the events of of the birth of Jesus Christ could have made them known by anyone other than a few hundred people over their entire lifetimes. At the same time, some of the most recognizable people of history lived at the same time. We all know the name Julius Caesar. He lived in the generation prior to the birth of Jesus Christ. His great nephew and adoptive son was Caesar Augustus. Augustus was named Octavian but received the name “Augustus” from the Roman Senate. The word august means grand, lofty or exalted. At the death of Octavian the Romans proclaimed him as a god as they had Julius Caesar. And as they did with Julius Caesar, they named a month of the Julian calendar after Augustus (August). Octavian at first shared power with Mark Antony and one other ruler. At the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, he defeated the navy of Antony and Cleopatra (the ruler of Egypt). All of these were people of high status and unbridled power. God chose not to use the mighty of the world but the … [Read more...]
You can hope again
By Lane Corley One of the most significant and unsung verses in the Christmas Story and maybe in the New Testament is Luke 1:11. An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. Luke 1:11 Christian Standard Bible This is the moment that God broke through after 400 years of silence, after allowing the rampaging and devastation and defeat of His chosen people, and after allowing Judaism to become a ritualistic shell of itself. God broke through. God spoke. God set in course the events that would bring salvation to all the world in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The before and after of this verse goes like this: An aging Priest named Zechariah got the opportunity of a lifetime to offer incense in the Temple’s sanctuary. He and his wife Elizabeth, who was never able to have children, and now was well along in years, made arrangements to fulfill this obligation. As he offered incense, God reached down and spoke. Unexpected events, unexpected people involved, unexpected announcement that Elizabeth would have a baby. That baby would become the way-preparer for the Messiah, John the Baptist. This is the moment where God initiated the keeping of His Promises and Securing the Hope … [Read more...]
There is hope in the manger
By Marcell McGee Do you remember the joys of Christmas growing up as a child? Your mom, brothers and sisters, decorating the Christmas tree? Then, the anticipation of finding that special gift from Santa under the tree? Remember the afternoon trip to Grandma’s house for Christmas dinner? For most, Christmas has always represented anticipation, joy, family, love, and hope. But for many, hope is a difficult commodity to come by these days. Our hope dims with every negative story we hear, every report of violence we receive, every personal tragedy that we experience. The Christmas season for many, if not all of us, does not always represent thoughts of hope in our lives. We are confronted with individual pain, the memory of lost loved ones, the darkness of obstacles standing before us. Maybe somewhere down the line you have disappointed your parents, your wife, your kids, maybe even God. There comes over us a sense of helplessness or hopelessness. The plans that we had in our youth for a happy life are just a faded memory. With our plans dashed, we begin to think, “Can I ever recover?” “Is there any hope for me?” But, then we are reminded of what that little baby in the manger offers to us all. The Christmas season is a … [Read more...]
Advent devotional: Take your medicine
By David Cranford “We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the LORD has punished him for the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6, CSB) Slick Willie Sutton was an infamous bank robber. Estimates are that he stole over 2 million dollars from banks during his career. A reporter asked Slick Willie, “Why do you rob banks?” Slick Willie reportedly said, “I rob banks because that’s where the money is.” Although he later denied saying it, nobody can deny his logic, which came to be known as “Sutton’s law.” The simplest answer to the question “Why did Jesus come to earth on that first Christmas?” is that Jesus came to earth because that’s where the need is. “What love is this?” It is a love that is prescribed to meet our deepest personal need. Just as medicine is prescribed to meet our physical illness, Jesus the Savior is prescribed to meet our spiritual illness. Jeremiah was crushed by the condition of his people. “I am broken by the brokenness of my dear people. I mourn; horror has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? So why has the healing of my dear people not come about?” (Jeremiah 8:21–22, CSB) Can’t you shake your head and agree with Jeremiah? Aren’t … [Read more...]
Christmas can be hard
Christmas can be hard. But it also can be good even when circumstances are difficult. Life is filled with difficulties. The circumstances of life sometimes make any celebration–birthdays, holidays, etc–difficult. I remember so well as a teenager when someone close to me was killed in a traffic accident. I couldn’t get over the fact that life for most people went on. How could they be happy when we were so sad? Those kind of events and the feelings associated with them make the holidays hard. What should you do during difficult times? First, worship the risen Christ. His story is the only story of hope for all human beings. While you may not be able to laugh through the holidays, you can worship through the holidays, knowing that God sent His Son to give us hope in the midst of difficult times. Second, spend as much time as possible with other people. For the most part, once you get past your teenage years, Christmas celebrations are about Christ and the people around us. Don’t isolate yourself. Spend time with as many people as possible. Third, take advantage of Christmas celebrations, especially those celebrations that exalt Christ and remind us of His birth. For First Baptist Church, we will have … [Read more...]
A great question
By Steve Horn In the story of Elijah’s epic showdown with King Ahab—which in reality is a showdown between Yahweh, the one true God, and Baal—Elijah asks a great question. “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him.” (1 Kings 18:21) I see four things about this question. This is a question for every generation. Choosing to follow God or not is a question of every generation and every person. Every single one of us must choose. This is a question of our own discipleship. The choices are clear, and we must make a clear and decisive choice. We cannot waiver in our decision. This is a question that directs our evangelism. In pointing people to Christ, we must point them to a decision. We cannot just talk about Jesus; we must call people to make a choice regarding Jesus. This is not a question that automatically gets a response. It didn’t for Elijah for the rest of the verse says, “But the people didn’t answer him a word.” Pray for someone today who needs to make a decision for Christ! Steve Horn is senior pastor of the First Baptist Church, Lafayette. This editorial first appeared on his blog. … [Read more...]
Confidence in Christ
By David Jeremiah EL CAJON, California (BP) - Our days are fleeting; they may end before the next sunrise. Yet God's children are never insecure. The Bible says of us, "We are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.... We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:6-8). We cannot be confident in everyday life if we aren't confident of eternal life. To be self-confident, we must be Christ confident, and that means being certain of His love for us both today and tomorrow. God has placed eternity in our hearts, and that's why secularism can't erase heaven and hell from people's minds. Most Americans still believe in heaven and hell. According to findings published by LifeWay Research, 60 percent of Americans believe there is a heaven, while 54 percent believe hell is a real place where certain people will be punished forever. The Barna Group, drawing from its surveys, stated, "Many adults believe, however, that they will go to heaven as a result of their good works. Broadly speaking, this is the most common perception among Americans who have never made a commitment to Jesus -- and it is also … [Read more...]
God’s path to blessing: study His Word
By Rick Warren “Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers” (Psalm 1:1-3 NIV). The Bible is more than just a book you put on your shelf. It’s a pathway to God’s blessing.Over and over in God’s Word, we’re told that studying and applying the Bible leads to blessing. For example, the Bible says, “Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers” (Psalm 1:1-3 NIV). What does it mean to meditate? Some people think it means to put your mind in neutral and contemplate the lint on your navel as you say, “Ommmmmm.” But that’s not what meditation is! Meditation is seriously thinking about something. You meditate on God’s Word when you read a verse, think about what it means, and ask yourself how you could apply it to your life. Doing this, Psalm 1:1-3 says, is like planting deep roots into the ground. … [Read more...]
Stay far from temptation by staying close to God
By Waylon Bailey The Apostle James prepared the people of his day and all those believers who have followed after to resist the devil and to live for God in a culture that opposes God. He gave amazing advice which fits any people at any time (James 4:7-10). "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites. . . .When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor." Today I want us to look at the relationship between drawing near to God and resisting the Devil. James’ epistle makes that plain. To be close to God is to resist the devil and not to fall under his schemes. On the contrary, when we think ourselves sufficient apart from God we place ourselves in a very dangerous and precarious position. John Kincaid notices this association as well: “Resist the devil by drawing near to God; Satan doesn’t like to be close to God.” That makes so much sense. Of course, Satan does not like being close to God. To be in the presence of God is to be far from the devil and his desire to destroy us. When Jesus resisted the devil in the … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- …
- 69
- Next Page »