Today's Daily Devotional

[Bugsy]

October 25 - 26, 2008

Where Will You Spend Eternity?
READ | 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

In our homes, we use smoke detectors to warn us of fire. Our car’s dashboard has lights to indicate a malfunction. We’d be foolish to ignore these warnings. Similarly, we need to pay close attention to the scriptures that warn us about the terrible consequences for rejecting God’s provision of a Savior.

The Bible tells us how to be reconciled to God so we can spend eternity with Him. We need to understand and accept that . . .

Sin separates us from God (Rom. 3:23; Col. 1:19-22). Because of Adam and Eve’s rebellion, we all are born with a nature bent away from the Lord. His justice requires that we pay for our transgressions. God sent His Son Jesus to make that payment for us (1 Cor. 15:3). Only the death of one who was perfect would satisfy the Father’s righteous judgment. Jesus lived a life without sin, which qualified Him to become our substitute. He willingly took our place and died in order to pay our penalty. God accepted His death in place of ours and declared us righteous in His sight (Rom. 3:22).

Salvation is a free gift, received through faith in Jesus (Eph 2:8-9). Our good works will neither satisfy divine justice nor pay for our transgressions. They are not what God requires for forgiveness or adoption into His family. Faith in Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6). When we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, heaven becomes our eternal destination.
God wants you to live forever with Him. If you haven’t yet made your eternal destination certain, do so now.

[Bugsy]

October 27, 2008

Good Decisions
READ | Genesis 25: 27-34

Scripture confirms that the familiar expression, “You reap what you sow,â€

[Bugsy]

October 28, 2008

Godly Choices
READ | Hebrews 12:15-17

Any ungodly act—whether it involves substance abuse, sexual immorality, or “stepping onâ€

[Bugsy]

October 29, 2008

God’s Blessing of Brokenness
READ | Exodus 2:11-15

The Lord had a great calling in mind for Moses—to free more than 2,000,000 Hebrew slaves from Egyptian bondage. And the future liberator appeared more qualified for the task than anyone else. As Pharaoh’s adopted grandson, he had all the benefits of royal privilege, power, and education.

But God knew this wasn’t enough. Moses still had a strong spirit of independence that would get in the way of carrying out the assignment through divine power. The Lord had to break this tendency before He could work through His chosen servant.

The opportunity arose when Moses killed an Egyptian for beating a slave (Ex. 2:11-12). Realizing the crime had been witnessed, he fled to the desert to escape Pharaoh’s wrath. It was there that he came to the end of himself.

Like Moses, we’re all born with a tendency toward selfishness and stubbornness and want things done our way. Therefore, God must bring every area of our lives into submission.

Few will be given a task on the scale of Moses’, but the Father has a calling for each believer. Whether His plan is that we raise a godly family, reach out to a neighbor, or run a business with integrity and consideration, He wants us to do so in His power. To prepare us for this work, He sometimes uses brokenness. This wouldn’t be our chosen method, but God knows that hardship is sometimes necessary to strip us of our selfish ways.

Do you want to achieve what the Lord has planned for you to do? In humility, ask Him to break any aspect of your life that would prevent it from happening.

[Bugsy]

October 30, 2008

Spiritual Maturity
READ | Isaiah 48:10

The world’s way is to choose the strongest, most talented individuals to accomplish tasks. In contrast, the Lord often selects the weakest, who have nothing to offer except total reliance upon Him. And this dependency is what characterizes the mature in faith.

Such maturity isn’t automatic. Our Father patiently meets people where they are, but lovingly refuses to let His children stagnate. Instead, He helps us to grow more and more like His Son (2 Cor. 3:18 ). As followers of Christ, we must let go of old ways, ideas, and motivations. The Holy Spirit illuminates our understanding and lets us see from God’s perspective. Then, the Lord can build in us a dependence on Himself and a submission to His Spirit. Transformation is often gradual, but God sometimes will allow difficulty and pain to develop our reliance upon Him.

Consider biblical models of faith. Sarah and Abraham dealt with infertility for many years prior to receiving the promised child (Gen. 21:1-2). Joseph was sold into slavery and wrongly imprisoned before he spared his nation from the effects of famine (Gen. 45:5). In her new role as Jesus’ mother, Mary—who had been falsely regarded as an adulteress—followed God’s inconvenient command to flee areas of danger (Matt. 2:13, 22). These people all faced hardship and brokenness, which allowed them to recognize both their own inability and God’s ability.

What’s standing in your way of full submission to the Lord? His desire is to grow you into maturity so that in your weakness, He will be strong.

[Caruthers]

Just a thanks...........for caring enough to continue on to the ROBJ

[Bugsy]

October 31, 2008

Understood by Jesus
READ | Hebrews 4:14-15

People often try to comfort others who find themselves in a difficult season of life. But sometimes expressions of consolation create even more pain. For example, the well-intentioned words “I understandâ€

[Bugsy]

November 3, 2008

Unveiling the Hidden
READ | Jeremiah 33:1-3

Every decade, it seems as though there’s a fresh crop of books on the topic of communication. We can walk down the aisle of any bookstore and take our pick from the many volumes dedicated to public speaking, preaching, verbal delivery, and even interpersonal communication. Learning how to speak is definitely a big industry these days.

What tends to be lacking, however, is good teaching on how to communicate with the Lord. Too often, we take what we learn about mass communication and try to apply it to prayer. We carefully craft each word of our petitions, laboring over every phrase and peppering in some fancy “biblicalâ€

[Bugsy]

October 4, 2008

God’s Three Answers to Prayer
READ | Matthew 7:7-11

Too often, believers view almighty God as a great cosmic Santa Claus in the sky: we think of our prayers not as petitions, but as demands. Then, if God does not grant our request, we’re thrown into a faith crisis, believing He no longer answers us. The real problem, however, is that we misunderstand the Lord’s three answers to prayer:

Yes. We love this response! There’s nothing more exhilarating or faith-inspiring than watching the Lord move mountains in order to provide what we once saw as impossible.

No. Here is where the problems begin for us. But we must accept the fact that God says “noâ€

[Bugsy]

November 5, 2008

The Landmine of Compromise
READ | Psalm 119:1-8

Compromise injures a believer’s spiritual life as surely as landmines wreak havoc upon the body. Our testimony is damaged or destroyed when we bend God’s principles.

For example, suppose a young Christian woman meets an attractive man who doesn’t share her beliefs. For years, she has known Paul’s caution, “Do not be bound together with unbelieversâ€

[Bugsy]

November 6, 2008

The High Cost of Compromise
READ | 1 Kings 11:1-11

We all occasionally succumb to a case of the “I’d never-sâ€

[Bugsy]

November 7, 2008

Brokenness: The Process
READ | Romans 8:29-31

How tempting it is to think we need very little improvement. Ask around, and you’ll hear many people concede they could probably use a bit of “maintenanceâ€

[Bugsy]

November 8-9, 2008

The Breaking of Peter
READ | Luke 22:54-62

Peter’s pride in his own cleverness and strength got in the way of God’s purposes. Christ sought a servant-leader to guide believers after He returned to heaven. The former fisherman was an impulsive know-it-all, but the Lord saw through Peter’s arrogance to his potential. And so the master Craftsman used a sharp tool—humiliation—to break him.

When Jesus’ words conflicted with Peter’s opinions, the disciple boldly rebuked the Teacher (Matt. 16:21-22; John 13:5-8 ). Christ responded with a pointed reprimand meant both to silence and to teach Matt. 16:23). In fact, the Lord had to correct the disciple in front of his peers on several occasions.

Ultimately, Peter failed in an area where he’d once felt great confidence—his commitment to die for the Lord. Instead, he denied Christ three times before the rooster crowed. This final humiliation, witnessed by a group of strangers, shattered his self-assurance. Jesus chipped away at Peter’s pride for three years before the disciple gave up his notion that Christ was Israel’s grand deliverer from Roman oppression. Achieving glory ceased to matter when he chose to focus on the Lord’s plan for lasting personal salvation. And thanks to Peter’s newfound humility, God had a servant-leader (1 Peter 5:5-6).

How are you hindering God’s work in your life? Be aware that He is determined to break you for your good and His glory. The Lord restored Peter as a more humble yet much greater man than before. He does the same for every believer who yields to His will.

[Bugsy]

November 12, 2008

Praying With Authority
READ | 1 Kings 18:19-39

God has given His children the privilege of calling upon Him for all they need, and what’s more, He’s promised to respond. He has also included the right to petition Him on behalf of others. Scripture tells us that the prayers of a righteous person can accomplish much (James 5:16).

To be righteous in the Father’s sight, we must have accepted His offer of salvation. Before redemption, we were unrighteous people under His judgment (Eph. 2:1, 3). Through faith in Christ as our Savior, we are made new and declared holy in His sight. Then, for our petitions to be powerful and effective, they must be in agreement with His will (1 John 5:14-15). Getting to know our Father’s character and priorities is the key to making requests aligned with His plan.

Elijah is a good example of someone who prayed with authority. The Lord sent him into battle against evil King Ahab and the 450 prophets of Baal. This was a spiritual conflict to prove who was the real God—Baal or the Lord of Israel. Elijah’s weapons were his knowledge of the Father’s plan and the authority he had in prayer as a prophet of God. His request, made publicly before his opponents, matched the Lord’s will—that Jehovah would make Himself known (1 Kings 18:37). And when God responded to Elijah’s prayer, the people declared, “The LORD, He is God!â€

[Bugsy]

November 13, 2008

The Power of Prayer
READ | 2 Chronicles 20:1-15

In Scripture, we find examples of people who prayed with spiritual authority. Elijah boldly challenged the prophets of the false god Baal because he knew the Lord would hear and answer. King Jehoshaphat heard that a great army was coming against Israel, so he sought God for direction and strength—and called upon the nation to do the same.

These examples can teach us important lessons about praying powerfully:

Dependence on God. The petitions of both men showed their deep reliance upon the Lord. Knowing that victory over Israel’s enemies was beyond their own abilities, they asked the Lord to intervene.

A Focus on His plan. The prophet did things God’s way against tremendous odds and at great personal risk (1 Kings 19:1-2). The king called for the nation to fast as he sought to discover the Lord’s strategy.

Purity of motive. Both leaders had God-centered intentions with a goal of furthering His purposes. They were not trying to gain anything for themselves.

Confidence in the Lord’s faithfulness. Neither man hesitated to ask publicly for divine help. Elijah told the plan to the 450 enemy prophets, and Jehoshaphat called upon all of Israel to join him in prayer.

If your prayers seem to be having little impact, ask yourself, Have I been relying upon my own strength to resolve matters? Is there a selfish basis for my request? Am I lacking confidence in God (James 1:5-7)? If so, turn to God, confess, and seek to follow the example of the prophet and the king.