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Date Posted: 13:39:40 05/27/22 Fri
Author: c
Subject: more additional teachings 5/2022

Intouch Devotional June 2022

Bible Study

(edited)

A Well-Tended Soul: Self-Discipline will help you go further with God.


p 20


Self-discipline helps keep unwanted behaviors from destroying what God is doing in your life. Embrace it and you'll discover how pleasant the work can be.


Going further

It's important to realize that while self-discipline is positive, it's not all you need to walk well in life. In fact, if you try to rely on will-power alone, you'll soon become frustrated in your attempts to "conquer sin" or "be a better person." ...Self-discipline doesn't mean doing everything yourself. It means working with, not against, God.

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Beside the still waters

11/12/21

Lord, Lift me up

(edited)

...We find in today's Bible readings that our Lord is in the business of lifting up the downcast.


...we are not necessarily spared the difficult things of life. Unbelievers will scoff at us. Our possessions might be stolen. A close friend or relative may give up the faith. Our child or spouse may die. Sometimes our own faith may wane and a cloud of disappointment and discouragement may enshroud us. In such times we ourselves should be the first to fall on our knees and pray, "Lord life me up." And like the brother who was mentioned earlier, we should not be ashamed to ask others to pray that we would be lifted up.

We do well to immerse ourselves in the pure water of the Word. God uses promises found there to lift us up. We need to stay close to God's people. He uses them to encourage us. One thing is sure, God is faithful and will do His part in lifting us up!

Dennis Martin

---------------------=

Beside the still waters

12/17/21

Gravity

(edited)

There is also a spiritual gravity that draws men down into destruction. Sin always draws us away form God, truth, and peace. The enemies of God want to weigh us down in despair, pride, lust, anger, fear, unbelief, and more.

...the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus can free us from the law of sin and death. God sent Jesus to be lifted up and to draw all men unto Him. He provides a salvation that lifts and satisfies. Humility is another lifter. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submission to a God we know, love, trust, and obey places us in a lifting up position

Faith and the fear of God lift us to a diligent search for Him and the reward of a relationship with Him and the reward of a relationship with Him. Prayer also lifts us. It is God's will that men pray everywhere lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting (1 Timothy 2:8). Joy and praise are also lifters. Thanking God for His goodness and blessings in Christ can encourage and lift us even in the most discouraging circumstances. The blessed hope of eternity with Christ keeps us ever pressing onward and upward.

Daniel Stauffer

----------------------=

Beside the still waters

12/15/21

(edited)

Instruments of God


...God seems to delight in using broken things as He builds His Kingdom. He takes wrecked confidences, disappointments, shattered dreams, financial reverses, loneliness, grief, incarceration, sickness, and many other emotionally bitter circumstances, and He sovereignly weaves these things into the rich tapestry of His design for one's life.

Life's difficult losses aren't senseless detours. In painful times, a life's potential for good grows as abundantly broad as the resourcefulness of God's wisdom. God invites people to step forward and find joyful new dimensions of a life in Him. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). This is what God can do with the heartaches that humans face.

God requires of people three S's: First, get serious. Repent of any sins and cry out to God. In a new way, allow God to become Lord in all of life. At the lonely juncture of human helplessness, individuals meet God.

Second, become sweet. God doesn't call us to live in denial of our struggles. But God does use difficult situations to fill people's hearts with inspiration and blessing for those around them. And He can do so much if individuals allow Him to.

Third, keep stepping. God always leads people through their struggles. God calls us to a progressively deeper relationship with Him. For the Christian, horizons unfold from glory to glory!

Daniel Diller

Thou will shew me the path of life - Psalm 16:11

-------------------------------=

From the Pastor's Heart

Charles Stanley

(edited)

May 2022

Every once in a while, somebody says to me, "I've heard you preach on the goodness of God, but I can't see it in my life. After I was saved, everything got worse, not better." Have you ever felt like this? Perhaps you've prayed for a good outcome to a problem, but God didn't answer. In fact, the situation may have become more difficult than it was before you prayed. Or maybe you claimed a promise in Scripture, but it seems like God hasn't kept His Word.

Would it help you to know that this a common experience in the Christian life? The problem isn't with God, but with our understanding. We must be careful not to confuse the Lord's goodness with our expectations. When we don't understand what He's doing, we can still trust Who He is.

...We obey the Lord, yet trouble and suffering follow. Then we think we've done something wrong or accuse God of being unfaithful. Neither reaction is the right solution. Instead, we should look beyond the immediate circumstances.

Realize God works with the big picture in mind.

...If we trust Him even when we don't understand what He's doing, He'll strengthen our faith.

...we can't perceive all He's doing. Yet even in our most painful situations, He's working for our good (Romans 8:28).

----------------------------------=

Turning Points devotional 8/14-15/21

(edited)

Forget Me Not

In the face of abundance

When Solomon finished building the first temple for the Lord in Jerusalem, he prayed a beautiful prayer of dedication (1 Kings 8:22-53). ...Solomon then expressed a hope: "May He not leave us nor forsake us."

...Maybe Solomon was expressing the fear felt by a sage of the times named Agur. This wise man worried about ever having such an abundance that he would forget the One Who provided it and dishonor His Name (Proverbs 30:7-9). Maybe Solomon was saying, "May we never forget the One Who has blessed us so abundantly."

David reminded the people that all we have comes from God (1 Chronicle 29:14). May we never forget the source of our abundance. May we not be tempted to leave the One Who promises never to leave us.

Turning Point

When you drink from the stream, remember the spring.

-----------------------=

Our Daily Bread 11/4/21

(edited)

Rainy days

"whoever refreshes others will be refreshed" (Proverbs 11:25)

Is the sun shining extra bright in your life today? Look around to see if there's torrential rain in someone else's world. The blessings God has graciously given you are multiplied when you freely share them with others. Being generous and open-handed is a wonderful way to give hope to others and to remind hurting people that God loves them.

Cindy Hess Kasper

------------------------=

Our Daily Bread 11/24/21

(edited)

The Will of God

God's will is sometimes hard to follow. He asks us to do the right things. He calls us to endure hardship without complaining; to love awkward people; to heed the voice inside us that says, You mustn't; to take steps we'd rather not take....

David determines to live in silence - quiet submission to God's will. This is our calling as well, the thing for which we were created....This is our first and highest calling when we make Him Lord and the source of our deepest pleasure. "I desire to do Your will," the psalmist said (Psalm 40:8).

We must always ask for God's help, of course, for our "hope comes from Him" (Psalm 62:5).

David H. Roper

---------------------------=

Our Daily Bread

9/1/21

Help from the Holy Spirit

(edited)

...God can't compromise His standards, but because He deeply desires us to be like He is, He's given us the Holy Spirit to help us meet those standards.

How comforting it is to know that no matter how big the sin we're trapped in or how far we've turned from God, He's ready to heal us of our faithlessness! All we need to do is acknowledge our wrong ways and allow His Holy Spirit to begin changing our hearts.

Leslie Koh

------------------------=

Our Daily Bread 9/25/21

God knows we feel

(edited)

Feeling overwhelmed, Sierra grieved her son's fight with addiction. "I feel bad," she said. "Does God think I have no faith because I can't stop crying when I'm praying?"

"I don't know what God thinks," I said. "But I know He can handle real emotions. It's not like He doesn't know we feel." I prayed and shed tears with Sierra as we pleaded for her son's deliverance.

Scripture contains many examples of people wrestling with God while struggling...

God designed us in His image and with emotions. Our tears for others reveal deep love and compassion, not necessarily a lack of faith. We can approach God with raw wounds or old scars because He knows we feel.

Xochitl Dixon

------------------------=

Our Daily Bread

3/15/22

No formula needed

(edited)

When Jen was young, her well-intentioned Sunday school teacher instructed the class in evangelism training, which included memorizing a series of verses and a formula for sharing the gospel....The approach seemed to be more about the formula than the person.

We don't need a formula to lead others to Jesus - what matters most is that a love for God compels and shines through us. As we live in and share His love, God draws other to know Him too.

Alyson Kieda

--------------------=

Our Daily Bread 3/28/22

His Peace

For several months, I coped with intense workplace politics and intrigues. Worrying is second nature to me, so I was surprised to find myself at peace. Instead of feeling anxious, I was able to respond with a calm mind and heart. I knew that this peace could come only from God.

In contrast, there was another period in my life when everything was going well - and yet I felt deep unrest in my heart. I knew it was because I was trusting in my own abilities instead of trusting God and His leading. Looking back, I've realized that true peace - God's peace - isn't defined by our circumstances, but by our trust in Him.

God's peace comes to us when our minds are steadfast (Isaiah 26:3). In Hebrew, the word for steadfast means "to lean upon." As we lean on Him, we'll experience His calming presence. We can trust in God, remembering that He'll humble the proud and wicked and smooth the paths of those who love Him (Isaiah 26:5 - 7).

When I experienced peace in a season of difficulty rather than ease, I discovered that God's peace isn't an absence of conflict, but a profound sense of security even in distress. It's a peace that surpasses human understanding and guards our hearts and minds in the midst of the most difficult of circumstances (Philippians 4:6 - 7).

Karen Huang

-----------------------------=

Our Daily Bread 3/29/22

Past the boundaries of knowing


It was a hard day when my husband found out that, like so many others, he too would soon be furloughed from employment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We believed God would meet our basic needs, but the uncertainty of how that would happen was still terrifying.

As I processed my jumbled emotions, I found myself revisiting a favorite poem by sixteenth - century reformer John of the Cross. Entitled "I went in, I knew not Where," the poem depicts the wonder to be found in a journey of surrender, when, going "past the boundaries of knowing," we learn to "discern the Divine in all its guises." And so that's what my husband and I tried to do during this season: to turn our focus from what we could control and understand to the unexpected, mysterious, and beautiful ways God can be found all around us.

The apostle Paul invited believers to a journey from the seen to the unseen, from outward to inward realities, and from temporary struggles to the "eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Paul didn't urge this because he lacked compassion for their struggles. He knew it would be through letting go of what they could understand that they could experience the comfort, joy, and hope they so desperately needed (2 Corinthians 4:15 - 16). They could know the wonder of Christ's life making all things new.

Monica La Rose

--------------------------=

Our Daily Bread 5/2/22

father of lies

(edited)

Our enemy, the devil, presents temptation as if it's no big deal...But the moment we catch on to his scheme, he switches gears. "It's too late! You've gone too far! You're hopeless now!"

The enemy will say whatever it takes to destroy us as we engage in spiritual warfare.

If the devil is a liar, then we should never listen to him. Not when he says our sin is no big deal, and not when he says we're beyond hope. May Jesus help us dismiss the evil one's words and listen to Jesus Christ instead. We rest our hearts on His promise: "if you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31 - 32).

Mike Wittmer

--------------------------=

Turning Points daily devotion 5/14 - 15/22

James and Jude

John 7:5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.

When Jesus encountered people, His presence often made an instantaneous difference. On other occasions, it took time. Take our Lord's family. Despite living with Him in Nazareth, His brothers didn't believe He was the Messiah. Yet after His resurrection, how the Lord used them!

Paul talked about the ministry of "the brothers of the Lord" in 1 Corinthians 9:5. His brother James became the leader of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 12:17), and later wrote the epistle of James, which sounds very much like the teachings of the Lord Jesus. His brother Jude wrote a book exhorting us to contend for the faith.

If you're discouraged about close friends or family members, remember the Bible tells us to "always pray and not give up" (Luke 18:1, NIV). The Lord can make a difference in the lives of those we love, though it sometimes takes longer than we'd like. If His influence could transform His unbelieving brothers into soldiers of the cross, He can do the same for those we love.

Turning Point

Oh, for the eyes of our heart to be opened to see God working in ourselves and in others, and to see how blessed it is to worship and just to wait on His salvation!

Andrew Murray

------------------------------=

Turning Point daily devotion 3/12 - 13/22

God's Plans are Perfect

(edited)

Faith is the attitude we adopt between the time God gives us a promise and the moment when it's fulfilled. We don't live with instant gratification of every desire, nor are we able to instantly solve every painful difficulty. What we can do, however, is to search God's Word for the promises He longs for us to claim. We follow the example of Abraham: "Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised" (Hebrews 6:15, NLT).

Henry T. and Richard Blackaby wrote, "The timing of God's answer is crucial. We mistakenly assume the moment God reveals his will everything must happen immediately. Sometimes God gives us a glimpse of what He plans to do in the future. It is critical, however, that we trust Him to carry out His plans in the right timing. The worst thing to do is to take matter into our own hands."

The Lord doesn't always answer our prayers immediately, but He can and will give us inner reassurance that He knows our need, feels our pain, and is quietly working in ways we cannot see.

Turning Point

God never acts prematurely, and He is never late. God's timing never leaves things unfinished, and it always produces the maximum effect.

Henry and Richard Blackaby

---------------------------------=

Today in the Word

April 2022

Practical Theology

What does it mean to repent?

by Dr. John Koessler

(edited)

Repentance is foundational to the Christian life and part of a larger impulse toward God that the Bible calls faith. Without faith, repentance is merely regret. It may convey genuine sorrow for sin but knows no remedy for it. Faith without repentance is unfocused. It may show a kind of trust in Jesus, but without knowing what it is trusting Him to do or why. The repentance that springs from faith is convinced that Jesus welcomes sinners and can save them (Luke 15:2).

--------------------------=

Today in the Word

6/9/21

True worship

(edited)

"What have you done for me lately?"

It's easy to forget how well someone has served us in the past, when we are disappointed with them in the present! Some companies take this approach with their employees: "It does not matter how great of a job you did last year, or last week - what value are you bringing to the company now?" The question for us today is: How often do we take that approach with God?


In the previous few psalms, Israel often appealed to God's deliverance in Egypt as proof that God would intervene to save them again (see Psalm 77:10 - 20;80:8 - 11). But here, God responds by reminding Israel that when He delivered them, they quickly forgot. They had a "What have You done for me lately?" relationship with God. They only wanted results, while God desired a relationship.

God has given us salvation through the work of Jesus. Yet, like Israel, we may be tempted to follow our own counsel and set our own priorities. Remember today that God has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:9).


Ryan J. Cook

-----------------=

Today in the Word

6/13/21

Justice and Forgiveness

Have you ever needed to ask someone for forgiveness? It is a difficult place to be in because it means admitting that you have done something wrong. You also might not know how the offended person might react. You might ask for forgiveness, but will they grant it?

In today's reading, Israel found itself in the position of having to once again ask God for forgiveness and restoration....


...Psalm 85 should remind us not to underestimate either our sinfulness or God's gracious and costly forgiveness.

Ryan J. Cook

--------------------------------=

Today in the Word

June 2021

Q&A

Questions & Answers

(edited)

by Dr. Valencia Wiggins, Assistant Professor at Moody Theological Seminary, Field Chair of Counseling

Question: Why do mature Christians experience depression? Shouldn't we be able to pray it away?

Answer: If you experience depression, even as a Christian, you are not alone. Charles Spurgeon, a well-known preacher from the 19the century, struggled with depression for many years...Spurgeon's challenges help illustrate the depths and sometimes debilitating effects of this mental illness....


Question: As a Christian, how should I deal with depression?

Answer: Depression can manifest itself as general sadness and increase all the way to severe clinical depression. Someone experiencing severe depression may experience disruptions to their life and environment. In severe cases, it is always important to reach out to a licensed counselor or medical professional...The good news is that when this happens, you can receive help. You are not alone in this season.

If you are experiencing depression, here are a few suggestions to care for yourself: 1) Find a balance in your life between work, family, friends and church, and school; 2) Move your body (i.e. walking, exercise); 3) Connect with your family and friends and resist isolation. Getting together with others (especially in person, but even virtually) can help improve your mood; 5) Journal (expressing your feelings can give you an outlet and help you gain a better perspective); and 6) Tap into the power of prayer (Psalms 4:1; Psalm 17;6; Psalm 23)

Finally, while dealing with depression may seem hopeless, the Bible show us how to hope. In the Psalms, we read about the same struggle. The psalms often start with a question, and end with a hopeful outcome. For example, in Psalm 43: "Why, my soul are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God (Psalm 43:5).

--------------------------=

Today in the Word

6/15/21

Darkness is my closest friend

Psalm 88

(edited)

Even in extreme grief, the Psalmist clearly has not given up on God. He still prays, even if those prayers are full of questions and angst. It is appropriate for us to come to God honestly and ask probing questions during dark and difficult times. Even when we may not feel God's presence, He is with us.

Ryan J. Cook


----------------------------=

Beside the Still Waters

7/9/13

Joseph's pleading

(edited)

When Joseph was thrown into a pit by his brothers, he was hurting....We all like to think that if we ever found ourselves in a similar situation, we would come to the aid of the victim.

Now let us consider the "Josephs" of our time. Reflect on those among us who do not quite match what is considered the norm....Are any standing on the edges of the fellowship, desiring friendship but finding us too busy with our popular friends?

...They are begging for friendship, for compassion, for understanding. They might act as if they do not care,but in reality they are crying inside. Perhaps they go somewhere in private and shed real tears of suffering.

What is your reaction to the Josephs of today? Are you like the brothers in the Bible, deliberately ignoring the pleas of anguish? If so, their cries may come back and haunt you later just as Joseph's cries haunted his brothers. Today's key verse points out that even many years afterward, the memory was still vivid in their minds.

Have compassion on the Josephs among us today. Strive to help the victims of rejection and mockery. Have no part in causing pain and anguish.
Give these victims the hand of friendship, and accept them as you want to be accepted.

Lester Burkholder

Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor; he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard. Proverbs 21:13

------------------------------=

Beside the still waters

7/25/13

(edited)

How will your tombstone read?

Charles H. Spurgeon wrote, "A good character is the best tombstone. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble." Character is what we are under the surface. It is shaped by the principles that rule our lives. Consider these four principles of good character.

Honesty. This is a prerequisite in relation to God. We must be honest with ourselves. If our word can't be counted on, it reveals a faulty character....

Dependability. ...Being faithful in little things shows that we can be trusted in larger things. Dependability is a characteristic of an honest person. May we always seek to keep our promises.

Unselfishness. We all tend to be egocentric, centered on ourselves. Jesus is the perfect example of unselfishness. ..The quality of our character is directly tied to unselfishness.

Helpfulness. Are we willing to lay down our work to help others who are in need?

....How would our tombstone read if it truly stated how we lived?

Allan A. Miller

Character is what you are in the dark.

----------------------------=

Beside the still waters

8/5/13

(edited)

The Fruit of Love

The love of God is a fruit of the Spirit. We can have the love of God in our hearts only to the degree that we have God in our lives....

When we ask God to give us the precious fruit of His loving Spirit, it can be increased only through His presence in our lives. The more we pursue God, the more His goodness shows in our lives. The more we follow Christ, the more His love will shine through us. The more we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, the more whole we will be.


We often meet troubled people. Do we notice the person in church who is burdened with care and worries for a loved one going astray? Can we see the unhappy, hurting child who needs a nod of approval or a word of affirmation? Do we recognize the insecure teenage boy or girl who needs reassurance from an adult? We need to encourage these in such a way that they feel God's love flowing through us. For the love of God is merciful, thoughtful, and sincerely concerned about the good of others.

Alvin Yoder

-------------------------=

Beside the still waters

8/31/13

God allows U-turns

(edited)

When I make a U-turn, I am saying that I had been headed in the wrong direction and now I am correcting that wrong. Sometimes we may feel foolish because we missed the right road, but continuing to go in the wrong direction will only make things worse.

God allows U-turns in dealing with sin - in fact, He commands us to make them.

Leroy Amstutz

-------------------------=

Beside the still waters

8/13/13

Truth will prevail

(edited)

There was once a church whose members would often discuss negative things about other groups. Finally someone said, "this has got to stop, since there surely isn't any blessing in such gossip."

The devil doesn't care how or where he gets us to stumble. he wants us to exalt ourselves because of the way we do things, and to look down on those who do things differently.....

....It may be true that a group or evangelist is lacking in certain areas but shouldn't we rejoice that the Gospel is being preached?.....

If we are sincere followers of Christ, we obviously cannot approve all the teachings and methods of all professing Christians. But neither do we need to condemn other groups. God is the Judge, and He is able to use even an incomplete presentation of the Gospel to draw souls to Himself....

Martin Horst

---------------------------=

Beside the Still waters

6/29/15

Zacchaeus

....Somehow it was below our dignity to associate with them. Now many years later, I wish we had shown love and compassion to them instead of ignoring them. Only God knows what rewards we would have enjoyed if only we had befriended them.

That wayward daughter had a bad name , which was all we saw. It appeared to us that she and her family did not have the Lord's blessing. But we failed to see the blessing we missed because of our selfish attitude. We should have seen the value of their souls and remembered that Jesus came to seek and save them as well as us.

Melvin L. Yoder

O Lord, bless us with a burning compassion for the lost, lonely, and neglected.

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