Ichthus Ministries: 03/02/17

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Girlfriends in God - What My Brain Tumor Taught Me About Trusting God

Today’s Truth

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. (Psalm 143:8, NIV)

Friend to Friend

Three and a half years ago I had basically no eyesight. I’d been to three doctors in one day. I sat nervously in a dark room, with nothing more than a hospital gown and my quickly diminishing faith. Three and a half years ago I was in the ER about to find out I needed brain surgery to remove a large tumor growing off my pituitary gland.

I prayed and prayed. “God, if you could just bring me through this I promise I’ll never doubt you again.” Because surely, if I got through that, everything else would seem like nothing. I wouldn’t need to worry about the smaller things because heck, I’D BE ALIVE. What more could I ask for?

Well, I got through surgery. In fact, it went so well that they didn’t even have to put me in ICU afterwards like they thought they would. But I was terrified I’d get a brain bleed, a spinal fluid leak, or one of the other million things they said could happen. They sent me home within three days. I ended up in the ER twice after they sent me home, once by ambulance. It was a rough couple of weeks.

I just kept thinking OK, God, get me through this one more thing . . . one more thing . . . one more thing.

But it never really ended. Once surgery was over it was recovery. And after that it was waiting until my next brain scan. And after that, well, going back to real life - work and a household on top of exhaustion and headaches. Oh yeah, and a year - long wait until my next scan.

When does it ever end?

My last scan was clear, and I don’t go back for a couple years now. But I still worry. I worry my tumor will grow back. I worry my pituitary gland will stop working. I worry it will cause more miscarriages. I worry I won’t be able to breastfeed my son as long as I’d like—or that maybe I won’t be able to breastfeed my next child. These thoughts go through my head every day – because the trusting never ends.

Three and a half years ago it was “God, please keep me alive.” Then it was “I beg you to let me have kids someday” and now that I have my sweet son, after two miscarriages, it’s “Please, please, please keep him safe. Please don’t let me have anymore miscarriages. I want him to have siblings.”

Every day when my feet hit the ground I have to give that day—every hour, down to the second—to the Lord.

I try grasping at hope everywhere I see it, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to trust. Five days before my surgery I had no idea there was anything going on in my head. That’s a scary thought. But had I known the outcome, would it have been faith at all?

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

Faith doesn’t tell us to take a leap in the dark. It tells us to trust our never failing God with a perfect track record. Faith proves the reality of things that cannot be seen by the bodily eye. It means we are in full approval of all God has revealed as holy, just, and good.

Faith, by nature, is trusting God with the unseen. And when you have a lot of unseens, you just have to keep-on-trusting.

I look back on that incredibly rough year—of surgery, and endless blood draws, and MRIs, and waiting, and hoping—and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I learned to persevere, trust, and hope like I never thought I could. I prayed more than I probably did in my first twenty years combined.

I got a small taste of what it’s really like to trust God when it isn’t easy - because life isn’t easy. But that’s why we have to place our ultimate hope in Him.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Take heart, my friends. Faith isn’t easy, but peace is so freeing. Just trust Him.

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, this life can be so, so hard sometimes. And the scariest part is that we never know what the next day will bring. This can cause great anxiety, but it also draws us to place our trust in you. I know that you are working every little thing together for your purpose and plan. Let each and every day bring me word of your steadfast love, because I place my trust in you.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

Has God drawn you closer through the struggles you’ve faced? What has He taught you throughout the hard times in your life?

More from the Girlfriends

I got married in 2012, at the age of 19, and found that marriage didn’t come as easily as I thought it would! My mom had been married over 20 years and felt the same way. Out of this, our marriage ministry, Nitty Gritty Love, was born. We blog about the tough things we face as wives, and how the Gospel should shape our marriages. We’re currently working on our first devotional, which will be published sometime in 2017.

Seeking God?

Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal

relationship with Jesus Christ.

LHM Daily Devotion - "IS THIS THE MESSIAH?"

March 3, 2017

As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ (Luke 3:15, ESV).

Read Luke 3:15-18

If John were here today, he would have a lot to say about our fear to confront those who live contrary to God's Word. He was a bold and powerful preacher; he was unafraid to stand up to the self-absorbed religious leaders or expose the errors of powerful political rulers.

It's not difficult for the crowds to see the power of God at work in his ministry. So we should not be surprised to hear them asking if John might be the great prophet that Moses predicted long ago. Is this the Messiah God had promised to send?

But John immediately set the crowds straight. However powerful he might be as a prophet, he is nothing compared to the One who is coming. Compared to Him, John is like the lowest house slave, unworthy even to stoop down and lay his fingers upon the sandals of the great Messiah.

Even now, this mighty Son of God is living in Galilee. Soon He will come to John to begin His ministry, by which He will accomplish His great rescue mission. John baptizes with water, but the Christ will pour out the Holy Spirit and His cleansing fire upon those who hear and believe.

What thoughts must have rushed through those crowds, hearing the long-awaited Messiah is near? What thoughts cross your mind when thinking of Jesus, who not long ago was that tiny Baby laying in Bethlehem's manger? How amazing is it that He will soon stride forward in humility and poverty to save the world?

THE PRAYER: Almighty God, thank You for sending Your great Son to save us from death and hell. Accept our thanksgiving and praise for Jesus' sake. Amen.

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM). The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Devociones de Cuaresma - ¿Qué entendemos por bendiciones?

3 de Marzo

Tal vez el Señor su Dios cambie de parecer y deje bendiciones tras de sí, es decir, trigo y vino para que le presenten ofrendas y libaciones. Joel 2:14, RVC (2:14-16)

Me acuerdo todavía cuando en la escuela secundaria aprendí acerca del dolor. La profesora de anatomía nos explicaba que el dolor era bueno, porque era señal de que había una herida o un problema en el cuerpo que requería atención. Si no fuera por el dolor, no nos daríamos cuenta de que nos lastimamos o nos quemamos. A partir de ese momento comencé a considerar la importancia del dolor.

En términos de la fe cristiana, el dolor y el sufrimiento también son importantes, al punto que llegan a ser una bendición para nuestra vida. Posiblemente esta afirmación no concuerde con el pensamiento popular, porque la palabra bendición la relacionamos con lo bueno, con la ausencia de dificultades, con la salud. Y es cierto que todas esas cosas son bendiciones. Pero, así como el dolor, el sufrimiento, y la muerte de Jesús son una bendición para nosotros, asimismo los sufrimientos que pasamos en la vida son una bendición porque nos hacen buscar la protección y el consuelo de nuestro Padre celestial.

¿Qué es una bendición entonces? ¿Cuáles son las bendiciones que Dios deja detrás de sí? Es muy llamativo que el profeta Joel lo resume en dos palabras: trigo y vino. En el lenguaje del Nuevo Testamento diríamos: pan y vino, el cuerpo y la sangre del Señor Jesús. Ésa es la mayor bendición que Dios deja detrás de sí cuando viene a nosotros en su Palabra y en los sacramentos. La mayor de las bendiciones que podemos recibir es al Señor Jesús, porque él nos trae el perdón de los pecados, y alivio para todos los dolores de la vida. Cuando él está con nosotros, todo duele menos.

Gracias, Padre, por todas las bendiciones que recibimos de tu mano amorosa. Amén.

© Copyright 2017 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Reina Valera Contemporánea (RVC) Copyright © 2009, 2011 by Sociedades Bíblicas Unidas.

Our Daily Bread - Two Portraits

Read: John 16:19–24 | Bible in a Year: Numbers 28–30; Mark 8:22–38

Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. John 16:22

Clutching two framed photographs, the proud grandmother showed them to friends in the church foyer. The first picture was of her daughter back in her homeland of Burundi. The second was of her grandson, born recently to that daughter. But the daughter wasn’t holding her newborn. She had died giving birth to him.

A friend approached and looked at the pictures. Reflexively, she reached up and held that dear grandmother’s face in her hands. All she could say through her own tears was, “I know. I know.”

And she did know. Two months earlier she had buried a son.

There’s something special about the comfort of others who have experienced our pain. They know. Just before Jesus’s arrest, He warned His disciples, “You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.” But in the next breath He comforted them: “You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy” (John 16:20). In mere hours, the disciples would be devastated by Jesus’s arrest and crucifixion. But their crushing grief soon turned to a joy they could not have imagined when they saw Him alive again.

Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah, “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering” (Isa. 53:4). We have a Savior who doesn’t merely know about our pain; He lived it. He knows. He cares. One day our grief will be turned into joy.

Lord, thank You for going to the cross for us. We certainly know trouble in this world, but You overcame the world and took our sin and pain for us. We look forward to the day when our sorrows will be turned into joy and we see You face to face.

When we put our cares into His hands, He puts His peace into our hearts.

By Tim Gustafson

Lời Sống Hằng Ngày - Hai Bức Ảnh

Đọc: Giăng 16:19-24 | Đọc Kinh Thánh suốt năm: Dân số ký 28-30; Mác 8:22-38

Bây giờ các con đau buồn, nhưng Ta sẽ gặp lại các con thì lòng các con vui mừng, và không ai có thể đoạt lấy niềm vui của các con. (Giăng 16:22)

Cầm hai bức ảnh được đóng khung, người bà tự hào khoe với những người bạn tại phòng giải lao ở nhà thờ. Bức ảnh đầu tiên là cô con gái trước đây ở quê hương Burundi. Bức ảnh thứ hai là đứa cháu trai mà con gái bà mới sinh gần đây. Nhưng cô gái không bế đứa con mới sinh của mình. Cô đã qua đời khi sinh con.

Một người bạn của bà tiến đến gần và xem hai bức ảnh, rưng rưng đưa tay lên và ôm chặt gương mặt của người bà yêu quý. Tất cả những gì bà ấy có thể nói với bà trong nước mắt là: “Tôi hiểu. Tôi hiểu.”

Và bà ấy thật sự hiểu vì hai tháng trước, bà ấy cũng đã mất đi đứa con trai của mình.

Sự an ủi của những người đã trải qua nỗi đau như chúng ta có ý nghĩa đặc biệt. Họ thấu hiểu. Trước khi bị bắt, Chúa Jêsus cảnh báo môn đồ: “Các con sẽ khóc lóc, than van, còn thế gian sẽ vui mừng.” Nhưng Ngài tiếp tục bằng lời an ủi họ: “Các con sẽ đau buồn, nhưng sự đau buồn của các con sẽ trở thành vui mừng” (Giăng 16:20). Chỉ vài giờ nữa, các môn đồ sẽ tan tác khi Chúa Jêsus bị bắt và đóng đinh. Nhưng nỗi buồn tan nát đó trở thành niềm vui mà họ không thể tưởng tượng được khi thấy Ngài sống lại.

Ê-sai đã nói tiên tri về Đấng Mê-si rằng: “Thật, Người đã mang sự đau ốm của chúng ta, đã gánh nỗi đau khổ của chúng ta” (Ês. 53:4). Chúng ta có một Cứu Chúa không chỉ thấu hiểu về nỗi đau của chúng ta; mà Ngài còn trải qua điều đó. Ngài biết rõ. Ngài quan tâm. Một ngày kia, nỗi đau buồn sẽ biến nên niềm vui.

Lạy Chúa, cảm ơn Ngài đã bước lên thập tự giá vì chúng con. Chúng con gặp hoạn nạn trong thế giới này, nhưng Ngài đã chiến thắng thế gian và gánh lấy nỗi đau và tội lỗi thay cho chúng con. Chúng con chờ đợi đến ngày mà những nỗi ưu phiền của chúng con sẽ biến nên niềm vui và chúng con sẽ gặp Ngài mặt đối mặt.

Khi chúng ta trao những lo lắng của mình vào tay Chúa, Ngài sẽ đặt sự bình an Ngài vào lòng chúng ta.

bởi Tim Gustafson

Nuestro Pan Diario - Dos retratos

Leer: Juan 16:19-24 | La Biblia en un año: Marcos 8:22-38

… ahora tenéis tristeza; pero os volveré a ver, y se gozará vuestro corazón, y nadie os quitará vuestro gozo (Juan 16:22).

L a orgullosa abuela sostenía con fuerza dos fotografías mientras las mostraba a sus amigos en la iglesia. Una era de su hija, en Burundi, África. La otra, de su nieto recién nacido. Sin embargo, la hija no sostenía al bebé, ya que había muerto al dar a luz.

Una amiga se acercó y miró las fotos. Tomó entre sus manos el rostro de aquella querida abuela… y lo único que pudo decir entre lágrimas fue: «Te entiendo, te entiendo».

Y, sí, la entendía. Hacía dos meses, había sepultado a su hijo.

Hay algo especial en el consuelo de quienes han experimentado el mismo dolor. Entienden. Antes de ser arrestado, Jesús advirtió a sus discípulos: «De cierto os digo, que vosotros lloraréis y lamentaréis, y el mundo se alegrará». Pero, de inmediato, los consoló: «pero […] vuestra tristeza se convertirá en gozo» (Juan 16:20). Horas más tarde, los discípulos quedarían devastados, pero, poco después, su agobiante tristeza se transformó en un gozo inimaginable cuando lo vieron vivo de nuevo.

Isaías profetizó sobre el Mesías: «Ciertamente llevó él nuestras enfermedades, y sufrió nuestros dolores» (53:4). Tenemos un Salvador que no solo entiende sobre nuestro dolor; lo vivió. Jesús entiende y le interesa cómo nos sentimos. Un día, nuestra tristeza se convertirá en gozo.

Señor, cuando te veamos, la tristeza se convertirá en gozo.

Cuando ponemos nuestras preocupaciones en sus manos, Dios pone paz en nuestro corazón.

Por Tim Gustafson

Unser Täglich Brot - Zwei Bilder

Lesen: Johannes 16,19-24 | Die Bibel In Einem Jahr: 4.Mose 28–30; Markus 8,22-38

Auch ihr habt nun Traurigkeit; aber ich will euch wiedersehen, und euer Herz soll sich freuen, und eure Freude soll niemand von euch nehmen. Johannes 16,22

Stolz zeigte die Großmutter im Foyer der Gemeinde die zwei gerahmten Fotos herum. Auf dem einen war ihre Tochter, daheim in Burundi; auf dem anderen der Enkel, den die Tochter vor kurzem zur Welt gebracht hatte. Aber der Säugling lag nicht in den Armen seiner Mutter. Sie war bei der Geburt gestorben.

Als eine Bekannte die Bilder sah, streckte sie impulsiv die Arme aus und zog die Großmutter an sich. Unter Tränen brachte sie hervor: „Ich weiß, ich weiß.“

Und sie wusste Bescheid. Zwei Monate vorher hatte sie einen Sohn begraben.

Der Trost von Menschen, die dasselbe durchgemacht haben wie wir, ist etwas ganz Spezielles. Sie wissen. Kurz vor seiner Gefangennahme warnte Jesus seine Jünger: „Ihr werdet weinen und klagen, aber die Welt wird sich freuen.“ Doch schon im nächsten Atemzug tröstete er sie: „Ihr werdet traurig sein, doch eure Traurigkeit soll in Freude verwandelt werden“ (Joh. 16,20). In wenigen Stunden würde Jesu Festnahme und Kreuzigung die Jünger zutiefst erschüttern. Aber der Kummer verwandelte sich unerwartet in Freude, als sie ihn lebendig wiedersahen.

Jesaja hat über den Messias prophezeit: „Er trug unsere Krankheit und lud auf sich unsre Schmerzen“ (Jes. 53,4). Wir haben einen Heiland, der nicht nur unsere Schmerzen kennt. Er hat sie selbst erlebt. Er weiß Bescheid. Eines Tages wird auch unsere Trauer in Freude verwandelt.

Wenn wir unsere Sorgen in seine Hände legen, legt er seinen Frieden in unsere Herzen.

Von Tim Gustafson

Notre Pain Quotidien - Deux portraits

Lisez : Jean 16.19‑24 | La Bible en un an : Nombres 28 – 30 et Marc 8.22-38

Vous donc aussi, vous êtes maintenant dans la tristesse ; mais je vous reverrai, et votre coeur se réjouira, et nul ne vous ravira votre joie. (Jean 16.22)

Serrant bien fort deux photos, la grand‑mère empreinte de fierté les a montrées à ses amies dans le vestibule de l’église. La première montrait sa fille dans son pays natal du Burundi. La seconde montrait son petit‑fils, à qui sa fille venait de donner naissance. Par contre, sa fille ne tenait pas son nouveau‑né dans ses bras, car elle était morte en couche.

Une amie s’étant approchée pour regarder les photos a pris le visage de cette chère grand‑mère entre ses mains d’un air songeur. Et tout ce qu’elle est parvenue à dire en refoulant ses larmes a été : « Je sais, je sais. » Et c’était bien vrai. Deux mois plus tôt, elle avait porté un fils en terre.

La consolation que nous apporte quiconque a connu la même douleur que nous est particulière. Ils savent. Tout juste avant son arrestation, Jésus a mis ses disciples en garde : « [Vous] pleurerez et vous vous lamenterez, et le monde se réjouira », mais du même souffle il les a réconfortés ainsi : « [Vous] serez dans la tristesse, mais votre tristesse se changera en joie » (JN 16.20). À peine quelques heures plus tard, l’arrestation et la crucifixion de Jésus allaient les dévaster. Reste qu’en le revoyant en vie par la suite, leur terrible chagrin s’est changé en une joie qu’ils n’auraient pu imaginer.

Ésaïe a prophétisé ceci au sujet du Messie : « Cependant, ce sont nos souffrances qu’il a portées, c’est de nos douleurs qu’il s’est chargé » (ÉS 53.4). Nous avons un Sauveur qui a vécu notre douleur. Il la connaît. Et cette douleur se changera un jour en joie.

Notre bien‑être est dans sa main, sa paix est dans notre coeur.

par Tim Gustafson

Хліб Наш Насущній - Два портрети

Читати: Івана 16:19-24 | Біблія за рік: Числа 28−30 ; Марка 8:22-38

Так сумуєте й ви ось тепер, та побачу вас знову, і серце ваше радітиме, і ніхто радости вашої вам не відійме! — Івана 16:22

Тримаючи дві фотографії, жінка похилого віку показувала їх своїм друзям у церковному фойє. На першому фото була її дочка – ще на батьківщині в Бурунді. На другому фото був її внук, що недавно народився. Але доньці не судилося тримати в руках новонароджене немовля. Вона померла під час пологів.

Одна жінка підійшла і довго дивилась на фотокартки. А потім протягнула руки і обняла обличчя старої жінки. “Я розумію. Розумію”, – це все, що ця жінка могла сказати, ковтаючи сльози.

І вона дійсно розуміла… Два місяці тому вона поховала сина.

Є щось особливе у співчутті тих, хто пережив ту ж саму біль, що й ми. Вони розуміють. Перед Своїм арештом Ісус попередив учнів: “Будете плакати та голосити, а світ буде радіти”. Але тут же і втішив їх обітницею: “Сумувати ви будете, але сум ваш обернеться в радість!” (Ів. 16:20). Буквально через кілька годин учні будуть вбиті горем через арешт і розп’яття Ісуса. Але їхній смуток незабаром зміниться радістю – такою, що вони навіть не уявляють. Адже вони знову побачать живого Вчителя.

Ісая пророкував про Месію: “Направду ж Він немочі наші узяв і наші болі поніс” (Іс. 53:4). Ми маємо Спасителя, Який Сам зазнав болю. Він розуміє нас. Піклується про нас. І прийде день, коли наш смуток обернеться у радість.

Господи, дякую Тобі за те, що Ти пішов за мене на хрест. Ми справді зазнаємо чимало горя в цьому світі, але Ти переміг світ і взяв на Себе наш гріх і наш біль. Ми чекаємо на той день, коли всі наші смутки обернуться у радість – коли побачимо Тебе лицем до лиця.

Коли віддаємо Йому свої турботи, Він дарує мир нашим серцям.

Автор Тім Густавсон

Хлеб наш насущный - Два портрета

Читать сейчас: Иоанна 16:19-24 | Библия за год: Числа 28-30; Марка 8:22-38

«Вы теперь имеете печаль; но Я увижу вас опять, и возрадуется сердце ваше, и радости вашей никто не отнимет у вас». — Иоанна 16:22

Держа в руках две фотографии в рамках, пожилая женщина показывала их друзьям в фойе церкви. На первой фотографии была ее дочь на родине, в Бурунди. На второй – внук, родившийся вскоре у ее дочери. Но молодая мать так никогда и не подержала младенца на руках. Она умерла при родах.

Подойдя, одна женщина некоторое время смотрела на фотографии, а затем протянула руки и обняла ими лицо скорбящей матери. Сквозь слезы она лишь смогла сказать: «Я знаю. Я знаю».

Она, правда, знала. Два месяца назад она похоронила сына.

Есть что-то особенное в утешении от тех, кто пережил нашу боль. Они знают. Перед тем как быть арестованным, Иисус предупреждал учеников: «Вы восплачете и возрыдаете, а мир возрадуется». Но затем тут же утешил их: «Вы печальны будете, но печаль ваша в радость будет» (Ин. 16:20). В считаные часы ученики были повергнуты в отчаяние арестом и убийством Учителя. Но их сокрушительная скорбь вскоре обратилась в радость, которой раньше они не могли и представить, потому что Он явился им живым.

Исаия пророчествовал о Мессии: «Он взял на Себя наши немощи и понес наши болезни» (Ис. 53:4). Спаситель не просто знает наши скорби. Он Сам пережил их. Он знает все на собственном опыте. И однажды Он обратит нашу печаль в радость.

Господь, благодарим Тебя за смерть на кресте. Мы имеем скорби в мире, но Ты победил мир, взяв на Себя наш грех и боль. Мы ждем того дня, когда наши печали обратятся в радость, и мы увидим Тебя лицом к лицу.

Когда мы отдаем Ему наши заботы, Он дарует нам Свой мир.

автор: Тим Густафсон

The Daily Readings for THURSDAY, March 2, 2017

The Old Testament Lesson

The Old Testament Lesson for today is taken from Deuteronomy 7:6-11

For you are a people holy to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession. It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that the LORD set his heart on you and chose you-- for you were the fewest of all peoples. It was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath that he swore to your ancestors, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and who repays in their own person those who reject him. He does not delay but repays in their own person those who reject him. Therefore, observe diligently the commandment-- the statutes, and the ordinances-- that I am commanding you today.

This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

The Epistle Lesson

The Epistle Lesson for today is taken from Titus 1:1-16

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began-- in due time he revealed his word through the proclamation with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior, To Titus, my loyal child in the faith we share: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. I left you behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you: someone who is blameless, married only once, whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious. For a bishop, as God's steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain; but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled. He must have a firm grasp of the word that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it. There are also many rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision; they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what it is not right to teach. It was one of them, their very own prophet, who said, "Cretans are always liars, vicious brutes, lazy gluttons." That testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply, so that they may become sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish myths or to commandments of those who reject the truth. To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure. Their very minds and consciences are corrupted. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

The Holy Gospel Lesson

The Holy Gospel is written in John 1:29-34
Glory be to Thee, O Lord

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel." And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God."

Here ends the Gospel lesson for today.
Glory be to Thee ,O Christ!

Morning Psalms

Psalm 37: Part I Noli aemulari
1   Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; do not be jealous of those who do wrong.
2   For they shall soon wither like the grass, and like the green grass fade away.
3   Put your trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and feed on its riches.
4   Take delight in the LORD, and he shall give you your heart's desire.
5   Commit your way to the LORD and put your trust in him, and he will bring it to pass.
6   He will make your righteousness as clear as the light and your just dealing as the noonday.
7   Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.
8   Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, the one who succeeds in evil schemes.
9   Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.
10   For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait upon the LORD shall possess the land.
11   In a little while the wicked shall be no more; you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.
12   But the lowly shall possess the land; they will delight in abundance of peace.
13   The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash at them with their teeth.
14   The Lord laughs at the wicked, because he sees that their day will come.
15   The wicked draw their sword and bend their bow to strike down the poor and needy, to slaughter those who are upright in their ways.
16   Their sword shall go through their own heart, and their bow shall be broken.
17   The little that the righteous has is better than great riches of the wicked.
18   For the power of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.

Evening Psalms

Psalm 37: Part II Novit Dominus
19   The LORD cares for the lives of the godly, and their inheritance shall last for ever.
20   They shall not be ashamed in bad times, and in days of famine they shall have enough.
21   As for the wicked, they shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD, like the glory of the meadows, shall vanish; they shall vanish like smoke.
22   The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous are generous in giving.
23   Those who are blessed by God shall possess the land, but those who are cursed by him shall be destroyed.
24   Our steps are directed by the LORD; he strengthens those in whose way he delights.
25   If they stumble, they shall not fall headlong, for the LORD holds them by the hand.
26   I have been young and now I am old, but never have I seen the righteous forsaken, or their children begging bread.
27   The righteous are always generous in their lending, and their children shall be a blessing.
28   Turn from evil, and do good, and dwell in the land for ever.
29   For the LORD loves justice; he does not forsake his faithful ones.
30   They shall be kept safe for ever, but the offspring of the wicked shall be destroyed.
31   The righteous shall possess the land and dwell in it for ever.
32   The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and their tongue speaks what is right.
33   The law of their God is in their heart, and their footsteps shall not falter.
34   The wicked spy on the righteous and seek occasion to kill them.
35   The LORD will not abandon them to their hand, nor let them be found guilty when brought to trial.
36   Wait upon the LORD and keep his way; he will raise you up to possess the land, and when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
37   I have seen the wicked in their arrogance, flourishing like a tree in full leaf.
38   I went by, and behold, they were not there; I searched for them, but they could not be found.
39   Mark those who are honest; observe the upright; for there is a future for the peaceable.
40   Transgressors shall be destroyed, one and all; the future of the wicked is cut off.
41   But the deliverance of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
42   The LORD will help them and rescue them; he will rescue them from the wicked and deliver them, because they seek refuge in him.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.

Verse of the Day - March 02, 2017

Job 23:10-11 (NIV) But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.

Read all of Job 23

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Morning Devotions with Cap'n Kenny - "The Surprising Truth about Idols"

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

—1 John 5:21 (NKJV)

Everyone is passionate about something. Some people are passionate about clothes. Other people are passionate about sports. Some are passionate about computers. Some are passionate about cars. Others are passionate about their careers. And that area can become so important to them that they eat, drink, and breathe it. It essentially can become their god.

God warned the prophet Ezekiel, “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?” (Ezekiel 14:3). Idols in our hearts can hinder our prayers.

You may say, “I don’t have any idols in my life. I don’t go and bow before some statue. Therefore, this doesn’t apply to me.” Yet we are told in the New Testament, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21).

Understand, an idol is anything or anyone that takes the place of God in our lives. Is there something right now that is more important to you than Jesus Christ is? Let me rephrase that: Is there something in your life right now that, if God were to ask you to give it up, you would be unwilling to?

If so, that very well could be an idol. It is not because God wants that particular thing. He wants your heart. But if that thing, if that pursuit, if that possession, or whatever it might be, could get in the way of your relationship with Him, it could be an idol that might hinder your prayers.

Is a relationship with someone more important to you than God? Is it keeping you away from Him? Is something you’re engaged in more important than Him? Consider that, because it could be hindering your prayer life.

In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Devotion by Greg Laurie © 2016 Harvest Christian Fellowship; all rights reserved.

Un Dia a la Vez - La gran lección de la vida

El Señor está cerca de los quebrantados de corazón, y salva a los de espíritu abatido.
Salmo 34:18 (NVI)

La posibilidad de conocerles a cada uno de ustedes y de escuchar sus historias, me ha dado un gran crecimiento. He visto que lo que he vivido no da ni al tobillo para lo que tienen que vivir día tras día hombres y mujeres en el mundo que están en esas horribles cárceles.

He visto de cerca el ambiente que se vive allí. Incluso, he notado la frialdad de las personas que trabajan en ese lugar y que no se conmueven ante el dolor de una madre.

No obstante, también he visto hombres y mujeres de Dios que, dejando sus familias y sus días de descanso, desempeñan el gran trabajo como «capellanes» al llevar a una sola voz la verdad de Dios a esas vidas que claman por perdón.

Gracias a cada uno de ustedes. Gracias a todos los que han dejando sus prejuicios que van a las cárceles llevando esperanza y amor a los que más lo necesitan. Me queda la enorme satisfacción de saber que hay mucho por hacer y que tú y yo podemos ser esas lámparas que se enciendan en esos lugares.

También aprendí que hoy esas personas están allá, pero a cualquiera de nosotros nos podría pasar. A cualquiera de nuestros jóvenes, esposos, esposas les podrían suceder.

En fin, no seamos indiferentes a la necesidad. Si Dios te ha inquietado a trabajar de cerca para los presos, no dejes pasar más tiempo y únete a la causa.

NIV Devotions for Men - On the Campaign Trail

John 6:25–71

Recommended Reading: Jeremiah 23:9–40; 1 Corinthians 1:18–25; 2 Timothy 4:1–8

Jesus never ran for public office. Good thing, as he often violated the hidden rules for smooth-talking, get-along-with-everyone, slick politicians. In fact, some of the statements Jesus made would cause a campaign manager to pull out his hair in frustration.

Just imagine Jesus speaking on the campaign trail. “You have seen me and still you do not believe” (John 6:36). “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them” (John 6:65). “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53). None of these statements seem politically correct, do they? Certainly, none could serve as a catchy campaign slogan.

So why did Jesus say these things? Didn’t he want people to follow him? Why would he deliberately say things to offend people and turn them away?

The simple conclusion seems to be that Jesus cared far more about the quality of his disciples than about their quantity. If he cared only about increasing the size of the crowds following him, he could easily have fed them more bread or performed more miracles. Or he could have toned down some of his “hard teaching” (John 6:60).

But Jesus already knew who didn’t believe (see John 6:64). He knew that some of the people following him wanted only free food (see John 6:26) or a flashy sign from God (see John 6:30). Jesus didn’t want preoccupied followers. He wanted disciples who would proclaim, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

The same holds true today. Jesus wants us to follow him, but he still desires quality disciples. That level of commitment might mean living, saying and doing things that ruffle some feathers. As evangelist Billy Graham notes, “It is unnatural for Christianity to be popular.”

To Take Away

Do you think of yourself as a “quality” follower of Jesus? Why or why not?
What “hard teachings” cause you to struggle with following Jesus?
What steps can you take to become a more devoted follower of Jesus?

Standing Strong Through the Storm - WALK IN UNITY

“I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

John 17:23 (NIV)

Persecution, pressure and suffering also bring about a unity that honors God. Burma is the model to which I was first exposed. Missionaries were all expelled in 1966. My first visit was in the early 1970’s. The church was a small minority in a dominant Buddhist society with a secular socialist government. On Sunday morning, I was asked to speak and break bread with the Brethren believers, in the afternoon share with the Baptists and in the evening speak at the Pentecostal church. No one asked me my denomination. I was simply a “Brother in Christ” and represented an evangelical radio organization, Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC).

I found this unity so refreshing. And praise the Lord I have discovered it in other parts of our world, most often outside of North America. The closest geographic location is on the island of Cuba. What a joy to be with Baptist and Pentecostal pastors together who regularly spend hours on their knees before God with one another. How refreshing to attend youth evangelism meetings with a variety of denominations represented in the audience and speakers. Is there any wonder why revival continues to sweep through the island to this day?

Ugandan pastor, Kefa Sempangi, shares that under the intense persecution of Idi Amin, the Holy Spirit united the hearts of Uganda’s church leaders. The emphasis became loving one another and rejecting the earlier focus on differences and mass evangelism. He writes: "Most of us had in various ways tried to be evangelists in our own rights. In the mission command we had heard as young converts, the emphasis had been on go, not love. It was the ministry, not the brethren, that was most important. As a result we had come to love our sermons more than the people to whom we preached. We had come to love the faceless converts of mass evangelism more than our brothers and sisters in Christ."

Now as the Holy Spirit began to unite our hearts we saw that before the Great Commission, came the commandment: love one another. We were to confess and reject our disagreements. In the past we had majored on our differences—Anglicans did not say hello to Baptists and, when a Pentecostal met a Roman Catholic, he did not feel he was meeting a brother. But now we heard God’s call to live broken lives before one another. We were not to build our fellowship on the foundation of baptism, tongues or liturgy. We were to build on the reconciling blood of Jesus Christ.”[1]

RESPONSE: Today I will rejoice in God’s plan and God’s will: that His children walk together in unity.

PRAYER: Lord, may my love for brothers and sisters today, and the resulting unity, show the world that You sent Jesus.

1. F. Kefa Sempangi with Barbara R. Thompson. A Distant Grief (Glendale, CA: Regal Books, 1979), pp. 42-43.

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Girlfriends in God - Take Hold of the Faith You Long For

by Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth

“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Philippians 3:12b, NIV).

Friend to Friend

Have you ever watched a circus performer on a flying trapeze? A short horizontal bar suspended by ropes or metal straps dangles high above the crowd. The aerialist grabs the trapeze bar, jumps off of a high platform, and swings through the air. She swings out once, swings back above the platform, and swings out again.

It is during the peak of the third swing where the fun begins for those below. The performer releases the bar mid-air and grabs hold of another bar or second performer hanging from his knees who swings toward her. Once she grabs hold, the crowd remembers to breathe. Somersaults, backflips, and triple twists wow the crowd. And each move requires the performer to let go and grab hold—let go of one bar and grab hold of another. Without the faith to do so, the trapeze artist would simply swing back and forth until the pumping momentum gave way to dangling, or she would hang, stuck in-between two platforms, with hands clinging to both bars. Not the greatest show on earth.

Paul wrote to the Philippians, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Phil. 3:12, emphasis added). Another version expresses the verse this way: “I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own” (AMPC). When you take hold, grasp, and make your own all of what Jesus had already taken hold of for you, you begin to experience life to the full—the faith you’ve always longed for. If we would grasp and make our own what Jesus has already done for us, and what He has deposited in us, our lives would look very different than the tepid faith of the average churchgoer.

It’s not enough to know the promises of God, you’ve got to grab hold with all the firmness of the trapeze artist—release what is behind and take hold of what is ahead. That is the greatest show on earth. That is how the greatest faith on earth becomes a reality.

God’s promises are not automatic. We must move from knowing the promise, to believing the promise, to actually taking hold of the promise through obedient action in order to make them a reality in our lives. God told Joshua about the Promised Land, “I will give you every place where you set your foot” (Josh. 1:3). He and the Israelites had to “set their feet” to conquer the land; to grab hold of the promise that was theirs for the taking.

God’s power, provision, and purposes are for “whosoever will” (Mark 8:34 KJV). Will what? Will let go of all that holds you back from experiencing the abundant life of the adventurous faith and take hold of truth that makes it so.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, and to you and me: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, all that God has planned for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9). Another translations says: “What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed]” (AMPC). Every one of those plans that God has prepared, made, and keeps ready requires us to let go of one thing and take hold of another. It was this truth that gave me the courage and confidence to leave the comfortable land of in-between—to let go of simply being a nice church girl and venture into the purpose God had planned for me all along.
And that’s what God wants for you.

If you’re ready to take hold of all that Jesus has taken hold of for you, click over to my Facebook page and say, “I’m taking hold!”

Let’s Pray

Lord, I want to move forward and take hold of all that You have taken hold of for me, but sometimes I have trouble letting go. Help me to release all that hinders my spiritual growth and intimate relationship with You. I open my heart, my hands, and my eyes to all You have for me.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

What is one thing that you are having trouble letting go of that you know God has called you to release?

What do you think would happen if you truly “Let It Go?”

Consider memorizing Philippians 3:12 “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

More from the Girlfriends

A mediocre, mundane faith is not your destiny! You were made for more! In Take Hold of the Faith You Long For: Let Go, Move Forward, Live Bold, I reveal the most common reasons we get stuck in our Christian faith. I show you how to break free of all that holds you back, move forward with all that God promises, and live the adventurous faith of bold believing. It’s time to leave behind feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy that hold you hostage and take hold of the mountain-moving faith God intends. Let’s uncover untapped sources of confidence and courage, and see how to move from simply knowing the truth to actually living it out boldly in a life marked by true freedom and expectancy. It’s time to get UNSTUCK! (Includes a Bible Study Guide for group or individual study.)

Seeking God?

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relationship with Jesus Christ.

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Thursday, March 2, 2017