LHM Daily Devotion - April 21, 2017 "A Doctor in the House?"

I love to watch old movies. One of the standard scenes in many of...

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour

"A Doctor in the House?"

April 21, 2017

For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the One who helps you."  - Isaiah 41:13, ESV

I love to watch old movies.

One of the standard scenes in many of those time-worn flickers occurs when someone has an emergency and an individual close by yells out the call for help: "Is there a doctor in the house?" Then, because the continuation of the plot demands, a wise physician steps forward and saves the day.

I've seen those corny films so often, I want to yell at the screen, "Nope, there's nobody there who can help. This movie is going to end in five minutes."

Of course, there are times when life imitates the movies.

Recently, on a Southwest Airlines flight between Atlanta and Houston, retired Air Force Colonel Tom McCay felt clammy and dizzy before he passed out. His concerned wife started yelling for help. Help came when a doctor offered his assistance. The first physician was joined by another, and another. All told there were 20 doctors, with all kinds of specialties, ready to help the Colonel.

Depending on your perspective, the Colonel was either a very blessed or a very lucky man.

Now you may be thinking such good fortune may come to him, but not all of us are lucky enough to be surrounded by a herd of physicians returning home from a medical conference.

That may be true; but it is certainly true that for the emergencies of life we have Someone we can turn to for help. Because of the work done by the Savior, we have been forgiven and adopted into the family of faith. As part of the Lord's household, we can be sure He is ready to hear us, and more importantly, He is  ready ,  willing , and  able  to help us.

How do I know? In numerous passages of Scripture, the Lord tells of His care and compassion:

• Psalm 50:15 - "And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."
• Isaiah 65:24 - "Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking, I will hear."
• Philippians 4:19 - "And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in   Christ Jesus."
• Psalm 32:7 - "You are a hiding place for me; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with shouts of deliverance."

Because of the Savior's sacrifice, we can be turned to the One Person who can help us bear, or conquer, or endure any trouble that comes our way. And that, my friends, means that while there may not be a "doctor in the house," there is a Savior in our hearts.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, in this sin-filled world, troubles, trials, and terrors are sure to come. May I always remember that You are just as surely there, ready to give me assistance, guidance, and help. For that, accept my gratitude and prayers offered with faith in Jesus' Name. Amen

(NOTE : Colonel McCay is doing all right. He was checked out when they landed and either he was dehydrated or some alcohol reacted negatively with some medication.)

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin!  Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM). 

CPTLN Devocional de 21 de Abril de 2017

Alimento Diario

Paz en el alma

21 de Abril 2017

Estas cosas les he hablado para que en mí tengan paz. En el mundo tendrán aflicción; pero confíen, yo he vencido al mundo.
Juan 16:33, RVC

Cuando leía la historia de la canción "Paz como un río", me pregunté por qué será que Dios permite que su pueblo pase por sufrimientos y calamidades. ¿Qué dirán de nuestro Dios nuestros familiares y amigos cuando a nosotros nos ocurren cosas malas?

El compositor de esta canción fue un abogado que había acumulado una buena fortuna a través de su trabajo, pero que luego perdió todas las propiedades que tenía a causa de un incendio. Sorprendentemente, su confianza en Dios no fue afectada para nada. Como si eso no fuera poco, el barco en que su esposa e hijas cruzaban el Atlántico chocó contra otro barco, sobreviviendo únicamente su esposa.

¡Qué tragedia! ¡Qué calamidad en la vida de este cristiano! Cuando recibió el mensaje, en vez de poner en duda su confianza en Dios, escribió un himno maravilloso que dice: "Suceda lo que me suceda, Tú me has enseñado que todo está bien pues tengo paz en el alma".

Por más asombroso que parezca, de veras Dios nos ha enseñado a decir que "todo está bien", aun en medio de los problemas. Así nos lo promete en su Palabra, para que tengamos paz. En este mundo vamos a tener problemas, pero Cristo ha vencido al mundo a través de su vida perfecta, su muerte sacrificial y su victoriosa resurrección.

Cada día necesitamos la Palabra de Dios para fortalecernos y no confiar en nuestras propias fuerzas, sino depositar toda nuestra confianza en el Señor que guía nuestros pasos. Así, cuando nos lleguen las calamidades, podremos estar seguros de que Dios nos dará la fuerza para que también podamos decir: "todo está bien, pues tengo paz en el alma".

ORACIÓN: Querido Señor, fortalécenos cada día con tu Palabra y ayúdanos a confiar cada vez más en ti. Amén

Biografía del autor: Esta devoción fue escrita por un voluntario de la oficina de Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones en África.

© Copyright 2017 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. ¡U tilice estas devociones en sus boletines! Usado con permiso. Todos los derechos reservados por la Int'l LLL.

Our Daily Bread - The Gift of Giving

Read: Luke 3:7–14 | Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 12–13; Luke 16

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Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion. 2 Corinthians 9:7

A pastor breathed life into the phrase “He’d give you the shirt off his back” when he gave this unsettling challenge to his church: “What would happen if we took the coats off our backs and gave them to the needy?” Then he took his own coat and laid it at the front of the church. Dozens of others followed his example. This was during the winter, so the trip home was less comfortable that day. But for dozens of people in need, the season warmed up just a bit.

When John the Baptist roamed the Judean wilderness, he had a stern warning for the crowd that came to hear him. “You brood of vipers!” he said. “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Luke 3:7–8). Startled, they asked him, “What should we do then?” He responded with this advice: “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same” (vv. 10–11). True repentance produces a generous heart.

Because “God loves a person who gives cheerfully” (nlt), giving should never be guilt-based or pressured (2 Cor. 9:7). But when we give freely and generously, we find that it truly is more blessed to give than to receive.

Lord, thank You for the many ways You bless us. Forgive us for so often taking Your goodness for granted. Show us what we have that we might use to bless someone else today.

Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:25

By Tim Gustafson

© 2017 Our Daily Bread Ministries

Lời Sống Hằng Ngày - Ân Tứ Ban Cho

Đọc: Lu-ca 3:7-14 | Đọc Kinh Thánh suốt năm: 2 Sa-mu-ên 12-13; Lu-ca 16

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Mỗi người nên quyên góp tùy theo lòng mình đã định, không miễn cưỡng hoặc do ép buộc, vì Đức Chúa Trời yêu mến người dâng hiến một cách vui lòng. 2 Cô-rinh-tô 9:7

Một mục sư đã khiến thành ngữ “Cởi áo ra trao cho người khác” (ND: ý nói đến sự rộng rãi, sẵn sàng giúp đỡ người khác) trở nên sống động khi thách thức hội thánh rằng: “Điều gì xảy ra khi chúng ta cởi áo khoác ra và trao cho người cần nó?” Sau đó, ông lấy chiếc áo khoác của mình đặt trước mặt hội thánh. Rất nhiều người đã làm theo gương của ông. Đó là vào mùa đông, vì thế đường về nhà hôm đó không mấy dễ chịu. Nhưng đối với rất nhiều người nghèo khó, thì mùa đông đã ấm lên một chút.

Khi Giăng Báp-tít giảng dạy trong đồng vắng Giu-đê, ông đã đưa ra lời cảnh cáo nghiêm khắc đối với đám đông đến nghe ông giảng: “Hỡi dòng giống rắn độc kia. Hãy kết quả xứng đáng với sự ăn năn!” (Lu-ca 3:7-8). Giật mình, họ hỏi ông: “Vậy chúng tôi phải làm gì?” Ông đưa ra lời khuyên này để trả lời cho họ: “Ai có hai áo hãy chia cho người không có; ai có thức ăn cũng nên làm như vậy” (c.10-11). Ăn năn thật sự sản sinh ra một tấm lòng rộng rãi.

Vì “Đức Chúa Trời yêu mến người dâng hiến một cách vui lòng”, do đó dâng hiến không nên xuất phát từ sự miễn cưỡng hay bị ép buộc (2 Cô-rinh-tô 9:7). Nhưng khi ban cho cách rời rộng, chúng ta sẽ thấy rằng ban cho thật sự có phước hơn nhận lãnh.

Lạy Chúa, con cảm ơn Ngài đã chúc phước cho chúng con bằng nhiều cách. Xin tha thứ cho chúng con vì coi sự tốt lành của Ngài là điều hiển nhiên mình được nhận. Xin cho chúng con thấy mình có gì để chúng con có thể đem phước hạnh đến cho người khác trong hôm nay.

Ai cho người uống nước, chính mình sẽ được nước uống.

Châm Ngôn 11:25

bởi Tim Gustafson

© 2017 Lời Sống Hằng Ngày

Nuestro Pan Diario - El don de dar

Leer: Lucas 3:7-14 | La Biblia en un año: 2 Samuel 12–13; Lucas 16

Cada uno dé como propuso en su corazón: no con tristeza, ni por necesidad… (2 Corintios 9:7).

Un pastor le propuso un desafío inquietante a su iglesia: «¿Qué sucedería si le diéramos a alguien necesitado el abrigo que estamos usando?». Entonces, se sacó su propio abrigo y lo colocó al frente de la iglesia. Decenas de otras personas siguieron su ejemplo. Esto fue durante el invierno, así que el viaje a casa no fue muy cómodo ese día. Sin embargo, para muchas personas necesitadas, esto significó un cálido abrazo.

Cuando Juan el Bautista estaba en el desierto de Judea, le hizo una seria advertencia a la multitud que había ido a escucharlo. «¡Oh generación de víboras!», decía. «Haced […] frutos dignos de arrepentimiento» (Lucas 3:7-8). Sobresaltados, le preguntaron: «¿Qué haremos?». Juan les contestó: «El que tiene dos túnicas, dé al que no tiene; y el que tiene qué comer, haga lo mismo» (vv. 10-11). El verdadero arrepentimiento produce un corazón generoso.

Como «Dios ama al dador alegre», las ofrendas nunca tendrían que basarse en la culpa o la presión (2 Corintios 9:7). Pero, cuando damos con libertad y generosidad, descubrimos que, sin duda, es mucho mejor dar que recibir.

Señor, gracias por bendecirnos de tantas maneras. Perdónanos porque muchas veces damos por sentada tu bondad. Muéstranos qué tenemos que podamos usar para bendecir a otros hoy.

… el que saciare, él también será saciado.

Proverbios 11:25

Por Tim Gustafson

© 2017 Ministerios Nuestro Pan Diario

Unser Täglich Brot - Schenken will gelernt sein

Lesen: Lukas 3,7-14 | Die Bibel In Einem Jahr: 2.Samuel 12–13; Lukas 16

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Ein jeder [gebe], wie er’s sich im Herzen vorgenommen hat, nicht mit Unwillen oder aus Zwang. 2.Korinther 9,7

Ein Pastor forderte seine Gemeinde auf, den Satz: „Für ihn würde ich mein letztes Hemd geben“ einmal ganz wörtlich zu nehmen. „Was würde passieren, wenn wir unsere Mäntel ausziehen und den Bedürftigen geben würden?“, fragte er. Dann nahm er seinen eigenen Mantel und legte ihn vorne nieder. Dutzende folgten seinem Beispiel. Es war Winter und die Heimfahrt war für manche etwas ungemütlich. Doch für Dutzende andere wurde es etwas wärmer.

Als Johannes der Täufer in der Wüste von Juda unterwegs war, hatte er für die Menge, die zu ihm kam, eine ernste Warnung. „Ihr Schlangenbrut“, sagte er. „Bringt rechtschaffene Früchte der Buße“ (Luk. 3,7-8). Verblüfft fragten sie: „Was sollen wir denn tun?“ Sie erhielten den Rat: „Wer zwei Hemden hat, der gebe dem, der keines hat; und wer zu essen hat, tue ebenso“ (V.10-11). Echte Buße bewirkt ein großzügiges Herz.

Weil Gott „einen fröhlichen Geber lieb“ hat, sollte Schenken nie unter Druck oder aus Schuldgefühl geschehen (2.Kor. 9,7). Wenn wir stattdessen frei und großzügig schenken, merken wir selbst, dass Geben seliger ist als Nehmen.

Herr, hab Dank, dass du uns auf so vielfältige Weise segnest. Vergib uns, wo wir deine Güte oft für selbstverständlich halten. Zeige uns, was wir geben können, um heute einen anderen zu segnen.

Wer reichlich gibt, wird gelabt.

Sprüche 11,25

Von Tim Gustafson

© 2017 Unser Täglich Brot

Notre Pain Quotidien - Le don du don

Lisez : Luc 3.7‑14 | La Bible en un an : 2 SAMUEL 12 – 13 et LUC 16

Que chacun donne comme il l'a résolu en son coeur, sans tristesse ni contrainte ; car Dieu aime celui qui donne avec joie. 2 Corinthiens 9.7

Un certain pasteur a donné vie à l’expression « Il te donnerait sa chemise » en lançant ce défi à son Église : « Qu’adviendrait‑il si vous donniez le manteau que vous portez à une personne démunie ? » Puis il a enlevé son manteau et l’a déposé à l’avant de l’église. Des dizaines d’autres l’ont imité. Or, cela se passait en hiver, si bien que leur retour à la maison s’est avéré moins confortable ce jour‑là. Par contre, pour des dizaines de personnes démunies, la saison s’est un peu réchauffée.

Lorsque Jean‑Baptiste parcourait le désert de Judée, il adressait une mise en garde à la foule réunie pour l’entendre : « Races de vipères […] Produisez donc des fruits dignes de la repentance » (LU 3.7,8). Prise de court, elle lui a demandé : « Que devons‑nous donc faire ? » Ce à quoi il a répondu par ce conseil : « Que celui qui a deux tuniques partage avec celui qui n’en a point, et que celui qui a de quoi manger agisse de même » (V. 10,11). La vraie repentance engendre la générosité de coeur.

Étant donné que « Dieu aime celui qui donne avec joie », nous ne devrions jamais donner par sentiment de culpabilité ou d’y être contraints (2 CO 9.7). C’est en donnant de bon coeur et avec générosité que nous découvrons qu’il y a véritablement plus de joie à donner qu’à recevoir.

Celui qui arrose sera lui‑même arrosé.

PROVERBES 11.25

par Tim Gustafson

© 2017 Ministères NPQ

Хліб Наш Насущній - Дар жертовності

Читати: Луки 3:7-14 | Біблія за рік: 2 Самуїлова 12−13 ; Луки 16

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Нехай кожен дає, як серце йому призволяє, не в смутку й не з примусу. — 2 Коринтян 9:7

Один пастор вдихнув нове життя у фразу “шуба з плеча”, коли зробив для членів церкви справжній виклик – не дуже зручний. Він сказав: “Що сталося б, якби ми зараз зняли з себе пальто й віддали його нужденним?” При цьому служитель зняв власне пальто і поклав його біля кафедри. Десятки інших людей послідували його прикладу. Це сталося зимою, тому для цих людей дорога додому була не такою теплою, як зазвичай. Але для десятків нужденних людей ця зима стала трішки теплішою.

Коли Іван Хреститель ходив Юдейською пустелею, він суворо попереджав людей, що приходили христитися в нього: “Роде зміїний, хто навчив вас тікати від гніву майбутнього? Отож, учиніть гідний плід покаяння. І не починайте казати в собі: Маємо батька Авраама”. Люди скрушно запитували в нього: “Що ж нам робити?” І Іван Хреститель радив їм: “У кого дві сорочки, нехай дасть немаючому; а хто має поживу, нехай робить так само” (Лк. 3:7-8). Справжнє покаяння робить серце щедрим. Написано, що “Бог любить того, хто з радістю дає!” (2 Кор. 9:7). Тому дуже важливо, щоб наше давання не було зроблене під тиском або через почуття провини (2 Кор. 9:7). Коли ж даємо справді охоче й щиро, то дійсно пізнаємо, що краще віддавати, ніж брати.

Господи, дякуємо Тобі за те, що благословляєш нас багатьма шляхами. Пробач за те, що дуже часто сприймаємо Твою ласку як належне. Допоможи побачити ті дари, що маємо від Тебе, щоб могли цим благословити сьогодні й інших.

“Душа, яка благословляє, насичена буде”.

—Приповiстей 11:25

Автор Тім Густавсон

© 2017 Хліб Наш Насущній

Хлеб наш насущный - Дар жертвования

Читать сейчас: Луки 3:7-14 | Библия за год: 2 Царств 12-13; Луки 16

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Каждый уделяй по расположению сердца, не с огорчением и не с принуждением. — 2 Коринфянам 9:7

Пастор сумел оживить старую поговорку «Снять с себя». Он встал перед церковью и сказал: «Что будет, если мы снимем свои пиджаки, кофты и пальто и пожертвуем нуждающимся?» С этими словами он снял свой собственный пиджак и положил рядом с кафедрой. Десятки христиан последовали его примеру. Дело было зимой, и путь из церкви домой в тот день оказался менее комфортным. Зато десяткам людей, не имевших зимней одежды, стало теплее.

Проповедуя в иудейской пустыне, Иоанн Креститель сурово обличал слушавшую его толпу: «Порождения ехидны!.. Сотворите же достойные плоды покаяния» (Лк. 3:7-8). В растерянности люди спрашивали его: «Что же нам делать?» Он ответил: «У кого две одежды, тот дай неимущему, и у кого есть пища, делай то же» (Лк. 3:10-11). Истинное покаяние производит жертвенность.

Поскольку «доброхотно дающего любит Бог», жертвование не должно вызываться виной или давлением (2 Кор. 9:7). Но если мы будем жертвовать щедро и искренне, то обнаружим, что давать действительно блаженнее, чем принимать.

Господи, благодарим Тебя за многие благословения. Прости, что так часто принимали Твои дары как должное. Покажи, как мы можем стать благословением для окружающих.

«Кто напоит других, тот и сам напоен будет». — Притчи 11:25

автор: Тим Густафсон

© 2017 Хлеб Наш Насущный

The Daily Reading for THURSDAY, April 20, 2017 - Easter Thursday

Morning Prayer

O God:
Give me strength to live another day;
Let me not turn coward before its difficulties or prove recreant to its duties;
Let me not lose faith in other people;
Keep me sweet and sound of heart, in spite of ingratitude, treachery, or meanness;
Preserve me from minding little stings or giving them;
Help me to keep my heart clean, and to live so honestly and fearlessly that no outward failure can dishearten me or take away the joy of conscious integrity;
Open wide the eyes of my soul that I may see good in all things;
Grant me this day some new vision of thy truth;
Inspire me with the spirit of joy and gladness;
and make me the cup of strength to suffering souls;
in the name of the strong Deliverer, our only Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen

The Introit

Alleluia! Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

The Old Testament Lesson

The Old Testament Lesson for today is taken from Ezekiel 37:1-14

The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones live?" I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD." So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. Then he said to me, "Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act, says the LORD."

Psalms

Psalm 8 Domine, Dominus noster
1   O LORD our Governor, how exalted is your Name in all the world!
2   Out of the mouths of infants and children your majesty is praised above the heavens.
3   You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, to quell the enemy and the avenger.
4   When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
5   What is man that you should be mindful of him? the son of man that you should seek him out?
6   You have made him but little lower than the angels; you adorn him with glory and honor;
7   You give him mastery over the works of your hands; you put all things under his feet:
8   All sheep and oxen, even the wild beasts of the field,
9   The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.
10   O LORD our Governor, how exalted is your Name in all the world!

The Epistle Lesson

The Epistle Lesson for today is taken from Acts 3:11-26

While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's Portico, utterly astonished. When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, "You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. "And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets. Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you from your own people a prophet like me. You must listen to whatever he tells you. And it will be that everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be utterly rooted out of the people.' And all the prophets, as many as have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, also predicted these days. You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, 'And in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."

The Holy Gospel Lesson

The Holy Gospel is written in Luke 24:36-48

While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you-- that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

Prayer of the Day

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christs Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

A Prayer for Guidance

Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

A Prayer for Mission

O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks be to God! Alleluia, alleluia!

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen

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.

Prayer of the Day for THURSDAY, April 20, 2017 - Easter Thursday

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christs Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Verse of the Day - April 20, 2017 - Easter Thursday

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (NIV) “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Read all of 1 Corinthians 15

Listen to 1 Corinthians 15

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 - A Permanent Reminder

"Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself."

—Luke 24:39 (NKJV)

What did the resurrected body of Jesus look like? The Bible tells us that after Jesus’ cruel torture, crucifixion, and three days in the tomb, He was recognizable, and that His followers knew who He was.

We know that He had a body of flesh and bone. Jesus told the disciples, “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Luke 24:39).

We also know that Jesus ate food. Imagine the surprise of the disciples when the risen Lord appeared to them and then said, “Have you any food here?”

“What?” they must have been thinking. But they gave Jesus a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb, and He ate it (see Luke 24:41–43).

His resurrected body also could be touched and felt. When the women were returning from the empty tomb, “Behold, Jesus met them, saying, 'Rejoice!' So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him” (Matthew 28:9).

Then, when Jesus appeared to the disciples in the Upper Room, He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing” (John 20:27).

This tells us that in His resurrected body, Jesus still wore the marks of the Crucifixion. And He will wear those marks, even in eternity (see Zechariah 12:10).

I think this is to remind us of how we got to be His. We will not be in Heaven because of our good works. We will be there because of His shed blood, because spikes were driven through His hands and feet for us.

In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV® Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Devotion by Greg Laurie © 2017 Harvest Christian Fellowship; all rights reserved.

Un Dia a la Vez - Dulce refugio

Entonces ustedes me invocarán, y vendrán a suplicarme, y yo los escucharé. Me buscarán y me encontrarán, cuando me busquen de todo corazón.
Jeremías 29:12-13, NVI

Cuando tenemos días felices en los que todo nos sale bien, es cuando menos pensamos que estamos refugiados en los brazos del Padre. Eso sucede porque casi siempre que las cosas están en orden, lo que menos buscamos es su compañía.

Muchas veces estamos tan organizados que pueden pasar días sin que oremos, sin que vayamos a la iglesia, solo porque todo está en orden.

Sin embargo, ¿qué tal si a este cuadro le agregamos la preocupación y los problemitas económicos que no faltan? Ahí es cuando empezamos a clamar por su ayuda.

Dios no solo debe ser nuestro refugio en la soledad, ni en los momentos de preocupación. Él quiere ser nuestro refugio en todo momento.

Debemos estar más cerca que nunca de Él cuando nos encontremos en medio de la celebración por el triunfo del éxito y las muchas bendiciones.

No seamos interesados en nuestra búsqueda de Dios.

Él es y será nuestro dulce refugio.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón

Standing Strong Through the Storm - THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Stand firm then…with the breastplate of righteousness in place. Ephesians 6:14b, NIV

The soldier’s breastplate of the Roman times was to protect his vital organs. It was usually made of hardened slabs of leather or pounded bronze or a combination of both. The soldier’s rank and his country’s seal were affixed to it. It covered the soldier’s chest and stomach but not his back. So it was designed to face the enemy, not for retreat from the enemy.

Because we are waging a war against an invisible enemy, we must always be armed. Our breastplate is made not of heavy metal but is molded by the Spirit of the living God to fit us properly in our inner being. Our righteousness is not a metal front, but given by Christ to show to everyone in all our day-to-day relationships and circumstances.

Our enemy will point out your failures and shortcomings. He will try to convince you that you are unworthy to be a child of God. He is right. But your relationship with God is based on Jesus’ uprightness before God, not yours. Your sins have been wiped out. When God sees you, he sees Jesus. Stand tall before the enemy…in your breastplate of righteousness.

Mikail Khorev, a very effective evangelist in Russia, spent many years in prison for his continued public ministry. On one occasion his family was refused visiting rights and sent home. When the prison guard was taunting him about it, he replied:

“I would like to tell you that my God is fulfilling his plans through you and will use you for our blessing. I love my family very much and being together with them means a lot to me, but if it brings more honor to the Lord for us to part rather than be together, then why should I insist on seeing them? If his name is glorified more through my being in prison than through my being at liberty, then I tell you that there is no greater joy for me than to die on this prison bunk as a prisoner, as my father did and as many of my brothers in the faith have done.”

Mikhail is also quoted as saying, “I have to admit to you that prison is a very useful school for our education and for the testing of the genuineness of our faith...I’m grateful to the Lord for this school and for his leading.” 

RESPONSE: Today I put on the breastplate of righteousness…protected under the blood of Jesus Christ.

PRAYER: Lord, may my breastplate of righteousness guard my heart from evil so I will remain pure and holy in the face of trials.

NIV Devotions for Men - Productivity Without Passion

Revelation 2:1–7

Recommended Reading: Deuteronomy 6:4–9; Matthew 7:21–23; Luke 10:38–42; 1 Corinthians 13:1–13

Imagine a marriage in which the husband dutifully earns a living to pay his family’s bills, takes care of the house and cars and sees that his family has the clothing and other things they need. Yet he has lost all tenderness and passion for his wife. Is this a healthy marital relationship?

Productivity without passion. Just as the partners in a marriage can lose their passion for one another and yet carry on, a similar situation can occur in relationships between believers and God. In fact, the church of Ephesus had fallen into this very trap. Jesus noted that this church had “persevered and … endured hardships for my name” (Revelation 2:3). But, he pointedly added, “you have forsaken the love you had at first” (Revelation 2:4).

What about you? When you compare your current relationship with Christ to what it was like when you first began following him, are you just as passionate about knowing him, being with him and worshiping him as you were then? Or do you find yourself busy serving him without bothering to further cultivate your relationship with him?

Sadly, like a marriage without passion, our relationship with God can go through a period during which spiritual passion wanes. We serve the Lord more out of habit or duty than out of a desire to know God more deeply.

Consider this possibility: God might occasionally want us to stop doing for him so that we can concentrate on being with him and recovering the love we had at first. Many dry marriages have been renewed. Dry relationships with the Lord can experience renewed passion and vigor as well. Put your relationship with Christ first, then let your service for him follow as a natural response.

To Take Away

• What feelings did you have when you first followed Christ? What words expressed your passion about knowing him then?
• How does that compare with your current feelings for Christ?
• How can you rediscover your “first love” for your Lord and Savior—renew the passion and vigor of your relationship with him?

Girlfriends in God - Crushing Feelings of Worthlessness

by Gwen Smith

Today’s Truth

He drew me out of deep waters ... he rescued me because he delighted in me. (Psalm 18:16-19, NIV)

Friend to Friend

Debbie was a pastor’s wife who felt worthless for years. She was verbally abused and emotionally abandoned in her marriage from the very beginning. She had been a virgin when she met her husband, so she knew something was very wrong when, seven months into their marriage, her husband went out of state for a “business trip” and gave Debbie a severe pelvic inflammatory disease when he got home.

Her doctors explained that she had gotten a bacterial infection that can only be sexually contracted. Debbie was hospitalized for five days and placed on strong medications. The IV antibiotics she received unknowingly rendered her birth control pills ineffective, and a pregnancy with their first child resulted. So Debbie stayed in the marriage, though she was wronged and mistreated.

“I was convinced that I deserved all that I encountered,” Debbie said. “I also remember licking my wounds with thoughts like, Well, at least I’m the wife, not the cheating lover.”

The shame of it all kept Debbie silent and trapped in an unsafe marriage. Behind closed doors she endured verbal cruelty, and she believed the lies of her abuser. When her husband was in a good mood, things were good at home. But if he was in a foul mood, Debbie bore the brunt of his abuse and anger.

Unfortunately, she endured the abuse for a long time before she left. Three kids, twenty-plus years, many affairs, and many lies later, Debbie finally had enough. She mustered up every ounce of courage she could find to leave and divorce her cheating, abusive, pastor husband.

You can imagine the scandal that took place in their church. Because the congregation was unaware of their pastor’s abusive and immoral behavior, Debbie was victimized all over again in the court of public opinion. She bore the weight of public shame, humility, anger, accusations, rebellion from her children, and never-ending feelings of defeat and worthlessness.

The weight of it all was heavy. So heavy that it pushed her into a deep pit of depression.

Debbie lost most everything in the divorce—her house, her identity, her financial stability, her dignity, and almost her sanity. In the aftermath, she even lost the intimate relationship she once had with Jesus Christ. She was still His daughter, saved by grace, but had run away from Him. Broken and angry, Debbie felt that God had let her down. She didn’t understand how God—who is supposed to be good, who is supposed to hear our prayers, who is supposed to be our Protector and Defender—didn’t protect her from the betrayal and the abuse. So, like Hagar, she ran to a desert to get away. Only Debbie ran to a desert of sin.

To soothe her pain, she temporarily turned to alcohol. The numbness she experienced from drinking brought an all-too-short reprieve from the sharp pains that pierced her heart when she was sober. And though she strayed from the heart of God and rebelled against His ways, He pursued her relentlessly. When she finally realized that her “victim mentality” had allowed her to trust a lying abuser instead of the God of truth, she turned back to the Lord.

In His mercy, God has restored Debbie’s broken faith into a beautiful faith.

He has redeemed her wounded heart and has filled her with His greater joy.

And though, like all of us, she still experiences struggles and pain, by faith Debbie now embraces God’s sovereignty and accepts His healing love. She is a changed woman. Changed by the unrelenting pursuit of God’s unconditional love.

Changed by the One who sees her as precious.

For a long time Debbie thought she was worthless because she was treated as if she were. She was told that she was. She believed what she heard from another person, even though what he said about her were lies. Debbie says, “I thought that I was a failure—that I didn’t deserve to be loved with integrity, honesty, and faithfulness—that I caused my husband to sin and commit adultery because I wasn’t good enough. I believed a whole pack of lies.”

Other people can make us feel worthless. It happens all the time…even within the church. If you are in a relationship that beats you down and causes you to feel like dirt, in the name of Jesus reject the lies that are being projected on you. That’s not who He says you are!

If you are being mistreated or abused, tell a trusted friend, meet with your pastor, or get with a professional Christian counselor right away.

And in all cases pray—without ceasing.

No abuser has the right to define who you are, to tell you what you think, to control or manipulate you, to tell you how you feel, or to condemn you for who you are or aren’t. Only the God of heaven has the right to define you, and when you are in Christ, you are perfectly beautiful in His righteousness…not broken.

He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
(Psalm 18:16-19)

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, Thank You for loving me for who I am, where I am. Please help me to accept this truth when I doubt my value and to lean on Your strength and support when I struggle.
In Jesus’ Name I pray,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

Read 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17. What truths do these verses confirm about your value?

Who came to your mind as you read today’s devotion? She needs this message. Please pass it on to her.

More from the Girlfriends

Today’s devotion is an excerpt from Gwen’s book Broken Into Beautiful. Every step of healing begins with the heart of God. If you’d like to learn more about how your brokenness can be transformed into a picture of God’s beauty, get your copy today. To order the book go to Amazon or, for a signed copy, visit Gwen’s web store.

Get 20% OFF Gwen’s BROKEN INTO BEAUTIFUL book today when you order from her website and use the code: 20OFF

Seeking God?

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