by dailyd | Oct 13, 2018 | More
Topic: Let God Minister To You
John 13:8 “Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.“
Text: John 13:5-8
Peter’s refusal to let Jesus wash his feet came from a knowledge that he was totally unworthy to have the sinless Son of God serve him as a common servant would. Peter was correct in his assessment of his relative worth, but what he missed was that God doesn’t minister to us because of our worth but because of His love.
Even though Peter’s attitude looked holy and humble, he was actually resisting God’s will and committing an act of pride. Pride is not only exalting yourself above what is proper, but also, it can be debasing yourself below what is proper. Pride is simply self-centeredness or being self-willed instead of God-centered and submitted to God’s will. Peter should have been humble enough to know that Jesus knew what He was doing and he should have submitted himself to God’s will.
Likewise today, some people refuse to let God bless them, thinking they are unworthy of His favor. While it is true that our actions don’t warrant God’s goodness, a truly humble person will receive the Lord’s blessings as an expression of His love and grace toward them. Misguided humility is every bit as damaging as exaggerated pride.
Peter wanted to serve Jesus, but did not want to be served by Jesus. Jesus was telling Peter that unless he received His ministry to him, Peter would be unfit to serve Him. We cannot cleanse ourselves or others. We are totally dependent on the work of God’s grace in our lives. Then and only then, are we equipped to minister to others. Before we can be the blessing that we desire to be to God or to others, we have to let God be the blessing to us that He desires to be.
This message was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff. (www.awmi.net).
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Andrew Wommack Daily Devotional 12 October 2018 – Communion is Sacred
by dailyd | Oct 13, 2018 | More
TOPIC: HE CARRIED OUR BURDEN
Read: 1 Peter 1:18–25, Bible in a Year: Isaiah 41–42; 1 Thessalonians 1
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
It’s not unusual for utility bills to be surprisingly high. But Kieran Healy of North Carolina received a water bill that would make your heart stop. The notification said that he owed 100 million dollars! Confident he hadn’t used that much water the previous month, Healy jokingly asked if he could pay the bill in installments.
Owing a 100-million-dollar debt would be an overwhelming burden, but that pales in comparison to the real—and immeasurable—burden sin causes us to carry. Attempting to carry the burden and consequences of our own sins ultimately leaves us feeling tired and riddled with guilt and shame. The truth is we are incapable of carrying this load.
And we were never meant to. As Peter reminded believers, only Jesus, the sinless Son of God, could carry the heavy burden of our sin and its weighty consequences (1 Peter 2:24). In His death on the cross, Jesus took all our wrongdoing on Himself and offered us His forgiveness. Because He carried our burden, we don’t have to suffer the punishment we deserve.
Instead of living in fear or guilt, the “empty way of life handed down to” us (1:18), we can enjoy a new life of love and freedom (vv. 22–23).
Prayer: Lord, sometimes our guilt and shame can feel so heavy. Help us to release our past and its pain to You and experience Your peace, knowing You have carried it all and have set us free.
Jesus carried the burden of our sin so He could give us the blessing of life.
Insight:
Our natural instinct is to lash out against injustice. But Jesus’s example (which is what Peter called it in 1 Peter 2:21) calls us to higher ground. Notice verse 23: “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” Rather than returning what, arguably, His tormenters deserved, Jesus refused. In a sense, He chose to look up to the Father rather than down to those who caused His pain. Perhaps that was behind His prayer, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). In entrusting Himself to the Father, Jesus felt no need for retaliation.
For more on the cross, read The Mockery and Majesty of the Cross at discoveryseries.org/hp081.
Bill Crowder
This message was written By Marvin Williams [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]
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by dailyd | Oct 13, 2018 | More
Topic: True Freedom
. . . believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable . . . — 1 Peter 1:8
Christ is the answer to sadness and discouragement. This is a world of thwarted hopes, broken dreams, and frustrated desires. G.K. Chesterton says, “Everywhere there is speed, noise and confusion, but nowhere deep happiness and quiet hearts.”
A Hollywood columnist wrote about a famous movie star, “The bright, carefree radiance has gone from her pretty face.” Optimism and cheerfulness are products of knowing Christ. If the heart has been attuned to God through faith in Christ, then its overflow will be joyous optimism and good cheer.
You will never be free from discouragement and despondency until you have been tuned to God. Christ is the wellspring of happiness. He is the fountainhead of joy. Here is the Christian’s secret of joy.
Prayer for the day: By Your love I experience the delight of a quiet heart. Deep down is the joy that cannot be taken away. Lord, may I always keep my eyes on You, my source of joy.
Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.
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by dailyd | Oct 13, 2018 | More
Topic: Bearing The Right Fruit
Text: Luke 3:1-14 (KJV)
Key Verse: “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham“ (Luke 3:8).
MESSAGE:
The coming of John the Baptist as the forerunner of Jesus Christ marked the end of about four hundred years of “famine” of the word of God as prophesied (Amos 8:11). Isaiah, over seven hundred years before, had also prophesied that John would come “to prepare… the way of the LORD…” (Isaiah 40:3).
And as he came with the word, hungry masses trooped out to hear his message of repentance and baptism. He preached that they must repent and bring forth “fruits worthy of repentance” as a token of genuine faith. A mere lip confession of being the biological seeds of Abraham was not enough guarantee against “the axe” of judgement that was already laid on the root of the trees to cut down anyone who failed to bear the right kind of fruit.
Salvation experience, which begins with genuine repentance and renunciation of sin and faith in the finished work of Christ, marks the beginning of a true Christian life. Genuine salvation produces a positive change of character – an internal transformation that metamorphoses into a visible and undeniable godly lifestyle. A born-again Christian thus becomes “a new creature” after old things have passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Without doubt, genuine repentance produces genuine salvation. Unfortunately, many modern-day preachers have excluded repentance from sin in their sermon, in what they call “positive gospel”. All the prophets, the apostles, emphasised repentance as a precondition for God’s forgiveness. “Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out…” (Acts 3:19). You can do this by first acknowledging that you are a sinner, confessing yours sins and praying and asking God for forgiveness. He forgives the penitent sinner.
Thought For The Day: The fruits, not leaves, make the difference.
Bible Reading In One Year: Matthew 12:22; Luke 11
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
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DCLM Daily Manna 12 October 2018
by dailyd | Oct 13, 2018 | More
Topic: Retire from Self-Care
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation. — Psalm 42:5
God wants to take care of you, and He can do a much better job of it if you will avoid a problem called independence, which is really self-care.
The desire to take care of yourself is based on fear. You are afraid of what might happen if you entrust yourself totally to God and He doesn’t come through for you. The root problem of independence is you trust yourself more than you trust God.
People love to have a back-up plan. You may ask God to get involved in your life, but if He doesn’t respond as quickly as you’d like, you take control back into your own hands.
But God has a plan for you—and His plan is much better than yours. So, give yourself to Him and see what happens. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Prayer Starter: Father, I can’t do it on my own. Help me to place my trust in You and turn over complete control. I want Your plan for my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
From Joyce Meyer’s Ministries.
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by dailyd | Oct 12, 2018 | More
Topic: Communion is Sacred
Scripture: Luke 22:19 “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.”
Message: The bread of communion symbolizes the body of Jesus which was broken for us through His sufferings. He not only died for us on the cross but also bore 39 stripes on His back by which we are healed. Partaking of communion should remind us of the emotional and physical salvation that Jesus provided for us.
The Lord’s Supper comes from a part of the Passover meal that was celebrated only once a year. However, the early Christian church took Communion weekly and sometimes daily. There is no specific frequency of the Lord’s Supper prescribed in scripture.
As we take Communion, we are solemnly proclaiming the Lord’s death, and our union with Him and with others through that death. This is a profession of our faith and therefore, there are serious consequences for those who profess something they don’t possess.
It is most likely that what makes a person worthy or unworthy is whether or not he is born again. This is also totally consistent with the doctrine of grace that Paul constantly preached. There were unbelievers among the true Christians just as Jesus prophesied, and this still exists today. It is a dangerous offense for an unbeliever to take the Lord’s Supper. When taking Communion, each person should examine himself to see whether or not he is in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5).
Andrew Wommack Daily Devotional 12 October 2018 was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff.(www.awmi.net).
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