Joy sharing Jesus ~ Jon Courson

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.
	1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
'Yes, we’ve been beaten up in the city,’ writes Paul. ‘Yes, we’ve been chased down by envious Jews. Yes, we’re going through real persecution. But you know what? It’s all worth it because you’re getting saved.’ The greatest joy in the world comes from seeing someone: For whom you’ve been praying, With whom you’ve been sharing, To whom you’ve been witnessing, Receive Christ. Jesus tells us when one person is saved, all of heaven rejoices (Luke 15:7). Truly, joy and evangelism go hand in hand. Thus, my prayer is that we would never lose sight of the privilege, priority, and pure joy of sharing the Good News with people who don’t know Jesus.

The time is now ~ Bob Coy

Out of Time

And do not forget the things I have done throughout history. For I am God-I alone! I am God, and there is no one else like me. Only I can tell you what is going to happen even before it happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.-Isaiah 46:9-10 (NLT)

Prophecy proves that the Bible is, in fact, God's Word to mankind. But how? How do we know that the Bible isn't just another human's take on the truth? In order to understand this better, we need to define our terms. First, when we speak of prophecy, we're talking about the foretelling of events. The word prophecy can also have the broader meaning of speaking forth God's will for His people (1 Corinthians 12:10). But for our purpose, we'll concentrate on predictive prophecies, or prophecies that deal with future events.

Second, we need to recognize that we, as human beings, are trapped in time. We can only experience life in the present tense. It's impossible for us to see and know the future with the same certainty as the present. This places a serious limitation on humanity but lends power to prophecy.

Finally, we must understand that God is not trapped in time like we are. He inhabits eternity according to Isaiah 57:15, which means He can look down from His vantage point and see our entire timeline-past, present, and future-all at once. Think through the implications of this. Because God has an eternal perspective, He can tell us in advance what will occur in our future. He has done this by providing us with prophecies.

Each prophecy in Scripture comes to us from the Eternal God, who inhabits a space outside of time and has the power to tell us what's going to happen before it actually does.

Discuss with your group what comes to your mind when you hear the word prophecy. What does the fulfillment of prophecy reveal to you about the power of God?

Dig into Isaiah 46:9–10. What does this passage of Scripture tell you about the character of God? What does this passage mean to you? How do these words help you gain proper perspective in your present circumstances?

Decide as a group to spend time celebrating God’s character by worshiping together. You may choose to attend a service together or have a time of worship in your small group. Enjoy a time of drawing close to the Heavenly Father and recognizing His divine attributes!

All things are possible in Him ~ Mark Balmer

Based on “Under HIS Influence—Changed Lives” by Pastor Mark Balmer;

9/26-27/09, Message #MB390; Daily Devotional #6 - “Never Say Never”

Preparing the Soil (Introduction): But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things –and the things that are not –to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). God works in mysterious ways; His ways are past finding out! I remember some years back, I was witnessing to a friend’s husband, and it was not the first time the Gospel was presented to him. That man made a statement that totally stunned me. He said he prayed that we all lived long enough to see that he will remain unchanged! Another lady used to engage in a lot of arguments to antagonize the Gospel of Jesus. She was very opinionated and totally against Christianity. As I listened to her one day in the company of some other believers, I wondered if God’s Word would ever get through to this woman. Well, the Holy Spirit did in the process of time. This same woman has now graduated from Bible school; she is now a very sought after speaker/teacher. She takes the Gospel to the nations with zeal and authority, reaching out to unusual groups. With God, nothing is impossible! (Luke 1:37).

Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9). The Lord is the master planner, and He holds the whole world in His hands. He is always in the business of changing lives. One changed life can influence many more and win souls into the kingdom. The Lord often changes our plans so we can be part of His bigger plan. God can bring to pass things that are otherwise impossible, and He desires to use us if we remain flexible and willing. We cannot give up on anyone. When Saul became Paul in the book of Acts and took the Gospel to the nations, he manifested the glory and omnipotence of God. God uses us as instruments, but it is the Holy Spirit that convicts and draws men to Christ. Our own strength does not have anything to do with it.

Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God and there is no other, I am God and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. (Isaiah 46:9-10). God’s plans unfold every day. He is looking for willing and flexible “vessels” to use in accomplishing His purposes. We should prayerfully make our plans, allowing them to be subject to change by the Master planner. Our God can use our lives to reach out to and influence many others. God is able to open doors before us, and He makes a way where there seems to be no way.

Cultivating (Additional Reading): Isaiah 43:14-19; Isaiah 55:10

Dealing with anger ~ Joyce Meyer

Cease from anger and forsake wrath; fret not your self—it tends only to evildoing.
— Psalm 37:8






Whenever I find myself in a situation I can't do anything about, I have found that a good way to cast my care upon the Lord is simply to say, "Oh, well."


Take, for example, the morning that Dave spilled his orange juice in the car and got a little of it on my sweater. Immediately he said, "Devil, I'm not impressed." And I said, "Oh, well." So that problem was solved, and we pressed forward with the rest of our day.


Some things just aren't worth getting upset about, yet many people do. Unfortunately a large majority of Christians are upset, fretful, and full of anxiety most of the time. It is not the big things that get to them; it is the little things that don't fit into their plans. Instead of casting their care and just saying, "Oh well," they are always trying to do something about something they can't do anything about. On more than one occasion that simple phrase "Oh, well" has really helped me to make it through.

Helping to encourage? ~ Chuck Swindoll

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

There we sat, a cluster of six. A stubby orange candle burned at the center of our table flickering eerie shadows across our faces. One spoke; five listened. Every question was handled with such grace, such effortless ease. Each answer was drawn from deep wells of wisdom, shaped by tough decisions and nurtured by time. And pain. Mistakes and mistreatment. And honed by tests, risks, heartbreaks, and failures. Decades in the same crucible had made his counsel invaluable.

His age? Seventy-two. He had seen it all, weathered it all---all the flack and delights of a flock. Outlasted all the fads and gimmicks of gullible and greedy generations, known the ecstasy of seeing lives revolutionized, the agony of lives ruined, and the monotony of lives unchanged. He had paid his dues---and had the scars to prove it.

There we sat for well over three hours hearing his stories, pondering his principles, questioning his conclusions, and responding to his ideas. The evening was punctuated with periodic outbursts of laughter followed by protracted periods of quiet talk.

As I participated, I was suddenly twenty-six years old again. A young seminarian and pastoral intern existing in a no man's land between a heart full of desire and a head full of dreams. Long on theological theories but short on practical experience. I had answers to questions no one was asking but a lack of understanding on the things that really mattered. In momentary flashbacks, I saw myself in the same room with this man thirty years earlier, drinking at the same well, soaking up the same spirit. Thirty years ago he had been a model; now he had become a mentor. Thoroughly human and absolutely authentic, he had emerged a well-worn vessel of honor fit for the Master's use. And I found myself profoundly grateful that Ray Stedman's shadow had crossed my life.

As we said good-bye to Ray that evening, I walked a little slower. I thought about the things he had taught me without directly instructing me, about the courage he had given me without deliberately exhorting me. I wondered how it had happened. I wondered why I had been so privileged. I found myself wanting to run back to his car and tell him again how much I loved and admired him.

But it was late. And after all I was a fifty-five-year-old man. A husband. A father. A grandfather. A pastor. To some, a leader.

But as I stood there alone in the cold night air, I suddenly realized what I wanted to be when I grew up.

A mentor knows how to stretch without insulting, affirm without flattering,
release without abandoning us.

Reflecting His glory ~ Daily Light

MORNING

Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory. - Lord, when saw we thee a hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? - In lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. - Be clothed with humility.

[Jesus] was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. - All that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on Stephen, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. - The glory which thou gavest me, I have given them. - We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

EXO. 34:29. Psa. 115:1. Matt. 25:37. Phi. 2:3. I Pet. 5:5. Matt. 17:2. -Acts 6:15. John 17:22. II Cor. 3:18. Matt. 5:14,15.

EVENING

There are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

There fell some of Manasseh to David. And they helped David against the band of the rovers: for they were all mighty men of valour. - The manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

Of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do. - To one is given by the Spirit ... the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit.

Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: they were not of double heart. - A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

There should be no schism in the body; but ... the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

One Lord, one faith, one baptism.

I COR. 12:6. I Chr. 12:19,21. I Cor. 12:7. I Chr. 12:32. I Cor. 12:8. I Chr. 12:33. -Jas. 1:8. I Cor. 12:25,26. Eph. 4:5.

Jeremiah 2:31-4:18 ~ Colossians 1:1-17 ~ Psalm 76:1-12 ~ Proverbs 24:21-22 ~ One Year Bible Blog

Jeremiah 2:31-4:18 ~ Colossians 1:1-17 ~ Psalm 76:1-12 ~ Proverbs 24:21-22
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~
~ Listen to today's Scripture on DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) or OneYearAudioBible.org ~

Old Testament - We read some harsh words today from God to Israel in Jeremiah chapters 2 & 3 - calling the nation a prostitute and an adulteress. These are not words a person wants to hear from God - much less an entire nation hearing these words! Jeremiah wrote this book during the last 40 years of Judah's existence, which is not surprising to consider when we read this in chapter 3 verses 8 through 10 - "But now Judah, too, has left me and given herself to prostitution. Israel treated it all so lightly--she thought nothing of committing adultery by worshiping idols made of wood and stone. So now the land has been greatly defiled. But in spite of all this, her faithless sister Judah has never sincerely returned to me. She has only pretended to be sorry," says the LORD." Again, not words you want to hear from God. Can you imagine a much worse insult from God? A prostitute? An adulteress? As harsh as these words are - I almost hesitate to ask this - But I think I should - Today, are we ourselves ever a "prostitute" or an "adulteress" to God? Do we give ourselves over to sins and lusts and false loves that break God's heart because of his love for us? Well, when we act in such a bad way, we are fortunate that God says things like he did in verse 1 of chapter 3 of Jeremiah today - "But you have prostituted yourself with many lovers, says the LORD. Yet I am still calling you to come back to me." Even though we may sin gravely against God, he still calls us to come back to Him! Through Jesus today we can come back to Him! Do you need to come back to Him in any way in your life? Will you? Will you leave behind any and all "adulteress" or "prostitute" behaviors, and return to Him simply as the child of God that you were always made to be?

New Testament - Today we begin Paul's letter to the church in Colosse! You can see in the map below that Colesse was about 100 miles west of Ephesus - and very close to Laodicea. You can also see the island of Patmos on this map below where John wrote the book of Revelation.

~ Colossians ~
Author: Paul the apostle
Place: Rome
Date: A.D. 60 or 61
Content: Paul wrote this letter while a prisoner in Rome to a city he had never visited. He had come to know of these believers while living in Ephesus on his second missionary journey, and now he was concerned because he had heard of some strange pagan theories that were creeping into the church. The views that were troubling the Colossians were a mixture of astrology, magic, and Judaism, which downgraded Christ to being just some sort of angel. Paul wrote to correct this error by showing that Christ is none other than God and possesses the fullness of the eternal God. Instructions follow concerning Christian living.
Theme: In this important letter of Paul’s we are presented with a carefully worked-out defense of Christ’s deity and glory. He is all in all and the believer has everything he needs in Christ. Paul warns that believers out not to be led astray by the foolishness and the false wisdom of men. Instructions for Christian living stress the power of God for men and the joy that believers may have by making use of all the resources that are theirs in Christ. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” pp. 27-28) A wonderful commentary on Colossians by J. Hampton Keathley, III, is at this link.

Colossians chapter 1 verses 15 through 17 are some of the most powerful statements in all of the Bible about Who Jesus truly is! "Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see--kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him. He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together." Do you believe these words of Paul's are true? Do you believe that Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God? Did Jesus exist before God made the Earth? Do you believe that Jesus holds all of creation together? Does Jesus hold you together?

Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Colossians titled "The Supremacy of the Person of Christ" is at this link.

Psalms - I love Psalm 76 verse 4's reflection on God! "You are glorious and more majestic than the everlasting mountains." I wonder how often we look at nature and forget that God created nature? I think so often we can look at a beautiful sunset or a mountain or a forest or an ocean and temporarily forget that God created these beautiful things. If God created these beautiful things, then doesn't it stand to reason that God is more glorious and more majestic than all of his created things? I've said this one before on this blog: before I believed in Jesus or really even God, I honestly think I was evangelized by creation. Meaning - I would look at a starry night with my friends and say things like, "How could there be so many stars up there like that and there not be a God? Things like that can't just happen by chance!" Praise God for his creation that was evangelizing me toward Him! Has creation ever evangelized you? Do you think creation might be able to evangelize your friends who do not yet know God? Let us pray that we don't ever end up worshiping creation instead of the Creator. Let us be impressed and thankful and admire creation - but let us give the glory and the worship to the Creator, God, who is more glorious and more majestic than the everlasting mountains...

Proverbs - We read an interesting Proverb in chapter 24 verses 21 & 22 today - "My child, fear the LORD and the king, and don't associate with rebels. For you will go down with them to sudden disaster. Who knows where the punishment from the LORD and the king will end?" I find it interesting that this Proverb says fear both God and the king. This is interesting that "fear" of the king - essentially the government - is put on equal footing with fear of God. I think this is important for us to pay attention to. God cares about governments. God though is of course above all governments. (I think it is important here to note that this Proverb does not say "worship" God and the king - we most definitely should not be worshiping the government....) It's interesting that we are instructed here to fear the king and don't associate with rebels. Or else you'll go down with them to sudden disaster. Generally speaking, I can agree w/ this Proverb. But, this is also one of those Proverbs where I think to myself - "well, wait a second - what about this type of situation....." I am sure we can all think of some situations where we should be associating with "rebels" of the government - and where that association is actually the moral high ground - the right thing to do. (if the government was a Nazi government for example) What are your thoughts on this Proverb? Should we always / sometimes / never fear both God and "the king"?

Worship God: Psalm 76:4 reminded me of the fantastic worship song "Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble?" by Delirious. For some reason every time I hear the lyric "open up the doors and let the music play, let the streets resound with singing" I am reminded of a trip to the Dominican Republic I took several years ago to work on houses with Habitat for Humanity. Walking down the dusty streets of a tiny village in the DR I distinctly remember the doors being open, the music playing and the streets resounding with the singing of children playing. God's presence was so real and tangible to me on that dusty little village in the DR. I pray you've had or will have a similar experience with God walking down "a street that has no name"!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO_bKR2Wzhk

Have you felt the mountains tremble? Click here and let the music play!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture this week: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21 (NIV)

Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike