“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:13

“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:13

Hope chiefly regards “the end;”–for that is “better than the beginning,” the crowning consummation of all that faith believes, hope expects, and love enjoys. But through what dark and gloomy seasons has hope often to look before this end comes, being sometimes sunk so low as almost to despair even of life! How it has in these low spots to muster all its evidences, look back to this and that Ebenezer, this and that hill Mizar, this and that deliverance, manifestation, and blessing; how it has to hang upon the word of promise, cry out for help, and that mightily, as if at its last breath, and hope against hope in the very face of unbelief, infidelity, and despair. An end must come to all our struggles, trials, exercises, afflictions, and conflicts. We shall not be always struggling and fighting with a body of sin and death. We shall not be always exposed to snares and temptations spread in our path by sin and Satan, so as hardly to escape falling by them as if by the very skin of our teeth. Every day reminds us with warning voice that an end must come. But now comes the question, and often a very anxious question it is, What will that end be? Here hope comes in to sustain and support the soul, enabling it to look forward, that it may prove to be a hope that maketh not ashamed, a good hope through grace, and a hope of such a complete and enduring nature that the end may prove it was a grace of the Holy Spirit, and, as such, stamped with his own perfecting power.

Love

Love

Bible Verse
If I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. I Corinthians 13:2 (NLT)

Thoughts & Message
God calls us to a higher kind of love. Not some sentimental romantic type of love, but a practical “walk your talk” kind of love. Paul defined it in his letter to the Corinthians when he wrote, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” The Apostle John goes farther and explains how living out our love in practical ways toward each other is the real proof that we know God. He wrote, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Today, commit yourself to knowing God by doing His will, love those around you.

Prayer
Dear Father, help me follow You by loving the way You would have me love. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

Good, But Not Good Enough

Good, But Not Good Enough

Matthew 19:16-26
Today’s Scripture passage describes a man who may seem quite familiar. Church tradition calls him the “rich young ruler,” but you may know him as “coworker,” “fellow church member,” or even “friend.” You see, the tale of the rich young ruler is alive and well today.
This character reveals one of the fundamental errors of the Christian life: he thought salvation was something he could earn. He came to Jesus because he wanted eternal life. However, as the story unfolds, we get the definite impression that he was simply looking for a formula of good deeds that would produce the desired results. Simply put, he wanted to check “salvation” off of his lifetime “to-do” list.
Jesus saw through his well-meaning exterior and evaluated the condition of his heart. Then He cut through the pretense and went to the core of the matter. He told the man to let go of that which gave him the greatest feeling of security – his wealth. Unwilling to do so, the man left Jesus sorrowfully. He knew he could not surrender his true love, money.
Was Jesus saying all believers must give up their money in order to receive eternal life? Certainly not. Instead, He was stressing a point that is still urgent today: Anything that is more important to you than faithfulness to God must be removed from your life. Period. The rich young ruler had done some good, but his good wasn’t good enough. By what standard are you measuring your good – your own, or Jesus’ substitutionary death on our behalf? Only one is good enough.

Daily Devotions with Dr. Charles Stanlley, InTouch Ministries

The Cost of Compromise

The Cost of Compromise

1 Kings 11:1-8

Modern society nurtures a popular misconception that Christians should relax their beliefs and adopt a more tolerant worldview. But we can see from the life of King Solomon that compromising the law of God is a destructive choice.

In the early years of his reign, Solomon was committed to doing right. But later, when he saw the opportunity to promote himself politically, he ignored the command forbidding marriage to pagans (1 Kings 3:1). The union may have seemed like an insignificant deviation, but Satan’s strategy is to convince us to compromise small portions of Scripture, one at a time.

Solomon admired beautiful women of other races, but instead of finding ways to avoid temptation, he first allowed himself one relationship and then sought more and more. Surrounded by foreigners, the king inevitably became involved in their religions. Eventually, he was ensnared by sin, and his heart turned from God.

Solomon’s temptations may differ from ours, but accepting compromise can trap us as well. Unchecked admiration for something beyond God’s will for our life can convince us to pursue it. Though we intellectually know this choice is wrong, we harden our hearts against the Spirit’s warnings. Our preoccupation can deepen until the desired object, person, or activity holds a place of greater priority than our Father. If we allow that to happen, we lose our freedom in Christ and become trapped in a prison of sin. In other words, the cost of compromise is the corruption of our souls.

Daily Devotions with Dr. Charles Stanlley, InTouch Ministries

Who Has the Majority?

Who Has the Majority?

And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. (2 Kings 6:16)

Horses and chariots and a great host shut up the prophet in Dothan. His young servant was alarmed. How could they escape from such a body of armed men? But the prophet had eyes which his servant had not, and he could see a greater host with far superior weapons guarding him from all harm. Horses of fire are mightier than horses of flesh, and chariots of fire are far preferable to chariots of iron.

Even so is it at this hour. The adversaries of truth are many, influential, learned, and crafty; and truth fares ill at their hands; and yet the man of God has no cause for trepidation. Agencies, seen and unseen, of the most potent kind, are on the side of righteousness. God has armies in ambush which will reveal themselves in the hour of need. The forces which are on the side of the good and the true far outweigh the powers of evil. Therefore, let us keep our spirits up, and walk with the gait of men who possess a cheering secret, which has lifted them above all fear. We are on the winning side. The battle may be sharp, but we know how it will end. Faith, having God with her, is in a clear majority: "They that be with us are more than they that be with them."