Posted by: jakinnan | April 19, 2013

The Power of Prayer

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Never underestimate the power of prayer. When you are praying according to God’s will, your prayer is unstoppable. And how do we know what God’s will is? By careful study of Scripture.

Jesus made this promise: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7).

We gravitate immediately toward the latter part of that verse: Ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.We love that, as though God were some sort of genie. But that isn’t the case. We tend to forget about the first part of this verse: If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you . . . If we are walking in fellowship with God and studying the Word of God, then we will start praying according to the will of God. And then we will start seeing our prayers answered.

First John 5:14–15 says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

Therefore, we should never give up or back down. We need to keep praying. That is why Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). In the original language there is an ascending intensity to the terms. It is like starting off with some politeness. Then you get more aggressive. And then you are not letting go, like Jacob, who wrestled with the Lord and refused to let go until He blessed him.

Don’t give up.

– Greg Laurie

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 19, 2013

Unresolved Conflict

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Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 
—Romans 12:16-18

As soon as we talk about resolving conflict, people ask, But aren’t there some acceptable reasons for unresolved conflict?

Yes, there are three.

To which they say, Good. I was hoping for some loopholes. Bring them on!

There are three acceptable reasons for unresolved conflict, but you won’t find them very satisfying if you are nourishing hatred in your heart. And they share one characteristic; all are temporary. As Paul wrote, “So far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
Here’s the first reason for delayed resolution: I need some time. I’m not talking about months or years, but hours and days; or in an extreme situation, you can wait a couple of weeks. This is for when you’re saying, I need to take a breath. I need some time to get ready or I’m going to say something wrong.

Here’s the second reason for delayed resolution: I’ve tried and I’m going to try again. Maybe they rebuffed you. You built your half of the bridge, but they wouldn’t meet you. So you take time while you ask God to change that person’s heart. And He can. In any case, you have already forgiven them. And you can go back to them again.

There’s a third reason for delayed resolution: Some conflict is simply not personal. When a judge gives a verdict that sends a man to prison for six months, the convict may hate the judge’s guts, but the judge doesn’t have any problem with the person; he’s just doing his job.

Someone may have a wrong heart attitude toward you. This can occur when, as a parent, you have to say difficult things to your children. Be loving, be gracious, pray for God to change their heart and help them see you were just doing what every loving parent does. But if the way you did it, or when you did it, or how you did it was wrong, then you need to be willing to acknowledge your responsibility and even ask your child to forgive you. That’s wisdom and modeling humility.

In all these cases, the ultimate goal is resolution; living peaceably with all.

– James MacDonald

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 19, 2013

Kings in Exile

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All good things come to an end. I hate that phrase. It’s a lie. Even our troubles and our heartbreaks tell us something about our true destiny. The tragedies that strike us to the core and elicit the cry “this isn’t the way it was supposed to be!” are also telling the truth—it isn’t the way it was supposed to be. And so Pascal writes,

Man is so great that his greatness appears even in knowing himself to be miserable. A tree has no sense of its misery. It is true that to know we are miserable is to be miserable; but to know we are miserable is also to be great. Thus all the miseries of man prove his grandeur; they are the miseries of a dignified personage, the miseries of a dethroned monarch…What can this incessant craving, and this impotence of attainment mean, unless there was once a happiness belonging to man, of which only the faintest traces remain, in that void which he attempts to fill with everything within his reach?

Should the king in exile pretend he is happy there? Should he not seek his own country? His miseries are his ally; they urge him on. And so let them grow, if need be. But do not forsake the secret of life; do not despise those kingly desires. We abandon the most important journey of our lives when we abandon desire. We leave our hearts by the side of the road and head off in the direction of fitting in, getting by, being productive, what have you. Whatever we might gain—money, position, the approval of others, or just to get away from the discontent itself—it’s not worth it. “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Matt 16:26).

– John Eldredge, Desire

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 19, 2013

04/19/2013 Scripture

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For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.  They will reject the truth and chase after myths. But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

– 2 Timothy 4:3-5 NLT

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 18, 2013

Following Christ’s Example

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“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matt. 5:7).

Mercy is not a human attribute. It is God’s gift to those who seek Him. Psalm 103:11 says, “As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him” (KJV).

The verb form of “merciful” appears many times in Scripture and means “to have mercy on,” “aid the afflicted,” “give help to the wretched,” or “rescue the miserable.” In general it refers to anything you do to benefit someone in need. The noun form is used only twice: here in Matthew 5:7 and in Hebrews 2:17, which reads, “[Christ] had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest.” Christ Himself is both the source and illustration of mercy.

Christ modeled mercy throughout His earthly ministry. He healed the sick and enabled the crippled to walk. He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and speech to the mute. His redeeming love embraced sinners of all kinds. He wept with those in sorrow and comforted the lonely. He embraced little children and the elderly alike. His mercy was compassion in action!

Despite His abundant mercy, Jesus received no mercy from His enemies. They hated Him without cause, accused Him falsely, beat Him, nailed Him to a cross, spat upon Him, and cursed Him. Even then He sought mercy for them, praying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

Some have paraphrased Matthew 5:7 to say that if you show mercy to others, they will show mercy to you. Now that might happen in some isolated incidences, but in this jaded world that’s not often the case–as Jesus’ life clearly demonstrates. Many Christians have incurred slander, rebuke, lawsuits, and even death for their noble efforts. Jesus didn’t guarantee merciful treatment from others. His emphasis was that God shows mercy toward those who show mercy to others.

Don’t ever be reluctant to show mercy to others–even when they misunderstand or mistreat you. God will use your kindness for His glory and reward you accordingly.

Suggestions for Prayer:

 

  • Praise Jesus for being willing to suffer death that you might receive mercy.
  • Is there someone you might show mercy to today in some tangible way?

For Further Study:

Read John 5:1-18.

 

  • How did Christ demonstrate mercy to the sick man?
  • How did the Jewish religious leaders react?

– John MacArthur

Picture Credit: Mike Keller

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 18, 2013

No Joy in Judgement

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“As surely as I live,” says the Sovereign Lord, “I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?” – Ezekiel 33:11

When the topic of God’s judgment comes up, some people would say, “It’s about time!” They have no problem whatsoever with seeing God’s wrath fall upon a world that has rejected Him and His Word.

But as believers, this is not an attitude we should have. In fact, it is why God rebuked Jonah. The Lord told him to go and preach to the Ninevites, who were renowned for their wickedness and cruelty. Jonah didn’t want to go for two reasons: First, he was a patriotic Jew, and the Ninevites were enemies of Israel. Second, he feared that because God was so gracious and loving, He would pardon Nineveh. And Jonah preferred that Nineveh be destroyed.

So Jonah went in the opposite direction. But after some powerful persuasion, he eventually went and preached to the people of Nineveh, hoping that no one would listen. Then Jonah pulled up a ringside seat outside Nineveh, holding out hope that God’s judgment would come.

Meanwhile, God caused a large plant to grow up that gave Jonah shade. But when a worm came along and ate the plant, Jonah got upset. Here is what God told him: “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?” (Jonah 4:10–11).

This reminds us that God takes no delight in the death of the wicked (see Ezekiel 33:11). Nor should we. We should not rejoice that people are going to be judged because, frankly, we all deserve to be judged. But God loves us. He wants us to know Him. And it is His nature to love and to forgive.

– Greg Laurie

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 18, 2013

Steps to Conflict Resolution

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If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. – Matthew 18:15-17

Today we begin a study of one of the most oft-quoted and under-used portions of God’s Word. Over the course of several devotionals, we will touch on eight steps Jesus specified in the process of conflict resolution. When you get into conflict with somebody, it’s not at all unusual to hear Christians who know a little say, Have you followed Matthew 18? Unfortunately, when asked, many of these well-meaning people cannot actually explain the process Jesus laid out. We want to make some progress in that regard.

It’s probably not hard to bring to mind the name and face of someone with whom you have an unresolved conflict. Maybe it’s somebody you used to work with who undercut you in the market place, or said something negative that injured your reputation. Perhaps it’s an extended family member. Or maybe it’s one of your parents who said something that shouldn’t have been said. And things aren’t the way they’re supposed to be. The same can be painfully true if you have unresolved conflict with one of your children.

We can’t avoid conflict. It’s just a part of life. There is even going to be conflict between the followers of Jesus. The Lord Himself said,“Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!” (Luke 17:1). Conflicts are huge temptations to sin. The phrase temptations to sin is a translation of the Greek word skandala which literally means stumbling block and from which we get our word scandal. Jesus told His disciples these potential scandals and offenses were “sure to come.” When they do come, they often show up as conflicts.

The question is: How do we resolve those conflicts and clashes? If we know something is unavoidable, it makes sense to have a plan of action for when the occasion arises. Keep in mind the names and faces representing discord in your life as we start through Matthew 18:15-17 and Jesus’ eight steps to conflict resolution. We plan to handle two steps in each of the devotions that follow. I think you’ll see them clearly in the text. And we will ask the Spirit of God to prompt us out of obedience to Scripture to take some action toward resolution.

– James MacDonald

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 18, 2013

Follow Rahab’s Example

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Rahab depended for her preservation upon the promise of the spies, whom she regarded as the representatives of the God of Israel. Her faith was simple and firm, but it was very obedient. To tie the scarlet cord in the window was a very trivial act in itself, but she dared not run the risk of omitting it.

Come, my soul, is there not here a lesson for you? Have you been attentive to all your Lord’s will, even though some of His commands should seem nonessential? Have you observed in His own way the two ordinances of believers’ baptism and the Lord’s Supper? To neglect these is to display the unloving disobedience in your heart. From now on be blameless in everything, even the tying of a thread, if that is what’s commanded.

This act of Rahab provides an even more solemn lesson. Have I implicitly trusted in the precious blood of Jesus? Have I tied the scarlet cord, with an intricate knot in my window, so that my trust can never be removed? Or can I look out toward the Dead Sea of my sins or the Jerusalem of my hopes without seeing the blood and seeing all things in connection with its blessed power?

The passer-by can see a cord of such a conspicuous color if it hangs from the window: It will be good for me if my life makes the efficacy of the atonement conspicuous to all onlookers. What is there to be ashamed of? Let men or devils gaze if they want, the blood is my boast and my song.

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 18, 2013

The Great Stories

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Notice that all the great stories pretty much follow the same story line. Things were once good, then something awful happened, and now a great battle must be fought or a journey taken. At just the right moment (which feels like the last possible moment), a hero comes and sets things right, and life is found again.

It’s true of every fairy tale, every myth, every Western, every epic—just about every story you can think of, one way or another. Braveheart, Titanic, the Star Wars series,Gladiator, The Lord of the Rings trilogy. They pretty much all follow the same story line.

Have you ever wondered why?

Every story, great and small, shares the same essential structure because every story we tell borrows its power from a Larger Story, a Story woven into the fabric of our being-—what pioneer psychologist Carl Jung tried to explain as archetype, or what his more recent popularizer Joseph Campbell called myth.

All of these stories borrow from the Story. From Reality. We hear echoes of it through our lives. Some secret written on our hearts. A great battle to fight, and someone to fight for us. An adventure, something that requires everything we have, something to be shared with those we love and need.

There is a Story that we just can’t seem to escape. There is a Story written on the human heart.

– John Eldredge, Epic

Picture Credit: Wan Shi

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 18, 2013

04/18/2013 Scripture

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You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.  They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.

– 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NLT

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