Grace 809

Transcript

Today is Psalms Wednesday. We’ll read chapter 111-113. I’ll have a brief introduction before reading each chapter, and after the reading I’ll have some comments. And of course I’ll have an “On This Date In Church History” segment for you, too. I’m calling today’s episode  “I Will.”

Praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.

Psalm 112: 1 NKJV

Notice the psalmist says, “I will praise the Lord…”. He does not say, “I feel like praising the Lord…”. It is an act of will, not an emotion. 

Face it, sometimes we do not feel like praising the Lord. Maybe we have had a difficult week, or we’ve been on the outs with our spouse, or money ran out before the month did. Or maybe we are just in a dry spell with the Lord. 

Does any of that change who God is? Of course not. No matter what happens in our own life, God is still God. He is still worthy of praise, and when we decide that we *will* praise the Lord with our whole heart, 99 times out of 100, our emotions will be lifted up as we lift up the name of the Lord. I know, because I have experienced it myself, and have talked to others who agree.

When you are feeling down, or afraid, or lonely, or like God doesn’t hear you, praise the Lord with your whole heart. 

Remember the old milk commercial? Milk. It does a body good.

Let’s change it up. Praise. It does a spirit good.

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 111-113 NKJV

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Does any of that change who God is?

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The late Dr. Steve Farrar explains how men sometimes get distracted from what’s truly important in life.

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What kind of father does a boy need? In an upbeat recorded message, the late Steve Farrar encourages men to invest time and energy into the lives of their sons, in spite of the fact that our culture emphasizes the importance of a man’s career. Steve reminds men that God wants them to love His Word deeply and teach Scriptural truths to their children and grandchildren.

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Control freaks are easily frustrated. We can’t take control, because control is not ours to take. The Bible has a better idea. Rather than seeking control, relinquish it. Peace is within reach, not for lack of problems, but because of the presence of a sovereign Lord.

Rather than rehearse the chaos of the world, rejoice in the Lord’s sovereignty, as the Apostle Paul did. From prison he wrote, “The things which have happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to the rest, that my chains are in Christ” (Philippians 1:12-13).

In the innermost of his being, Paul was a man who believed in the steady hand of a good God, protected and preserved by God’s love. He lived beneath the shadow of God’s wings. Do you?

Read more Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Transcript

Today is history Tuesday and we’ll begin the book of 2 Chronicles with chapters 1-5. After the reading I’ll have some comments. And of course I’ll have an “On This Date In Church History” segment for you, too. I’m calling today’s episode “The Best Request.”

Solomon now begins his reign as king. It seems that his first order of business was to strengthen his hold on the kingdom. In 1 Kings, chapter 2, we read that shortly before his father David died, he gave Solomon instructions on what he should do to accomplish this. And it looks like Solomon wasted no time.

Also, we’re told in 2 Chronicles 1 that God was with him and highly exalted him. God seems to be pleased with how Solomon began his reign.

Then he brought all Israel together to make a very special sacrifice of 1,000 burnt offerings to God. This seems to have been to show that he would seek God as the leader of the nation.

That night God came to Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask. What should I give you?”

Of course, the implication is that He would have given Solomon anything that he asked for, isn’t it?

Can you imagine? Anything! Wow. Wouldn’t it be great if God made that kind of offer to you? What would you ask for? 

But wait! He has made that offer! Don’t believe me?

· Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7).

· 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).

· Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us (1 John 5:14).

Those promises apply to every believer, beloved. The question is, have we availed ourselves of them?

We all know what Solomon’s request was. He asked for wisdom and knowledge to lead Israel. Please note that he asked for *both* wisdom *and* knowledge. Knowledge without wisdom can be a very dangerous thing. For instance, it’s one thing know how to use a gun, but if I don’t have the wisdom to know when to use it, great harm could not be far away.

And God said, “Since this was in your heart, and you have not requested riches, wealth, or glory, or for the life of those who hate you, and you have not even requested long life, but you have requested for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king, 12wisdom and knowledge are given to you. I will also give you riches, wealth, and glory, unlike what was given to the ki

Pastor J.D. Greear explains why we need a balance of convictions and grace.

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Pastor J. D. Greear shares practical insights and real-life stories to help believers reach our broken culture with the love of Christ. Hear his encouragement to meet people where they are, live as authentic examples of Jesus in everyday life, and make a lasting impact for the gospel.

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If anyone had a reason to be anxious it was the apostle Paul. Envision an old man as he gazes out the window of a Roman prison. Half-blind, squinting just to read. Awaiting trial before the Roman emperor. His future is as gloomy as his jail cell.

Yet to read his words, you’d think he’d just arrived at a Jamaican beach hotel. His letter to the Philippians bears not a word of fear or complaint. Not one! Instead, he lifts his thanks to God and calls on his readers to do the same. “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4)

Paul’s challenge is a decision deeply rooted in the confidence that God exists, that he is in control, and that he is good. Rejoice in the Lord always. You can’t run the world, but you can entrust it to God.

Read more Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Transcript

Timothy LaFontaine

Today is Monday, so we’ll read from one of the books of the Law. We’re in the book of Numbers, and we’ll read chapters 21-24. After the reading I’ll have some comments. And of course I’ll have an “On This Date In Church History” segment for you, too. I’m calling today’s episode “Don’t Be Too Eager.”

If this were Sesame Street, I would say that today’s chapter from Numbers was brought to you by the letter “B”. Balaam, Balak, Bamoth-Baal, Beor. 

So what did you think about the situation with Balaam and God at first denying him permission to go to see Balak, and then telling him it was okay to go, and then being mad that he did go? Were you confused by that? Is God a capricious God?

Of course not. But I was confused, too. So I did some digging, and here is what I found.

Balak sent messengers first to ask Balaam to come and curse the Israelites. God told Balaam not to go since He, God, had blessed them. Then Balak sent even more distinguished messengers, with the additional message that he would confer great honor upon Balaam, in effect Balak was attempting to bribe Balaam. This appears to have been a bit of a temptation to Balaam, even though he said with his lips that even if Balak gave him enough silver and gold to fill a house, he could not do anything against what God had told him…he told the messengers that he would see if God had anything else to say on the matter.

This seems to be the crux of the matter. God told Balaam that the people were blessed. Why would he expect that God would say anything different about cursing people whom He blessed? 

Here is what God said, and the version we’re reading today doesn’t convey the original meaning well. Commentators agree that what God said was, “If the men come to you, then you may go with them.” 

Let’s stop here for a moment. This is an important point. God allows us to do many things that He does not endorse. Right? Sometimes He will allow us to succumb to our own wicked and lustful hearts. He allows us, in effect, to touch the hot stove to see that it will burn us. I can imagine Balaam laying in his bed that night, thinking how cool it was that these important visitors had come to his humble home. He felt important. And I can also imagine him laying there fantasizing about the honors that Balak would bestow on him once he arrived. He got to thin

Transcript

Paul of Seattle

Today is Epistles Sunday, and we’ll read the book of Philemon. It’s another one chapter book. Before reading the book, I’ll give you a brief introduction, then after the reading I’ll have some comments. And of course I’ll have an “On This Date In Church History” segment for you, too. I’m calling today’s episode “Restitution.”

Onesimus was a slave, and I’ll address the issue of slavery in a moment. But first let’s talk about Paul’s letter to Philemon.

In addressing the letter Paul says, “To Philemon our dearly loved coworker…” The entire letter is written within this framework. He does not come from his position as an apostle, but as a close friend. 

Philemon lived in Colosse, and when Onesimus ran away, he made his way to Rome, where Paul was a prisoner of the Romans. Somehow Paul and Onesimus met, and Paul led him to the Lord. After this, Onesimus became a great help to Paul.

Running away was a crime punishable by death, but once he became a Christian, Onesimus and Paul agree that Onesimus must return to Philemon as a way to make restitution. Legally, Onesimus was the property of Philemon. However, Paul appeals to Philemon as a beloved friend, asking that Philemon accept Onesimus back not as a slave, but as a fellow believer. 

The name Onesimus means “profitable” or “useful”, and in his appeal, Paul makes a play on words, saying that Onesimus had been useless or unprofitable to Philemon in the past because he had run away, but now as a fellow believer he could truly live up to his name and be useful to both Philemon and Paul.

Paul said that if Onesimus owed Philemon any money, he (Paul) would personally pay the debt. But he also gently reminded Philemon that he owed Paul his life, since Paul is the one who brought him to Christ. 

Paul’s offer is a parallel of what Christ has done for us. We owed a debt that we could not pay, but Jesus took that debt upon Himself.

Paul’s love for both Philemon and Onesimus is evident in this short letter, isn’t it? If the message of the Gospel could be boiled down, it’s all about forgiveness. And Paul, who at one time persecuted Christians, even to the point of holding the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen to death, could speak first-hand about being forgiven. Jesus appeared to Paul in a vision, as he was headed to Damascus on another mission to persecute Christians and asked him, “Saul, why do you persecute me?”

I won’t recount the whole story here, but Paul, whose original name was Saul, w