Stuart's Daily Devotional: Jesus Christ is the same

Life can take alarming twists and turns in a matter of moments. An automobile accident takes a life, a doctor's appointment identifies a critical...

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. — Hebrews 13:8 Life can take alarming twists and turns in a matter of moments. An automobile accident takes a life, a doctor's appointment identifies a critical sickness, a call to the manager's office heralds a dismissal, a downturn in the stock market signals financial ruin, a phone call announces an arrest. Suddenly and without warning, life is turned irrevocably upside down. There is a special charm in the terse but powerful statement, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8). Of course, while the statement is complete in itself, it also should be seen in its context. "Yesterday," Jesus Christ was the one whom the leaders of the church in its infancy trusted. The writer of Hebrews insisted, "Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and trust the Lord as they do" (13:7). As the readers remembered the early church leaders and their godly lives, they could see something of the faithfulness of Jesus as he had proved himself trustworthy throughout their experience. So in their present trials, the writer said, Christians should recognize that Jesus would be everything to them that he had been to the previous generation of their leaders. As a result, they must "Today" avoid being "attracted by strange, new ideas" (13:8). If Jesus was all that was necessary for powerful living in a bygone time, nothing had changed. He would be adequate for the present day, too. So the "new ideas" that were being propagated were not only unnecessary, but they also were unacceptable if they in any way diminished the sufficiency of the Lord Jesus in the lives of believers. Moreover, this situation would never change. "Forever," Jesus would be the same. Life is made up of uncertainties. In the midst of uncertainty, there is one who is certain, unshakable, immovable, solid as a rock, reliable, constant, and totally trustworthy. Henry Francis Lyte probably had Hebrews 13:8 in mind when he wrote in his famous hymn, "Abide with Me": Change and decay in all around I see, Oh Thou who changest not, abide with me. There is always a certain fascination with new ideas. For many people, novelty is an antidote to boredom. That which has become predictable and permanent loses its charm, and people look to be excited, invigorated, and freshened by something new. What they need is to be excited and renewed daily in the knowledge that the all-sufficient Christ is with them. This way, when change comes, Christ will be front and center—unchanging. And in a changing scene, they will be found trusting and thriving—unchanged. Stuart Briscoe For further study: Hebrews 13:8-16 Was this forwarded from a friend? CLICK to receive Stuart's devotional directly in your inbox each day. Excerpted from The One Year Devotions for Men, Copyright ©2000 by Stuart Briscoe. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved. Share Tweet Subscribe Download our app Hear today's message New this month: Copyright ©2024 Telling the Truth, 12660 W North Ave, Brookfield, WI 53005 Phone: 800.889.5388 - Email: info@tellingthetruth.org BIBLE VERSE Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. - Jeremiah1:5 Blog Page about Alibris Books Blog Page about ChristianBook Books Blog Page about DownPour Books Blog Page about Faith Gateway Books Blog Page about Kobo Books Blog Page about Logos Books Get $100 off a Logos 10 base package (first-time base package purchasers only)   Shop The Exclusive Offer for Logos 10 Save up to 20% on a Logos package, plus get five free bonus books.  10% off of various Logos packages + 5 free digital books  Shop for Publisher Spotlight Logos Monthly Free Books, Ebooks and Audio Books For month of June 2024 June's free Book  John Chrysostom (Bitesize Biographies) by Earl M. Blackburn June's free ebook  11:15: The Making Of A Halfling  (By Heather Burch) June's free Audiobook Belong: Loving Your Church by  Reflecting Christ to One Another (audio) Ongoing Free item strategy: Try this link: https://www.logos.com/free-book Now this link: https://www .logos.com/free-ebook Next try this link: https://www.logo s.com/free-audiobook    Try these Logos Bible Software Discount codes GOLL   WGR9    Shop for Logos Monthly Sale Faith Gateway: Discount will be taken with code  DAD20  Answers in Genesis Bookstore Furnished by Rick Livermore Webmaster220 San Juan Capistrano California –  Read the current issue of the Capistrano Dispatch here: https://www.picketfencemedia.com/thecapistranodispatch/current-issue/ Publisher Information This blog post was furnished by Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog  on Twitter (x) other blogs by the same person: The_New_Rick_Livermore_Site (Discontinued) Discontinued Rick Livermore Webmaster220

Jill's Daily Devotional: Is God sleeping on the job?

Jesus and the disciples got into a boat and "started across the lake"—referring to the Sea of Galilee. "Suddenly, a terrible storm came up, with waves

Suddenly, a terrible storm came up, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. — Matthew 8:24 Jesus and the disciples got into a boat and "started across the lake"—referring to the Sea of Galilee. "Suddenly, a terrible storm came up, with waves breaking into the boat" (Matthew 8:23-24). While not unusual, storms on the Sea of Galilee would come up suddenly and could be very violent. The disciples were frightened, but Jesus "was sleeping" (8:24). The disciples must have felt like Jesus was sleeping on the job. They were hurt at his apparent indifference to their plight: "Teacher, don't you even care that we are going to drown?" they asked him (Mark 4:38). Who of us has not experienced a sudden squall in life's placid waters and suddenly been nearly swamped? Maybe we have been healthy one day and facing a terrible prognosis the next. Maybe the storm has taken the form of a divorce, sudden unemployment, or a house fire. Maybe it's just the little stresses building up in our too-busy lives that suddenly threaten to sink us. Christ may well be "on board," but that doesn't stop us from feeling frightened, bewildered, and hurt that he is apparently sleeping on the job. The disciples' fear was addressed when Christ woke up, rebuked the men and the storm (in that order), and asked the men what had happened to their faith (Matthew 8:26-27). Fear and faith are antithetical—Jesus expects us to trust him in the storms of life. Why should we? Because he controls all nature and can control our stormy human situations, as well as give us peace. Jill Briscoe For further study: Matthew 8:23-27 Was this forwarded from a friend? CLICK to receive Jill's devotional directly in your inbox each day. Excerpted from The One Year Devotions for Women, Copyright ©2000 by Jill Briscoe. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved. Share Tweet Subscribe Download our app Hear today's message New this month: Copyright ©2024 Telling the Truth, 12660 W North Ave, Brookfield, WI 53005 Phone: 800.889.5388 - Email: info@tellingthetruth.org

BIBLE VERSE Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. - Jeremiah1:5 Blog Page about Alibris Books Blog Page about ChristianBook Books Blog Page about DownPour Books Blog Page about Faith Gateway Books Blog Page about Kobo Books Blog Page about Logos Books Get $100 off a Logos 10 base package (first-time base package purchasers only)   Shop The Exclusive Offer for Logos 10 Save up to 20% on a Logos package, plus get five free bonus books.  10% off of various Logos packages + 5 free digital books  Shop for Publisher Spotlight Logos Monthly Free Books, Ebooks and Audio Books For month of June 2024 June's free Book  John Chrysostom (Bitesize Biographies) by Earl M. Blackburn June's free ebook  11:15: The Making Of A Halfling  (By Heather Burch) June's free Audiobook Belong: Loving Your Church by  Reflecting Christ to One Another (audio) Ongoing Free item strategy: Try this link: https://www.logos.com/free-book Now this link: https://www .logos.com/free-ebook Next try this link: https://www.logo s.com/free-audiobook    Try these Logos Bible Software Discount codes GOLL   WGR9    Shop for Logos Monthly Sale Faith Gateway: Discount will be taken with code  DAD20  Answers in Genesis Bookstore Furnished by Rick Livermore Webmaster220 San Juan Capistrano California –  Read the current issue of the Capistrano Dispatch here: https://www.picketfencemedia.com/thecapistranodispatch/current-issue/ Publisher Information This blog post was furnished by Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog  on Twitter (x) other blogs by the same person: The_New_Rick_Livermore_Site (Discontinued) Discontinued Rick Livermore Webmaster220

God Says Respond to Unfairness With Love

Current Teaching Series Building My Life on Values That Last

God Says Respond to Unfairness With Love By Rick Warren — 06/30/2024 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:43-44 (NIV) Unfairness is part of the human condition. You can't live on this earth for long without feeling like someone has treated you unfairly. Maybe it's a parent who put you through a miserable childhood. Maybe it's an employer who treats you more harshly than they treat your coworkers. Maybe you feel like you were handled unfairly by the legal process. Maybe you didn't get the opportunity you thought you deserved. You can choose to respond to the people who hurt you by hurting them. That's the easiest choice to make, no doubt about it! But God gives us another option in his Word: "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:43-44 NIV). When people hurt you, they expect you to retaliate. They expect you to seek revenge. But God wants you to do the exact opposite: He wants you to respond in love. If you respond to mistreatment with love, you'll keep the other person from controlling you. You can't control when another person treats you unfairly. You can control whether you get bitter in the process. You can control your response to injustice. Just because you respond to an offender lovingly doesn't mean you continue to allow injustice. On the contrary, we must lovingly seek justice. We must work for justice in the world without retaliating. The Bible commands us to be "fair-minded and just. Do what is right!" (Jeremiah 22:3 NLT). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a great example of this. He fought against injustice without violence. He overcame evil through the power of love. He followed the example of Jesus, who chose to forgive his persecutors even as they were killing him. That's our calling as followers of Jesus. Unfairness and injustice may be part of the human condition, but we must not feed into it. Instead, God calls us to respond in love. PLAY today's audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over What personal injustice in your life are you struggling to respond to in love? Why? How are we allowing others to control us when we choose to hate them or harbor bitterness toward them? What are some creative ways that your family or small group can respond to injustices in your community with the love of Jesus? The post God Says Respond to Unfairness With Love appeared first on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope.

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Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes 9 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series Building My Life on Values That Last. LEARN MORE

Series Summary Message 1: Choosing My Standards Message 2: Accepting Responsibility Message 3: Developing Trust Message 4: Developing Self-Control Message 5: The Balanced Life Message 6: Showing Respect Message 7: Offering Forgiveness Message 8: Maintaining Moral Purity Message 9: Showing Fairness PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick's daily audio teaching at PastorRick.com Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church, one of America's largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book The Purpose Driven Church was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created The PEACE Plan to address the five global giants—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at PastorRick.com. © 2024 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, PO Box 80448, Rancho Santa Margarita, California 92688, United States

BIBLE VERSE Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. - Jeremiah1:5 Blog Page about Alibris Books Blog Page about ChristianBook Books Blog Page about DownPour Books Blog Page about Faith Gateway Books Blog Page about Kobo Books Blog Page about Logos Books Get $100 off a Logos 10 base package (first-time base package purchasers only)   Shop The Exclusive Offer for Logos 10 Save up to 20% on a Logos package, plus get five free bonus books.  10% off of various Logos packages + 5 free digital books  Shop for Publisher Spotlight Logos Monthly Free Books, Ebooks and Audio Books For month of June 2024 June's free Book  John Chrysostom (Bitesize Biographies) by Earl M. Blackburn June's free ebook  11:15: The Making Of A Halfling  (By Heather Burch) June's free Audiobook Belong: Loving Your Church by  Reflecting Christ to One Another (audio) Ongoing Free item strategy: Try this link: https://www.logos.com/free-book Now this link: https://www .logos.com/free-ebook Next try this link: https://www.logo s.com/free-audiobook    Try these Logos Bible Software Discount codes GOLL   WGR9    Shop for Logos Monthly Sale Faith Gateway: Discount will be taken with code  DAD20  Answers in Genesis Bookstore Furnished by Rick Livermore Webmaster220 San Juan Capistrano California –  Read the current issue of the Capistrano Dispatch here: https://www.picketfencemedia.com/thecapistranodispatch/current-issue/ Publisher Information This blog post was furnished by Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog  on Twitter (x) other blogs by the same person: The_New_Rick_Livermore_Site (Discontinued) Discontinued Rick Livermore Webmaster220