The Joy of Jesus (Church Online)

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Home | Daily Word: "I AM
In truth, I AM Spirit.
I know the I AM in me is Spirit, that it is always wise, always well, always rich. So I give up the habit of saying, "I am foolish; I am sick; I am in need." I realize the I AM in me is the I AM of infinite being. It is that within me which is eternal, enduring and constant. It is that within me which knows no change or defeat.

When I say, "I AM," I am not speaking of the personal; I am realizing the presence of Spirit. From the depths of my being comes the voice, "I AM." I recognize it as the voice of Spirit proclaiming the presence of peace, wisdom, love and life. In Truth I am not doubtful or weak, I AM Spirit and have been Spirit throughout all generations. The I AM in me is the presence of God.

Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am."--John 8:58"

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Ant World | Our Daily Bread

Ant World

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September 4, 2011 — by Joe Stowell

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Our Daily Bread Radio is hosted by Les Lamborn

Read: 2 Timothy 4:9-18

Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world. —2 Timothy 4:10

Bible in a year:
Psalms 143-145; 1 Corinthians 14:21-40

One of the highlights of my work as a college president is commencement. One year, while walking to the graduation ceremony, I was excited by the thought that our graduates were ready to go out to engage the world with the transforming power of the kingdom of Christ. On my way, I noticed some industrious ants busily going about their routine. I thought, There are much greater things happening than the building of sand piles!

It’s easy for us to get lost in “ant world”—to be so busy with our routines that we miss the joy of personally embracing the bigger picture of God’s great work around the world. The work of the Spirit is sweeping across South America, thousands in Africa are coming to know Christ daily, persecuted Christians are thriving, and the Asian Rim is throbbing with the pulse of the gospel! Do those thoughts ever capture your heart? Your prayer life? Your checkbook?

Our preoccupation with lesser things reminds me of Paul’s report that “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world” (2 Tim. 4:10). I wonder if Demas regretted abandoning the gospel for the sand piles of this world?

Let’s get out of “ant world” and engage our hearts and lives in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Lord, I love You and want to be a part of Your work
around the world. Give me an open heart to know which
opportunities You want me to be a part of and wisdom
in knowing how to carry that out. Amen.

Don’t let smaller things distract you from
the bigger work of God around the world.

John 10:22-42 "And it was at Jerusalem the feast..." KJV - Online Bible Study

And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. ²³ And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. ²⁴ Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. ²⁵ Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. ²⁶ But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. ²⁷ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: ²⁸ And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish , neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. ³⁰ I and my Father are one. ³¹ Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. ³² Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? ³³ The Jews answered him, saying , For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. ³⁴ Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said , Ye are gods? ³⁵ If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came , and the scripture cannot be broken ; ³⁶ Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified , and sent into the world , Thou blasphemest ; because I said , I am the Son of God? ³⁷ If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. ³⁸ But if I do , though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know , and believe , that the Father is in me, and I in him. ³⁹ Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand, ⁴⁰ And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized ; and there he abode . ⁴¹ And many resorted unto him, and said , John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true. ⁴² And many believed on him there.

2 Chronicles 9:1-31

¹ And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. ² And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not. ³ And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built , ⁴ And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers , and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. ⁵ And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom: ⁶ Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came , and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard . ⁷ Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom. ⁸ Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the LORD thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgment and justice. ⁹ And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave king Solomon. ¹⁰ And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones. ¹¹ And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king's palace, and harps and psalteries for singers : and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah. ¹² And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked , beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned , and went away to her own land, she and her servants. ¹³ Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold; ¹⁴ Beside that which chapmen and merchants brought . And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. ¹⁵ And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target. ¹⁶ And three hundred shields made he of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. ¹⁷ Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. ¹⁸ And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays: ¹⁹ And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom. ²⁰ And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the days of Solomon. ²¹ For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. ²² And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. ²³ And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart. ²⁴ And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. ²⁵ And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. ²⁶ And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. ²⁷ And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the low plains in abundance. ²⁸ And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands. ²⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat? ³⁰ And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. ³¹ And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.

Psalm 74:1-23

¹ O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture? ² Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed ; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt . ³ Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. ⁴ Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs. ⁵ A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees. ⁶ But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers. ⁷ They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground. ⁸ They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. ⁹ We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long. ¹⁰ O God, how long shall the adversary reproach ? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever? ¹¹ Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy bosom . ¹² For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. ¹³ Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters. ¹⁴ Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness. ¹⁵ Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers. ¹⁶ The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun. ¹⁷ Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter. ¹⁸ Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached , O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name. ¹⁹ O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever. ²⁰ Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty. ²¹ O let not the oppressed return ashamed : let the poor and needy praise thy name. ²² Arise , O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily. ²³ Forget not the voice of thine enemies : the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.

The King James Version is in the public domain.

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Saturday, September 3, 2011

Daily Word The Joy of Jesus Today

Home | Daily WordDIVINE ORDER

I am in the flow of divine order.

Nature reminds me that there is a season for everything. Bright red or yellow apples began as a compact bud of potential, unfolded into a beautiful springtime blossom, and then matured into a luscious and nutritious fruit ready for harvest. Each stage of the apple's development was orderly and essential for fulfillment.

Order is also active in my life. I am inspired with ideas that follow an orderly path toward fulfillment. I give my ideas time to develop, nourish them with thought and consideration, and then take constructive action. I seek God's guidance and align my efforts with the divine order of the creative process. I experience a divinely ordered flow as I grow in spiritual understanding.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.--Ecclesiastes 3:1

The Need For Tears | Our Daily Bread

The Need For Tears

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September 3, 2011 — by Bill Crowder

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Our Daily Bread Radio is hosted by Les Lamborn

Read: Luke 19:37-44

As He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it. —Luke 19:41

Bible in a year:
Psalms 140-142; 1 Corinthians 14:1-20

Following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, we were all overwhelmed by the images of devastation and hardship endured by the people of that tiny nation. Of the many heartbreaking pictures, one captured my attention. It showed a woman staring at the massive destruction—and weeping. Her mind could not process the suffering of her people, and as her heart was crushed, tears poured from her eyes. Her reaction was understandable. Sometimes crying is the only appropriate response to the suffering we encounter.

As I examined that picture, I thought of the compassion of our Lord. Jesus understood the need for tears, and He too wept. But He wept over a different kind of devastation—the destruction brought on by sin. As He approached Jerusalem, marked by corruption and injustice and the pain they create, His response was tears. “Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it” (Luke 19:41). Jesus wept out of compassion and grief.

As we encounter the inhumanity, suffering, and sin that wreak havoc in our world, how do we respond? If the heart of Christ breaks over the broken condition of our world, shouldn’t ours? And shouldn’t we then do everything we can to make a difference for those in need, both spiritually and physically?

Lord, when I learn that someone is hurting,
Help me know what to do and to say;
Speak to my heart and give me compassion,
Let Your great love flow through me today. —K. De Haan

Compassion offers whatever is necessary
to heal the hurts of others.

John 10:1-21 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He..." KJV - Online Bible Study

¹ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold , but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. ² But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the porter openeth ; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out . ⁴ And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. ⁵ And a stranger will they not follow , but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. ⁶ This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. ⁷ Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you , I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. ⁹ I am the door: by me if any man enter in , he shall be saved , and shall go in and out , and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief cometh not, but for to steal , and to kill , and to destroy : I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. ¹¹ I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. ¹² But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming , and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth : and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. ¹³ The hireling fleeth , because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. ¹⁵ As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ And other sheep I have , which are not of this fold: them also I must bring , and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. ¹⁷ Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. ¹⁸ No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down , and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. ¹⁹ There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings. ²⁰ And many of them said , He hath a devil, and is mad ; why hear ye him? ²¹ Others said , These are not the words of him that hath a devil . Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?

2 Chronicles 8:1-18

¹ And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the house of the LORD, and his own house, ² That the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there. ³ And Solomon went to Hamathzobah, and prevailed against it. ⁴ And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store cities, which he built in Hamath. ⁵ Also he built Bethhoron the upper, and Bethhoron the nether, fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars; ⁶ And Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities, and the cities of the horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and inLebanon, and throughout all the land of his dominion. ⁷ As for all the people that were left of the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which were not of Israel, ⁸ But of their children, who were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel consumed not, them did Solomon make to pay tribute until this day. ⁹ But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no servants for his work; but they were men of war, and chief of his captains, and captains of his chariots and horsemen. ¹⁰ And these were the chief of king Solomon's officers , even two hundred and fifty, that bare rule over the people. ¹¹ And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her: for he said , My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of the LORD hath come . ¹² Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD on the altar of the LORD, which he had built before the porch, ¹³ Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles. ¹⁴ And he appointed , according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required: the porters also by their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded. ¹⁵ And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures. ¹⁶ Now all the work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD, and until it was finished . So the house of the LORD was perfected. ¹⁷ Then went Solomon to Eziongeber, and to Eloth, at the sea side in the land of Edom. ¹⁸ And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants ships , and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon.

Psalm 73:1-28

¹ Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. ² But as for me, my feet were almost gone ; my steps had well nigh slipped . ³ For I was envious at the foolish , when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. ⁴ For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. ⁵ They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. ⁶ Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain ; violence covereth them as a garment. ⁷ Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. ⁸ They are corrupt , and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. ⁹ They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. ¹⁰ Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. ¹¹ And they say , How doth God know ? and is there knowledge in the most High? ¹² Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. ¹³ Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. ¹⁴ For all the day long have I been plagued , and chastened every morning. ¹⁵ If I say , I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children. ¹⁶ When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; ¹⁷ Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. ¹⁸ Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. ¹⁹ How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. ²⁰ As a dream when one awaketh ; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image. ²¹ Thus my heart was grieved , and I was pricked in my reins. ²² So foolish was I, and ignorant : I was as a beast before thee. ²³ Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. ²⁴ Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. ²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. ²⁶ My flesh and my heart faileth : but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. ²⁷ For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish : thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. ²⁸ But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.