TAUGHT BY GOD HIMSELF

By Joseph Prince – Posted April 15, 2017

Hebrews 8:11

None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.

As a parent or someone serving in Sunday school, you may think that the children under your care are too young to know the Lord. And you wonder if you are wasting your time reading Bible stories and singing hymns to them.

Or you may have been buying Mandarin and Hokkien sermon CDs for your dialect-speaking parents or grandparents, and you wonder if the Bible teachings are too difficult for them to understand.

My friend, don’t underestimate the Holy Spirit. Many elderly folks in our Mandarin and Hokkien services, who first heard about Jesus through the recorded messages given to them by their children, are now born again and attending church regularly. And they are so full of Jesus that they cannot stop talking about Him to their relatives and friends.

Even for a young child like my daughter Jessica, when she was one year old, she would spontaneously raise her hands whenever she heard Christian songs, but not secular ones. My wife Wendy and I had never taught her how to recognize Christian songs. The only explanation we have is that Jessica was taught by the Lord Himself. (Isaiah 54:13)

When Jessica turned two, she surprised us again. Wendy was tucking her in bed one night when Jessica looked at her and said, “Jesus died for Jessica because Jesus loves Jessica.” No one taught her to say that. But I remember looking at her when she was younger and by faith saying, “You know, darling, Jesus died for Jessica.” She just looked at me and I did not know whether she understood me then. I just believed that the Holy Spirit is a better teacher than I am.

So don’t limit the Holy Spirit by saying things like, “The children are too young…My grandparents are not well-educated…My atheist friend won’t be interested…” Just send God’s Word into their lives by faith, and trust the Holy Spirit to do the teaching and imparting. For God says that no one has to teach anyone to know the Lord because all shall know Him, from the least, including little children, to the greatest!

Thought For The Day

Just send God’s Word into people’s lives by faith and trust the Holy Spirit to do the teaching and imparting.

Captured by Grace: All-Sufficient Grace

By DR. David Jeremiah – Posted April 15, 2017

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you.
2 Corinthians 9:8a

More than 150 of the world’s wealthiest individuals and families have taken “The Giving Pledge”—a promise to dedicate the majority of their personal wealth to philanthropy by the end of their life. What is unusual about this pledge is it affirms the modern trend among wealthy families not to automatically pass on the bulk of their wealth to their children.

Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Just because parents have resources doesn’t mean those resources are automatically forthcoming. Something similar is true about God’s grace. God owns everything; His grace is all sufficient and never ending. Whatever need we have, God’s grace is sufficient. But that doesn’t mean God gives us whatever we want. The apostle Paul sought relief from a difficult situation in his life and asked God three times for help. At the time Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, relief had not come. Instead, God said, “My grace is sufficient for you” (12:9). The lesson? In God and His purposes is all the grace we need for every moment in life.

If you have a need today, take it to your Father in heaven knowing that His grace is sufficient for you. Trust Him for how that grace will be manifested.

Grace means undeserved kindness. It is the gift of God to man the moment he sees he is unworthy of God’s favor.
Dwight L. Moody 

Your Source of Security

By Joyce Meyer - Posted April 15, 2017

“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.” 
—Deuteronomy 33:12 NIV

One way to know whether you really love yourself in a healthy, bal¬anced way or not is to ask yourself whether you are a relatively secure person or whether you struggle with insecurity. Simply put, insecurity is a feeling that you really aren't "good enough," or needing others' approval in order to be confident. It has to do with whether your life is built on the unshakable foundation of God's love or the faulty founda¬tion of what others think of you. 

Your security does not depend on your bank account, your job, the way you look, other people's opinions of you or even the way others treat you. I know this can be tempting in today's world, but I urge you not to base your security on your educational or professional achieve¬ments, the labels inside your clothes, your car, or the house you live in. Don't base it on whether you are married or single, or whether you have children or not. Don't look for your security anywhere but in Jesus Christ and in Him alone. He is the only one whose opinion matters, and He is the only one who will love you forever and never change His thoughts toward you. 

Re-read the scripture for today and be encouraged. You are the beloved of the Lord and you can rest secure in Him. 

Love Yourself Today: Start working with God to develop a rock-solid sense of security. He loves you, and through Him you can do whatever you need to do in life.

It's All Still in There

By Joel Osteen – Posted April 15, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.
Romans 11:29, NLT

TODAY'S WORD:

Today, I want to remind you that you are full of incredible potential. When God created you, He deposited seeds of greatness inside of you. He’s given you your own dreams and desires. You have something to offer that no one else has. But too often, we allow adversities, disappointments and setbacks to push these things down, until one day, we find that we’re not pressing forward anymore. We’re not stretching; we’re not believing to rise any higher. 
When adversity comes, it’s easy to think, “Why is this happening to me?” The answer is because the enemy knows what’s on the inside of you. He’s going to do everything he can to keep that seed from taking root. But, he will only be successful if you let him. He can’t stop you unless you quit. 
During the difficult times, remember that the gifts and callings God has placed within you are still there. Don’t become stagnate in pursuing your dreams. It’s time to get your fire back! It’s time to press forward. It’s time to dig deep inside and take hold of the marvelous destiny God has prepared for you!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father, thank You for the gifts and dreams You’ve placed within me. Today, I release my cares and concerns to You. Give me the strength, wisdom and clarity to keep moving forward so I can boldly embrace the good things You have in store for my future in Jesus’ name. Amen.