Daily Devotional: August 30

    

  
Sundown is Coming

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,^[a]
    but deliver us from the evil one.^[b]’

¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

 

Matthew 6:9-15

       GOLDIE BRISTOL didn’t learn of the rape and brutal murder of her twenty-one-year­old daughter until she received a blunt telegram from the coroner. It read: “Your daughter Diane-we have her body. How do you want it disposed of?” After the fu­neral, God led the family to pray for Diane’s killer. He was caught, and Goldie re­ceived permission to go to the federal prison. There she looked the man square in the face and said, “I forgive you.”
       What makes someone like Goldie Bristol forgive a man who brutally raped and killed her daughter? Goldie knows that forgiveness isn’t just for people you feel like forgiving. God says to forgive everyone who hurts you.
        Say that again? Yes, God calls you to forgive anyone who has angered you, hurt you, abused you, or offended you. That covers anyone and everyone, but he wants you to start with those closest to you-your parents and your siblings. You might carry bitter feelings toward parents because of divorce, abuse, alcoholism, or aban­donment-physical or emotional. But no matter how bad a situation was or is, God can still use it for your good. And you need to forgive your parents.
       Knowing God’s command to forgive doesn’t make forgiveness easy, especially when someone has severely wronged you. But God means forgiveness to be given, extended, or received immediately. Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 4:26 “Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry.” The Bible, notice, doesn’t forbid you to get angry. It says, rather, to control your anger. The length of time between the hurt and the extending of your forgiveness often indicates the strength of your walk with God.
       One wise caution: When you deal with others, you need to forgive them or ask forgiveness of them whenever it can help, bless, or encourage the other person. Sometimes, however, an immediate confession doesn’t exactly encourage the other person-he or she isn’t emotionally ready for it. You might put the issue on hold in your own life for few days and then deal with the other person.
Remember this: Forgiveness cuts both ways. You might be able to think of a pile of people who have wronged you. But you wrong others, too. Tape this phrase inside your locker: “When I refuse to forgive, I am burning a bridge that someday I will need to cross.” More often than you can imagine, you are going to need forgiveness from someone else.

REFLECT: Is there someone you need to forgive today? Do you need to ask someone to forgive you? Take care of it before sundown.

 

PRAY: Talk to God about people you need to forgive-or people you need to ask for forgiveness.

Daily Devotional: August 29

 

Not Getting What We Deserve

 

 

⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.

 

Bible Reading: Psalm 103:8-14

 

      HALF OF understanding forgiveness is knowing what it isn’t. More on that next time. The other half is knowing exactly what it is. Check out these definitions-at least one of them will make sense to you:

       Forgiveness means “to erase, to forego what is due” … “to give up resentment”… “to wipe the slate dean, to release from a debt, to cancel punishment” … “to per­sonally accept the price of reconciliation” … “to give up all claims on the one who has hurt you and let go of the emotional consequences of that hurt.” Forgiveness not only means you say the words “I forgive you” but that you also let go of your wounded emotions.

     Forgiving is an action. It doesn’t allow you to sit around and wait for the person who walloped you to say, “I was wrong; will you forgive me?” Just as Jesus died for you while you were still a sinner (see Romans 5:8), forgiving means you take the first step in healing a relationship.

     Forgiving also means you “give up or give away.” It means you give up the right to get even-no matter how good revenge would feel. Forgiving means you give mercy instead of demanding justice.

If you don’t like that approach to life, ponder this: It wouldn’t be smart to pray for justice in your relationship with God, because his justice would wipe you out. What you want to ask for is his mercy, the stuff that allows you to be forgiven in spite of your sin.

      It works the same way in your human relationships. The world tells you to hate. God says to love. The world says you are entitled to revenge. God says to forgive.

     Why? Because God wants you to forgive in the same way he forgives you-com­pletely and continually. To the Colossians, Paul wrote, “God has purchased our free­dom with his blood and has forgiven all our sins” (verse 1:14). In Hebrews 10, we discover that Christ’s forgiveness was “once for all time” (verse 10). Once he had of­fered himself as the sacrifice for sin, “he sat down at the place of highest honor at God’s right hand” (verse 12).

     God doesn’t forgive you because of something you’ve done but because of who Jesus Christ is and what he accomplished for you through the cross. That’s your model for forgiving others. You don’t forgive because the person who hurt you has changed or begged for your forgiveness, but because you have a Christ like readiness to simply forgive.

 

REFLECT: Are you a forgiving person?

PRAY: Ask Christ to share his heart of forgiveness with you today

Daily Devotional: August 28

 

 

 

The Oil of Relationships

 

³⁶ When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

⁴¹ “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,^[a] and the other fifty. ⁴² Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

⁴⁴ Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

 

Luke 7:36-50

 

“I DON’T think I can ever forgive him after what he said. He doesn’t deserve it.”

“She asked me to forgive her, and I said I would. But I can’t.”

“She’s dead now. She can’t apologize-so I won’t forgive her.”

 

        You live in a culture saturated with stored-up grudges, resentments, bitterness, and broken hearts. When people don’t take time to confront and mend those hurts ­when they cling to attitudes like the ones you see in those sad statements above ­they rip apart relationships. They break up the closeness God intends between Chris­tians. They dull the cutting edge of the Holy Spirit in the lives of individuals. And they split families, friends, youth groups, and churches.

        Forgiveness works like oil in relationships. It reduces friction and allows people to get close to each other without overheating.

         If you don’t sense a forgiving heart in someone, you won’t ever be truly open and vulnerable to him or her. You know that an unforgiving person won’t give you half a chance to develop a deep, lasting, and close relationship. And if you aren’t a forgiving person-no matter how smart, talented, or downright good-looking you might be-you won’t develop the close relationships you want. When you aren’t able to forgive, even little conflicts blow your friendships to bits.

But once you learn to forgive others who wrong you, your relationships grow strong. You can talk openly and meaningfully. If someone can love you despite your faults and accept you even when you have wronged them, you can’t help but become even better friends.

        Your know-how in handling this one skill-forgiveness-Iargely determines how you handle conflicts in your relationships. Ask yourself:

Do I accept each situation where forgiveness is necessary as an opportunity to strengthen relationships and develop my own character?

Do I study the needs of people who hurt me and try to understand them?

Do I know that God will deal fairly with my offender if that person needs pun­ishment-and that it’s not my job to punish him or her?

Do I choose to thank God for each difficult experience and allow his love and grace to grow in me as a result?

        When you want to learn how to forgive, Christ is your model. His forgiveness was absolute and immediate. Think about it: He even forgave the men who crucified him! So when you feel tempted to rip someone’s head off, be like Christ: Forgive.

 

REFLECT: How skilled are you at forgiving-and receiving forgiveness?

PRAY: Ask God to help you learn the crucial habit of forgiveness.

 

Josh McDowell

Azle Youth Service

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Daily Devotional: August 27

 

Levels of Love

²⁶ At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

²⁷ The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. ²⁸ “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

²⁹ Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!

 

 Acts 5:26-29

 

        JEN IS A Christian, but her parents aren’t. When Jen’s dad tells her to lie about her age so she qualifies for a cheaper preteen fee for a summer soccer camp, Jen refuses.
Big question: Isn’t she supposed to obey her parents no matter what? Isn’t she shattering the fifth commandment, the one that says, “Honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12)?
Not really.
       Look at it this way: Jen doesn’t suppose that “honor your father and mother” wasn’t meant for her. She doesn’t say, “Forget you! My dad wants me to be a liar.  He’s a cheat. I don’t ever have to listen to my parents again!” Because of the bad spot her dad placed her in, she’s making an exception, suspending the law of obeying par­ents in order to follow God’s higher law of truthfulness.
Jen’s situation is just like when a jumbo jet takes off. As the plane lifts off, it doesn’t break the law of gravity, it merely overrides it for a while. Gravity is still at work. It comes back into play when the pilot throttles down and gets ready to land, just like Jen works hard to obey her parents every time she can-all the times their demands don’t conflict with God’s commands.
       Loving God more than people doesn’t mean that you love God instead of people. Sometimes loving God means you love a human authority in your life with a tough love-a love that takes a firm stand against evil. Love doesn’t mean you cave in to someone’s sinful wishes. Love means you act for that person’s best, and sometimes the best you can do for someone is to resist his or her sin.
An example: When you were small, your parents knew it would be nuts to give you everything you wanted. You begged for cake and ice cream at every meal. Or you insisted on playing with steak knives. Your parents didn’t love you any less by saying “No!” to all those requests and requiring that you bend to their wishes. Whether you understood it or not, they knew they had your best interests at heart. Sometimes you might have to get tough with people to truly love them. Think about this: Loving God the most helps you love others the best.
       Love has two levels-love for God and love for people. Those two levels of love might conflict, but they never contradict. And when they conflict, the lower law to love people always yields to the higher law to love God.

REFLECT: When has someone you’re supposed to obey asked you to do something you knew you shouldn’t do? How did you solve the conflict?

PRAY: Lord, help me love the people in my life completely-and love you supremely.

Daily Devotional: August 26

 

 

When Authorities Clash

 

3 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, ² to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

 

 Titus 3:1-2

         CHECK OUT these statements. Do they slip out of your mouth easily?

“I wish the principal would give me detention more often.”

 

”I’m really happy I got caught copying answers off the math whiz who sits next to me in algebra.”

      If you’re like most people, you squirm when someone in charge of your life lays down a rule you’re forced to follow or catches you when you’re doing what you shouldn’t. But most days you probably also recognize that authorities usually act for your good. The Bible challenges you as a Christian to show love for leaders-from the head of your home to the head of your country-by submitting to their authority. Pe­ter writes, “For the Lord’s sake, accept all authority-the king as head of state, and the officials he has appointed” (1 Peter 2:13-14). Submission clearly means obedi­ence.
Still, even when you build a habit of respectfully obeying civil authorities, you might face situations where your loyalty and obedience to authorities clashes with your bigger love and allegiance to God. Back in the New Testament, the apostles found they had to disobey Jewish authorities and declare; “We must obey God rather than human authority” (Acts 5:29).
     Whenever you have to choose between love for God and love for people, love for God always wins. Your only right choice is to love and obey God rather than govern­ment. But here’s the tough news: Doing the right thing won’t always spare you from negative consequences, a fact you can learn from even a quick glance at Scripture and church history. “Some were mocked, and their backs were cut open with whips,” the author of Hebrews reports. “Others were chained in dungeons. Some died by stoning, and some were sawed in half; others were killed with the sword” (Hebrews 11:36-37). Countless first -century Christians were fed to the lions because they loved God more than they loved the Roman emperor.
      You likely won’t face a choice with life-and -death consequences, but your love for God might cost you a job when you won’t lie for your boss. Or a friend, parent, or teacher might reject you for putting God first. When you have to make those hard choices and face tough consequences, you can cling to the Bible promise that “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28).

REFLECT: Are you facing any situations right now where love for God and love for people are in conflict?

 

PRAY: Ask God to strengthen you to make the right choice.

 

Josh McDowell

Daily Devotional: August 23

 

The Christian’s No-Brainer

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

 

Matthew 25:34-40

 

       I ONCE SPENT a summer teaching at Arrowhead Springs, Campus Crusade’s former headquarters down in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California. During that summer, my family and I lived in Blue Jay, a little town up in the mountains beside beautiful Lake Arrowhead. So every day I drove down the mountain twice-once in the morning and then again after lunch. 

       It’s hot in the San Bernardino Valley during the summer, with temperatures of­ten breaking the 100-degree mark. During my trips up and down the mountain, I of­ten saw cars pulled over to the side of the steep, winding road to the summit-hoods open, steam belching from their radiators. It was soon apparent to me that my teach­ing ministry for God was pretty hollow if I didn’t do something to help the poor stranded motorists. All my talk about loving God was meaningless if I didn’t show love for these people in need.

       So I came up with a plan. I kept four large water jugs filled and stowed them in my trunk. Whenever I came across an overheated car on my daily drive on the mountain, I pulled over and offered to fill the radiator with water. People were over­joyed at the offer and grateful for the help. Once the radiator was full, I offered a copy of my book More Than a Carpenter and talked to the motorists about Christ. It was one of the best summers of ministry I have ever experienced.

Love isn’t an option for Christians. It’s a command. God is love, and people born of God must express his love. Jesus said, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:35).

       Love always goes two directions at once. When you love people in Christ’s name, you are also loving God. Jesus taught that when you minister to anyone in need of love and care, you are ministering to him (see Matthew 25:34-40). And when you truly love God, you will also inevitably love people. Like John wrote, “If some­one says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen? And God himself has commanded that we must love not only him but our Christian brothers and sisters, too” (1 John 4:20-21).

       You can’t get around it: Love is part of your life as a Christian. Anyone who doesn’t love both God and people dares not take the name Christian.

 

 

REFLECT: What obvious, practical thing can you do to share God’s love with people? What is right within your reach?

PRAY: Sometimes you might be blind to clear opportunities to show love. Ask God to open your eyes. 

Daily Devotional: August 22

 

 

 

 

Helping New Christians Get a Good Start

 

² shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,^[a] not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;^[b] not for shameful gain, but eagerly; ³ not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. ⁵ Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ⁷ casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. ⁸ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

 

 

1 Peter 5:2-9

“THE APOSO-WHAT?” stammers a kid in the front row of the Sunday school class.
“That’s ‘apostle,’ stupid,” Austin corrects. “As in ‘the apostle Paul.’ An apostle is an official representative sent by God to preach the gospel and often to teach churches in more than one location.”
The kid in the front row squirms. Austin shakes his head at the raw dumbness of the rest of the class. They’re spiritually clueless, he figures, and after thirteen years as a Sunday school regular, he’s too cool for Sunday school.
Of the non-Christian kids you might lead to Christ, fewer and fewer will come from a religious background or understand any Bible basics. Learning the nitty-gritty of the faith from a kind, patient teacher is one of their greatest needs. Believe it or not, you can be a teacher to friends you bring to Christ.
One of the best ways to teach others is to meet with new Christians, with three goals for being together-study, fellowship, and prayer. Invite your new Christian friends to join a small group with other young Christians. Or ask your youth pastor how you can meet and teach them one-on-one at least once a week. Whatever you do, don’t miss these four key pieces of a weekly get-together:

1. Share. Talk about what’s going on in your lives. Focus on what you see God doing and how you are growing in him.
2. Study. Put a significant part of your time into Bible study. You can pick a prepared study that will help your friends with their basic growth as Christians. You can also teach them how to study the Bible on their own.
3. Ask and answer. Your friends might have loads of questions. Give them plenty of time, and don’t feel you have to be able to answer everything. It’s okay to say, “I don’t know; let’s figure it out together,” or “I don’t know, but I’ll do some studying so we can talk about it next time.”
4. Pray. When you pray together each week, it’s a chance to show firsthand how to pray. Teach that prayer is simply talking to God about your thoughts, feelings, and needs.

New Christians desperately need Christian friends. Instead of bashing them for not knowing much about God, be there for them.

REFLECT: Do you feel inadequate to teach people the basics of the faith?

PRAY: Say thanks that the Holy Spirit is present in you to empower you and touch others through you.

Daily Devotional: August 21

Helping Babies Grow Up

 

⁶ Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. ⁷ But we were gentle^[c] among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. ⁸ So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

⁹ For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. ¹⁰ You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. ¹¹ For you know how, like a father with his children, ¹² we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

 

1 Thessalonians 2:8-12

      IF NEWBORNS don’t have someone to feed and care for them twenty-four hours a day, they don’t survive.
      New believers are like newborns. Freshly born into God’s family, they need a spiritual parent’s care and protection-especially in the first weeks and months of their budding Christian life. And if you were the one who helped bring people to spiritual birth in Christ, it’s natural that you fill the role of spiritual parent for them (see 1 Thessalonians 2:8-12). So what does a spiritual parent do?
First, check their vital signs. In the critical first few days of being a Christian, spiritual babes might be tempted to doubt they are truly different. The feelings that might have swelled when they trusted Christ might subside, making them wonder if Christ actually came into their life. Remind new believers that you care about them and their new life in Christ-and let them know you’re available to talk whenever they need you.
      Second, supply nourishment. Like a baby needs food to survive, a new Christian needs God’s Word to mature (see 1 Peter 2:2). One of the first things new believers need is assurance about what happened to them when they trusted Christ. Go over the facts about their new life in Christ on your first visit together:

• When you trusted Christ, you became a child of God (John 1:12).
• Your sins were forgiven (1 John 1:9).
• Jesus Christ is in your life (Revelation 3 :20).
• He will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5-8).
• Your old life is gone. You are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 17).
• You have received eternal life (John 5:24; 1 John 5: 12-13).

       Third, build in some bonding time. Newborns need to bond with their caregivers, and new Christians need to get involved with other believers. Introduce them right away to Christian friends and your youth leader or pastor. Invite them to church with you. Welcome them into your Bible study or prayer group. To help them develop their faith, they need fellowship with good Christian friends.
When God lets you be part of reaching someone for Christ, that’s just the start of his using you to nurture that new Christian.

REFLECT: How do you feel about becoming a spiritual parent to new believers?
PRAY: Share your feelings and concerns with God today.

Josh McDowell

Daily Devotional: August 20

 

Are You on Target?

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

 

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. ²⁵ Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. ²⁶ So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. ²⁷ But I discipline my body and keep it under control,^[a] lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

 

 

OKAY. Pretend that you have a super-huge telephoto lens zoomed up close on you as you sit in rapt attention in your favorite class. Now widen that shot. Exactly how many students sit in your row? Now focus really wide. How many people make up your grade? And how many students are in your whole school?

God’s goal for evangelism is to reach everyone he can squeeze into a wide-angle shot of the whole world. But you could easily get discouraged by the hugeness of that task. Your evangelistic efforts really need to focus first on your inner circle ­your friends, your teammates, your immediate classmates, etc.

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, the apostle Paul compares the Christian life to the work of a runner training for a race. He says we are to run so we win the prize (verse24). Evangelism isn’t a fun run; it’s going for the gold. We’re out to rescue as many people as possible to the glory of God. We give it all we’ve got.

And anyone who wants to be a winner runs “straight to the goal with purpose in every step” (verse 26). If you hope to win this race, you need a clear goal. And if you want to maximize your effectiveness in your evangelizing, you need a strategy for reaching and discipling your family, school, and community. Try these steps:

1. Define your target. Ask God to impress on you the names of several indi­viduals within your reach. Write down the names and commit yourself to sharing the gospel with each person.
2. Pray for your target. Post your list of names where you are sure to see it often and pray for these people daily.
3. Surround your target with love. Build bridges to people by becoming their servants. Spend time with them and meet their needs for friendship.
4. Present the gospel to your target. Pray for, watch for, and create opportu­nities to share Christ and call for a commitment.
5. Stay connected to those who trust Christ. Your task of sharing the gospel with your non-Christian friends doesn’t end when they trust Christ. They need to be discipled to become disciplers of others.
6. Let the Holy Spirit lead you. Stay closely tuned to the Holy Spirit in case he wants to change your plans and lead you in another direction.

You won’t be very successful at sharing Christ with your non-Christian friends unless you define your target and plan how to hit it.

 

REFLECT: What’s your target for sharing your faith today?

 

PRAY: Ask God who should be at the center of your witnessing efforts

 

Josh McDowell

Daily devotion: August 19

   

 

Tell it like it is

1 Peter 3:13-17

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹³ Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, ¹⁵ but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy,always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

If you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. 1 Peter 3:15

IT FINALLY happened. You find yourself sharing your testimony with a non-Chris­tian friend, and you know God has opened a choice opportunity. But where do you go from here? Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Make the message personal wherever you can. If you use a step-by-step presentation like the booklet “Would You Like to Know God Personally?”, keep the focus on your friend. But don’t forget to add your own comments and personal examples where they fit best.
2. Postpone questions whenever possible. Your friend might have a million questions. If an issue fits where you are in your presentation, try to work it in right away. If not, ask your friend to hold off until you finish.
3. Invite a response. When you finish your presentation, ask your friend if he or she is ready to trust Christ. If yes, ask the person to pray and express trust in Christ. If no, don’t be discouraged. Keep praying for your friend, and plan to get together again and offer another opportunity to trust Christ.

Your friend might have questions or objections during or after your presenta­tion. Some questions are sincere-based in real concerns and needs. Other questions are insincere-asked just to stall you or get you off the point. And still other ques­tions are like mini-tests-asked to check your sincerity or knowledge. The toughest part of answering any question is often your attitude. Some thoughts on how you can respond best:

1. Get ready as best you can. You don’t need a doctorate in the Bible for God to use you to answer your friend’s questions. Just keep learning and preparing to reply to others. If you can’t answer a question, tell your friend you will find out more and share it at another time.
2. Don’t feel threatened. You are Christ’s ambassador, and when you discuss the gospel with your friends, God’s power is at work in you (see Romans 1: 16). Be confident without being pushy or proud.
3. Don’t argue. You can’t argue someone into trusting Christ. Just share the gospel with your friend in the power of the Holy Spirit, and let your loving attitude be your most persuasive argument.

REFLECT: How are you preparing yourself to share Christ when he gives you the opportunity?

PRAY: Pray for opportunities to share Christ with your friends.

Daily Devotional: August 16

 

 

Seeing Yourself with 20/20 Vision

 

¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds^[a] and teachers,^{[b] 12} to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,^[c] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Ephesians 4:11-16     

Whenever Lauren heard her youth pastor talk about “seeing yourself like God sees you,” she knew that was exactly what she wanted-and needed. But she didn’t want to work at getting God’s vision of herself.
She wasn’t willing to do the main thing she needed to do-spend time with her Bible, studying and soaking in God’s truth. And even though she went to church, she wasn’t nuts about letting those people too close.
Lauren sounds like someone with bad eyes who wants to see more clearly but won’t wear glasses.
Fact is, you can’t change how you see yourself without diving into God’s Word. It’s how you bring into focus the fact that you are lovable, valuable, and useful to God and others. Peter wrote, “You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness” (1 Peter 2:2-3). God’s Word is the number one agent in renewing your minds to think like he thinks and see as he sees (see Romans 12:2).
But you also can’t change how you see yourself without connecting with God’s people. Through his Word, God shows you what he is like-huge things like his at­tributes, character, and personality. Then through the church, God puts skin on those qualities. He makes them real to you.
It’s like what Jesus did to demonstrate who God is. He revealed God in a way hu­man beings could understand. Jesus told his disciples, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father …. Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work” (John 14:9-10, NN).
God wants to use his Word and the Christians around you to make you doubly sure you are loved, valued, and useful. There’s no better way to discover how God sees you than to dig into God’s Word. And there’s no better way to pound home that you are loved by God than to have caring believers remind you of and reflect to you what God sees. It’s one thing to read about God’s view of you in the Scriptures or hear about it in a sermon or Bible study. It’s even more real when you experience God through the members of his church.

REFLECT: How are you letting God’s Word and his people into your life?

PRAY: Ask God to help you make God’s Word and interaction with his people the priority it needs to be in your life.

 

Josh Mcdowell

Daily Devotional: August 15

 

^{"Hanging Out with a Helpful Crowd"}

 

 

⁴¹ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³ And awe^[a] came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

 

Acts 2:41-47

 

 

Want an easy, electrifying way to a new you, one that singes your unhealthy self-image and makes you feel loved, valued, and useful? Well, you  just bolt two powerful electrodes to your scalp, turn on the 30,00-volt transformer, and... just kidding.

 

You can spot the real program God designed to help you transform your sense of identity in the going-on of the early church. The whole New Testament conveys three experiences you need in your life:

 

1.You need a vital teaching experience. Devotion to the teaching of God's Word was the first task of the first-century church. You study the Bible first not to learn what to do as a Christian, but to get God's view of who you are and what you are becoming. Then the "doing" part of your faith practically takes care of itself. If you aren't part of an ongoing Bible study or class where you are taught God's Word by mature, wise Christians, you will continue to struggle to know who you really are.

 

2.You need a vital relational experience. The Jerusalem believers were as devoted to the fellowship-being together, praying together and eating together as they were to studying the Word. Getting together was how they experienced the Word day by day. It's how they learned to treat each other as lovable, valuable, competent members of God's family. Spending time with other believers- living out what you learn- is where you learn the same stuff.

 

3. You need a vital witnessing relationship. The news that God loves and values the humans he has made is a message he wants spread to people who aren't Christians. The New Testament pictures witnessing as living the truth of who you are in Christ and talking about it whenever possible. That's how the early church grew every day. Modeling your identity as a valued child of God is how you share God's good news of salvation to others.

 

First Thessalonians 2:1-12 pictures how the apostle Paul intensely put this process into action among believers. He treated the Thessalonian believers with the tenderness of a nursing mother (verse 7) and taught and encouraged them as a father (verse 11). Got it? Paul taught the new converts the truth about how God sees them. He related to them in love and understanding. And then he witnessed to them modeled for them- what it meant to see himself like God does.

 

REFLECT: Are you in an environment that provides you with necessary growth?

 

PRAY: Ask God to help you take full advantage of opportunities to grow in your biblical understanding of who you are.

 

Josh McDowell

www.josh.org