Gone to Press!

This week we finished editing and completed my new devotional book, Grace Today! It's now at the printer and will be out around Thanksgiving! I'm so excited about it. Here's a look at the cover:



This book is similar to Psalms Today, but a little meatier, it's about 100 more pages of devotional meat! Here's an excerpt from the new book:

“And we know 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).

It’s interesting what Paul doesn’t say. He doesn’t say, “And we hope that all things work together for good to those who love God.” Nor does he say, “And we know that some things or most things work together for good!”

But he says: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God!”

“No verse in the Bible claims more than that, covers more territory, offers more hope and comfort. If what this verse says is so, then every cloud has its silver lining of hope, and every event in our life is capable of producing final and lasting good to our souls.”*

But look at what Paul is not saying: This promise is for everyone.

This promise has one very important qualification. Paul is not saying that all things work together for good for everyone. He is saying that all things work together for good to all those who have responded to the Gospel and put their faith in Christ!

The literal rendering of the Greek text clarifies this. It reads, “And we know to the ones loving God, all things work together for good...” For some reason the translators took the phrase, “to them that love God” and inserted it at the end of the sentence.

So a lot of times you’ll hear people just quote the first part of this verse and say, “Well, all things work together for good.” But that’s not actually true! When Paul wrote this he put in one very important qualification: “To the ones loving God all things work together for good.” If a person is not a child of God, they do not have this assurance. They are in a world where the devil, Satan, desires to work things so that they will not go to heaven!

If you do not know the Lord, chances are that things are not working together for good!

Let’s change all that right now. Pray this prayer with me and ask Jesus to come into your life: “Father in Heaven, thank You for loving me and for sending Jesus to die for all the wrong things I have done. I am sorry for what I have done. I want to turn my life over to You. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me; and that He was buried and rose from the dead. I’m asking that Jesus please come into my life and be my Savior and my Lord.”

*Clarence E. McCartney, The Great Texts of the Bible, 60.

I'm really looking forward to sharing the entire book with you next month. The Lord bless you!

Preview of "Grace Today"

I wanted to share with you a portion of my upcoming devotional, "Grace Today," due out by the end of this year. I hope you enjoy it!

----------------------------------

"When Jesus had tasted it, he said, 'It is finished!' Then he bowed his head and released his spirit" (John 19:30).

Aren't all religions essentially the same? Have you ever thought that, or had someone ask you that?

Actually after having studied comparative religions for years, I have come to the conclusion that there is only a difference of two letters between Christianity and all others religions on the earth, the letters "N" & "E" – two letters that change eternity.

The way to heaven, as taught by all other religions on earth could be summarized by the word: "DO!"

Christianity's way to heaven could also be summarized by one word: "DONE!"

We are saved by a finished work! Jesus finished the work of our salvation!

That's why on the cross He shouted, "IT IS FINISHED!" When He said that on the cross, He meant what He said! The work of salvation was finished, it was done!

The Old Testament priest's work was never done. As you look at the furnishings in the temple, there was no place for him to sit down and rest. He was not to sit down. His work was never done!

But when Jesus Christ came and offered Himself as the atoning sacrifice for our sins, the Bible tells us that when He ascended into heaven, He sat down at the right hand of God!

The reason He could sit down was because He had finished the work of our salvation!

It is Jesus' good works that saves us! His doing, His dying, His rising again!

Note that we are not saved by what Christ is doing in us. We are saved only and wholly by what Christ did for us at the cross!

Jesus Messiah

One of the foremost reasons I believe in Jesus Christ is because He’s fulfilled the ancient predictions of the Scriptures; prophecy that Christ is the Savior of the world and that Jesus is God, and that I should believe in Him and will have eternal life through Him.

“This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward. They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.” 1 Peter 1:10-12 NLT

That’s the way I look at Old Testament prophecies. You can’t just take one prophecy by itself, but if you take all three hundred or more pieces of the puzzle and you put them all together, do you know Whose face you see? JESUS CHRIST’S! He’s the Messiah. We haven’t just had the wool pulled over our eyes! We haven’t been deceived by clever stories, but we have come to believe the truth – the truth that this Book proclaims – that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. If you’re in trouble right now and you are a Christian, you are in the best place you could possibly be because you are in the Truth – you are in Christ Jesus.

We have a privilege that is greater than any Old Testament prophet ever had, and that is to see the completed picture. We see the Risen Lord. The Lord’s return is at hand and we understand His program for the church age. We have got it made! He says that these are things that any prophet would have gladly traded places with you at the bat of an eye. These things that angels long to look into. Look how anxious the angels were to be involved in it as soon as the Lord let them. Do you remember? They announced His upcoming birth to Mary, then they announced His birth to the shepherds, the angel warns Joseph to flee to Egypt, the angel ministered to the Lord at the end of His temptation and to strengthen Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, and then there are angels involved in the announcement that He is risen! Whenever the angels could get involved, they were there! I don’t think heaven had to ask for volunteers.

A lot of us have heard the message of the gospel week after week. We’ve heard that Jesus can save us from our sins. We’ve heard that our guilt can be taken away by our believing in Him and placing our faith in Jesus Christ. We’ve heard that He is the Messiah and seen the proof of that in the Old Testament. But, we sort of grow calloused to all this knowledge. What are you going to do? I know what the ancient prophets would have done: They would have worshipped Him and given Him their lives. But, what are you going to do with Jesus?

Persecution in America?

I recently read a teaching I did almost 12 years ago about Christian persecution; it seems almost prophetic. What do you think?

“I’m not so sure that very soon in this very country, we may end up having to face persecution towards the church. The way the government is going now, it’s possible that you, as a Christian, may have your liberties taken away. You’re not going to be able to discipline your children as the Scriptures say. You may not be able to educate them in the schools you want. You’re going to have homosexual groups begin to impose on and persecute the church. Already, they’ve actually infiltrated and disrupted services; bit and spit at people going to church. This is going to become more and more commonplace, and if you raise your voice and say, ‘Look, this is what God says about how we should believe and live,’ we’re going to be in for some persecution. I’m not looking forward to it, but I’m not going to bury my head in the sand, either. Things are going to change; believe me. We need to know why we believe what we believe. Why am I not a non-believer? Why do I believe in Christ?”

I wanted to share how the Lord ministered to me on the night of my father's memorial service. It had been a difficult day, obviously, and with many mixed emotions. A lot of you know my testimony and what a turbulent relationship my father and I had throughout my life. I opened one of my favorite devotional books that evening and read the passage for that day (June 10), look how the Lord ministered to me:


We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

What a tremendous claim Paul makes in this verse! He does not say, “We know that in some things,” “most things,” or even “joyful things” but in “ALL things.” This promise spans from the very smallest detail of life to the most important, and from the most humbling of daily tasks to God’s greatest works of grace performed during a crisis.

Paul states this in the present tense: “God works.” He does not say, “worked” or “will work.” It is a continuing operation.

We also know from Scripture that God’s “justice (is) like the great deep” (Ps.36:6); at this very moment the angels in heaven, as they watch with folded wings the development of God’s great plan, are undoubtedly proclaiming, “The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made” (Ps. 145:17).

Then when God orchestrates “all things…for the good,” it is a beautiful blending. He requires many different colors, which individually may be quite drab, to weave into the harmonious pattern.

Separate tones, notes, and even discords are required to compose melodious musical anthems; a piece of machinery requires many separate wheels, parts, and connections. One part from a machine may be useless, or one note from an anthem may never be considered beautiful, but taken together, combined, and completed, they lead to a perfect balance and harmony.

We can learn a lesson of faith from this: “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” (John 13:7) J.R. Macduff

In a thousand trials, it is not just five hundred of them that work “for the good” of the believer, but nine hundred and ninety-nine, plus one. George Mueller

God Meant It unto Good (Gen. 50:20 KJV)

“God meant it unto good” –O blest assurance,
Falling like sunshine all across life’s way,
Touching with Heaven’s gold, earth’s darkest storm clouds,
Bringing fresh peace and comfort day by day.

‘Twas not by chance the hands of faithless brothers
Sold Joseph captive to a foreign land;
Nor was it chance that, after years of suffering,
Brought him before the pharaoh’s throne to stand.

One Eye all-seeing saw the need of thousands,
And planned to meet it through that one lone soul;
And through the weary days of prison bondage
Was working toward the great and glorious goal.

As yet the end was hidden from the captive,
The iron entered even to his soul;
His eye could scan the present path of sorrow,
Not yet his gaze might rest upon the whole.

Faith failed not through those long, dark days of waiting,
His trust in God was reimbursed at last,
The moment came when God led forth his servant
To comfort many, all his sufferings past.

“It was not you but God, that led me to here,”
Witnessed triumphant faith in later days;
“God meant it unto good,” no other reason
Mingled their discord with his song of praise.

“God means it unto good” for you, beloved,
The God of Joseph is the same today;
His love permits afflictions strange and bitter,
His hand is guiding through the unknown way.

Your Lord, who sees the end from the beginning,
Has purposes for you of love untold.
Then place your hand in His and follow fearless,
Till you the riches of His grace behold.

There, when you stand firm in the Home of Glory,
And all life’s path lies open to your gaze,
Your eyes will SEE the hand that you’re now trusting,
And magnify His love through endless days.
Freda Hanbury Allen

Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, Streams in the Desert, June 10

More Americans are Pro-Life, Report Says

Some more positive news was recently reported, our friends at Focus on the Family provide this story:

Americans are more pro-life than pro-abortion, according to a new Gallup poll.

The poll reveals that 51 percent of Americans call themselves pro-life while 42 percent are pro-abortion. Seven percent of respondents had no opinion on the topic.

This is the first time the pendulum has swung to the pro-life side since Gallup began conducting the poll in 1995. Last year, 50 percent considered themselves pro-abortion and 44 percent pro-life.

Twenty-three percent of respondents said abortion should be illegal in all circumstances. Only 22 percent said it should be legal at all times.

Clarke Forsythe, senior counsel with Americans United for Life, said pro-lifers should use this data to benefit the cause.

"The bottom line is we should be encouraged to persevere," he said. "It's important to be educating. It's important to be involved in politics. It's important to be involved in public policy."

At One High School, a Test of Tolerance

Here's an interesting follow-up to my last blog post, some good news from our friends at the Family Research Council:

At Mission Viejo High School in California, the biggest bully in class was the one leading it. James Corbett, a teacher with over 20 years experience in Capistrano, refused to keep his hostility toward religion a secret. As other students would attest, it was not at all uncommon for him to lash out at students who supported creationism, calling it "religious superstitious nonsense."

By 2007, sophomore Chad Farnan, a student in Corbett's Advanced Placement European history class, decided he'd had enough. After gathering enough tape-recorded evidence, Farnan filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, determined to force his teacher's bigotry out of the classroom. During the suit, he cited over 20 examples of Corbett's rants, which ranged from equating God to "a spaghetti monster" to declaring that religion was "invented when the first con man met the first fool."

In an overwhelming vindication of students' rights, Judge James Selna declared that every child deserved an education "free of a government that directly expresses disapproval of religion." For too long, objectivity and the free exchange of ideas have given way to an American classroom that is nothing more than a platform for the liberal social agenda. When Corbett expressed his personal religious opinions, he was crossing a legal line that few students realize exists. As Judge Selna ruled, every teacher has a constitutional duty to foster free and open debate even if they personally don't agree. Because of Chad's courage, kids across the country have an opportunity to learn a meaningful lesson that right does still prevail.

Although he won the suit, Chad hasn't asked for a single cent. His biggest reward will be paving the way for kids like him to protest the intimidation tactics of liberal teachers. His was a teacher who once said, "When you put on your Jesus glasses, you can't see the truth." But as even the court confirmed, Corbett is the one who was short-sighted.

If your child has been the target of religious discrimination at school, we can help. Call us at 1-800-225-4008 and we'll put you in touch with attorneys at the Alliance Defense Fund who can explain your constitutional rights.

Additional Resources
Watch Chad talk about his experience on Fox News