Saturday, July 31, 2010

July 31 - The Powerful Hand of God



Days of Praise
The Powerful Hand of God
 
July 31, 2010
 
 
"Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together." (Isaiah 48:13)
 
 
The human hand is an anatomical marvel; nothing remotely comparable exists among the primates or any other animals. It is a marvel of design. But surely the "hand of God"--of which man's hand is only a very dim shadow--is infinitely more powerful and skillful.
 
 
Note the testimony of Isaiah 45:12: "I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded." God did not have to use intermediate processes or pre-existing materials. Everything was "commanded" into existence and "I, even my hands," made all of it, including man. Creation was direct--a direct product of God's mighty hands.
 
 
Not only was it direct, it was also immediate, as our text above makes emphatically plain. His hand laid the earth's foundation and spanned the heavens. Then, "when I call unto them," He says, "they stand up together!" Not one by one--first the universe, then the sun, then the earth, and so on. No, "they stand up together." "He spake, and it was done" (Psalm 33:9). It did not take 16 billion years; it took six days--and the only reason it took that long was so that God's work week could serve as a pattern for man (Exodus 20:8-11).
 
 
God's hand is omnipotent, and "He's got the whole world in His hands." It is wonderful to know His hand is gentle and loving as well as powerful. His hands will bear eternal scars, where they were spiked to the cross, because He loved us, and died for us. "My sheep hear my voice," He says, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:27-28). The hand that spanned the heavens can hold on to those who trust Him. HMM
 
 
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Question of the Week: Who is Satan?

Answers Weekly

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July 31, 2010

a weekly look at answersingenesis.org

top leftIn this issue . . .

Q: Who is Satan?

A: Christians are often asked questions about Satan: Who is he? Was he created? When was he created?
These and similar questions are valid questions to ask. To answer them, we need to carefully consider what the Bible says, since it is the only completely reliable source of information about Satan. The Bible doesn't give much information about Satan or the angels, but it does give enough to answer some of these questions.
God's Word is infallible and the absolute authority, and we need to be leery of conclusions drawn from sources outside the Bible, such as man's ideas or traditions. Let's consider what the Bible says related to these questions.
The first use of the name Satan is found in 1 Chronicles 21:1; chronologically, Job, which was written much earlier, surpasses this. Satan is found throughout Job 1 and Job 2. Satan literally means "adversary" in Hebrew.

Continue reading to discover more of what Scripture says about Satan, demons, and Hell.

News to Note Quick Look

Bye-bye, big bang?: Is the big bang a scientific "fact" rejected only by young-earth creationists? A new physics paper shows otherwise. Read more.

The wearable therapy: A news report touts the advantages and promise of stem cells derived from human skin. Read more.

Also:

Prayer Requests

View the current prayer requests to keep track of and pray for current ministry needs. Thank you!

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Friday, July 30, 2010

Merit or Mercy?



 
Bill Rice Ranch - First Light Devotionals 

Matthew 15:22 "And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil."
 
 
Let me ask you a question: Why should God answer our prayers? There are two basic foundations upon which people come to God: man's merit or God's mercy. The devout men of Jesus' day came to God (while rejecting His Messiah) based on their merits-Jewish, male, Pharisee. However, they did not come to God for salvation because they thought they were good. They did not see their need because they were coming on their own merits. They believed God owed them prestige now and Paradise later because of their goodness.
 
 
In contrast, we find the exact opposite in the Canaanite woman-she was not Jewish, not a male, and not a Pharisee! On top of that, this woman from Canaan had a demon-possessed daughter. It is not surprising that the very first words out of her mouth were, "Have mercy on me, O Lord. . . ." Nothing about this woman glows with merit, yet she is precisely the kind of person whose prayers are answered! She exemplifies a person who has a need, knows it, and comes to God based upon who He is.
 
 

God does not answer your prayers because you are good; He answers your prayers because He is gracious. God does not answer your prayers because you are strong; He answers them precisely because you are weak! As the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 9:12, "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." The truth is, if you do not see yourself as "sick," you can't be healed; a lost person will never be saved until he sees himself as a sinner; and you will never get answers to prayer if you do not see yourself as needing God's mercy.
So many times, we come to God thinking that we have to be strong so that He will answer our prayers. If you were strong, you wouldn't need to pray! The very reason you come to God is based on His mercy and your need. Never fall into the trap of thinking that God answers your prayers based upon your merit. When God does answer our prayers, He does so based upon His mercy.
 
 
The first prerequisite to having a prayer answered is having a need. If we never had a need, we would never pray! People who come to God come based either upon their own merits or upon God's mercy. If you come to God based on your own merits, you will never see the daily bread that you need. If you come based on mercy, you acknowledge that you are not worthy-that is why He gives it to you in the first place! How will you come to God today? Will you come based on your merit or His mercy?
 
 
Prayer Requests
:
1. Protection and provision for staff
2. Safety for campers traveling home tonight and tomorrow morning
3. Family Week 2/Sign Language School/Deaf Adult Conference next week
 
 
Camp Quote: 
"An excellent spirit doesn't happen by accident." 
-Evangelist Ron Reilly
 
Visit our website for more information about our summer camp weeks!
 
 
 
Bill Rice Ranch | 627 Bill Rice Ranch Road | Murfreesboro | TN | 37128

No Confidence


 
Bill Rice Ranch - First Light Devotionals 

Philippians 3:3 "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh."
 
It is amazing what people do in the innate desire to have peace, know God, and to do something or be something in order to have that peace. On a recent trip to the Philippines, I saw news coverage of a statue that dates back hundreds of years which is worshipped by huge masses of people. The desire to have peace, to know God, and to do something to gain God's favor spans time and culture. Paul didn't worship this statue from the Philippines; but before his conversion, all his confidence and boasting was in what he had done, not in who Christ is.
Is it possible to be guilty of the same thinking, even after we are saved? Any person on any given day can transfer his confidence from Christ to himself, in Christian service or any number of areas in the Christian life. One sure-fire way to know in whom you've placed your confidence is to observe what you rejoice in. Paul gives us a definition of rejoicing in Jesus Christ in verse 3-". . . and have no confidence in the flesh."
What do you have to do today? Where is your confidence? If your confidence is in yourself now and in what you have done later, that is a mighty big weight to carry! That kind of confidence depends on your goodness, and the odds are not stacked in your favor on that one, either! If today's success is based on your strength, you are carrying a burden that does not belong to you, and you are in big trouble.
If your confidence is in Jesus Christ, He is the One who has to be strong. If you have trusted Christ for salvation, don't you think He is trustworthy to put your confidence in today? There is a wonderful confidence that comes by trusting God. Confidence in Christ is steady because He never fails!
Everything Paul had going for him-everything he had done-was "counted loss for Christ." The "currency" he had stored up was not legal tender in heaven! Only "the righteousness which is of God by faith" is accepted by God. If you have trusted God for salvation, there is no need to carry the burden that comes along with confidence in yourself. There is no confidence like confidence in Christ!

". . . rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh."
 
 
Prayer Requests
:
1. Protection and provision for staff
2. Groups traveling home from camp tonight and tomorrow
3. Campers traveling to the Ranch this weekend from Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico
 
Camp Quote: 
"God should be more than life can give and death can take away from you."
-Pastor Jeff Redlin
 
Visit our website for more information about our summer camp weeks!
 
 
 
Bill Rice Ranch | 627 Bill Rice Ranch Road | Murfreesboro | TN | 37128

Thursday, July 29, 2010

July 29 - The Everlasting Covenant



Days of Praise
The Everlasting Covenant
July 29, 2010
 
"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant." (Hebrews 13:20)
 
This is the only verse in the book of Hebrews that refers specifically to Christ's resurrection from the dead. It occurs at the climactic conclusion of the book (which had previously referred at least 17 times to the atoning death of Christ) and is associated with God's everlasting covenant with His people.
 
The covenant theme is strong in the book of Hebrews. The Greek word diatheke, which is also frequently translated "testament," occurs more in Hebrews than in all the rest of the New Testament (or "New Covenant") put together. The word basically means a contract, especially one for disposition of an inheritance.
 
A number of God's divine covenants are mentioned in Scripture, but the writer of Hebrews is especially concerned with God's new covenant (or "new testament"). It is surely the most significant of all covenants.
 
This new covenant is also called "a better covenant" (Hebrews 7:22; 8:6). It is best defined in Hebrews 8:10-12, quoting Jeremiah 31:33-34: "I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: . . . and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." Christ is "the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance" (Hebrews 9:15).
 
The inheritance is eternal because the covenant is everlasting. The blood of the covenant is the infinitely precious blood of Christ, whom God has raised from the dead, and now "he ever liveth to make intercession" for all those who "come unto God by him" (Hebrews 7:25). HMM
 
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BE WISE OR BE OTHERWISE

DANIEL 2

Pastor Rick Jackson


I. IT IS UNWISE TO THINK [v. 1-11]

1. The World has All the Answers [v. 1-6]

2. To Invent or Accept Made-Up Interpretations [v. 7-9]

3. There are “gods” other then the One True God [v. 10-11]


II. IT IS WISE TO BE BIBLICAL [v. 12-23]

1. Take Time to make Important Decisions [v. 12-15, Pr. 11:14, 25:8]

2. Have Faith in God and Pray [v. 16-18]

3. Have an Attitude of Gratitude [v. 19-23]


III. IT IS WISE TO THINK BIBLICALLY [v. 24-29]

1. God Uses Men to Deliver His Messages [v. 24-30, Mt. 28:18ff]

2. God Knows the Future [v. 31-45, Is. 45:21]

3. God Should Receive the Glory [v. 46-49, Phil. 2:9-11]

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Who or What?: Daily Devotional for July 28, 2010


 
Bill Rice Ranch - First Light Devotionals 

Matthew 13:58 "And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief."

 
It is quite interesting that the Lord Jesus would literally limit Himself according to the belief of the people with whom He was working. Would Christ have done more mighty works than He did if they had believed? Certainly He would have. What was it they did not believe? They did not believe who He was.
 
In verse 54, the people said of Jesus, "Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?" It was not a matter of believing that the Lord Jesus could do mighty works-they had seen Him do miracles. Instead, they questioned where the mighty works came from. Their problem was not the what; their problem was the Who. They saw the works, but they were amazed that the works would come from "the carpenter's son." (verse 55)
 
Sometimes we can see "mighty works" and attribute them to our abilities or still doubt the One who did them. Who you believe is more important than what you believe. In other words, believing in Christ is more important than believing what Christ can do.
 
Not only that, but who you believe determines what you believe. There is a difference between "having confidence" in something and having confidence that God is good and will take care of you. What happens if I really have confidence in something, but it never comes? In that case, I am still unshaken if I believe the Person behind it.
 

There is peace in the Christian life when you trust God (the Who) instead of the thing (the what). No matter what comes or doesn't come, it will be good because God is good. These folks in Matthew 13 literally overlooked the Lord Jesus because He was too close. They took him for granted because He (God in flesh) was so close.
 
Don't fix your attention on the "things" you need or expect to come. Those "things" are only as good as the person delivering on them. The place to start is to believe God; and no matter what may come or not come, you can know it will be good because the "Who" behind it is good!
 
 
Prayer Requests
:
1. Protection and provision for staff
2. Salvation of unsaved teen, junior, and deaf campers
3. Praise-35 campers saved last week!
 
 
Camp Quote: 
"If you are heading down the path of least resistance, you are heading the wrong way."
-Evangelist Wil Rice IV
 
Visit our website for more information about our summer camp weeks!
 
 
 
Bill Rice Ranch | 627 Bill Rice Ranch Road | Murfreesboro | TN | 37128

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

QUOTES OF THE WEEK!

So- you can probably tell by looking at me I've been exercising...
my right not to work out. - J. Thymius

This girl asked me (she was skinny), "Do I look fat?"
I said, "I have memories that weigh more than you do!" - M. Destefano

We will be with Roger much longer than we'll be without him. - Roger's Pastor [at Roger's funeral]

I have noticed that proud people are always poor in church attendance. The cold-hearted arrogant people are the poorest in worshipping God and serving Him. - Lee Roberson

Monday, July 26, 2010

PROPER PREPARATION

James 5:13-18

Pastor Rick Jackson

I. HONEST CONFESSION

We need to agree with God and:

1. Believe Every Bible promise concerning prayer

John 14:13-14 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Mark 11:22-24 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

2. Realize we have Great Needs [Jn. 15:5]

3. Admit we do Not Pray as we Ought [I Th. 5:17, Gethsemane]

II. SOUND DECLARATION

As we consider praying we know:

1. That God loves us [I Jn. 4:10, Jn. 3:16, Rm. 5:8]

2. That God Desires the Best for us [Rm. 5:9-10]

3. That God has a Will for our lives [Eph. 5:17, 6:6-7, Mt. 7:21]

4. That God answers Prayer [Jer. 33:3]

III. POSITIVE ACCEPTATION

1. I Must Accept God’s Word on Prayer [Phil. 4:6-7]

2. I Must give myself to fervent Prayer [James 5:16]

3. I Must Pray for Others [Acts 12:5, I Sam. 12:23]

Sunday, July 25, 2010

ORDERS FROM HEADQUARTERS

Proverbs 4:20-27

Pastor Rick Jackson

I. PAY ATTENTION [v. 20-22]

1. Really, Really Listen to the Spoken Word of God [v. 20]

2. Really, Really Focus on the Written Word of God [v. 21a]

3. Really, Really Center on the Living Word of God [v. 21b-22]

II. PROTECT ALWAYS [v. 23]

1. Guard Your Heart [natsar, naw-tsar'; a primitive root; to guard, in a good sense to protect, maintain, obey, etc.]

2. Guard Your Heart Diligently [mishmar, mish-mawr'; an example (concr.):--diligence, guard, office, prison, ward, watch.

3. Guard It for What It Does

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

III. PRACTICE APPLICATION [v. 24-27]

1. Lose the Bad Mouth [v. 24]

2. Look the Right Way [v. 25, Luke 9:62]

And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

3. Walk the Line [v. 26-27]

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Question of the Week: What's between the layers?

 
Answers Weekly

answersingenesis.org | newsletter archives | contact us
July 24, 2010

a weekly look at answersingenesis.org

top leftIn this issue . . .

Q: What's between the layers?

A: If the violent global Flood, described in the astonishing narrative of Genesis 7-8, really occurred, what evidence would we expect to find? Wouldn't we expect to find rock layers all over the earth that are filled with billions of dead animals and plants that were rapidly buried and fossilized in sand, mud, and lime? Yes, and that's exactly what we find.
The dominant view today is that slow and gradual (uniformitarian) processes, similar to the processes we observe in the present, explain the thick, fossil-bearing sedimentary rock layers all over the earth. These slow geologic processes would require hundreds of millions of years to deposit all the successive sediment layers. Furthermore, this popular view holds that slow weathering and erosion gradually wore away the earth's surface to produce its relief features, such as hills and valleys.
This view has a problem, however. If the fossil-bearing layers took hundreds of millions of years to accumulate, then we would expect to find many examples of weathering and erosion after successive layers were deposited. The boundaries between many sedimentary strata should be broken by lots of topographic relief with weathered surfaces. After all, shouldn't millions of years worth of weathering and erosion follow each deposition?

Continue reading as we cover the fifth of six main geologic evidences that testify to the Genesis Flood, and look more closely at a feature that is often overlooked—the boundaries between rock layers. What should they look like, if laid down during a single, global Flood?

News to Note Quick Look

Another human-race baby: Out of Britain comes more news that upsets the idea of "race." Read more.

Fully human: Evolutionists, like creationists, believe that Neanderthals were fully human, the same species as we are. Read more.

Also:

Prayer Requests

View the current prayer requests to keep track of and pray for current ministry needs. Thank you!

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Special Forces for the Savior (Part 1)

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Friday, July 23, 2010

One-Way Conversations

Bill Rice Ranch - First Light Devotionals

Jeremiah 37:2-3 "But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah. And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal . . . to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the LORD our God for us."

Have you ever felt the embarrassment of a one-sided cell phone conversation when you continue to talk but the other person is not connected? One-way conversations are not fun! You can even have a one-way conversation with a person who is standing right in front of you. One person does all the talking while the other person does all the listening! I suppose we are all guilty of the second illustration, but Jeremiah 37 is exactly that kind of conversation. No one "did hearken unto the words of the LORD," but yet they wanted Jeremiah to pray to God on their behalf.

You must listen to God if you expect to hear from God.Zedekiah was a man who expected to hear from God when he wasn't listening to God. That is a one-way conversation that is not right and not to be expected.
Prayer is meant to be answered! God wants to answer more than we want to ask. But in this chapter, we find two marks of prayer that is pointless. First, the king didn't listen. If I am not listening to God, then I am not going to hear from God. Secondly, the king didn't depend. God was simply "Plan B" when Pharaoh's army couldn't help (verse 7).

Later in this story, Jeremiah is accused of being a traitor (verse 13) because he was speaking God's message. Ironically, Jeremiah was the only patriot in the entire country! Again, the king did not listen and had Jeremiah thrown into prison. Still yet, after Jeremiah had spent many days in prison, "Then Zedekiah . . . asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD?" (verse 17) The king cowardly inquired if there was a word from the Lord when he didn't want to hear the first time!

The message from God through Jeremiah was still the same-it had not changed just because the king did not like it. The same thing is true with you and me. If you don't like what you get from God the first time, it will not change the second time.The Bible will not change just because you don't like what it says!

It is very important to remember that if you want to hear from God, you must listen to God. It is sheer folly to want to hear from God but not listen to Him. Do not fall into the trap that King Zedekiah did. Hearing from God demands listening to God.
Prayer Requests
:
1. Protection and provision for staff
2. Salvation of Teen, Junior, and Deaf campers this week
Camp Quote:
"Spiritual decisions plus spiritual discipline equals spiritual growth."
-Pastor Jim Schettler
Visit our website for more information about our summer camp weeks!
Bill Rice Ranch 627 Bill Rice Ranch Road Murfreesboro TN 37128
 
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