The Promise of Peace

 

Isaiah 26:12 "LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us."     Isaiah 26 contains some monumental verses about God's peace. I love Isaiah 26, verses 3 and 12. The Bible says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. . . . LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us." We have the promise of God's peace as well as God's power.   Someone defined peace as "the possession of adequate resources." That is not an all-inclusive definition, but I think it is a good one. On the other hand, stress can be described as responsibility without ability. Consider what stresses you right now: money, family, work, appointments, deadlines. Any and all of those things can weigh heavily on your mind because you hold a responsibility but may not have the needed ability. You have a lack in some area, and your lack creates stress in your heart and mind.   At other times, instead of stress you can have pride. Pride can come when you have responsibility with ability. In other words, pride is surviving on the capital of your own abilities. I don't want to be stressed; likewise, I don't want to live in pride. What is the answer? Peace!   Peace is synonymous with God's power. When you have His power, you have His peace. His peace is "perfect peace," and God puts His peace in your heart when He is in your mind. It is His power at work in your life that can "ordain peace." So, this morning, you really have three choices. Choice one is living in stress because of your inability. Choice two is living in pride because of your own ability. Choice three, which is the right choice, is living in the peace and power of God. Will you have peace and power today?        Want more First Light? View past devotionals here

Bill Rice Ranch | 627 Bill Rice Ranch Road | Murfreesboro | TN | 37128

Question of the Week: Was Jesus wrong?

 

answersingenesis.org | newsletter archives | contact us February 2, 2012 a weekly look at answersingenesis.org
In this issue . . . Q&A: Was Jesus wrong? Video On Demand: How Can Someone Start a New Life in Christ? (Sidebar) Ken's Blog (Sidebar) News to Note Quick Look Answers ... with Ken Ham After Eden Network with Us! Q: Was Jesus wrong? A: Dr. Peter Enns promotes the idea that Adam and Eve were not real, historical people. To bolster this claim, Enns relies on the discredited documentary hypothesis to say that the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible) was written after the Babylonian exile—and therefore, not written by Moses. Despite a wealth of biblical and historical evidence to the contrary, Enns portrays this idea as a given. In a footnote in his new book, Dr. Enns addressed one of the objections to this view—Jesus said Moses wrote about Him. Here is part of that footnote: I do not think that Jesus's status as the incarnate Son of God requires that statements such as John 5:46–47 be understood as binding historical judgments of authorship. Rather, Jesus here reflects the tradition that he himself inherited as a first-century Jew and that his hearers assumed to be the case. The idea advanced by Dr. Enns here is known as the accommodation theory. This theory is very popular among liberal theologians and basically asserts that Jesus accommodated (accepted and taught) the various ideas of His day, even if they were wrong. So what's the big deal if Jesus accommodated the errors of His day? Well, if Jesus taught error, then He would have lied to His listeners, in which case He would have been a sinner. If He unwittingly taught error, then He would have misled His followers, making Him a false teacher. Either option leaves us with a Jesus who is sinful and less than God. This is not a side issue. This is a false teaching that strikes right at the heart of the gospel, and it should never be accepted by those who claim to love Jesus Christ. Continue reading to learn more about this dangerous idea and see why it is entirely contradictory to God's Word. News to Note Quick Look Really most sincerely dead: Bioethicists seeking to justify harvesting vital organs before donors are "technically" dead have written an analysis entitled "What makes killing wrong?" Their article states, "If killing were wrong just because it is causing death or the loss of life, then the same principle would apply with the same strength to pulling weeds out of a garden. If it is not immoral to weed a garden, then life as such cannot really be sacred, and killing as such cannot be morally wrong." Read more. Origins smorgasbord: Indiana's Senate voted 28-22 this week to pass a bill offering schools the option of requiring "various theories of the origin of life" be taught in public school science classrooms. The bill passed in extremely amended form, however. Despite the good intentions of the bill's sponsors, a couple of aspects of the bill—in its original form and more so in its amended version—raise concerns. Read more. Also: Dinosaur freeway Darwin's "beautiful contrivances" Mutational secrets of a virus And Don't Miss . . . Answers ... with Ken Ham radio program The culture war—how should it be fought? The culture war—and its surprising culprit. The culture war—what's the real cause? The culture war—the effects are devastating! A culture war—what is it? After Eden Network with Us! Answers in Genesis Answers in Genesis Creation Museum Creation Museum Ark Encounter Ark Encounter Answers Magazine   Note: Facebook and Twitter are both social networking sites with user-contributed content. Children should not visit the sites without parental supervision.  Free app for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad	This Week . . . Feedback: Historical Fiction (Feb 3) Defense—A Local Flood? (Feb 2) t All Starts with God's Character (Feb 1) Was Jesus Wrong? Peter Enns Says, "Yes" (Jan 31) Letter from Ken, January 2012 (Jan 30) Why Did God Create Mankind if He Knew Man Would Sin? (Jan 29) Video On Demand How Can Someone Start a New Life in Christ? Watch Video Ken's Blog Creation Singer on the Inspirational Country Charts "A Great Soul Winning Opportunity" Misleading NPR Blog Post Did Jesus Tell a Lie? Children Are Our Future Previous entries Prayer Requests Visit our prayer site to keep track of and pray for current ministry needs. Resources Scripture Under Scrutiny - Video Download Answers Magazine Subscription: United States IncrediWorld VBS: Super Starter Kit Contemporary Noah's Ark: Thinking Outside the Box More current bestsellers Upcoming Events Kentucky Covington - Sunday Speaking, February 26 Kentucky Paducah - Not Ashamed Creation Conference, March 4–5 Kentucky College Speaking, March 5 South Carolina Teach Them Diligently Conference, March 15–17 More events
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Every Need, Every Time

Isaiah 25:4 "For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall." Every Need, Every Time God is enough for what you lack. It is absolutely amazing that one God can be everything to all people who will look to Him! God is the answer to every need in every hour and in every case. In helplessness, God is your strength. In a storm, God is your refuge. In the heat, God is your shadow. Isaiah 25 reminds us that God's supply is always sufficient for whatever needs you may have. When you are poor, needy, defenseless, and your supply is insufficient, you need strength. When the storms of life are blasting you, you need refuge. When the scorching heat of today's problems and concerns is bearing down on you, you need shade. You can either look to something else or someone else, or you can look to God. But who or what can you look to that can supply every need, every time? Only God can do that! Everything and everyone else will leave you empty, weak, vulnerable, and exposed. We serve a God who is all things to all people who have the eyes to see Him. He is the answer to your every need every time you have need. "For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat. . . ." Prayer Requests: 1. Service tonight in Land O' Lakes, FL 2. Sign Language School this week in Armona, CA 3. Florida Regional Youth Conference tomorrow 4. Ranch evangelists preaching this weekend in Corinth, MS; Clermont, FL; Riverview, FL; Buckeye, AZ; and Starke, FL [Evangelist Matt Downs at Bradford Baptist Church] Want more First Light? View past devotionals here

Bill Rice Ranch 627 Bill Rice Ranch Road Murfreesboro TN 37128

You never know who God may bring across your paths

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From: sumner@sumnerwemp.com

One day I was working in my yard, a really nice looking black fellow was passing by. I had

an urge to stop what I was doing and give him a tract. I always have tracts in my pocket when in

the yard for just occasions. I was quite tired and in no mood to witness to him but I went over to

him and offered him a gospel tract. It was one of those beautiful times when God was

orchestrating something big. When I asked if he knew for sure he was going to heaven, he looked

up quite surprised and replied with certainly, "No, I don't." By now my heart was pumping with

excitement. I told him how God loved him and sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who knew no

sin but He suffered and died on the cross for our sins. He paid our debt in full. He was buried,

rose again and was seen alive by hundreds of people and God wants you to trust what Christ did

and let Him know you willingly trust and receive the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior. He

replied with a certainty, "I surely would." He prayed out loud with me to trust what Jesus did to

save him too. We looked up and he was smiling from ear to ear and blurted out, "Your know me

don't you." I looked at his face carefully and had to say, "I am sorry but I don't." His face showed

disappointment and he gave his name and said, "I am so and so the rapper on television every

week." GOD DID THAT and I am so glad I did not quench the Spirit and miss what God was

doing. I got his address and went to his house. He moved the next week and I never could get

hold of him again but I know, "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the

day of Jesus Christ" Philippians 1:6. I firmly believe he was saved and I will see him in heaven

and it will be worth it all. I challenge you to "obey the Spirit" the next urge you have to do what

God tells you. Make sense?

Three-chapters a day reading schedule:

Fri 2/03 Mark 6-8

Sat 2/04 Mark 9-11

Sun 2/05 Mark 12-14

Mon 2/06 Mark 15-16; Luke 1

Subscribe

THE END OF THE BEGINNING

LUKE 24:1-35, ACTS 1:1

I. THE WOMEN [v. 1-8]

1. They Thought They Were Prepared [v. 1]

2. They Knew They Were Perplexed [v. 2-4a]

3. They Were Soon Preoccupied [v. 4b-8]

II. THE APOSTLES [v. 9-12]

1. Listened [v. 9-10]

2. Doubted [v. 11]

3. Hoped [v. 12]

III. THE LORD [v.13-15]

1. Unrecognized [v. 13-24]

2. Unrestrained [v. 25-26]

3. Undoubtable [v. 27-35]

Actions and Reactions

 

Isaiah 12:2 "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation."       So many times what we do is dictated by other people. What they do, who they are, what status they hold, or what they say makes us react in a certain way. We don't act; we react. Let me illustrate. Have you ever had someone behind the counter at the store or the post office act mean and cranky? What is your natural tendency? You want to be mean and cranky in return! I don't usually lose my cool, but I've met a few folks who could certainly test my limits. In those instances, I respond to another person instead of responding correctly. That's not a good thing!   In contrast, who God is should determine what I do. Who He is should dictate my day, not my feelings, my situation, or even people around me. The Bible says, "Behold, God is my salvation: I will trust, and not be afraid. . . . " That leads to verse 3, which says, "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." If you will begin your day thinking about who God is, not what someone else said, it will make a huge difference!   Our tendency can be to "jump in" to the day too quickly. We wake up, check emails, voicemails, to-do lists, Twitter, and Facebook, but without remembering who God is in your life, you'll start out on the wrong foot. You'll respond and react to people based on their actions or what kind of day you are having. Instead, remember God's place in your life and "with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." God's well is deeper than any need you will have today. Drawing from the well of reactions will leave you dry and empty!     Prayer Requests: 1. Service tonight in Land O' Lakes, FL  2. Sign Language School this week in Armona, CA 3. Florida Regional Youth Conference this weekend (2.4)               Want more First Light?  View past devotionals here

Bill Rice Ranch | 627 Bill Rice Ranch Road | Murfreesboro | TN | 37128