Devotions for Dieters

Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord they God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

Toni had a dream that she was entering a room where God was. She couldn't really see Him, but she knew He was there. For some reason, He was very happy with her. He was making her feel very good, and she could tell she had done something to please Him a lot. When she gathered up her nerve, Toni asked God what she had done to make Him so happy. 'Lose weight,' was the reply. When she awakened, she felt the greatest joy she had ever known. She had really wanted to lose weight for herself, but to think that God was pleased with what she had done made the victory twice as sweet.

Today's thought: I will rejoice with God as the pounds come off!

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Suppose a friend gives you a book about Abraham Lincoln. You're happy to get the book because you've really wanted to learn about such a great man. So, you read the book and devour all the facts that you can about Lincoln. But you feel something is missing. You check other books out of the library and watch some biographical movies hoping that you can get to know Lincoln better. Then, one day you realize you will never perfectly know Lincoln as he really was because he died early in the morning on April 15, 1865. To truly know him, you would have to meet him personally.

Some people read the Bible like that. They search the Scriptures to find the facts about Jesus Christ because they want to know all they can about Him. They learn that the Old Testament foretells His coming and the New Testament reveals Him. They read the book, but they never meet the Savior who, unlike Lincoln, arose from the dead, is living and may be known today personally.

It is possible to know tons of facts about Christ and yet fall short of finding a saving relationship by faith in the Person that the facts point to. You come to know God by trusting Christ, not just by knowing the facts about Him. Read below about some people who knew plenty of facts:

What Does God Say?

In John 5:39-40, Jesus was speaking to some Jewish leaders and scholars who didn't believe Him. Look up the verses in your Bible and answer these questions:

Why were they searching the Scriptures?

What did they fail to see?

What did they refuse to do?

What did they lose sight of because of their unbelief?

My Thoughts

In recent Bible Minute studies, you may have learned about Jesus' disciple, Philip. Philip knew a lot of facts about Jesus, even before he met Him, but Philip followed and observed Jesus for a long time before he saw the Lord as He truly is. Only then did he come to the personal relationship with Christ that is necessary for salvation.

Here are a few events in Philip's life. Read about them and answer the related questions.

John 1:43-45(At the beginning of Jesus' ministry)

What facts did Philip know about Jesus at the time he started following Him (v. 45)?

John 6:5-7 (About a year into Jesus' ministry)

What was Jesus' question to Philip (v. 5)?

Why did He ask it (v. 6)?

What does Philip's answer reveal about his grasp of who Jesus really was (v. 7)?

John 14:1-11 (Near the end of Jesus' earthly ministry)

Who is able to come to God the Father (v. 6)?

What do you have to know in order to know God the Father (v. 7)?

What did Philip want Jesus to do (v. 8)?

What essential truth about Christ had Philip missed (vv. 9-11)?

Philip's experience shows us the patience Christ has with honest seekers. We know that Philip came to understand God's truth about Jesus. He found a personal salvation in Him. The Bible tells us that Philip was with the believing disciples in the upper room when the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost (Acts 1:12-14; 2:1-4).

No one can have a personal relationship with Christ without believing the truth that is written of Him in the Word of God, but it is possible to read the Bible and miss the Person the Bible reveals. It is Him you need to know and love if you are to be saved.

My Part

Memorize the words of Jesus in John 14:24 (ESV):

"Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me."

If you are not certain that you know Jesus as your personal Savior, take time now to read the "Meet Jesus" section by clicking the link below.

Bible Study from Back to the Bible Copyright © 1996-2008 The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.bibleminute.org/

The Following Devotionals are from: Back to the Bible Copyright © 1996-2008 The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.backtothebible.org/

Confession Is Good for . . .

Daniel 8-10, 3 John
Key Verses: Daniel 9:4-5

Remember this phrase--"Confession is good for the soul"? It seems like we readily agree with that statement, especially when we are trying to get someone else to confess! At the same time, it's quite possible that the least frequently offered prayer is one of confession. We do best with requests, remember to at least say, "thanks," are possibly passable with the amount of worship in our praying, but fail miserably in regard to confession.

So if you agree that confession is good for the soul, when was the last time you practiced it?

One of the great prayers of the Bible is in Daniel 9. Daniel offered it in response to reading Scripture. He understood what the Word said, and it affected him tremendously. He prayed, fasted, and confessed.

Read again carefully this prayer of Daniel. Note the request portion. It is very short, toward the end, and really no more than one phrase--"turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill" (9:16). Then immediately Daniel returns to confession.

Our prayers should be balanced. They should include worship, thanksgiving, requests and confession. It is not necessary that each prayer have all four, but as we examine our prayer life, all should be evident, including confession.

Think now about your prayer life. Perhaps it isn't much. (That is a subject all its own to consider!) Whatever the current condition is of your prayer life, do you confess?

"Father, right now I need to confess that . . ."

1 Kings 3:12�?3

"Behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days."

Superabundant Blessings

Howard Hendricks, professor emeritus at Dallas Theological Seminary, told a story about a couple in Christian ministry who had four children. While things were financially rough, Timmy, the youngest, asked, "Dad, do you think Jesus would mind if I asked for a shirt?" "Well, of course not," his father replied. So every day they prayed for a shirt. Several weeks later the mother received a call from a merchant who inquired, "Could you use some boys' shirts?" "How many do you have?" she asked hesitantly. He said, "Twelve." That night when Timmy began to pray for a shirt, his father said, "We don't have to pray for the shirt, Timmy. The Lord has answered your prayer." Older brother Tom went out of the room and brought back one shirt. Then he went out again and brought back another, and another--until he had piled 12 shirts on the table. Timmy thought God had gone into the shirt business! Today, there is another young boy who believes that God is able to provide superabundantly.

Solomon also discovered that God is no miser. Instead of just the wisdom and understanding the newly crowned king asked for, God gave him riches and honor in abundance as well. Solomon became known as both the wealthiest and wisest king of his time. He found that God's blessings were not simply sufficient; they were overflowing.

Are you expecting God to provide for your needs? Do you think He will give you only the bare necessities? Don't cheat yourself. Expect a lot more from God. He blesses superabundantly. While it isn’t always in the material realm, God never fails to give His children blessings in profusion. Our God is the God of abundance. Let Him bless you abundantly.

Flee to God

Years ago, A. W. Tozer wrote, "The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him." God is much greater than we are, and our thoughts of Him must be great thoughts. David's thoughts of God in this psalm center on His omnipresence. As we read his words, we can answer three simple questions.

Can we flee from God? The psalmist says no. Height and depth will not enable us to run away from God. Life has its ups and downs. God is there when we're up, and He's there when we're down. In essence, David says in verse 9, "If at sunrise, I could jump on one of the sunbeams, if I could fly across the sky from east to west at 186,000 miles per second, when I got there, You'd be there already, Lord." The word dwell means "to arrest." Even if we try to run away, God's hand is going to catch us and lead us.

Who would flee from God? Those who are afraid of Him. Among those in the Bible who tried to flee Him are Adam and Eve, Jonah and Judas Iscariot. No true believer would ever try to run away from God. As believers, we have fled to God, and we are hiding in Him.

What are the blessings of fleeing to God? If you have problems, difficulties and sin, run to God. The Lord's presence kept Paul going during difficult times. Like the apostle, we need to discover that no matter how difficult a situation is, the Lord is with us. When we hide in the Lord, we receive courage, encouragement, comfort and strength for the battle. Respond to God's invitation: "Come to Me, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). Hide in the Lord. He's the only place of safety and satisfaction.

* * *

God's omnipresence is a blessing to those who hide in Him. Perhaps you have tried to run from the Lord. Return to Him; He is always ready to receive you when you've gone astray. Whatever difficulty you may be facing, don't hide from life--hide in the Lord. He will give you strength to fight the battle.

Sealed and Sure!

2 Corinthians 1:18-22

A key verse related to the sealing of the Holy Spirit is Ephesians 1:13: "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise."

This truth is also stated in 2 Corinthians 1:22: "Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." God the Father has anointed us and sealed us, according to 2 Corinthians 1:21. The seal, however, is the Holy Spirit Himself.

The persons sealed are those who have trusted in Christ. This is clear from the Scripture verses already quoted. The basis for this sealing is belief in the Gospel of Christ.

When a person trusts Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells the believer and God seals the believer by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given to us as the earnest, or down payment, of our further inheritance.

The Word of God does not say that the Spirit is given only to the spiritual Christian. Believers can, and sometimes do, become carnal; nevertheless, they are sealed by the Spirit of God.

Paul told the Corinthians that he could not write to them as spiritual believers but had to treat them as "carnal, even as . . . babes in Christ" (1 Cor. 3:1).

Yet to this same group he wrote: "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Cor. 1:21,22).

"Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Rom. 8:9).

Pride

For when David was up in the morning, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer.

Have you ever noticed that you make your greatest mistakes immediately after your greatest victories? Why is that? The answer is likely pride. The Bible frequently warns us about the penalty of pride. Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fall." The pages of the Holy Scriptures are filled with people who have met their defeat, not because of their inferiority, but because of their haughty and arrogant spirit.

A graphic illustration of the penalty of pride is seen in the life of King David. A man after God's own heart, David early won favor with Jehovah for his faithfulness and purity of life. He rose above the usurpation of his throne by two of his sons. He lived down the shame of his sin with Bathsheba. Now he had come to the end of his life, a valiant warrior and a victor.

Following the catalog of David's mighty men is the statement, "And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah" (2 Samuel 24:1). The wrath of God was upon His people at this time, not so much for a specific offense as for the general deterioration of their faithfulness to Him. First Chronicles 21:1 indicates that it was Satan who incited David to take this census. Although the penalty for this sin affected all people, David accepted it as the result of his own personal sin. Why? Because the numbering of the people was done in pride, for the purpose of self-glory, and pride always pays a penalty.

Immediately after David learned the strength of his army, he recognized the basis for his need to know their number. "And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done . . . for I have done very foolishly." As soon as David was up in the morning (2 Samuel 24:11), God offered three potential punishments for this pride. David's options were not good: the people could endure seven years of famine; David could flee three months from his enemies; Israel could experience three days of the worst pestilence they had ever seen. David preferred to receive punishment from God rather than from his enemies. Thus the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel in the morning. Because of Israel's continued sin and David's pride, 70,000 men died during the next three days in Israel.

There is an old fable about two ducks and a frog that played together in a small pond. Each summer, when the days got long and hot, the pond shrank to a small puddle, and the ducks and frog were forced to move. The ducks could fly to another place, but not the frog. As the fable goes, the frog finally suggested that the ducks put a stick in their bills so he could cling to it with his mouth and thus fly away with them. The frog was very proud of his brilliant idea. As the ducks took off for a nearby lake, the stick between their bills and the frog clinging tightly, they passed over a farmer, who seeing this strange sight questioned, "Well, isn't that a clever stunt! I wonder who thought of it?" Swelling with pride, the frog said, "I did!" and with that he lost his grip and went crashing to the ground. His own pride had done him in.

Let us beware of our pride today, for it may lead to the same kind of painful end that the frog experienced. Even worse, it may lead to pain inflicted upon others, as was experienced in the life of David. Remember, "Pride goeth before destruction" (Proverbs 16:18).

MORNING HYMN
Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the skies
And help me to make a complete sacrifice.
I give up myself and whatever I know
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.