Is your mind stayed on God or is it starved? Starvation of the mind, caused by neglect, is one of the chief sources of exhaustion and weakness in a servants life. If you have never used your mind to place yourself before God, begin to do it now. There is no reason to wait for God to come to you. You must turn your thoughts and your eyes away from the face of idols and look to Him and be saved (see Isaiah 45:22).

Your mind is the greatest gift God has given you and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. You should seek to be bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ . . . (2 Corinthians 10:5). This will be one of the greatest assets of your faith when a time of trial comes, because then your faith and the Spirit of God will work together. When you have thoughts and ideas that are worthy of credit to God, learn to compare and associate them with all that happens in nature-the rising and the setting of the sun, the shining of the moon and the stars, and the changing of the seasons. You will begin to see that your thoughts are from God as well, and your mind will no longer be at the mercy of your impulsive thinking, but will always be used in service to God.

If it’s been a while since you’ve done so, take time today to quietly sit in a distraction free environment and catalog all the thoughts that are cluttering your mind. You might be surprised to find out what you’re devoting your mind to. This process can help you root out of the causes of stress or worry in your life, which then gives you an opportunity to seek resolutions or to give the worry over to God.

Actor Christopher Reeve was paralyzed in a horseback riding accident in 1995. Prior to this tragedy, he had played the part of a paraplegic in a movie. In preparation, Reeve visited a rehabilitation facility. He recalled: Every time I left that rehab center, I said, Thank God thats not me. After his accident, Reeve regretted that statement: I was so setting myself apart from those people who were suffering without realizing that in a second that could be me. And sadly, for him, it was.

We too may look at the troubles of others and think that it could never happen to us. Especially if our life journey has led to a measure of success, financial security, and family harmony. In a moment of vanity and self-sufficiency, King David admitted to falling into the trap of feeling invulnerable: Now in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved (Ps. 30:6). But David quickly caught himself and redirected his heart away from self-sufficiency. He remembered that he had known adversity in the past and God had delivered him: You have turned for me my mourning into dancing (v.11).

Are you going through a time of trial or a time of blessing? How have you expressed gratitude and trust to God despite your cirucmstances?

This devotional from Lifetime Guarantee reminds us that we can trust the the authors of the Gospels. The Bible gives us many reasons to believe that God’s followers not only speak truthfully, but do extraordinary things:

Those who were there when He was so cruelly executed on the cross, fully aware of the agony and pain He was enduring, and those who believed that His resurrection was a fact—not a fanatical dream—knew once and for all what God omnipotent could do! In these two mighty acts they realized the glorious truth—that nothing could ever stop Jesus nowthat the love which held Him to the cross and the power which had taken Him out of the grave were literally, indisputably irresistible.

But I wasnt there. I didnt see these two marvelous acts. I didnt see His terrible suffering, His cruel execution, the amazing resurrection. And these powerful promises about Him being able these can only be fulfilled by Someone powerful enough to bring them about. I need more evidence than the words of men. Can I believe the words these men have written?

In order for this question to be answered, it is essential for me to remember that the Bible is not written by inspired men—it is dictated to men by God. Im not asked to believe the testimonies of mere men. I am believing/trusting in the Word of God—irrevocable, enduring, spoken by God Himself.

Acts 20:32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is ABLE to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Romans 14:4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is ABLE to make him stand.

Romans 16:25 Now to Him who is ABLE to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past

II Corinthians 9:8 And God is ABLE to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything you may have abundance for every good deed;

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to Him who is ABLE to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever, Amen.

Philippians 3:21 according to the working whereby He is ABLE to subdue all things to Himself that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth (Phil. 2:10)..

Read the rest of the devotional at lifetime.org.

Which of these verses stand out to you?

Our devotional this morning comes from Today in the Word. In it, the author discusses Zerubbabel’s role in rebuilding the temple—an action that had repercussions for centuries to come:

The book of Haggai is the story of a turning point in the spiritual life of Gods people. They had gone from neglecting the new temple and the spiritual state of their own hearts to obediently rebuilding the temple and joyfully participating in genuine worship. They had moved from self-centered to God-centered, and as a result were poised to experience His blessing on their harvests and community.

Todays final message is addressed to Zerubbabel, and it parallels the messianic passage earlier in the chapter (vv. 6-9). The first part reaffirms that God is sovereign and has a plan for the nations (vv. 21-22). The second part portrays Zerubbabel as a signet ring on Gods hand (v. 23). One meaning of this image was that God would bless Zerubbabel as a leader, as opposed to King Jehoiachin, who as a signet ring had been discarded (Jer. 22:24-25).

A second meaning of this picture was that Zerubbabel was a type or foreshadowing of Christ (cf. Zech. 3:8). Generally, a kings signet ring carries the authority of the king, just as Christ the Son is equivalent in authority to God the Father (John 17:2). From our vantage point in history, we know that Zerubbabel was in the line of David and an ancestor of Jesus (Matt. 1:12). Zerubbabel, then, was chosen by God to lead in a special task, rebuilding the temple, at a key time in history, and both who he was and what he did had spiritual significance beyond that time, just as God had planned.

Read the rest of the devotional at todayintheword.com.

Your decision to follow Christ might not change the course of history, but that doesn’t make it any less significant. How have you seen your relationship with Christ change the world around you?

There are times in our lives when we need to trust that God has our best interests in mind. Maybe God’s been telling you to take a new job, end a relationship, or do something else equally daunting. Whatever it may be, when God asks us to do something, we’re called to obey… even if we don’t fully understand why.

In this Today devotional, Jang Ho Park describes an obedient posture as one that readily uses the words, “because you say so.” When we say those four words to God, we admit that while we might not understand why he’s asking us to do something, we’re willing to trust that God has a reason:

Jesus told Simon to row out to deep water and cast his nets. Why would Jesus do that? Jesus wanted to make a strong disciple of Simon. Simon had already heard the words of Jesus and may have experienced a change in his heart. But he may also have had doubts about Jesus. In response to Jesus’ command, Simon said, “Because you say so, I will let down the nets.” And what happened? They caught so many fish that their nets nearly broke and they filled two boats to overflowing!

Those little words “because you say so” are powerful, for they capture the response of obedient faith. Like Simon, we need to listen to Jesus, and we need to trust him when he calls us to cast our nets in faith, even if it’s a strain to do so. Though fatigue, hunger, or other discomfort may make it difficult, we need to follow when he calls. He is the Lord!

Is God calling you to do something that you don’t want to do? What would it take for you to respond with the words “because you say so?”

Several of us here at Gospel.com are big fans of the show and have spent far more lunch breaks discussing its weekly twists and turns than I think any of us would like to admit. Now that it’s finally over, I keep thinking back to the themes that defined the show: atonement, second chances, faith, trust, life and death. In a lot of ways, it ended up being a deeply religious show.

Were you happy with the finale? Do you have any other insights into LOST?

Share your thoughts!

Blaine Smith of Nehemiah Notes writes that the Bible presents two modes of faith to follow, depending on the situation. When we’re facing a situation that’s completely outside of our control, we should exercise what he calls “Level One” faith—waiting patiently for God to move. But when a situation presents an open door or an appropriate opportunity to act, then we should exercise Level Two faith—taking bold initiative:

Scripture teaches… that we are called to exercise two different levels of faith at various times as Christians. At one level we are to be inactive and wait patiently for the Lord to move. Here faith involves believing that Christ will bring about a solution apart from any effort on our end. It is shown in so many situations in Scripture where people were either told to be still or forced to be still and wait for the Lord to act. Examples include Joseph in prison, the Israelites at the edge of the impassable Jordan River, and Jesus’ disciples just before his ascension when they were instructed, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised” (Acts 1:4).

Yet Scripture just as frequently affirms the faith involved in taking personal responsibility. We find so many impressive pictures in the Bible of individuals who, without any divine revelation or special prompting, took bold steps to reach a personal goal: Naomi and Ruth moving from Moab to Bethlehem, Nehemiah courageously organizing the Israelites to rebuild Jerusalem, Paul knocking on many doors to find opportunities to preach–in his own words, “making it my ambition to preach the gospel” (Rom 15:20 RSV).

In reality, there can be just as much faith involved in taking personal initiative as there is in waiting passively for the Lord to provide. While Ruth would have been commended for staying in Moab and waiting for God to heal the heartbreak of her husband’s death, she probably showed greater faith in going to Bethlehem. By moving forward she placed herself in a vulnerable position where she had to trust the Lord to protect her, to open doors and to make her venture successful. Interestingly, it was this very move that opened her to the relationship with Boaz, who became her husband.

It is right, then, to speak of a second level of faith that we are to demonstrate as Christians. At this level we are active and assertive. We take initiative to find the answer to a need. And by moving forward we force ourselves to a dependence on the Lord that wouldn’t be possible if we merely sat still.

Read the rest of the devotional at Nehemiah Notes.

Is there a situation in your life where you should be exercising “Level Two” faith? Or are you facing circumstances that require waiting patiently on God rather than stepping out on your own initiative?

The Bible makes some very specific claims about truth and the meaning of life—so it’s clearly important to ask whether or not we can trust what the Bible says about these things. How would you answer that question?

Here’s how Faith Facts answers the question:

From many years of study, we have become convinced that the Bible is true and trustworthy—and that the skeptics are incorrect in their challenges. There are many evidences that confirm that the Bible is reliable. First, history and archeology confirm the biblical record. Over 25,000 sites have now been discovered that pertain to the Bible. As Nelson Glueck, renowned Jewish archaeologist said, “It may be stated categorically that no archeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference.” Even though archeology does not prove spiritual truth, archeological confirmation is an amazing testimony to the accuracy of the Bible.

As a comparison, the religion of Mormonism makes many claims as to history, especially about the Americas. Yet none of its claims have been or can be verified by archeology, seriously damaging its credibility.

Read the rest of Faith Facts’ answer.

Here’s how RBC Ministries answers the question:

There are many factors that give the Bible unparalleled moral and spiritual authority. The Old and New Testaments are deeply rooted in a historical and geographical record that is linked to laws, poetry, and predictions that express timeless life-changing wisdom. Even the parts of the Old Testament with parallels in Mesopotamian literature (the creation story, the story of the flood, etc.) are incomparably superior to the pagan versions. Although it is an ancient document, its realism is stunning and contemporary. The records of the Bible portray people in all of their complexity and inconsistency, with not only their achievements but also their sins—and the consequences of their sins—clearly displayed. J. B. Phillips expressed in a few words what countless others have noticed about the New Testament: It has the “ring of truth.” There are few people of any religious tradition who are familiar with it that don’t hold it in high esteem. Further, the historical accuracy of Scripture has been demonstrated time and again—often to the surprise of skeptical scholars.

Read the rest of RBC Ministries’ answer.

How would you answer this question?

What do you think?