Your Daily Devotional for February 28, 2006

February 28, 2006

Open Thy Mouth Wide

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me; There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.”

Psalm 81:8-10

Today we see God’s willingness to bless us abundantly. God says here in verse ten, “I am the LORD God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” The promise here is that God will bless us in proportion to our willingness to be blessed.

God, time and time again, had delivered Israel from bondage and famine. He had led them through the wilderness. He had opened up the sea, and the waves drew themselves back in honor of God’s people, allowing them to cross on dry land. He had given them a land flowing with milk and honey. They truly were serving a powerful God! And that God was willing to bless them greatly. Notice that God does not say, “open a little and I’ll give you a little,” He says “open thy mouth WIDE, and I will fill it.” God did not want to just give them a morsel of his blessing, but a whole mouthful of it!

If this truth and promise from God’s people were kept, then there is no reason why we should not claim it as our own! The Bible says in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” God’s promises to His people are as real today as they were thousands of years ago! You and I can claim the promises of God as our very own, alive unto this very moment. His power to keep his promises is still very much real!

God wants to bless you abundantly…but you have to open your mouth wide! This constitutes the faith for the mouth to be filled. As God sees your faith growing larger and larger, His blessing will flow farther and farther until there will be no room left to receive it, as in Malachi 3:10! But remember…your blessing will be only as “wide as your mouth is” or as much as you are willing to believe in.

God has never failed you. Things, maybe…jobs, maybe…people, maybe…but never God. He’s always provided and He doesn’t intend to stop. Why don’t we trust Him today and “open our mouths” in sweet abandon, trusting in his ability to fill our lives with the riches of his grace day in and day out? Pray a small prayer right now, wherever you are, asking God to fill your heart and life with his blessing. Remember, God wants to use you and to fill your day with joy, but you have to take the first step. You have to open your mouth. Don’t just open it a little…open it WIDE!

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Your Daily Devotional for February 27, 2006

February 27, 2006

Together

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;”

Philippians 1:27

Together – a church family needs to work together. Think about your place of worship, your church, for a few moments. The Bible says that we are to strive TOGETHER for the faith of the Gospel.

Are you taking your place in the local body that you are a part of? 1 Corinthians 12:12 says, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.” Please realize today that you play a vital place in your local church, no matter if you are a teen, single, couple, or senior citizen. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 12:18, “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.” God placed you in the church that you are in. He wants you to use your talents and gifts for Him in a real way in that place. Realize too, that God placed the others around you in your church with you. We all need to work together for the cause of Christ. We don’t need to blame, judge, or gossip about others. We need to work together.

As a part of your local church, you need to own the vision of your pastor in reaching souls, in response to trials, and in your desire for revival.

When I stay in a hotel, I don’t make the bed or hang up the towels perfectly. When I rent a car, I don’t wash and polish it before I take it back. Why? Because I do not have a sense of ownership in those situations. As a church member, God wants you to own your responsibility and place in your local church. Take possession, and don’t treat church like a rental.

Won’t you determine today to step up and take your place in the body of your local church and own it as your own possession? Strive TOGETHER for the work of the Gospel.

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Your Daily Devotional for February 26, 2006

February 26, 2006

Goodness: An Attribute of a Godly Friend

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan Saul’s son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself: And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee: and what I see, that I will tell thee. And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good: For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause? And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain.”

1 Samuel 19:1-6

King Saul began to feel threatened by the shepherd boy David. After Goliath was killed, all the people in the kingdom began to sing David’s praises. Before long, Saul became intensely jealous of David and sought for a way to murder him. In this passage, we see that Jonathan, the king’s son, intercedes for David’s life. Verse two says, “But Jonathan Saul’s son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself.”

To act against the king by helping one of his enemies was an act of treason. Jonathan knew that David was not guilty of dishonoring the king. First Samuel 19:4-5 tells us that David had not sinned against the king, and that his motives were to bring honor to him.

Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Jonathan was not content to watch David be mistreated. He cared for him as a brother, even though he was risking his own life.

Often our friends are unjustly attacked or maligned. Do we sit idly by, or do we come to their aid? Do we worry more about the “damage” to us, or are we willing to risk ourselves for others?

A false friend is like a shadow. As long as there is sunshine, he sticks close by your side; but, the minute you step into the shade, he disappears. My question to you is “What kind of friend are you? Do you stick close by your friends’ sides when they are being unjustly treated? Do you encourage them to continue staying faithful to the Lord and His Word?

You will find that if you are a faithful friend in the midst of someone’s trials, he will be there for you when you are going through hard times. Let’s purpose today to be more than fair-weather friends. Let’s seek to encourage and strengthen those people that God has placed in our lives

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Your Daily Devotional for February 25, 2006

February 25, 2006

This Poor Man Cried

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.”

Psalm 34:4-6

As we approach God’s Word today, we see David praising God for something fantastic, something amazing, something outstanding. He says gratefully in verse six, “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.”

Some Christians honestly think that they have reason to be discouraged. They have a rough home life, their taxes are too high, they aren’t on the top section of the economic scale, etc. They look at all the gray clouds in their life and refuse to acknowledge that the rain that comes is what helps them to grow. The cup isn’t just half empty–it’s almost gone! And their outlook on life becomes dreary, pessimistic, and discouraging. Confidence drops, church attendance wavers, and quiet times are a thing of the past.

Now, if looked at from a secular viewpoint, all of these things could be depressing and stifling to any further progress. But as Christians, the problem isn’t the discouraging things in our life. The Bible says that rain falls on the just AND the unjust. We all have problems, burdens, circumstances, that challenge our lives. Those things are not why a Christian succeeds or fails in his walk with the Lord.

The reason Christians “win or lose” in this life is their focus.

Think of who you were before Christ...nothing but a poor man, lost and alone, without hope or purpose or reason for living! Think of the nights you spent wondering why you’re here and where you’re going to go when death knocked on your door! Think of the bitter relationships, the hateful spirit, the days and nights of sin and guilt and an inexplicable feeling of loss. You had all reason to ask, “Why should I go on? What’s the point?”

Then, think of when you heard the good news. Think of when you heard of a hope of forgiveness, of a life worth living! And after that, think of when this poor man cried. But do not only think of the cry; think of how the Lord heard you, and saved you! He saved you from hell, from your sin, from your guilt, from yourself, from everything you were soaked in...think about that! What a wonderful thought! I’m so glad the Lord heard THIS poor man.

Now, think of this.

Think of how ridiculous it is that we should ever dwell on anything contrary or stifling to the joy of our salvation. The same God who remembered Noah, Hannah, and Moses, the same One who drove the stone in Goliath’s head is the God that you serve. All of a sudden, your reasons to complain seem to fade away. Taxes don’t look so intimidating, do they? In fact, nothing does, in light of the wonderful cross and the price paid in full for our sins. My friends, how dare we think we have the right to complain? If you ever get discouraged, remember who you were, remember Who made you into who you are now, and continue on in His grace and power.

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Your Daily Devotional for February 24, 2006

February 24, 2006

Victory over Fear

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen”

Luke 24:1-6

It is amazing to see on the pages of Scripture that the first emotions at the empty tomb were not those of elation or excitement, but those of fear, uncertainty and perplexity. I find in talking with people around the country, that fear is an overwhelming emotion in our every day lives. It seems as though there is always something coming up—an exam to take, a job interview or maybe even test results from the hospital.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University were doing a study about the fear phenomenon and discovered that thirty years ago, the greatest fears of children were things like animals, being in a dark room, high places, strangers, and loud noises. When they asked children in 2004 what made them fearful, they said they were fearful of divorce, nuclear war, cancer, pollution, and being mugged on their way home from school.

Obviously the fears of children thirty years ago have changed and compounded with the passing of time. Fear is something that touches all our lives.

Jesus had foretold not only His death, but also His resurrection. He had prepared His disciples for what was ahead so they would not be gripped with fear. But, sometimes when we forget what Jesus has said, we lose perspective and we can be caught up in fear to the point that we forget the very promises of God. For example, in John 2:19 Jesus said, “… Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Jesus had declared the truth of His resurrection to His disciples but somehow they had forgotten.

When we are not living with God’s promises in our hearts, the challenges of this life can overwhelm us and the victory that the empty tomb brings can be evasive in our lives.

There is one disciple in particular that I want to point out who was extremely fearful preceding the resurrection of Christ. His name was Peter. If anyone ever crashed and burned it was Peter. His words to our Lord the night Jesus was betrayed were, “Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.” But a few hours later he cursed the very name he vowed to protect.

But the story of Peter does not end that night. Somewhere along the line Peter won victory over fear when he stood up on the day of Pentecost and preached the sermon that was heard around the world.

Sometimes things come into our lives and we think, “That came in out of left field. I was not expecting this at all.” Imagine Peter. But God used him in a mighty way.

God desires to use you today and it begins by claiming victory over fear. There is no fear too great that God cannot subdue. 1 John 4:4, “...greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. ”

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Your Daily Devotional for February 23, 2006

February 23, 2006

Victory over Stress

by Dr. Paul Chappell

Life—it often demands more than we have to give! It pulls us in opposite directions—which can sometimes cause us to neglect things that really matter most—like God and our family.

For too many of us, busyness has become the “applauded addiction.” We are encouraged, sometimes even pushed, to fill our lives with meaningless stuff until there is no room for God or anything else that really matters. The problem is that this stuff—activities, work, money— doesn’t fulfill our deep longing for purpose. We will never find God’s best for us simply by trying to get ahead in our careers or getting a bigger piece of the pie.

In Luke 10:38–42 we see the story of a woman who was being pulled in opposite directions. She was stressed out!

“Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Stress was found in the lives of the early Christians and is found in our lives today. As Jesus traveled about the Galilean countryside, He found His way to many different people—people whom He loved deeply and they loved Him, deeply. One of His favorite stopping points was in the little town of Bethany, on the east side of the Mount of Olives. In that town was a home in which Mary, Martha, and Lazarus resided. To really get a glimpse into Jesus’ heart for these people, John 11:5 tells us, “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.” Aren’t you glad Jesus loves your family? He loves the entire world, but this was a family who literally had the joy of welcoming Him into their home during His earthly ministry.

In this family of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, there was a particular member who struggled with stress perhaps more than the others. In fact, when Jesus came, it was a stressful day in Martha’s life. In this text, Martha is a picture of stress. Notice it in verse 40: “But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?” We see that she is described as one who was cumbered about. The word “cumbered” means to be driven, mentally. She was a driven and, perhaps, a multi-tasking person. Martha was skilled in the culinary arts and excited about the opportunity to serve. She was the first to arrive and the last to leave; always in a hurry; and had more to do than she could possibly get done. She was a picture of stress.

Sometimes you get to the place where you start wondering what is going on and the stress gets the best of you. Many of us could say, “I live Martha’s life without trying.” So instead of focusing on Martha, I want to look at the life of Mary. I want to learn from this godly woman’s testimony.

In Psalm 46:10, the Bible says, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Think of those words: “Be still, and know that I am God.” In our lives, we don’t have a lot of still times. It seems like everything is passing us by like a mile marker on the highway. But here we see Mary taking time to sit at the feet of Jesus.

The key to victory over stress is found when you take time for Jesus. Listen to what He has to say. Appreciate His company. Discover His will for your life, and begin living with victory over stress!

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Your Daily Devotional for February 22, 2006

February 22, 2006

The Development of David’s Faith

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.”

1 Samuel 17:20-23

This passage is the introduction to one of the most well-known and beloved stories in the Bible—David and Goliath. First Samuel seventeen begins by telling us about Goliath, the giant warrior of the Philistines, who daily taunts and torments the Israelite armies because they will not send out a man to fight him. Meanwhile, a young shepherd boy named David is at home caring for his father’s sheep while his brothers are fighting the Philistines.

Jesse, David’s father, sends him to the battlefield with food and supplies, and it is while he is there speaking to his brothers that Goliath makes his appearance. Most of us are familiar with the outcome of this story: David, because of his faith in God, defies Goliath and leads the Israelites to victory over the Philistines.

David must have been a boy who had great faith in God. You see, all of Israel’s greatest war heroes including King Saul were afraid of the giant. How was this kind of faith developed in David’s life? How can we foster faith over the “giants” in our lives?

First, let’s notice that David’s faith was developed through the Word of God. David wrote in the book of Psalms: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). Psalm 71:17 says, “O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.”

Some people have developed amazing abilities in basketball, academics, karate, and various other interests. How? They spent time laboring in developing these skills. How do we develop faith in our lives? Faith is developed by spending time in God’s Word. Romans 10:17 states, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

David’s faith was also developed through worship. We read in Psalm 71:5, “For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth.” David spent many hours in the wilderness caring for his father’s sheep. While there, he wrote much of the book of Psalms, which depicts praise and love to his Heavenly Father.

David’s faith was really put into action through trials. Wild animals tried to attack his sheep. His brothers mocked him, and Goliath made fun of his belief in God. Through all of these things, David’s faith never wavered.

My friend, do you crave a faith that never wavers? Do you want to have victory over the “giants” in your life? Spend time in God’s Word. Worship and praise Him today. Let God work in your life during difficulties and trials. Faith that grows through burdens today births future blessings tomorrow.

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Your Daily Devotional for February 22, 2006