Rising Point for Christ "The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart" (Ps. 19:8). Knowing your life is on the right track is a source of great joy. What brings you joy? Your answer will reveal much about your priorities and the direction your life is heading spiritually. The psalmist wrote, "How blessed [happy] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers" (Ps. 1:1-3). That psalmist knew that true joy and happiness come from knowing God and abiding in His Word. That was David's confidence when he wrote, "The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart" (Ps. 19:8). "Precepts" in that verse spe

Rising Point for Christ "The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple" (Ps. 19:7). God’s Word imparts wisdom and knowledge beyond the realm of mere human understanding. David's characterization of God's Word as "the testimony of the Lord" (Ps. 19:7) speaks of its role as God's witness to who He is and what He requires of us. In addition, it's a "sure" witness. That means it's unwavering, immovable, unmistakable, reliable, and trustworthy. Peter made the same point when, after recounting his incredible experience with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration (2 Pet. 1:16-18), he said, "but we have a testimony more sure than that—the prophetic word" (v. 19, literal translation). The testimony of God's written Word is a surer and more convincing confirmation of God's truth than even apostolic experiences with Christ Himself! Perhaps that's why our Lord prevented the two disciples on the Emmaus Road from rec

  "The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul" (Ps. 19:7). God can transform you through His Word into the person He wants you to be. Many today doubt the power of Scripture in dealing with the deeper aspects of the human heart and mind. The Bible may be helpful for certain superficial or "spiritual" problems, they say, but it's too simplistic and inadequate for the more complex psychological issues of modern man. The truth is, however, the best psychology can do is modify external behaviour. It cannot redeem and transform the soul. Only God can do that through the power of His Word. That's the truth behind Psalm 19:7, which calls Scripture "the law of the Lord," thus emphasizing its didactic nature. It is the sum of God's instruction to man, whether for creed (what we believe), character (what we are), or conduct (what we do). The law of the Lord is "perfect." That represents a common Hebrew word that speaks of wholeness, com

Instead of feeling hopeless and discouraged by trials, we can choose to walk with God in peace and joy. James 1:5-8 At first glance, today’s passage on wisdom doesn’t seem related to trials, but James is actually continuing His thoughts from the previous three verses. We need wisdom to know how to respond to suffering. This means we should see trials from God’s viewpoint and understand His purposes in allowing them in our life. If you want to profit from struggles, be sustained in them, and come through with joy, you must believe: The Lord is in control. Your trial won’t go beyond the boundaries He has set. He has a specific purpose for your suffering. This hardship will prove to be profitable if you submit to God and trust Him through it. Trying situations are opportunities for faith to prove genuine and grow stronger. When you endure suffering with unexplainable peace and joy, God will demonstrate His sustaining power to others. The Father uses trials to produce Christlike character.

  Life can bring frustrations, but knowing that God’s timing is perfect, we can ask Him to help us wait patiently. Psalm 37:6-8 Yesterday we started reading Psalm 37 and discussed what we must do to receive our heart’s desires. But if we keep reading that chapter, we find the psalmist encouraging us to rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act.  Rest sounds easy, but sometimes it may require supernatural strength. Our natural tendency is to scramble, fret, and push our agenda, and those habits turn our mind away from delight and trust in the Lord. The stronger our desire is, the shorter our fuse. Sometimes we may even try to give God a timetable, but true rest occurs on His schedule. Only He understands every circumstance and knows the precise moment when answering our prayer is best.  So, the basic tenets of Psalm 37 are interrelated: We must spend time enjoying God in order to learn to trust Him and commit to His way. And doing so then frees us to rest in His control and pat

  Those who know God intimately discover that He provides everything they truly need. Psalm 37:1-5 We love the promise in verse 4 of today’s passage: God “will give you the desires of your heart.” Unfortunately, when we focus only on receiving gifts, we miss the psalm’s context—namely, that our cooperation is needed.  The first requirement for receiving the desires of our heart is that we delight in God (v. 4). His highest priority is our relationship with Him—He wants to give us Himself more than anything else. We are to take pleasure in communing with the Lord and serving Him, and over time we’ll begin to appropriate His ways of thinking.  The second requirement of this promise is that we commit to His plan (v. 5). Following God’s path restructures our heart’s desires until they look like His. Now, sometimes what God provides appears different from what we requested. But He always answers our appeals based on His infinite knowledge and great love. He bestows the perfect answer to our

  Are you reflecting God's heart in the way you manage what He’s entrusted to your care? To get the most out of this devotion, set aside time to read the scriptures referenced throughout. Stewardship is more than just managing money—even in the ancient world, this word had to do with handling the affairs of an entire household. Look at the Old Testament story of Joseph, for example. (See  Genesis 39:1-6;  Genesis 41:38-49.) He became the steward for Potiphar’s household, and his job was to responsibly manage everything the family owned. The idea of stewardship goes back even further—in fact, all the way to the very beginning of Genesis. Upon fashioning humans to bear His divine image, God charged them to imitate Him; He called them to be productive and have dominion—that is, exercise humble authority—over the earth. As stewards of God’s creation, they were to reflect who He is. That involved doing the hard work to maintain, preserve, and beautify the earth. Think about it • What in

  When we live out the biblical principles we know, God reveals deeper truths. 1 Corinthians 2:12-16; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 Sometimes the Bible seems difficult to understand. After all, it is a compilation of documents from different times and places, written in various styles. But you don’t need to attend seminary in order to read Scripture. Believers have the ultimate Teacher within them—the Holy Spirit, who not only helps us comprehend God’s Word but also enables us to obey it.  Obedience is a key part of truly understanding Scripture. When we apply what we read, the Bible comes alive and we begin to hear the voice of God more and more. Experience is an effective teacher, and living out God’s Word helps us move beyond simple recall to maturity in Christ. Conversely, when we don’t act on biblical truths, we will not receive the awareness that comes from experience. Besides, if we haven’t obeyed what God has previously revealed to us, why would He share His deeper truths? The book of Ps

  Our generous God loves to respond when we call on Him for help. Ephesians 1:1-14 Do you ever feel defeated in your spiritual life? The problem may be that you’re depending on your own assets and abilities instead of God’s inexhaustible riches, which He has deposited into your account.  With God, we don’t have to worry about running out of time, energy, money, or resources. He has promised to equip us with everything needed for the purpose to which we’ve been called. In fact, we are heirs of great and glorious riches. Consider a few of God’s generous blessings: •  You are His workmanship  ( Ephesians 2:10). God saved you by His grace and He’s sanctifying you the same way. The work of transforming and empowering you is the Lord’s; your role is simply to cooperate and depend on Him.  •  You have immediate access to God  ( Hebrews 4:16). Divine help is only a prayer away.  •  You have the Holy Spirit indwelling you  (Eph. 1:13-14). He not only brings guidance and understanding of God’s W

  Upon salvation, a person becomes a new creation, holy and blameless in God's sight. Ephesians 4:17-24 Some people think they can receive salvation and go on living as they did before. But 2 Corinthians 5:17 is clear: “If anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” It’s important to realize that this new creation is not an addition to the old you but, rather, a completely new self. A person in Christ is a person forever changed. According to today’s passage, this new self is “created to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (v. 24 NLT). Not only will sin lose its attraction for the believer, but there will also be an appreciation for God’s Word and a desire to reflect His righteousness more and more. If we don’t see evidence of these things in our life, what does that say about the state of our heart?  Jesus promises that salvation cannot be lost (John 10:28)—once a child of God, always a child of God. But it is po

  Realize that your past no longer has any power in your life. Romans 6:1-11 The message of salvation is simple enough for a child to understand yet so profound that no human mind can ever fully comprehend it. One thing many people find perplexing is the concept of dying with Christ—a phrase that comes from Romans 6:6. There Paul writes, “Our old self was crucified with Him,” but what exactly does that mean?  With Jesus’ crucifixion, all of mankind’s sin—including yours—was nailed to the cross and canceled ( Colossians 2:14). Or, as Galatians 5:24 says, “the flesh with its passions and desires” has been put to death. This means the person you were prior to salvation was crucified with the Savior, and you can never be that person again. The old you is dead, and the person you are today is a brand-new creation: a child of God, clothed in His righteousness ( Isaiah 61:10).  While our full victory over sin won’t be complete here on earth, we can be confident that Jesus has declared believe