"In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, 'The LORD our righteousness.'"  (Jeremiah 23:6)

But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,  (1 Corinthians 1:30)

and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,  (Philippians 3:9)

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;  (2 Corinthians 5:14)

and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.  (2 Corinthians 5:15)


Alistair Begg writes:

"It will always give a Christian the greatest calm, quiet, ease, and peace to think of the perfect righteousness of Christ. How often are the saints of God downcast and sad! I do not think they ought to be. I do not think they would be if they could always see their perfection in Christ."

"...remember that we are perfect in Christ Jesus. It is no wonder that those who are dwelling upon their own corruption should wear such downcast looks; but surely if we call to mind "Christ Jesus, whom God made . . . our righteousness," we shall be of good
cheer."

" "Shall I not live to Christ? Shall I not love Him and serve Him, seeing that I am saved by His merits?" "The love of Christ controls us," "


Finish Reading The Value of Righteousness, by Alistair Begg, for an uplifting lesson on our journey with Christ.

Shall I now live for him, 
  for you, for me?
I shall. 
  And do you see:

If not for him, 
  what good for you or me?
If not for me, 
  what worth then he? 
If not for you, 
  Then less the sum would be.

And will you say to me,
  “Is not this quest outrageous pleasuring?”
I answer, “Speak of we,
  And call this life contagious treasuring.”


©2013 Desiring God Foundation. Used by Permission.

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Desiring God.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. ©2012 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org

Ask, and you shall receive! 

I travel around with my brother on Sunday.  We find that often what is being broadcast is precisely what we need to hear.  Yesterday's broadcast was the same.  Gifts always come when we aren't looking.  You may all know Chip Ingram and be familiar with his web ministry Living on the Edge.  There is certainly a treasure trove here!  I usually avoid a site that sells their works, but Chip offers many of his broadcasts free of charge.  Sit back, relax and listen to Chip focus on divine healing and ask the question, "Does God Still Heal?"  He is concerned about this country's emotional health!  "Never have so many struggled with so much!"  He focuses upon healing the wounds of our heart, rather than addressing the myriad of symptoms Americans are expressing. 

Sign up for free resources here.


Emotional Healing - Moving Beyond Treating Symptoms, Part One

Emotional Healing - Moving Beyond Treating Symptoms, Part Two


Chip unpacks it in simple verse...

Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.  (James 5:13)

(41 times Psalms commands us to sing to the Lord)


Pray like David prayed!  (It is not the first time I've heard this!  Remember Adrian Rogers?) 

In the lamentation Psalms, David recounts his pain.  We witness honest emotion, graphic language; he vents with reverence.  Second, David recalls God's character.  Third, David resolves to trust God.  Notice David makes a vow, a choice:  I WILL SING TO THE LORD!

1 How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?  
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?  
3 Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, 
4 And my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.  
5 But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.  
6 I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.  

Psalm 13


Chip is going to talk you down.  He knows our experiences are desperately painful.  He knows that a lot of people are hurting!  He knows that God will intervene on our behalf.  Follow the links.  Listen!  There is help for us here!

There is a lot of news lately.  Persecuted Christians around the world and, yes, here in America, are having a very tough time of it.  It is difficult to take.  Though these brothers and sisters have earned the Crown of Life, my heart goes out to them.  They live such torment, I can't even imagine it.  I always wonder what I can do, what is it I can do to help them?  Over and over the answer comes:  PRAY!  Pray I will.

Please visit the Crown of Life blog for just a bit of news.  Though they may not be pretty, the details from these difficult stories from around the world could help you with your prayers. 


O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear.  (Psalm 10:17)

"O Lord God, your Son Jesus Christ suffered and died for us.
In his resurrection he restores life and peace in all creation.
Comfort, we pray, all victims of intolerance
and those oppressed by their fellow humans.
Remember in your kingdom those who have died.
Lead the oppressors towards compassion
and give hope to the suffering.
Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen."

Prayer from The Church of England

1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.  
2 Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.  
3 You turn man back into dust And say, "Return, O children of men."  
4 For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it passes by, Or as a watch in the night.  
5 You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep; In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew.  
6 In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew; Toward evening it fades and withers away.  
7 For we have been consumed by Your anger And by Your wrath we have been dismayed.  
8 You have placed our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your presence. 
9 For all our days have declined in Your fury; We have finished our years like a sigh.  
10 As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away.  
11 Who understands the power of Your anger And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?  
12 So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.  
13 Do return, O LORD; how long  will it be? And be sorry for Your servants.  
14 O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.  
15 Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us, And the years we have seen evil.  
16 Let Your work appear to Your servants And Your majesty to their children.  
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands.  

Psalm 90

Again, this day, I find inspiration in the work of DR Tony Evans.  Please visit his article:  The Benefits of Purpose at One Place.

"When you are living out your purpose, you will live with direction. Paul said: "I box in such a way, as not beating the air" (1 Corinthians 9:26). In other words, he's not punching at nothing; his efforts are not just for show or out of obligation. Rather, he has direction, clarity, and focus that allow him to strike the target."

Beset by difficult emotions lately, this daily devotion from DR Tony Evans came just in the nick of time.  We have an awesome God, and when we pay attention, He rewards us, always and forever providing us with exactly what we need!  I give heartfelt thanks for the Good Shepherd, for in His lovingkindness He shows the greatest love for me, His lowliest sinner.  Until I stop trying to seek love outside His loving arms, I will find nothing, but hired hands and thieves, and these care naught for me. Oh, how I suffer with this lesson!

7 So Jesus said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 "All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
9 "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go  in and out and find pasture.
10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
11 "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
12 "He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
13 "He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. 
14 "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,
15 "Even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

John 10:7-15

From DR Evans:

"Have you been duped when it comes to purpose? The only purpose worth living for is God's purpose..."  "You will have stability. You can get off the roller coaster of emotions that comes when you live according to your circumstances. Even when things are bad, 
you are good because God is good..."You will be provided for. God always supplies that which He has ordained. If you are outside of His purpose, you have to take care of yourself. But if you are walking in His purpose, He will meet all your needs."

Finish Reading The Only Worthwhile Purpose, by DR Tony Evans at One Place.

1 Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?  
2 In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.  
3 For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire, And the greedy man curses and spurns the LORD.  
4 The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, "There is no God."  
5 His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are on high, out of his sight; As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them.  
6 He says to himself, "I will not be moved; Throughout all generations I will not be in adversity."  
7 His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness.  
8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the hiding places he kills the innocent; His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate.  
9 He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair; He lurks to catch the afflicted; He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net.  
10 He crouches, he bows down, And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones.  
11 He says to himself, "God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never  see it."  
12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up Your hand. Do not forget the afflicted.  
13 Why has the wicked spurned God? He has said to himself, "You will not require it."  
14 You have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to take it into Your hand. The unfortunate commits himself to You; You have been the helper of the orphan.  
15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer, Seek out his wickedness until You find none.  
16 The LORD is King forever and ever; Nations have perished from His land.  
17 O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear
18 To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.

Psalm 10

"To understand Christ, we must spend time with Him. If we reject Him without even getting to know Him, we rob ourselves of any chance at redemption and salvation. As Christian people, we need to keep God close by us. We need to read  His Word, dwell upon Him in our hearts, and speak of Him wherever and whenever  possible. Keep the Lord close by you, and will never feel alone."
 
"Prayer:
Be with me, O my Lord. Plant Yourself firmly in my thoughts, and never let me turn from You.
Amen."

Finish reading today's Wisom from the Psalms at One Place.

Steve Arterburn has a dynamite website!  New Life has something for everyone.  A blog; radio; events, news and updates; new life moments; tips; workshops and more, we can all find what we need at New Life.  I wish to link to Steve today, because I found help there this morning that addressed my own issues so effectively.  My favorite hang out is his "Articles" section, where you can find help on about any issue that affects mankind.  He draws source from scripture and applies it in sensible ways to help us all in language we understand.

From his Articles section, here are but a few excellent articles:

Letting Love In

In Times of Grief

10 Ways You Can Overcome Anger

This is a very small sampling of the help Steve Arterburn has for you today!  Here is a link to the first page of his Articles Category.

I get a daily mailing from crosswalk.com, and Steve Arterburn is often found there as well. 

From Yesterday's Article, Humor:  

"When I first came to faith in Christ, however, I was under the impression that I had to give up humor and become very solemn and serious. Soon the part of me that loved to smile and laugh began to wither." 

He wholeheartedly advises not to take this route.

"But I didn’t want that aspect of my personality to die. It was a unique part of me that God had created."  God doesn't want that part of us to die either!

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.  (Job 8:21)

And from Stephen's article, Service:

"Finding a way to help others is an expression of faith. It shows that we believe in the sovereignty of God. We don’t’ have to wait until the pain in our life is gone, because we know God can use it for good."

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.  (1 Peter 4:10)