​

The Command of a King

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.”
Luke 19:29–31
Though British monarchs had been entertained by performers and musicians for centuries, the tradition of a formal performance before the head of state is agreed to have begun in 1848 when Queen Victoria attended “The Merchant of Venice” at Windsor Castle. The Royal Command Performance became a tradition carried on by successive monarchs through the years. The invitation to perform for a king or queen is not really a request—it is a command.
God does not ask us to do things, but rather tells us what He expects. He is the great King, and has every right to command us to do whatever He chooses. We do not have the right to refuse, because we do not belong to ourselves but to Him. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).
Everything that God commands is our responsibility to perform. God is high and lifted up, beyond our ability to understand. It is not ours to reason or bargain with Him, but rather to obey completely.

Today’s Growth Principle: 

We cannot say “No” to Jesus and rightly claim that He is Lord of our lives.

Think Before You Speak

by Joyce Meyer - posted September 03, 2016

Set a guard, O Lord, before my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.
- Psalm 141:3
Have you ever said something that hurt someone else…or perhaps caused unfavorable consequences for yourself?
I know I have. For years I just said whatever I felt like saying, but thank God I have learned that words are powerful. What you say has the power to impact your life—and the lives of others—for good or bad. So it is wise to think about what you’re going to say before you say it.
You should speak only words of encouragement that will build people up and make them feel better. You get many opportunities every day to put this into practice, but it requires real discipline and determination.
You may have been hurt by someone’s words…or perhaps you have hurt someone with your words. But you can change that, starting now. It will take prayer and discipline, but God will help you develop and exercise control over the words you speak.

I Belong To You =)

“Ikaw Ang Lahat sa Akin"

​

CURRENT RADIO SERIES Giving God Your Best   CURRENT TV SERIES Destiny

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. -- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Are you honest with God? I mean, judgment-day-honest with God? Think about it. We all sin. But are you actively dealing with the sins in your life that only you and God know about? Are you getting real with God by admitting your weaknesses… your compulsive thoughts or worries… or your past secrets? The great need is for the church of Jesus Christ to be revived. And the only way that will happen is when individual men and women of God get real, admit their junk, and ask God for a spiritual breakthrough where there has been a spiritual breakdown. The only way for God’s people… you and me… to change the world is for us to make sure our lives are real… honest… and genuine. And through the power of God living in and through us we can live that kind of life. It’s an amazing thought that as believers in Jesus Christ, God dwells in us through His Holy Spirit… as we see in today’s verse. If you’re a follower of Christ, God lives in you. He lives in me. And through that indwelling power you can get beyond your compulsive thoughts… your worries… and the bondage of your past secrets.  In the power of the Holy Spirit, get real with God today. And ask God for that spiritual breakthrough where there has only been spiritual breakdown. I pray you will get honest with God today… and determine to glorify Him in your life today… and every day! Ask God for a spiritual breakthrough in your life where there has been spiritual breakdown.

Use It or Lose It

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.”
Luke 19:24–26
The story of Samson is one of the great tragedies in the Bible. Samson was uniquely empowered by God to fight against the Philistines and deliver the Israelites. He used his great strength to win mighty victories on the field of battle, but his weakness of character led to his downfall. Samson’s desire for Delilah led him to reveal to her the secret of his strength, and she brought in a barber to shave off his hair that had never been cut as part of the Nazarite vow. When his hair was cut, his strength was gone. “And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him” (Judges 16:20).
There are opportunities that come to us only once. If we do not respond, we will lose them. Someone said, “The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity.” There is a principle in play that works in every area of life. If we are faithful and diligent with what we already have, our opportunities will increase. If we are not working as hard as we can with what we already have, we have no good reason to think we should be trusted with more. The way to advance in God’s eyes is not to wait around for a major opportunity, but to be faithful in small things day after day.

Today’s Growth Principle: 

We cannot expect God to increase our resources and responsibilities unless we are faithful with what we already have.

​

CURRENT RADIO SERIES Giving God Your Best   CURRENT TV SERIES Destiny

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.   --2 Corinthians 4:8-9 As a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, I can say with integrity that every day with Him has been sweeter than the day before… just as the old hymn says. Now, when I say that, please listen to what I’m not saying. I’m not saying that my life hasn’t had its share of valleys. I’m not saying that I haven’t experienced times of grief, illness, distress, or stress. I’m not saying that! What I am saying is that I may have been afflicted in every way, but I’ve never been crushed. I may have been perplexed, but I’ve never been driven to despair. I may have been persecuted, but I’ve never been forsaken. I may have been struck down, but I’ve never been destroyed. And you know why I can say this? Because of the work of Jesus Christ in my life. He’s never let me be crushed. He’s never let me driven to despair. He’s never forsaken me. And He’s never let me be destroyed! But perhaps today you’d say, “Pastor Graham, that’s great for you, but you don’t know what I’ve been through. You don’t know how hard my life has been. You don’t know how many of my prayers have gone unanswered. You don’t know how disappointed I am in God.” You know, I don’t know. But you know what I do know? That we serve a God who is bigger than whatever it is you’re holding on to. He’s bigger than your past sins… your past hurts. And He’s even bigger than your disappointments. But more than that, He sympathizes with you… right where you are. The writer of Hebrews tells us, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:15). Today… if your life has bottomed out… listen to me: The love and mercy of Christ reaches deeper than where you are right now. So draw near to His throne of grace… so that you can receive His mercy to help you in your time of need! God is bigger than your sins, your hurts, and your disappointments.

Even Small Things Matter

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?”
Luke 19:22–23
The British statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke said, “No man ever made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.” Small things matter, and even if we cannot do a great deal, God expects us to do what we can. A few years ago the English government made one change to their tax collection letters—adding a single sentence—and it increased the clearance rate from 57 percent to 86 percent. The change, suggested by a consultant whose book is called The Small Big, encouraged people to pay by telling them that most other people were doing so. It doesn’t seem like a big thing, but it brought in over 500 million pounds in delinquent tax revenue!
The temptation is for us to focus on the big things and give them our time and attention, while ignoring what seem to be small matters. But there are no little things in God’s kingdom. If we overlook the little things, we miss great opportunities to accomplish things that will matter a lot in the future. “For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth” (Zechariah 4:10). Over and over in Scripture we see small things—a shepherd’s staff, a sling, a boy’s lunch—used by God in powerful ways. We should do our best with whatever we have been given and trust Him to work according to His will in our lives.

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Even the smallest tasks and responsibilities are worthy of our diligent effort and attention.

"What is baptism for the dead?"

Question: "What is baptism for the dead?"
by Got Questions Ministries

 Answer: Baptism for the dead is a non-biblical practice where a living person is baptized in lieu of a person that passed away, as a means of making a public profession of faith for a person that is already deceased. We can, essentially, think of it as the practice of baptizing a dead person.

The practice has as its basis the misinterpretation of 1 Corinthians 15:29: “Otherwise, what will they do, those being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not at all raised, why indeed are they baptized on behalf of the dead?” This is a difficult passage to interpret, but we do know by comparing it with the rest of Scripture that it does not mean that a dead person can be saved by someone else being baptized on his or her behalf, because baptism is not a requirement for salvation in the first place (Ephesians 2:8; Romans 3:28; 4:3; 6:3-4). The entire passage (vv. 12-29) is about the surety of the resurrection, not about baptism for the dead.

What was being baptized for the dead? It is a mysterious passage, and there have been more than thirty different interpretations put forward. 1. The plain meaning of the Greek in verse 29 is that some people are being baptized on behalf of those who have died—and if there is no resurrection, why are they doing this? 2. Either Paul is referring to a pagan custom (notice he uses they, not "we"), or to a superstitious and unscriptural practice in the Corinthian church of vicarious baptism for believers who died before being baptized. 3. Either way, he certainly does not approve of the practice; he merely says that if there is no resurrection, why would the custom take place? The practice of baptism for the dead is neither scriptural nor sensible. Baptism for the dead is a practice that was common in the pagan religions of Greece and is still practiced today by some cults; but it doesn't change a person's eternal destiny, for that is determined while he lives (Luke 16:26).

Giving God Your Best

​

Hidden Gifts, Wasted Talents

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.”
Luke 19:20–21
Isidore Baline was born in Russia in 1888 and moved to the United States with his family in 1893, where he was given the name Irving Berlin. Living in abject poverty in New York City, every member of the family, including the children, were expected to work to contribute to their survival. The young boy had little formal education and spent his early years on the streets. In his free time he taught himself to play the piano though he could only play in one key and never learned to read music. Over the next sixty years, Irving Berlin wrote some 1,500 songs, including “God Bless America,” and became one of the most famous and influential songwriters in American history.
All of us have reasons and excuses not to use the talents and abilities God has given to us. The temptation is to hope that someone else will step forward so that we will not have to put forward the effort and exertion to accomplish what needs to be done. But failing to use what we have cheats both God’s work and our own lives. The gifts and resources that we have are not there by accident. God has a plan for us to put them to use in His work.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). No one else is as qualified to do for God the things He has ordained for you as you are. He knew before you were born what He wanted you to do, and purposely equipped you for those tasks. Do not bury the talents and gifts He trusted you to use.

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Don’t rob others and yourself of blessings by hiding the talents God has given to you—use them!

CURRENT RADIO SERIES Giving God Your Best   CURRENT TV SERIES Destiny

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.   --John 1:6-8 As believers, you and I can learn so much from God’s man, John the Baptist. He was sent from God to introduce Christ to the world. And in just the same way, you and I are to be witnesses… to introduce men, women, boys, and girls to faith in Jesus Christ before He comes again. Now, a witness is someone who steps aside, someone who gets out of the spotlight, someone who removes themselves from the scene. And a witness for Christ is someone does nothing but point others to Christ. That’s what John the Baptizer did. He was willing for his great life to be eclipsed by the greater life of Christ. He was willing to say, “I’m not the light, but Jesus Christ is the light.” John the Baptist was a passionate and powerful witness for Jesus Christ. Now let me ask you, are you a passionate and powerful witness for Jesus Christ? If not, why not? Today, it’s my prayer that you would understand God’s call on your life to be a witness in this generation for Jesus Christ… like John the Baptist was for his generation. Live your life in such a way that you point people to the one true Savior… Jesus! You and I are to introduce men, women, boys, and girls to faith in Jesus Christ before He comes again.