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Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. John 11:1-6 One day, the great preacher Phillips Brooks was pacing back and forth in his study. He was particularly agitated and anxious that day and someone said to him, “Dr. Brooks, what’s wrong?” “It’s what’s always wrong,” he said. “I’m in a hurry and God isn’t!” So often our culture tells us to want things and want them now! But sometimes God delays his response and you can be left wondering, “Where is God?” In the story above, Lazarus died and was brought back to life by Jesus. And looking at that in hindsight, it’s easy to have faith because we know today how the story ends. But I’ll bet for a while Mary and Martha had that exact same question: “Where is God?” But don’t be deceived. Just because God may delay a response doesn’t mean that he’s not there! God cares deeply for you and about your problems. He will absolutely come through… but it will be in his own timing. Mary and Martha were praying for Lazarus to be healed, but Jesus had an even bigger miracle he wanted to do. He wanted to raise him from the dead! So make your prayer, “God, while I want you to do ________, help me to trust in your perfect timing.” When you begin to pray in that way, you’ll open yourself to seeing God truly work miraculously in your life!   TRUST IN GOD’S TIMING WHEN YOU PRAY BECAUSE HIS PLAN IS PERFECT!

Saved for Sure

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
1 John 5:11–13

Doubt is one of the most effective weapons in the devil’s toolbox to use against God’s children. Because our service for God is built on the foundation of our faith in Him, Satan tries every means possible to make us doubt whether we are truly saved. While it is important that people not have a false assurance of a salvation they do not possess, it is also vital that those who have been born again know that their salvation is secure.
Dr. John R. Rice was saved when he was a little boy, but many adults questioned his understanding, and as a result he lived with doubt. He later wrote, “I went on for three sad years not sure I was saved. Then I got to reading the Bible and found John 5:24. I KNEW that I had heard the Word of God. I KNEW that I had trusted Jesus Christ the best I knew how. So there suddenly, gloriously, came the assurance that I was really saved! I know I am saved because it is written in the Bible.”
The Bible is given to us for many purposes, but one of those is to give us a confident assurance that the same God who saved us will keep us secure until we reach Heaven. Since no part of our salvation depends on our work or effort, once we have been saved, there is nothing that can cause us to lose it.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

If you have trusted in Christ’s payment for your sin and called on Him to save you, do not let Satan drag you down with doubt.