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“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” --Matthew 12:36-37 A famous pop song from the sixties said, “I heard it through the grapevine.” May I suggest that in the Church of Jesus Christ, that vine needs to be pruned! Phrases like “I heard” and “they said” are potent ways to spread slander, innuendo, and rumors. As believers, we need to be very careful with our words, because words can kill. Jesus was talking about the Day of Judgment when He said we will give an account of every careless word we speak. Paul warns us in Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Or in other words, ask yourself this question when you’re tempted to gossip: “Does passing this information along honestly help solve the problem or help the parties involved?” If you can’t answer with an affirmative “yes,” then keep it to yourself! You and I shouldn’t pass on any information we can’t sign our name to and stand behind. Determine in your heart today that the next rumor you hear will stop with you! We need to be rumor-stoppers rather than rumor-mongers! Why the World Remains Dark Tuesday, June 04, 2019 by Dr. Paul Chappell “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” Philippians 2:14–16 It does not take great insight or perception to realize that the world around us is filled with darkness. There are wars and conflicts in many nations. The evil of slavery continues to exist. There are crimes against people and property. Governments often take away freedom rather than expand it. The same evils that have existed throughout history continue in our day. Mankind is not becoming better and wiser, but more evil and depraved. This should not take us by surprise. In his final letter to Timothy Paul wrote, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). The cure for darkness is simple—light. Whether in the physical or the spiritual realm, darkness has no power against light. The problem of deep and growing darkness only comes when the lights are not shining. Dr. John Rice said, “It is true that the world is dark. How great is that darkness! The world of natural man has always been dark. But no matter how full of darkness a room is, when you turn on plenty of light the darkness is gone. Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). If the dying, lost world does not have light, it is because Christians have put their lights under bushels. They are not like candles put on a candlestick that giveth light to all that are in the house. Most Christians are not like a city set on a hill that cannot be hid.” Today's Growth Principle:  We are God’s plan for His light to be seen by a dark and dying world.

It's Over Now

God is ready to refresh you!

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Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? --Psalm 85:6 If I could define revival, I would define it like this: Revival is all of Jesus Christ having all of His way all of the time in all of me. And what we need in America, in the church of Jesus Christ, and in our personal lives, is revival! If you can’t say today that Christ is having all of His way all of the time in all of you, then you’re a candidate for personal revival. That’s not an admission of weakness, but of reality. We all need times of revival and refreshing from the Lord. Perhaps your greatest need and deepest desire today is for God to do a fresh work in your life. Then I have good news for you. God is ready and waiting to send you the showers of refreshment for which you long! Revival is not just an event on your church’s calendar. It’s an event that happens inside you. And it can happen anywhere and at any time. Substitute your name for “us” and “your people” in the verse above, and make this your personal prayer to the Lord today! God is ready to refresh you! Waiting Destruction Monday, June 03, 2019 by Dr. Paul Chappell “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” John 3:17–19 In 1944, during the buildup for the invasion of Normandy, an American Liberty ship named the Richard Montgomery sank in a fierce storm off the coast of England. Loaded with thousands of pounds of fragmentation bombs, the ship broke apart and disappeared beneath the waves. Despite the shallowness of the water, the wreck has never been salvaged. Investigation showed that trying to move or recover the bombs could easily set off a massive and destructive explosion. So the ruined ship continues to remain with its dangerous cargo beneath the waves. Jesus said that every person born into the world starts out facing destruction. We do not start out good and then later go bad. We are born with a sin nature—a desire and bent to do what is wrong. And there is nothing we can do about it in our own strength and power. Isaiah wrote, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all”(Isaiah 53:6). We must have a Saviour, and that is why Jesus came into the world. He was perfect, but He was not here just to set an example. He was a great teacher, but He was not here just to educate. He was compassionate, but He was not here just to meet needs. He came to die on the cross so that in believing in Him, we could be saved. Today's Growth Principle:  Since we are born condemned already, our only hope is salvation through the Son of God.

Glorifying God

Sunday, June 02, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies; That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.”

2 Samuel 7:1–3

Much of David’s reign was filled with battles as Israel became a strong and growing nation under his rule. But one day David reached a point where the immediate battles had been won. When he sat down, David was at a crossroads. How would he spend his time and energy now that victory had been won? Rather than seeking to build a monument to exalt himself, David’s desire was to build a temple that would glorify God. Eventually God would direct David to have Solomon build it instead, and so David devoted the final years of his life to preparing materials for a worthy house for the Ark of the Covenant.

Near the end of his life, David was able to say to the nation of Israel, “Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance” (1 Chronicles 29:2). This life is not about being sure that we are thought well of and remembered by others. It is about being sure that God is glorified in everything that we do. We are meant to be lifting up our wonderful Lord, not trying to exalt ourselves.

Today's Growth Principle: 

The more we seek to bring glory to God, the more He will enable us to do for that great cause.

Is There Something?

God Will Provide

Saturday, June 01, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.”

1 Kings 17:1–4

After the end of World War II, Germany was divided into four zones—American, British, French and Russian. Though the capital of Berlin was inside the Soviet area of control, the city itself was also divided into four zones. In 1948, the Russians decided to try to take over the entire city by cutting off all road and rail traffic into Berlin. They felt that the lack of food and supplies would give them the victory. In response, President Truman launched what came to be known as the Berlin Airlift. For nearly a year, American planes flew supplies into the surrounded city. At the height of the effort, there was a C-54 transport plane, able to carry ten tons of supplies, landing or taking off every thirty seconds. Finally, in 1949 the Russians ended the blockade, acknowledging their effort had failed.

Many times we find ourselves in situations where it feels like we are surrounded by the enemy. It may be health problems, financial burdens, relationship fractures or spiritual battles, but we find ourselves needing a supply of strength and resources beyond our own ability. In those moments, we must turn to God. He has both an unlimited supply as well as the power to deliver whatever we need—if we seek His help. “If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof” (Psalm 50:12).

Today's Growth Principle: 

Nothing Satan can throw against you can stop God’s provisions from reaching your life.

Your Heart Needs a Change

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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. --2 Corinthians 5:17 If you walk into any bookstore today, you’ll find shelves and shelves of self-improvement books…books about how to change and improve your life. So many of us fall into the trap of thinking that changing our jobs…changing our appearance…or changing our environment will make us happy.  But it just isn’t true! All of these external changes may temporarily improve your life…they may better your life for a time…but none of them can change your life.  You may move around.  You may change cars.  You may even change jobs.  But you know what?  Wherever you go, it’s the same old you, right? It’s not that your circumstances or your surroundings need to change.  It’s your heart that needs to change.  It’s your heart that needs a new birth. The Bible is pretty clear when it talks about our hearts.  In Jeremiah 17:9, it says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.”  The heart, according to the Bible, is not good! Which means your heart needs a spiritual transformation.  I’m not talking about a resolution…promising to be better, do better, or live better.  I’m talking about a revolution! It’s something so radical, so dramatic, that it’s like beginning life all over again!  It’s a new beginning!  It’s an inward change!  Your heart undergoes a spiritual transformation when God takes it and transplants it with His love and His heart. So my challenge to you today is…let God transform your heart.  Realize that no external change can truly make you joyful or fulfilled.  Only a heart transformed by God will.  So let Him create a new beginning in you today!    IF YOU WANT TO REALLY IMPROVE YOUR LIFE...START BY LETTING GOD TRANSFORM YOUR HEART The Meaning of Monuments Friday, May 31, 2019 by Dr. Paul Chappell “We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:” Psalm 78:4–6 When the forty years of wandering in the wilderness came to an end and the people were finally ready to enter the Promised Land, they faced the flooded Jordan River. There was no way for them to get across, until God stepped in. Much as He had done a generation before with the Red Sea, God worked a miracle to provide a path on dry ground for the Israelites. Before the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant left the river bed, Joshua instructed one representative from each tribe to bring a stone to build an altar in the middle of the river that would be there for years to come. When their children asked about it, “Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever” (Joshua 4:7). Our faith is not just for ourselves alone. It is a heritage—a legacy even more important than any financial bequest we might make to our descendants—that is meant to continue through the generations. The only way to make that kind of lasting impact is to ensure that the power and work of God in our lives are remembered, and the stories of His power are told over and over. Today's Growth Principle:  The future of faith in our families and our churches is largely shaped by the reminders we leave for them.