Daily Devotional - From the Inside Out

by Robert E. Reccord
8/3/2005


Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place
PSALM 51:6


A man in Long Beach, California, went into a fast-food chicken fran-chise to buy lunch for himself and the woman with him. He took their orders, and they drove to a nearby park for a picnic. When he opened the box, he was surprised to see money instead of chicken. Apparently the manager kept the earnings in a chicken box to prevent robbery until the armored truck arrived. He had inadvertently handed the wrong box to the unsuspecting customer.
The man quickly returned his picnic basket of cash to the store manager. Elated, the manager said to him, “Stick around! I want to have the newspaper take your picture. You are the most honest guy in town!” The man refused. When the manager asked him why he wanted to avoid publicity, the man said, “Well, I am a married man, and the woman I am with is not my wife.”

Integrity is much more than superficial honesty. It’s a commitment of inward character that directs every area of our lives. It’s at the core of what God’s church is all about because it’s where Christians hold one another accountable. The Bible says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). Simply put, Christians need one another to ensure the growth and continued strength of inner character.

Often believers fail spiritually because they try to handle weak areas of their lives alone. An accountability partner will help you grow from the inside out.

SPREAD THE WORD THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Integrity is a vital character quality for the believer, and we can build it through accountability with fellow believers.

Robert E. Reccord

This devotional and others is available at Spread the Word Ministries

Robert E. Reccord's book Made to Count is available at Christian Books Online

Is Christianity Intolerant? - David Brickner

8/2/2005

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
JOHN 14:6

There is much talk today about our pluralistic society. From a worldly perspective, tolerance is seen as the greatest good. But today’s society has twisted the meaning of tolerance, making it practically synonymous with relativism. True tolerance is treating people decently regard-less of how they may differ from you. The false tolerance demanded by today’s society requires that we accept all beliefs as equally true. To suggest that someone else’s religious belief might not be true is wrongly labeled as intolerance.

By the world’s standards, therefore, the Christian belief that Jesus is the only way of salvation is perceived as intolerance, even bigotry. Whenever we proclaim that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the inference is that all other ways are false, and therefore those who trust anyone or anything other than Jesus for salvation are mistaken. You don’t have to tell people they are wrong; the message itself pronounces them wrong. Those who don’t believe will always view this as intolerance. And those who are considered intolerant can expect some rejection.

God wants us to be loving and humble when we tell others about Him. Yet even the most inoffensive manner cannot guarantee that people will not take offense at what we have to say. Ultimately, people decide the basis upon which they will or will not be offended.

SPREAD THE WORD THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
If you are rejected for being a lighthouse for Jesus, remember that you are standing for the Savior and that it is not you being rejected, but Him.


David Brickner

This and additional daily devotionals are available at Spread the Word Ministries

Daily Devotional by Tom Phillips - August 1, 2005

The Communicator
by Tom Phillips
8/1/2005


“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.”
MATTHEW 28:19


John Bass, the former President of Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) said, “The constant flow of communication exposes others to the challenge and motivates them to accomplish.” The challenge our Lord has laid out for us, our most important job here on earth, is to communicate the gospel to others.
This communication hinges on how well we know the Lord our-selves. The apostle Paul’s greatest desire in life was to know Jesus Christ. “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10). After that, Paul’s mission was to make Jesus known to the world.

Communicating the gospel also requires that we make time in our lives to pray for other people and for our attitude toward them. How do you view the people God brings into your path? Do you see them as a burden, or as a blessing from God?

Jesus didn’t treat people as burdensome interruptions. For example, when He heard that John the Baptist had been beheaded, He withdrew to be alone, but the crowds followed Him anyway. What would you have done? Jesus’ response was to hear the Father’s voice and feed the people who were hungry—both physically and spiritually. The people were not an interruption; they were His ministry.

We are God’s communicators—His transmitters and receivers. As we live in faith and obedience before others, we will point them to Jesus Christ.

SPREAD THE WORD THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Look for ways to make time in your day for others.



Tom Phillips