Author: Dwight Clough

As I mentioned yesterday, we have an opportunity to change our world by bringing Jesus to the point of greatest need. A friend who has been to Southeast Asia tells me that the following ministries are doing a good work intervening to turn around the exploitation of women and children in that region.http://www.nightlightbangkok.com/index.htmhttp://www.internationalprayerministries.org/index.htmhttp://www.cambodianhope.org/index.html"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. — Isaiah 1:18Where does this invitation come from? It comes from our God. What do we learn here?1 – Our God is reasonable. His demands are reasonable. He may demand everything, but our thimbleful of everything cannot be compared…

As a family of believers worldwide, we have the power to change our world by bringing Jesus to the place of greatest need. I want to share with you an opportunity we have to make this kind of impact. Worldwide women and children are bought and sold as commodities for prostitution and other forms of exploitation. As you can imagine, when a child is sold for exploitation, the emotional damage to that child is almost beyond measure. But Jesus is able to restore what the enemy destroys. I’m excited about several opportunities we have to make a difference. The following…

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you can become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. — James 1:2-4 The MessageI want to begin this devotional by thanking those of you who made it possible for Kim and me to attend the International Theophostic Prayer Ministry Convention last week. We are humbled by your generosity and sacrifices…

And the Lord said, "Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage." — 1 Samuel 10:22God knows our hiding places. In this passage, Samuel was introducing Saul to the nation of Israel as their king. As a way of confirming the anointing Saul had already received, Saul was selected by lot when all the tribes of Israel gathered at Mizpah. But, instead of stepping up to the plate, Saul hides.I wonder how God felt to see the king He had chosen hiding. Saul’s response is very different than Mary’s ("I am the Lord’s servant; let it be unto me according…

I have not stopped giving thanks for you … — Ephesians 1:16Chocolate is something I enjoy. Brownies, chocolate cake, chocolate chocolate-chunk ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, Hershey’s Special Dark, Mounds, Nestle’s Crunch — all favorites of mine.Heaven would be a wonderful place if it was just you and God. You could spend all eternity exploring the heart of God and never get tired. But God means to multiply the enjoyment by sharing with us something He enjoys … His children.One time someone gave me a hundred candy bars. Do you know what I liked best about that gift? I was…

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. — Ephesians 2:8-9There’s two different kinds of boasting. There’s the "look-at-me" kind of boasting that says "I did it all." And then there’s the "look-at-God" kind of boasting that says God is doing a wonderful work in the lives of His children.How liberating it is to find that distinction! God is doing a fantastic work in us — in you and in me. He’s put us exactly…

"Why then were you not afraid …?" — Numbers 12:8In almost every case, when the Lord speaks to us about fear, He says, "Do not be afraid." But here, we have a different story. The Lord was so angry with his servants for speaking against their leader that He temporarily struck Miriam with leprosy. "Why were you not afraid?" It almost seems that God is incredulous. When I was a little boy I loved collecting insects in jars with nail holes in the lids. One day I decided to create the mother of all insect collections. I had a huge…

And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. — 2 Timothy 2:24-26There is a great partnership here, between the Lord and His people. Our job is to break the way of righteousness down into little steps, small choices. God’s…

then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. — Proverbs 2:5All my life I have heard Christians trying to explain what "the fear of the Lord" is. Some say it is "reverent awe." Others say it is "dread." Others say it is "abject terror."I would like to suggest that what it is depends on where you are. Let me use an illustration I’ve used before. When I’m inside my brother-in-law’s semi truck going 70 mph down the highway, I’m very comfortable. But I am afraid to stand out in the road in front…

Yet when [Jesus] heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days. — John 11:6Do the math. When Jesus got to Bethany, Lazarus had been in the grave for four days. Even if Jesus had left as soon as He got the message that Lazarus was ill, He still would have been two days late to prevent the death of His friend.The delay of Jesus established a couple of important things: First, Jesus knew exactly what was going on. The death of Lazarus did not take Him by surprise. Second, Jesus was completely in charge. This…