Day by Day

[HisDaughter]

Knowledge vs. Power
by Dr Tony Evans

In His Presence: Proverbs 3:19-20

“It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands and I ordained all their host”(Isaiah 45:12).

God wants a Creator/creature distinction between us. We can still relate with each other, talk, and have fun. But we must not forget there is a difference. We have limitations while God does not. A good illustration of this type of relationship is the teen/parent relationship. Teenagers often question why there should be a distinction in the relationship. Depending upon whom they listen to, they may feel that their parents are withholding things that will make life better. They don’t understand why they can’t enjoy the same privileges as their parents.

Why would Satan tell Eve that eating the fruit would open her eyes and make her like God? Does this reasoning sound familiar?

Satan basically said, “God wants to keep us ignorant so He can control us. If He can control us, He can always tell us what to do and be our boss. But if we eat of the tree we won’t be ignorant anymore. We will know what He knows and be able to do what He does.”

In using the word know, Satan was implying that information equaled power—the power to determine our own future, our own fate.

One Minute Please
Using our illustration of the teen/parent relationship, Satan was encouraging Adam and Eve to think like the teen who wants his parents to pay the bills, but does not want to submit to their authority.

[HisDaughter]

On Holy Ground
by Dr Tony Evans

In His Presence “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple” (Isaiah 6:1).

Isaiah probably felt as though he had been hit by a hurricane. King Uzziah had died. With his death came the end of a great era for Israel, which had become a mighty nation under his rule. Now that the king was dead, the people were in an emotional upheaval. Their security was compromised because it was in a man rather than in God.

What is your King Uzziah? Many people place their trust in savings accounts, jobs, and relationships. Shortsightedly, they mistakenly believe that if they have money and good health today, they will be fine tomorrow. While we don’t need to live our lives in fear, we do need to develop a strong, unshakeable faith in the One who will never fail us—the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, when life does take a downward turn, we will rest secure in His loving care.

How do you handle a crisis—when you receive the news that your income will be cut in half or that the relationship you believed would lead to marriage falls apart? What do you do when your Uzziah dies and your dreams fall apart? If the focus of your devotion is set on the things of this world, then when trouble comes, you will be shaken. However, if it is on God, you will remain steadfast and sure.

Our greatest vision and understanding of God often comes in times of crisis. Isaiah stepped out of a national whirlwind into the security of the temple where God’s presence appeared before him in full glory. Suddenly, the hurricane that had been ripping at his heart vanished, and he fell on his face and worshiped the Lord.

Are the winds of adversity blowing hard against your life? If so, turn your sense of worry into worship because you are standing on holy ground. F. B. Meyer writes, “A storm is only the outskirts of His robe—the symptom of His advent and the environment of His presence.”

One Minute Please
Ask God to help you to see your situation from His perspective. When you do, you will understand that He has a perfect plan and that it involves His goodness poured out in abundance for you.

[HisDaughter]

A Heart of Gratitude
by Dr. Tony Evans

In His Presence: “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

The little boy looked up at his father and grinned from ear to ear. He said, “Thanks, Dad!” as he gently rubbed his hand over the new baseball glove and then, with a balled fist, pounded it into the glove’s center. He had wanted a new glove for weeks, but he didn’t know how to ask for one. How did his dad know what he needed?

“Wow, this is great!” An endless line of happy comments came tumbling out of his mouth as he proudly displayed the glove to his mom. “I’ll be able to catch Bobby’s infield throws now! How did you know, Dad? Wanna play some catch?”

Who could resist such a request? Certainly not this father. He was overwhelmed by his son’s gratitude and appreciation.
When was the last time you thanked your heavenly Father for something that He gave to you? Maybe you are thinking that it doesn’t seem like you have received much lately. It is time to look deeper.

This young boy didn’t ask for a new glove because he knew his family was having financial trouble. Instead of lamenting over the difficulty, he became determined to keep using the glove he had. His father, however, had noticed his son’s need and turned to God in prayer. He didn’t know how the Lord would answer, but he believed God would. So, he also began to thank God every morning for hearing his prayer and answering this simple request. A few days later, he wasn’t surprised when a friend called, telling him that there was extra work that needed to be done at his office. The father jumped at the opportunity, and when he was handed a paycheck, he headed to the nearest sporting goods store. God always meets our needs, and we need to say “Thank You, Lord.”

Your heavenly Father has a solution for your situation. Whenever you express gratitude to Him, His heart is filled with great pleasure because He knows that you have learned how to be thankful in all things.

One Minute Please
Thanksgiving is the recognition of God’s goodness with a grateful heart. It is simply gratitude expressed to God for His faithful, loving care.

[HisDaughter]

A Shepherd's Heart

by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Numbers 27:12–23

Moses asks for a man "who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep which have no shepherd" (v. 17). In other words, "Lord, we need a man who realizes he must be in touch with the people before he can minister to them. He needs to be a people person."

Moses was saying, "These people don't need a mystic. They don't need a man preoccupied by his love for research, as important as that may be. These folks don't really need a super-efficient CEO or a brilliant organizational genius. They need a shepherd. They need a man who knows people, who will minister to people, understand people, and know how to guide people."

In whatever capacity you might minister—as a Bible teacher, as a student preparing for the ministry, as a woman of God ministering in your area of giftedness—your ministry is primarily people, not shuffling papers, not crunching numbers, not making phone calls, not writing letters, not planning programs, or noodling over strategies for the next decade. Of course, all of those things must be done. I must sign and/or write an average of forty to fifty letters a week and get involved in planning sessions too. Administrative details need to be handled. (As few as I can get by with!)

Do you know the most common thing I hear from individuals just beginning to come to our church? They want very much to get to know some of us on staff, and they'll say, "You don't know me, but I come on Sunday to hear you preach." And they almost apologize, as if to say, "Hey, I'm sorry to take your time, but I just want to shake your hand." I go out of my way to say to each one, "You are as important as anybody else in this entire church. There is no insignificant member of the family of God." I don't say this to make a good public relations statement or to make a good impression. I say it because I believe it—because it's true. Whoever you are, whatever you do, you are special before the God who has chosen you.