C.S. LEWIS DEVOTIONAL

Today’s Reading In the earliest days of Christianity an ‘apostle’ was first and foremost a man who claimed to be an eyewitness of the Resurrection. Only a few days after the Crucifixion when two candidates were nominated for the vacancy created by the treachery of Judas, their qualification was that they had known Jesus personally both before and after His death and could offer first-hand evidence of the Resurrection in addressing the outer world (Acts 1:22). A few days later St Peter, preaching the first Christian sermon, makes the same claim—‘God raised Jesus, of which we all (we Christians) are witnesses’ (Acts 2:32). In the first Letter to the Corinthians, St Paul bases his claim to apostleship on the same ground—‘Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen the Lord Jesus?’ (1:9). As this qualification suggests, to preach Christianity meant primarily to preach the Resurrection. . . The Resurrection is the central theme in every Christian sermon reported in the Acts. The Resurrection, and its consequences, were the ‘gospel’ or good news which the Christians brought: what we call the ‘gospels’, the narratives of Our Lord’s life and death, were composed later for the benefit of those who had already accepted the gospel. They were in no sense the basis of Christianity: they were written for those already converted. The miracle of the Resurrection, and the theology of that miracle, comes first: the biography comes later as a comment on it. . . The first fact in the history of Christendom is a number of people who say they have seen the Resurrection. If they had died without making anyone else believe this ‘gospel’ no gospels would ever have been written. From Miracles Compiled in A Year with C.S. Lewis Miracles: A Preliminary Study. Copyright 1947 C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. Copyright renewed © 1947 C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. Revised 1960, restored 1996 C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers. A Year With C.S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classic Works. Copyright © 2003 by C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers. Forward this email to your friends, or invite them to subscribe to receive the C. S. Lewis Daily email.

Abide Meditation 15 Minutes

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CORAM DEO

Neo-Gnosticism Colossians 1:24–29 Gnosticism, a heresy rampant during the early church, said salvation was only available to those who possessed the hidden truths of Christ. Bultmann espouses a kind of neo-gnosticism, a wholly subjective encounter with Jesus, which is the basis for many people’s professed Christianity. A personal encounter with Jesus is necessary, but we do not believe simply because He “lives in our heart” (1 Cor. 3:16). We believe because He truly came, truly died, and truly rose again. For further study: Deuteronomy 10:21 The Bible in a year: Hosea 7–10 Subscribe to Tabletalk magazine and receive daily Bible studies & in depth articles from world class scholars for only $23 per per year! That’s only $1.92 per month. And you can try it out for three months absolutely free! Bringing the best in biblical scholarship together with down-to-earth writing, Tabletalk helps you understand the Bible and apply it to daily living.

Ignored by Man, Chosen by God

December 11, 2019 Sharon Jaynes Today’s Truth “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world” (John 15:19 NIV). Friend to Friend Have you ever felt that you were overlooked or ignored…like you were a nobody? Well, take heart girlfriend. You are not alone. In the Bible, we read the story of when the prophet Samuel went to anoint the next king of Israel. By God’s instruction, Samuel traveled to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse. He knew where to go and what family the king would come from.   He knew the next king would be one of Jesse’s sons…he just didn’t know which son. Samuel arrived in Bethlehem and asked Jesse to bring all of his sons out for his inspection. Jesse brought out each of his seven sons, one-by-one. As Samuel prayerfully approached each young man, God said, “No, that is not the one…No, that is not the one…No, that is not the one.” Seven times God refused Jesse’s sons. Finally, exasperated and confused, Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” “Oh yeah, I do have one more son,” Jesse said. “I almost forgot all about him. Little David is out taking care of the sheep. I’ll send someone to get him.” David was so insignificant to his own father, that when the prophet requested an audience with all of his boys, the dad didn’t even think to invite him. However, he was the very one God had selected to be the next ruler of His chosen people.  How exciting! You may have felt overlooked, disregarded, and ignored, but God has chosen you! Ponder these verses… “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12 NIV) “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:11,12 NIV). “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33 NIV). So when you have that thought (which comes straight from the devil), that no one ever chooses you above all others, tell yourself the truth: I am chosen and highly favored by my God who loves me and gave His life for me. Let’s Pray Dear Father, thank You that I am chosen and dearly loved. While there have been many times in my life where I was not chosen, I rejoice that You chose me!  Help me to be an encourager to others who may feel neglected or discarded by those in their world. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. Now It’s Your Turn When was a time in your life when you felt rejected? The Bible says that we have a High Priest (Jesus) who has felt all the pain and suffering just as we have. How was Jesus rejected? At the same time, how was Jesus chosen by God? Consider writing down the verses in today’s devotion and post them somewhere you can see them often. More from the Girlfriends Today’s devotion was taken from my book, Enough: Silencing the Lies that Steal Your Confidence. Do the voices in your head tell you that you are not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, or just not enough, period? If so, it’s time to stop listening to the lies that sabotage your confidence and start embracing the truth of your true identity in Christ. It’s time to overcome the lies of the enemy with the promises of God. This book will show you how. Also available, just in time for Christmas, is the Enough bracelet to remind you that you are More than Enough every time you wear it!   Seeking God? GirlfriendsInGod.com