Verse of the Day
Luke 1:68-70 (New King James Version)

“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began,

Bearing with an Exhortation - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation" (Heb. 13:22).
Invitations to salvation must provide both exhortation and warning.

Hell is undoubtedly full of people who did not actively oppose Jesus Christ, but simply drifted into damnation by neglecting to respond to the gospel. These are the kinds of people the writer challenges in Hebrews 2:1-4. They were aware of the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, but weren't willing to commit their lives to Him. As a result, they were drifting past the call of God into eternal disaster.

The Word of God always demands a response. Any effective teacher of it must do more than just dispense facts; he must warn, exhort, and extend an invitation. He may have impressive knowledge of the truth, but if he doesn't have a passionate concern for how people react to it, he is not a worthy representative of Jesus Christ.

Jesus had that kind of compassion. Despite the r

The Reason for Our Boldness - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

Is there anything that keeps you from sharing the gospel’s life-changing message?

Philippians 1:19-20

Most Christians are very familiar with the gospel. However, we’re often still reluctant to share our faith. Perhaps fear of negative reactions or possible questions can keep us silent. What if we don’t have the answers or end up looking like a fool? It can feel intimidating.

But remember, God has given us the most important news in the world. We can’t let fear or ignorance keep us from sharing the only message that can change a person’s eternal destiny. The apostle Paul welcomed opportunities to tell people about Christ, because he was focused on the gospel’s life-changing power rather than the possible negative reactions (Romans 1:15-17). Often, the reason we’re ashamed or scared to talk about our faith is that we’re concerned about ourselves. But if we express genuine interest in those around us and ask

Verse of the Day
Matthew 1:20-21 (New King James Version)

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Christ's Superior Destiny - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"To which of the angels has He ever said, 'Sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet'? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?" (Heb. 1:13-14).
The destiny of Jesus Christ is that ultimately everything in the universe will be subject to Him.

"At the name of Jesus every knee [will] bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth" (Phil. 2:10). That great promise confirms that Jesus Christ is destined to be the ruler of the universe.

Yet notice this about Christ's rule: "When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all" (1 Cor. 15:28). Christ is subordinate to His Father, but only in His role as the Son. While the eternal Son is equally divine, He is officially in subjection to God.

Eventuall

The God Who Speaks - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

God offers us the invaluable privilege of personal communication with Him.

Hebrews 1:1-2

Throughout human history, God has spoken to mankind in various ways. His prophets and apostles were moved by the Holy Spirit to proclaim and write His words (2 Peter 1:21), but His ultimate expression came through the birth of His Son Jesus (Galatians 4:3-5). Through the Holy Spirit, the Lord still communicates to every Christian who listens with an open and receptive heart.

Think about the wonder of having a God who speaks—not a distant deity who gives orders from heaven, but one who actually wants to converse with you! Why would the Lord of all creation choose to come to earth, die on a cross, and provide the Holy Spirit in order to communicate with each of us? Consider that God ...

Loves you.

Desires an intimate relationship with you.

Longs for you to trust Him and for your faith to grow strong as you see the fulfil

Verse of the Day
Luke 1:46-47, 49 (New King James Version)

And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

Christ's Eternal Existence - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay a foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Thy hands; they will perish, but Thou remainest; and they all will become old as a garment. And as a mantle Thou wilt roll them up; as a garment they will also be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years will not come to an end" (Heb. 1:10-12).
Christ existed before the beginning of the world; thus He is without beginning.

Jesus Christ is no creature. To be able to lay the foundation of the earth and create the heavens in the beginning implies that He must have existed before the beginning. The apostle John testified to this when he said, "In the beginning was the Word" (John 1:1). Christ is eternal.

Jesus is also immutable, which means He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever." We need to hang onto this truth as we approach a day when much of what we know

Our Savior - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley
Jesus chose to die for our sin so that we can live forever in His presence.

Isaiah 53:1-12

In today’s reading, Isaiah prophesied that a Savior would come to atone for the sins of mankind (v. 5). But the long-awaited Messiah didn’t match people’s expectations about Him.

The Jews imagined a strong ruler who would lead their nation with worldly power, but Jesus was a servant who spent time with outcasts and the lowly. They hoped for a man who would end Israel’s persecution; He died a criminal’s death and warned His followers that they would not be accepted by the world. Jesus didn’t fit what the Jewish people wanted—yet He was so much more than they understood.

One day we all will come before God to be judged. Sin’s penalty is death, an agonizing eternal existence apart from Him. Yet Jesus bore our sin so that whoever trusts in Him can look forward to eternal life (John 3:16). He chose to take our punishment, voluntarily dyi

Verse of the Day
Luke 1:30-33 (New King James Version)

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

The Lover of Righteousness - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"'Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy companions'" (Heb. 1:8-9).
As the eternal God and King, Christ loves righteousness and hates lawlessness.

In these days it's difficult for us as Christians to be totally supportive of our governmental leaders when we see so much of what God calls righteous compromised or ridiculed. But the King of kings—Christ Himself—is the only leader who has a perfectly right attitude toward righteousness.

Christ rules from an eternal throne, and He rules eternity as God and King. The scepter He holds is symbolic of His rule, particularly as a rule of righteousness.

But there's more to it than that: He just doesn't act righteously; He loves righteousness itself. How often have we obeyed without joy, exp

The Lover of Righteousness - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"'Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy companions'" (Heb. 1:8-9).
As the eternal God and King, Christ loves righteousness and hates lawlessness.

In these days it's difficult for us as Christians to be totally supportive of our governmental leaders when we see so much of what God calls righteous compromised or ridiculed. But the King of kings—Christ Himself—is the only leader who has a perfectly right attitude toward righteousness.

Christ rules from an eternal throne, and He rules eternity as God and King. The scepter He holds is symbolic of His rule, particularly as a rule of righteousness.

But there's more to it than that: He just doesn't act righteously; He loves righteousness itself. How often have we obeyed without joy, exp

The Lover of Righteousness - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"'Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy companions'" (Heb. 1:8-9).
As the eternal God and King, Christ loves righteousness and hates lawlessness.

In these days it's difficult for us as Christians to be totally supportive of our governmental leaders when we see so much of what God calls righteous compromised or ridiculed. But the King of kings—Christ Himself—is the only leader who has a perfectly right attitude toward righteousness.

Christ rules from an eternal throne, and He rules eternity as God and King. The scepter He holds is symbolic of His rule, particularly as a rule of righteousness.

But there's more to it than that: He just doesn't act righteously; He loves righteousness itself. How often have we obeyed without joy, exp

Good News of Great Joy - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

Through Jesus, we receive eternal life—and divine joy.

Matthew 1:18-25

When an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, he gave them good news of great joy for all people: The long-awaited Savior was born! Then the angel was suddenly “joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God” (Luke 2:13 NLT).

The good news they proclaimed that day had to do with more than just Jesus’ birth. It anticipated His sinless life, which qualified Him to be God’s sacrificial lamb. It looked ahead to His crucifixion and resurrection, which signaled the Father’s acceptance of Christ’s payment for our sins. It also encompassed His future ascension into heaven (Mark 16:19). And it envisioned Pentecost, when the Spirit would indwell believers (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17), as well as the time Jesus would return as King. The angels rejoiced because salvation was here (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Jesus spoke about joy because

Verse of the Day
Luke 1:26-28 (New King James Version)

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

Christ's Superior Nature - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"Of the angels He says, 'Who makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire.' But of the Son He says, 'Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever'" (Heb. 1:7-8).
Jesus Christ is God, and He created the angels.

People today who claim that Jesus was just a man, an angel, a prophet, or some inferior god are in error and bring upon themselves the curse of God. The Bible, and especially the writer of Hebrews, are clear about who Christ is.

First, the writer deals with the nature of angels when he says, "Who makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire." "Makes" simply means "to create." The antecedent of "who" is Christ. Therefore it is obvious that Christ created the angels.

They are also His possession: "His angels." They are His created servants, who do not operate on their own initiative, but on the direction of Christ.

But the greatest difference between the nature of angels and Christ is that

Abandoning the Self-Life - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

True freedom is found only by submitting to God.

Jonah 4:1-11

Is there anything in your life that you’re unwilling to surrender to God? Keeping such things from the Lord might give us a sense of independence. But by following “self,” we interfere with God’s purpose for us. He wants every aspect of our life to be submitted to His will.

Jonah mistook rebellion for freedom. Today's passage paints a vivid picture of the prophet sweltering in the sun—and in the heat of his hatred. His blood boiled when God showed mercy to the Ninevites. “I have good reason to be angry, even to the point of death,” he ranted (v. 9). God had used him to save more than 120,000 souls, but Jonah was angry because he desired their destruction.

Freedom is not the same as autonomy. True freedom involves submitting to the Lord, which frees us from the yoke of sin and reconciles us to Him. Jonah obeyed with his body but not with his hear

Verse of the Day
Matthew 2:4-6 (New King James Version)

And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

Worship of Distinction - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"When He again brings the first-born into the world, He says, 'And let all the angels of God worship Him'" (Heb. 1:6).
Jesus Christ is greater than angels because He is worshiped.

Even though Jesus Christ humbled Himself and was made lower than the angels for a time, angels are still to worship Him. Since angels are to worship Him, then Christ must be greater than them.

Angels have always worshiped Christ, only they worshiped Him as God. It wasn't until His incarnation that angels were commanded to worship Him as God's Son. It is a sin to worship anyone or anything but God—in fact, note how sternly the apostle John was rebuked for worshiping angels (Rev. 19:10; 22:8-9). So the very fact that angels are to worship Christ verifies that Christ is indeed God.

At present, the angels don't fully understand the entire picture of God's redemptive plan. Peter tells us that the prophets didn't understand all that they wrote, "se

Brokenness—The Protest - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

The Lord calls us to share His love with others—even those who have hurt us.

Jonah 1:1-17

The children’s story about Jonah and the big fish presents the prophet in a rather rosy light: After three days in the fish’s belly, Jonah relents and goes merrily on to Nineveh. End of story.

The narrative in the Bible has the same components (storm, big fish, repentant Ninevites) but the context is totally different. From the moment Jonah chose to flee from God’s plan until the end of the book, his heart was in rebellion.

The inhabitants of Nineveh were Assyrians, a people known for their aggression and cruelty. They were the sworn enemies of Israel, so Jonah had good reason to despise them. But God loved the Ninevites and desired their repentance. The challenging task of ministering to them carried an additional purpose: breaking Jonah’s unloving spirit—an attitude so strong that he preferred to die rather than see t

Verse of the Day
Galatians 4:4-5 (New King James Version)

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

A More Excellent Name - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

“He has inherited a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did [God] ever say, ‘Thou are My Son, today I have begotten Thee’? And again, ‘I will be a Father to Him and He shall be a Son to Me’?” (Heb. 1:4-5).
Jesus is better than the angels because He is more than a created messenger—He is God's eternal Son.

Angels are "ministering spirits, sent out to render service" (v. 14). A son, of course, is superior to a servant (cf. Luke 15:19). In the ancient near east, a son was deemed fully equal to his father in privilege and equally worthy of honor. When Jesus called God His own Father, people correctly understood that He was "making Himself equal with God" (John 5:18).

Of course, no mere angel (or any other created being) could ever make such a claim.

Do the words "today" and "begotten" in Psalm 2:7 imply that this happened at some point in time? No. The context makes that impossible. Hebrews 1 is about

Experiencing God’s Goodness - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

God is always good—even when life is hard.

Psalms 31:19-24

When life is pleasant, it’s easy to praise God because His kindness is evident. But we may have difficulty recognizing pain and trouble as an expression of His loving care. In difficult times, we need to trust today’s passage, which tells us that the Lord has stored up goodness for those who take refuge in Him (v. 19).

We may not always feel that God is acting favorably toward us. The difficult and painful situations in our life can hinder our understanding of divine goodness. If we believe the Lord is good only when our circumstances are enjoyable, then we misunderstand His nature. But as we seek God and grow closer to Him, we learn His character and ways. Then we’ll begin to see evidence of His goodness in all situations—even our trials. And in His love and wisdom, He’ll use those trials to help shape our character.

Today, when God allows some

Verse of the Day
Isaiah 7:14 (New King James Version)

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Christ Is Superior to Angels - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"Having become . . . much better than the angels" (Heb. 1:4).
Through a deft use of the Old Testament, the writer proves that Christ is the mediator of a greater covenant.

Man is a wonderful and amazing creation—higher than plants, animals, and any other material creation in this world. But there are created beings even higher than man—angels.

Hebrews 2:9 shows this to be the case because when Jesus became a man, He was "made for a little while lower than the angels." After the fall of the rebellious angels under Lucifer, the angels in heaven were no longer subject to sin. These angels are holy, powerful, and wise. They are special beings created by God before He created man.

The Jewish people understood the exalted position of angels because they knew that the Old Covenant was brought to men and maintained by angelic mediation. Galatians 3:19 says, "Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, havin

Doubting God’s Goodness - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley
When you face temptation, remember that sin leads to suffering but trusting God leads to blessing.
Genesis 3:1-7

Living in this fallen world can challenge our faith in God’s goodness. The pain and suffering that resulted from Adam and Eve’s sin may cloud our understanding of the Lord. Why doesn’t He always relieve hardships, fix our problems, and give us what we want?

When Eve listened to the serpent’s lies in the garden of Eden, she began to doubt God. Why would He deprive her of wisdom and the enjoyment of food that looked so desirable? Our thoughts are similar to Eve’s when we don’t agree with what our Father says is best for us. From a human perspective, “good” refers to what is enjoyable, comfortable, or profitable. But the Lord has a much higher standard and is always working to achieve His purpose—to develop Christlike character in His children.

Behind every restriction or commandment our Father give

Verse of the Day
Deuteronomy 18:15 (New King James Version)

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,

The Sacrifice and Exaltation of Christ - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3).
Jesus Christ offered one sacrifice for all the sins of mankind, then sat down with the Father once He had accomplished it.

The Bible makes it perfectly clear that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Jesus Christ went to the cross, died the death we deserved, and consequently freed us from the penalty of sin by our faith in Him.

The writer of Hebrews goes on to say that Christ "does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself" (Heb. 7:27). In the Old Testament, the priests had to make continual sacrifices, but Jesus made only one. And not only was He the priest, but also the sacrifice! He made a tremendously potent sacrifice, for He forever purged our sins—some

Conquering Envy - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

Comparison is a trap that keeps us from God's best for our life.

Psalms 37:4-6

Envy is like a snowball that grows larger and larger—and the consequences are often devastating. Confusion, anxiety, and bitterness can make it nearly impossible to keep God’s plan in view. Instead, the focus becomes what we don’t have, making us resent those who do have the desired object or trait. Then fear of not measuring up can dominate our thinking. What’s more, covetousness dishonors the Lord. Though He has a beautiful plan for each and every one of His children, envy says, “I don’t trust that You truly give me Your best.”

If you find any evidence of this attitude in your life, confess the comparison mindset. Recognize that you’re focusing on what God is doing in another person’s life rather than in your own. Thank Him for how He is blessing the other person, and ask Him to place a love in your heart for that individual. Then refocus