_*Friday 28 February 2025*_ _*TODAY'S DEVOTION*_ _*CONTENTS*_ _• *Just A Little Laugh*_ _• *Quote Of The Day*_ _• *Today's Sermon*_ _• *New Believer's Prayer*_ _• *The Marriage After God*_ _• *‘Train A Child than Repair A Man'*_ _• *Christian News From Around The World*_ __________________________ _*JUST A LITTLE LAUGH*_ _*Help Wanted*_ _A sign was hung in an office window. It read:_ _Help wanted._ _Must type 70 words a minute._ _Must be computer literate._ _Must be bilingual._ _An equal opportunity employer._ _A dog was ambling down the street and saw the sign. He looked at it for a moment, pulled it down with his mouth, and walked into the manager's office, making it clear he wished to apply for the job._ _The office manager laughed and said, "I can't hire a dog for this job."_ _The dog pointed to the line: "An equal opportunity employer."_ _So the manager said, "OK, take this letter and type it." The dog went off to the word processor and returned a minute later with the finished letter, perfectly formatted._ _The manager said, "Alright, here's a problem. Write a computer program for it and run it."_ _Fifteen minutes later, the dog came back with the correct answer._ _The manager still wasn't convinced. "I still can't hire you for this position. You've got to be bilingual."_ _The dog looked up at the manager and said, "Meow."_ __________________________ _*QUOTE OF THE DAY*_ _"Jesus Christ knows the worst about you. Nonetheless, He is the one who loves you the most." ~ *Aiden Wilson Tozer*_ __________________________ _*TODAY'S SERMON*_ _*Do What It Says*_ _*Greg Laurie*_ _*”Listen to today's daily devotion on harvest.org “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”* — James 1:22_ _The Bible is the source of some of the most famous quotes in all of literature. “A fool and his money are soon parted” comes from Proverbs 21:20. “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” which was quoted by Abraham Lincoln in a speech on the eve of the Civil War, comes from Matthew 12:25. “Go the extra mile” comes from Matthew 5:41. And “You reap what you sow” comes from Galatians 6:7._ _God’s Word also contains some of the most familiar stories ever written. Even people who have never cracked the spine of a Bible can tell you about Noah’s Ark, David and Goliath, Daniel in the lion’s den, or Hezekiah’s purification of the temple (okay, maybe not that one)._ _There’s a lot to admire in the Bible. But God doesn’t want us to be admirers of His Word. He doesn’t want us to be appreciators or bystanders. He wants us to be active participants. He wants us to apply those famous quotes to the decisions we make every day. He wants us to find common ground with people who were faithful to God in those familiar stories. He wants us to take steps to avoid the fate of the people who weren’t faithful._ _The Bible contains wisdom that can be applied to practically any area of your life. The key is knowing how to make the connection. For instance, in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7, the apostle Paul writes, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (NLT)._ _The way you connect these words to your life will depend on your relationship. You might resolve to learn to tolerate—or maybe even appreciate—certain quirks or habits of your spouse that try your patience. You might take steps to deal with your feelings of jealousy. You might apologize for times when you demanded your own way or brought up things your spouse did in the past._ _Maybe you’re struggling in your relationship. Maybe you and your spouse have even talked about ending it. If you turn the words of 1 Corinthians 13 into a plan of action, you might choose instead not to give up. You might ask God to strengthen your faith—in Him and in one another. You might look for signs of hope that you can build on. You might talk to a Christian counselor to find ways to endure together._ _If you study God’s Word for the purpose of doing what it says, you can change your relationship—and every other area of your life—in ways you can’t imagine._ _*Question for reflection:* How will you apply a specific passage of Scripture to your life this week?_ harvestdirect.org ____________________________ _*NEW BELIEVER'S PRAYER*_ _I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." ~ *Luke 15:7*_ _Giving your life to Christ is the best decision of your life. Scripture says, only one sinner who repents at any one time, is enough to cause a joyous celebration in heaven. You are that person today. There is massive joy in heaven on account of your decision to come to Christ. The actual process of receiving a new life is very simple. Romans 10:9-10 says, "...if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved." In that respect, kindly repeat this simple prayer audibly and you are saved._ _*Prayer:* Lord Jesus, thank you for dying in my place on the cross. I truly believe in my heart that you were raised from the dead and you sit at the right hand of the Father. I confess that you are Lord and Saviour. I confess and repent of all of my sins, that I committed knowingly and unknowingly. I receive the free gift of forgiveness, even as I forgive them that wronged me. I want to live righteously from today on. I commit my life to you, to lead me in paths of righteousness. Amen._ _If you prayed that prayer, congratulations you have been saved by Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Welcome to the new you, in Christ! What a wonder! The old has passed, and the new has come (2 Cor 5:17). Now kindly look for a Bible believing church near you, and hear more about your new found freedom in Christ._ ____________________________ _*THE MARRIAGE AFTER GOD*_ _*Go Straight Home*_ _*Dr James & Shirley Dobson*_ _*“Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”* 1 Peter 5:8_ _One of the great fears of many husbands and wives is that their partner will be unfaithful—an understandable concern, considering that nearly half of American marriages end in divorce, many because of infidelity. We must always be alert for Satan’s attacks on marriage._ _I (jcd) remember one trap in particular that the enemy laid for me. Shirley and I had been married just a few years when we had a minor spat. I got in the car and drove around for an hour to cool off. As I was on my way home, a very attractive girl drove up beside me and smiled. She was obviously flirting with me. She slowed down, looked back, and turned onto a side street. I knew she was inviting me to follow her._ _I didn’t take the bait; I went straight home and made up with Shirley. But I thought later about how quickly Satan had taken advantage of our conflict and my momentary vulnerability. That’s how he operates. Expect him to lay a trap for you, too. Just make sure your partner can count on you to come home when temptation drives up._ _*Just between us…*_ _• What does God’s Word say about adultery? (We encourage you to take the time to review Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:20; 20:10; Proverbs 7; Malachi 3:5; Matthew 5:27–28; Mark 10:11–12; John 8:1–11; Romans 7:2–3; Ephesians 5:3–5; and Hebrews 13:4.)_ _• What does God promise regarding temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13)?_ _• How can we “affair proof ” our marriage?_ _Lord, please give us wisdom and strength as we seek to affair-proof our marriage. Thank You for promising us a “way of escape” from temptation. Amen._ ___________________________ _*’TRAIN THE CHILD THAN REPAIR A MAN’*_ _*Calling Robert’s Bluff*_ _*Dr James & Shirley Dobson*_ _*”Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”* Colossians 3:20_ _Upon arrival for his dentist appointment, a rebellious ten-year-old named Robert refused to get in the patient chair and threatened to take off his clothes if the dentist made him sit. The dentist’s reply? “Son, take ’em off.” Robert did—and then, completely naked, settled into the chair and cooperated for the rest of his visit. When cavities had been drilled and filled, Robert said, “Give me my clothes now.”_ _“I’m sorry,” the wily old dentist said. “Tell your mother that we’re going to keep your clothes tonight.” An embarrassed Robert was forced to walk in his birthday suit through a waiting room filled with snickering patients. The next day, Robert’s mother came to retrieve the clothes—and to thank the dentist. “Robert has been making unreasonable demands and blackmailing me about taking off his clothes in public for years,” she said. “You are the first person to call his bluff, Doctor, and the impact on Robert has been incredible!”_ _Children such as Robert need boundaries. If you don’t provide them, they’ll threaten and push until someone else does. If you are easily “blown over” in times of confrontation, your child will not learn to yield to authority. Not only will he later defy you, but he is likely to misunderstand the ultimate authority of God. The two sources of leadership, parental and divine, are directly linked in the minds of your kids._ _*Before you say good night…*_ _• Do you have a “Robert” in your home?_ _• Are you enforcing clear behavioral boundaries for your kids?_ _Dear God, just as You gave us clear boundaries for living in the Scriptures, guide us to do the same for our children. And when they cross those boundaries, grant us courage and wisdom in our response. Amen._ _____________________________ _*CHRISTIAN NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD*_ _*'Blessed Is the Nation Whose God Is the Lord': First Trump Cabinet Meeting Opens with Prayer*_ _*Benjamin Gill*_ 02-27-2025 _President Trump convened his first cabinet meeting Wednesday, and the milestone was marked with prayer._ _Scott Turner, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, led Trump's new team in an opening invocation._ _"Father the Bible says that blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, Father today we honor You in Your rightful place and thank You for giving us this opportunity to restore faith in this country and be a blessing to the people of America, and we pray in our meeting that You would be glorified in our conversation. In Jesus name, Amen," Turner prayed as the group responded with "Amen."_ _While prayer moments were also a visible part of President Trump's first term, he said earlier this month that he's had a deeper realization about God since he was nearly killed by a would-be assassin's bullets during a campaign rally in Butler, PA last summer._ _"None of us knows exactly when our time on earth will be over," Trump told those gathered at the National Prayer Breakfast. "You never know — a truth I confronted a few short months ago when there was an incident that … was not fun."_ _The president has frequently said he believes the Lord saved him that day. "God was watching me," Trump said._ _“It changed something in me,” he said. “I feel even stronger. I believed in God, but I feel much more strongly about it. Something happened.”_ _After the Cabinet meeting's opening prayer, Trump then gave the floor to Elon Musk to talk about the DOGE efforts. He attempted to clear up some of the recent drama about emails to federal workers._ _"What we are trying to get to the bottom of is we think there are a number of people on the government payroll who are dead, which is probably why they can't respond, and some people who are not real people and just like fictional individuals... some collecting paychecks... so we are literally just trying to figure out are these people real? Are they alive? And can they write an email?" Musk explained._ _One million workers have responded to the email, about half the number of federal workers. Trump said those who did not respond "are on the bubble" and might be let go._ _The White House also instructed federal agencies to begin planning to eliminate positions calling it a "reduction in force." Agency leaders have to submit their plans by March 13._ ________________________________ _*Hillsong plummets to just five churches in entire US*_ _*Tue 18 Feb 2025*_ _*Kelly Valencia*_ _Hillsong Church has announced that the number of campuses in the USA has now dropped to just five._ _During a broadcast on Sunday, global senior pastor Phil Dooley and Hillsong California lead pastor Sam Lopez shared that Hillsong San Francisco will be separating from the church network and will operate independently under a new name, which will be revealed next week._ _"After much prayer and thoughtful consideration, we're announcing that Brenden and Jacqui Brown will be taking on the leadership of our church community in San Francisco as a separate church, so separating from what has been part of Hillsong California," Pastor Dooley said._ _"We believe the time is right for this. This is an exciting season for the Browns and for our church in San Francisco, and we want to say how much we love Brenden and Jacqui, and we value their dedication, their sacrifice, and their commitment to pastoring and leading the Hillsong San Francisco community," he added._ _This marks the closure of the 11th of Hillsong's 16 U.S. campuses, following scandals like the 2020 firing of Pastor Carl Lentz over infidelity and leadership issues and the stepping down of its founder and former global pastor Brian Houston._ _Pastor Lopez mentioned that the decision to separate Hillsong San Francisco had been under discussion for about two years, with the Browns responding to God's call for a "fresh vision," and with full support from Hillsong._ _In a statement on Instagram, the Hillsong San Francisco leaders, who have served the megachurch for 24 years, expressed their excitement for the new direction. "God has been faithful in every step of our journey, and we believe He's leading us into something fresh and full of purpose," they wrote._ _"While our name is changing, our heart remains the same — to love people and connect them to Jesus," they continued, thanking their Hillsong family for their support. "Join us next Sunday as we reveal the new name of our church and unpack the vision for what's ahead! We can't wait to step into this new season together."_ ___________________________ _*"Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is ruth."* John 17:17_