Verse of the Day
Psalm 90:12 (New King James Version)

So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Experiencing God's Peace - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 1:2).

True peace is God’s gift to those who love and obey Him.

Throughout history mankind has sought peace through military alliances, balances of power, and leagues of nations. Yet lasting peace still remains an elusive dream. Even during times of relative peace, nations struggle with internal strife and crime.

The Bible says that man on his own cannot know peace because he is alienated from its source. But we need not despair. True peace is immediately available from God our Father (the God of peace—Rom. 15:33), and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Prince of Peace—Isa. 9:6). It's a gift of God's grace to those who love and obey Jesus Christ.

The New Testament so clearly teaches the inextricable link between God's grace and peace that “Grace to you and peace” became a common greeting in the early church. Grace is God's great kindness toward t

Setting Goals for Fruitful Living - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

Spend time alone with God in His Word, wait in silence for His guidance, and He will speak to your heart.

2 Samuel 7:18-22

Second Samuel 7 tells us that David spent time alone with God, offering praise and thanksgiving. He also listened as the Lord revealed truth and offered insight about the future. Because of the things he learned, David was able to set goals and stay aligned with them.

When was the last time you spent time in solitude with the Lord, remaining silent and listening intently for His guidance (Psalm 46:10)? Ask Him to speak to you about His plans, and He will answer.

Are you unsure of how to begin? First, come before the throne of almighty God in prayer with a repentant heart, and express your praise and thanksgiving. Second, spend time each day in His Word, letting Him refine your spiritual eyes. Finally, ask Him for direction in any area of your life. Wait patiently and attentive

Verse of the Day
2 Corinthians 5:17 (New King James Version)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

The Measure of True Success - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and who are faithful in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 1:1).

God is more interested in your faithfulness than He is in your accomplishments.

Our society is success oriented. We love success stories. We even have television programs that exalt the lifestyles of the rich and famous. But God's standard for success is quite different. Unimpressed by our status or wealth, He looks instead for faithfulness to His will.

Paul understood that principle and diligently pursued his calling as an apostle—one of those unique men who were foundational to the church and recipients, teachers, and writers of the New Testament.

That was a high calling, yet judging from Paul's lifestyle most people would hardly call him successful— having suffered imprisonments, beatings, death threats, shipwrecks, robberies, hatred from his theological enemies, sleeples

Keeping Our Eyes on His Goals - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

Have you asked God what He wants to accomplish through your life?

Philippians 3:13-15

Have you ever attempted to walk in a straight line while looking at your feet? (Try this on a beach or in wet grass so you can look back at your footprints. It’s interesting to see what happens.) You’ll probably be surprised at how crooked your steps are. But fix your eyes on something far away, and each step will generally point in the desired direction—toward that distant focal point.

Our lives are like this. If we set goals, then our decisions and thoughts will more likely lead toward the desired end. Goals are crucial to the well-lived life.

Think about the many things Jesus did. He served others and taught those who sought righteousness. But more than that, our Savior’s primary purpose, set even before time began, was to lay down His life in order to reconcile mankind to the Father and bring Him glory.

We we

Verse of the Day
Isaiah 43:16, 18-19 (New King James Version)

Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea And a path through the mighty waters,

Our Sympathetic High Priest - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"Assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted" (Heb. 2:16-18).
Jesus came to sympathize with us, so He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest.

In his letters to Timothy, Paul counseled and encouraged his young associate about many things—his health, his critics, his moral and spiritual warfare. His counsel is well summed up in these words: "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David" (2 Tim. 2:8).

Like Timothy, we need to be reminded of Christ's humanity, especially when life becomes particularly tough. Then we can pray, "Lord, You

Ending Well - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

Struggles are part of life—so it’s important to persevere, remember God's promises, and rely on divine power to overcome.

Luke 12:15-21

In today’s passage, we read about a rich man who made poor use of his days. Incorrectly assuming that his life would last for many years, he left God out of his plans.

Paul, on the other hand, knew his time was short and made the most of his days. His letters from prison illustrate this—despite knowing he would soon face death, Paul devoted his time and energy to instructing and praying for others.

One thing he taught was to do everything as if for the Lord (Colossians 3:23). Paul knew it was important for Christians to realize kingdom work isn’t just for missionaries and pastors; God calls all believers to different fields and assignments.

The apostle also knew that the Christian life encompasses struggles. In addition, he was realistic about acknowledging his own imperfections (Ro

Verse of the Day
John 16:33 (New King James Version)

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Satan's Conqueror - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"Since . . . the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives" (Heb. 2:14-15).
Christ came to break the power of Satan which He did by conquering death.

To be free to live with God and share in all His blessings, someone had to shatter Satan's death grip on us. Sin is what gives Satan his powerful hold on us, but the power itself is death.

Satan knew that God required death for us because of sin. He knew that all died in Adam—that death became a certain fact of life. And he knew that men, if they remained as they were, would die and go out of God's presence into hell forever. So he wants to hang onto men until they die because once they are dead, the opportunity for salvation is gone forever.

To wrest t

A Realistic View of Life - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

How can you best live so that you are ready when God decides your time on earth is complete?

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Our culture tries to postpone death. Vitamins, exercise, and diet are ways we attempt to live as long as possible. Not that these things are bad! Motive, however, is key.

Take, for example, the fact that our bodies are God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). Not only should we take care of His dwelling, but also, since He has good works for us to do (Ephesians 2:10), we should do everything possible to make sure we can carry them out.

In contrast, prolonging life because we fear death isn’t of God. Jesus died in our place, so everyone who trusts in Him as Lord and Savior need not worry. Once saved, we have assurance of a real place where we will live forever in His presence.

Our omniscient God already knows the duration of each person’s life (Psalm 139:16). With this in mind, the best way to prepare f

Verse of the Day
John 14:1-3 (New King James Version)

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

He Who Sanctifies - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"Both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, 'I will proclaim Thy name to My brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will sing Thy praise.' And again, 'I will put My trust in Him.' And again, 'Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me'" (Heb. 2:11-13).
Our holy Christ has made us holy; thus He can now call us His brothers.

From our own perspective and experience, it is difficult to think of ourselves as holy. Sin simply is too much a part of us in this fallen world. In thought and practice we are far from holy, but in Christ we are perfectly holy.

We may not always act holy, but because of our faith in Christ we are perfectly holy in God's sight. Just as a child may not always act like his father, he is nonetheless still his son. We are holy in the sense that before God, the righteousness of Christ has been applied

Can We Be Sure? - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

Because God wants you to be confident in your relationship with Him, His Word is filled with assurances.

1 John 5:1-13

Our Father wants us to know we have eternal life through Jesus. What assurances do we have that we are permanently secure?

God’s love. One reason we can be sure of salvation is our heavenly Father’s unconditional love. At the cross, He demonstrated just how much we mean to Him: He sent His Son to die so that we might have eternal life (1 John 4:9-10).

Christ’s life and death. Because Jesus was without sin, He took the death penalty we deserved, and He did the saving work none of us could accomplish. The Savior rescued us from sin and death and secured our salvation (2 Corinthians 1:10).

Jesus’ promise. We have our Lord’s assurance that all who receive Him as Savior will spend eternity with Him. He promised that we can never be separated from Him and that no one can snatch us from His hand (John

Verse of the Day
Matthew 11:28 (New King James Version)

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

The Author of Our Salvation - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"It was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings" (Heb. 2:10).
Through His death, Christ became the perfect leader for His people.

As we look at what Christ has done, we must never forget that He was fulfilling the sovereign plan of God. The writer of Hebrews tells us it was fitting in God's sight for Christ to bring many sons to glory. That means everything God did through Christ was consistent with His character.

The cross was a masterpiece of God's wisdom. It displayed His holiness in His hatred of sin. It was consistent with His power: Christ endured in a few hours what it would take an eternity to expend on sinners. The cross displayed His love for mankind. And Christ's death on the cross agreed with God's grace because it was substitutionary.

To bring "many sons to glory," God had "

Eternally Secure - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

Mistakes don't jeopardize our salvation because Christ, not our works, made us right with God.

Colossians 2:13-14

Have you ever questioned your eternal security? Examining what happened when you trusted Jesus as Savior will bring reassurance of how secure you are in Him.

Prior to salvation, we all had a spiritual problem. We were born with a nature inclined to sin. Because of this, we were spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1). No amount of good works or repentance could have changed our condition. Our problem required a divine solution. Knowing this, God the Father provided what we needed through His Son Jesus (Hebrews 9:11-14).

The day we trusted in Christ, we were delivered from death into life (John 5:24). We received a new nature—one that wants to please God—and were adopted into His family (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:5). His gift of salvation made us spiritually alive and gave us a blessed eternal future wit

Verse of the Day
Psalm 103:1-2 (New King James Version)

A Psalm of David.
Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:

The Humiliation of Christ - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"We . . . see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9).
In serving as our substitute, Christ humbled Himself supremely.

Jesus' death on the cross was not easy or costless—it was a horrific death. It was not calm and peaceful; it was accompanied by outward torture and inward agony. The death He tasted was the curse of sin. In a few hours on that cross, He suffered the total agony of every soul for all eternity. He was guilty of no sin, yet He chose to suffer the weight of all sins committed for all time.

God sent His Son, and His Son willingly came to die to redeem mankind. Paul writes, "When the fulness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law" (Gal. 4:4-5

How Rebellion Happens - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

When making a decision, don't try to justify what you already want—ask God for wisdom to choose His best.

Psalms 107:16-21

Followers of Christ can get caught in the trap of trying to justify their poor choices. Here are four ways rebellion happens:

We refuse to do what God commands. There are obvious ways to ignore God’s laws, such as murder. But more often the subtle acts of disobedience, like harboring unforgiveness or ignoring others’ needs, become obstacles in our path.

We pursue what is forbidden. The Lord has declared certain things off limits. (See Romans 1:28-32; Galatians 5:19-21.) He doesn’t want to spoil our fun, but He knows some actions can have devastating consequences and wants to protect us from them.

We pursue something God allows, but in a sinful manner. We have a lot of freedom in the Christian life, but believers are not meant to achieve goals through theft, deceit, or injustice.

We

Verse of the Day
Luke 2:28-32 (New King James Version)

he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

Born to Die - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"We . . . see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9).

Jesus Christ was born to die as our substitute.

At this time of year, it is difficult for us to see Jesus other than as a little baby. We of course know why He came, but we usually focus on His death on the cross at another time of year. But we must never forget that He came to die.

Those soft baby hands fashioned by the Holy Spirit in Mary's womb were made to have two great nails hammered through them. Those little chubby feet were to walk up a hill and be nailed to a cross. That sacred head was made to wear a crown of thorns. His tender body wrapped in swaddling clothes would be pierced by a spear to reveal a broken heart. The death of Christ was no accident; He was born to die.

Jesus died to remove

The Ruin of Rebellion - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

Choosing to sin causes us to miss the good gifts our Father longs to give.

Galatians 6:7-10

Rebelling against God is costly. As Dr. Stanley taught, people reap what they sow, more than they sow, and later than they sow.

Many people believe that rules prevent us from having a good time. That is certainly not the Lord’s intention. In fact, He offers us true freedom through a relationship with Him. Our loving Father desires to keep His children growing in their faith and safe from harmful temptations. He does that by limiting our actions and teaching us to follow certain laws and principles, which He has designed for our good. There is no greater pleasure or source of contentment than serving Him.

But when we rebel and defy the Lord’s authority in some area of our life, we allow the Enemy to shackle us. We may not initially feel the constraint he puts on us, but keep in mind that the consequences for those choic

Verse of the Day
Isaiah 9:6 (New King James Version)

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Recovering Man's Destiny - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"We . . . see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9).
Jesus Christ is the only One who could recover man’s destiny.

The ultimate curse of our lost destiny is death. God warned Adam that if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would die (Gen. 2:17). In the restored kingdom we will be elevated again over a redeemed earth. But the only way that we could ever reign again as kings was to have the curse of sin removed, and the only way to remove it was to pay the penalty of sin, which is death (Rom. 6:23).

There's just one problem: how can we reign if we are dead? We need to be raised from the dead, but we certainly can't do that ourselves. That's why God sent Jesus Christ.

To accomplish this great work for us, Jesus had to bec

Worship at Christmas - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

Today, make time to be thankful for the gifts under the tree—and the Gift placed in a manger for you.

Matthew 2:7-11

Of all of the responses we can have toward Christmas, worship most pleases God. We have every reason to rejoice greatly that Jesus came to earth in human flesh. We’re truly blessed that His purpose in coming was to rescue us from sin (1 Timothy 1:15) and make possible a relationship with our heavenly Father.

The Magi traveled all the way from the East for the sole purpose of worshipping the King of the Jewish people. Knowing a star signaled His birth, they journeyed hundreds of miles to find Him. The Magi believed God was leading them to the King, and when they finally arrived in Bethlehem, they showed reverence by humbling themselves and celebrating the Christ child with gifts. These were wealthy, wise, and respected men, yet they understood the infant was far greater than they.

Is Jesus the ce

Verse of the Day
Luke 2:16-20 (New King James Version)

And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

The Restriction of Man's Destiny - Drawing Near - John MacArthur

"But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him" (Heb. 2:8).
God’s original destiny for man was restricted by man’s sin.

God gave man dominion over all the earth, and the earth supplied his every need. All he had to do was accept and enjoy the earth as provided for him. But Adam sinned and Satan usurped the crown. A new chain of command was born: the earth now rules man.

To know how true that is, all you need do is look at the amount of effort expended on restoring the ecological balance of the earth. Environmentalism is a popular watchword of our day. Yet with all our modern technology, we are still unable to gain control over the earth.

Look what happened once Adam sinned: no longer could man easily harvest what the earth provided—now he had to toil by the sweat of his brow (Gen. 3:18). Women would experience pain in childbirth (3:16). Murder soon followed in Adam's family. God had to destroy virtu

Conflict at Christmas - In Touch Ministries - Charles Stanley

This Christmas, pray that those who are lost would come to know the hope, peace, and love of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 2:12-18

Look around you. At this time of year, it’s easy to find people who eagerly celebrate the secular aspects of Christmas, such as meeting Santa Claus or watching holiday movies. But some of them might be less accepting of the true cause of “joy to the world.”

This hostility isn’t new. Herod was angry when he realized that the Magi hadn’t returned to share the location of the King of the Jews. Herod’s fury was fueled by his desire for power and control. He didn’t want another king to dethrone him. Perhaps some people today scorn the celebration of Christ’s birth for the same reason—they don’t want anyone else “ruling their life.”

Romans 1:18 says that people who reject Jesus have suppressed the truth. Others won’t come to the Light for fear that their deeds will be exposed (John 3:19-20). Ho