April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 30

Honoring Our Parents Always 

Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

BIBLE MEDITATION: 
“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: 
Whether you are young or old, you can honor your parents. How? By showing respect. Leviticus 19:3 says, “Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.” Now that word “fear” doesn’t mean to quake in the presence of your parents. That is, you are to have a holy respect for your father and your mother. 

You may say, “But my parents are not worthy of respect.” With all due respect, you aren’t either. None of us are worthy. Only perfect children can demand perfect parents, and no children are perfect. Our parents are imperfect. We are imperfect. But God is holy, and He says that we are to respect our parents. 

ACTION POINT: 
What’s your relationship like with your parents? If you’ve been showing less than the type of biblical respect God requires, then begin today to turn that around for His glory! 

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 29

The Sun of Righteousness 

Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

BIBLE MEDITATION: 
“But unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings. . .” Malachi 4:2a 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: 
Since Jesus is the S-O-N of God, He is also the S-U-N of righteousness. Let me tell you something about the sunrise. The sunrise never comes ahead of time, and it is never late. Isn’t that right? The sunrise operates according to the power of God and the authority of God. You can’t hurry it up, and you can’t stop it! 

It is the same with the Second Coming of Jesus. He is coming at a time known only to God. You can’t hurry it up and you can’t stop it. 

One day the Lord Jesus Christ shall come with trumpet sound. He will pull back the shade of the night and pin it with a star. Then He’ll open the door of the glorious morning of His millennial reign and flood the world with light. 

ACTION POINT: 
Tomorrow morning, get up with the sunrise and praise God that His timing is perfect—and that He is coming again! 

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 28

The Shadow of a Doubt 

by Max Lucado 

Sunday mornings. I awake early, long before the family stirs, the sunrise flickers, or the paper plops on the driveway. Let the rest of the world sleep in. I don’t. Sunday’s my big day, the day I stand before a congregation of people who are willing to swap thirty minutes of their time for some conviction and hope. 

Most weeks I have ample to go around. But occasionally I don’t. (Does it bother you to know this?) Sometimes in the dawn-tinted, pre-pulpit hours, the seeming absurdity of what I believe hits me. The fear that God isn’t. The fear that “why?” has no answer. The valley of the shadow of doubt. To one degree or another we all venture into the valley. In the final pages of Luke’s gospel, the physician-turned-historian dedicated his last chapter to answering one question: how does Christ respond when we doubt him? 

For both the dejected Emmaus bound disciples (Luke 24:13-35) and the frightened upper room disciples (Luke 24:36-49): A meal is served, the Bible is taught, the disciples find courage, and we find two practical answers to the critical question, what would Christ have us do with our doubts? His answer? Touch my body and ponder my story. We still can, you know. We can still touch the body of Christ. We’d love to touch his physical wounds and feel the flesh of the Nazarene. Yet when we brush up against the church, we do just that. “The church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself ” (Eph. 1:23 NLT). 

Christ distributes courage through community; he dissipates doubts through fellowship. He never deposits all knowledge in one person but distributes pieces of the jigsaw puzzle to many. When you interlock your understanding with mine, and we share our discoveries . . . When we mix, mingle, confess, and pray, Christ speaks. The adhesiveness of the disciples instructs us. They stuck together. Even with ransacked hopes, they clustered in conversant community. They kept “going over all these things that had happened” (Luke 24:14 MSG). Isn’t this a picture of the church—sharing notes, exchanging ideas, mulling over possibilities, lifting spirits? And as they did, Jesus showed up to teach them, proving “when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there” (Matt. 18:20 MSG). 

From Fearless 
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2009) Max Lucado

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 27

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE LEFT? 

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. James 4:14 

Have you ever noticed how we tend to bank on tomorrow?  Have you ever noticed how we tend to think we have LOTS of time to get things right with God and get things right with others because death is such a LONG way off?  Hmmm. 

A few years ago, I conducted the funeral of a friend of mine. He was one of my basketball buddies, and we played together quite often. One Sunday afternoon, David was playing ball at the playground. After a made basket, he turned to run down court and fell down in a heap. He suffered a massive heart attack and was dead before he hit the ground. He was 42 years old and seemingly in good shape. 

Last Saturday, I conducted the funeral of another basketball friend of mine. He also died of a massive heart attack. He was 48 years old and full of life. 

NO GUARANTEES OF TOMORROW 

God does not promise us tomorrow. Our lives are a vapor, a puff of smoke. They are here one minute and gone the next. Like the morning fog that rolls in and rolls out, so is the brevity of life. 

Because life is so brief and tomorrow is not promised, it is critical to MAKE THE MOST OF TODAY. Are you doing that? 

Joe's Crab Shack used to have a sign in front of the restaurant, "Free Crabs. Tomorrow." The only problem was "tomorrow" never came. Don't put off for tomorrow. Because tomorrow may never come. 

TODAY QUESTIONS 

1. Do you know that you are right with God? If YOU had a massive heart attack, would you go to heaven? Have you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ and received His forgiveness and salvation? Do you know for sure that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life? If not, receive Him TODAY! 

2. Do you have things right with family and friends? Is there someone you need to forgive? Is there someone you need to ask to forgive you? Do it TODAY! 

3. Are there people who have made a great difference in your life and you have never told them. Tell them TODAY! Write them a letter TODAY! 

4. Are your kids growing up before your eyes. and you are too busy with work and the cares of life to really notice them or spend quality time with them? Spend time with them TODAY! 

God has given us "today."  That is all we have. So make every day count. As the poem says, "Only one life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last." 

Love, 

Pastor Jeff Schreve, 
From His Heart Ministries

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 26

Coronavirus as a Gift? 

By Victoria Riollano 

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. - Philippians 1:6 

Unexpected, forced, necessary, isolation. 

Many of us with little effort can relate to the statement above. Without warning, many all over the world experienced a sudden life change. Unable to work like normal, shunned for going to church, and no longer able to take our children to school, we can agree there has been little time to adjust. While many complain, hide in fear, and wonder where God is in this all, I am left to wonder if this is an opportunity. 

An opportunity to awaken people back to God. 

An opportunity to shift from “business as usual.” 

An opportunity for personal growth. 

An opportunity to do what God’s been calling us to do that we were too busy for previously. 

We have the ability to not be victims of circumstance but to allow the circumstance to be a defining moment in our lives. If we truly believe that “all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28), then we should have an expectation that even the COVID-19 crisis can be used for God to move. 

In Exodus 1:8-12, we see a story of oppression that includes a subtle hint to how we can use the toughest scenarios to our advantage. In this passage, the Israelites continue to reside in Egypt. This dwelling in Egypt originally started due to their ancestor, Joseph, having so much favor when he was alive. However, when Joseph passed away and many years went by, the Egyptians forgot who Joseph was and saw that the Israelites were more numerous than they could imagine. 

So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king. But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread, and the more alarmed the Egyptians became (Exodus 1:11-12). In other words, the more they were oppressed, the more they grew. The more they gave birth! In this season, where heaviness and despair seem to be common, we have an opportunity to grow. We have an opportunity to give birth to what God’s called us to do. We can make a choice to not be crushed by the frustration but to enlarge our influence. 

There is no greater time to go back to the drawing board and seek the Lord for what He’s called you to do. What if this time of stillness is your opportunity to start your blog, write your business plan, or begin online classes? What if this is your chance to reinvest in a dying relationship or study your Bible in a new way? In other words, we have been granted the opportunity to rise above our circumstances and do something new. 

Let’s not look back and regret not taking advantage of this time! It will be up to us to decide if we allow oppression to stop us or catapult us! Refuse to allow this momentary pause to cheat you out of what God is calling you to. In the meantime, may we continue to pray for those who may be hurting in this time and for complete healing of everyone who’s been affected by COVID-19. 

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. - Philippians 1:6 


About The Author:
Victoria Riollano is an author, blogger, and speaker. As a mother of six, military spouse, Psychology professor and minister’s wife, Victoria has learned the art of balancing family and accomplishing God’s ultimate purpose for her life. Recently, Victoria released her book, The Victory Walk: A 21 Day Devotional on Living A Victorious Life. Her ultimate desire is to empower women to live a life of victory, hope, and love. She believes that with Christ we can live a life that is ALWAYS winning. You can learn more about her ministry at victoryspeaks.org.

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 25

Is Your Bible Study Self-Centered? 

By Lisa Appelo 

Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. - John 17:3 

Who is God? 

What is He like? What does He do and what pleases Him? What is His order of things and what does He require? 

So often we come to our Bible devotions pretty self-centered. 

Answer me. Encourage me. Teach me. Help me. 

When all along God has given us His Word as a stunning revelation of Who He is. 

Yes, God will meet and teach us and encourage us, but there is something far greater: when we open our Bibles, we worship the One who fashioned the galaxy, who is infinitely beyond this galaxy and yet makes Himself known to us. We read our Bible to know Who God is, what He does and how we can align our lives to Him. When Jesus pierced time to dwell on earth, he came to a religious people who knew about him, but didn’t know him. The Jewish elite could keep the law like nobody’s business but they could not comprehend a God above the law. 

Their tight little boxes of Who God is did not fit cleanly around Jesus. 

They constantly challenged him: 

How can you say you forgive sins? 

Why do you eat with sinners? 

Why don’t your disciples fast like our disciples? 

Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? 

How dare you break the Sabbath by healing on it?! 

John 5 tells of Jesus coming to the pool of Siloam in Jerusalem. When he saw a man who’d been lame for 38 years lying there, Jesus asked him if he wanted to get well and then healed him, commanding him to pick up his mat and walk. 

Why did Jesus heal this man? He hadn’t even asked for it. Nothing is said about Jesus healing any of the other paralyzed and lame lying at that same pool. 

I believe this man’s healing – compassionate as it was – was secondary to Jesus’ real work: revealing Who He is. 

When I read this story, my heart is immediately drawn to what Jesus can do for me. He can heal me. He can take care of my need. He can reach down in my pain and take it away. Yes, He can. 

But if I stop there, I’m stuck in the claustrophobic cosmos of my own need. 

Jesus is revealing Himself in this passage and we are the lame if we miss it. 

This passage explodes with declaration of Who Jesus is. 

Jesus revealed His authority as the Son of God. Second person of the Trinity. All-powerful. All-worthy. All holy. So far outside the bounds of the law and yet the only true Righteousness who could fulfill the law’s righteous requirements. 

And suddenly, magnifying God for Who He is realigns the trajectory of my heart and thoughts. I can worship and adore and enjoy and marvel. I can repent and grieve and realign so that my life revolves around His. 

And my need? My fear? My worry? Only when I know Who God is can I rest in Him with every need, fear and worry. 

No more 15 minutes of Bible reading to see what You have for me. 

No more coming to You to meet me. 

No more reading Your Word to affirm me. 

No more self-centered Bible study.

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 24

Storm Survival 

by Pastor Greg Laurie 

“So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever” (2 Corinthians 4:18 nlt). 

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who are going through a crisis, and those who will go through a crisis. These days, it seems you’ll encounter more of the former. 

Jesus, at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, talked about two men who built houses. One built his on a solid foundation of rock, while the other built his on an unstable foundation of sand. 

Then Jesus said this about both houses: “And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house” (Matthew 7:25, 27 nkjv). It is not a matter of if the rain descends; it’s a matter of when. 

I wish I could say that we’ll reach a point in our lives when all our problems go away. In reality, some problems simply replace other ones. If we’re not pulling into or out of a storm, we’ll face one eventually. 

Worse yet, storms can seemingly come out of nowhere. It might be a hardship. It might be anxiety. It might be a tragedy. But it’s something that came up pretty quickly, and it’s had a major impact on you. 

Sometimes those trials and hardships in our lives seem random, but they never are. Matthew 5:45 tells us, “For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike” (nlt). 

The apostle Paul wrote, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! (2 Corinthians 4:17–18 nlt). Storms have a beginning, middle, and end. And something will come out of them: an immeasurably great glory. 

We cannot control circumstances. Nor can we control what people say to us or about us. We cannot control everything that comes our way, but we can control our reaction to it. 

Copyright © 2020 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 23

We Can Be Still 

By Anne Peterson 

Be still and know that I am God. - Psalm 46:10 

The hardest thing for us to do is to be still. They say we should have been called human doings instead of human beings. But one of the most valuable things we can do is to learn how to rest in God. How to honestly lean on him with all our weight. 

God tells us we just trust in him and not in our own understanding. Proverbs 3:5. And yet, as soon as we start having trials, the first thing we try to do is figure it out. God tells us that his thoughts are higher than our ways, but that doesn’t stop us from thinking we can somehow figure it out. David was someone called the man after God’s own heart. David would look at the situation at hand, but he’d also look back at the God who was there for his other challenges. As everyone else shivered at the thought of facing the Philistine, not the shepherd boy. Why? Did he have super strength, no. But he knew God almighty. And David knew that the same God who protected him from the lion and the bear would also protect him from whatever he faced. And in this case, it happened to be a giant. 1 Samuel 17: 32- 37. 

The giant looked at David and the Bible tells us he despised him. And yet, we see in 1 Samuel 17:45-51, David relied on his God. David came against Goliath in the name of the Lord Almighty God. And David didn’t take the glory for his victory. From the first moment he acknowledged it would be by God’s strength and might that David would be victorious. 

God is almighty. No matter what people face God is bigger still. And yet, at times we forget what 1John 4:4 tells us. That Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world. 

Yes, the world around us is moving fast, and people seem to be spinning as well. But God instructs us to be still. Jesus prayed for us in John 17:16, saying we are in this world but we are not of this world. In Romans 12:2, Paul tells us to not be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. It’s only possible when we saturate ourselves with the Word of God. Taking time to reflect on God’s truth helps us to slow down our racing thoughts and that’s when we can discern the things around us. When bank personnel needed to identify which bills were counterfeit they didn’t do it by studying all the imposters, but instead, they sat and studied the true bill. And in the same way, when we meditate on God’s Word, then we will be able to know when we are listening to lies. God can help us still our minds and hearts and then we’ll know that he indeed is God.

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 22

The God Who Forgives

by Dr. Charles Stanley

Matthew 6:9-13 NIV  w/ footnotes  
9  “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10  your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11  Give us today our daily bread. 12  And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13  And lead us not into temptation,[a] but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’

Footnotes:
Matthew 6:13 The Greek for temptation can also mean testing.
Matthew 6:13 Or from evil; some late manuscripts one, / for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.


Jesus Christ gave His followers a pattern for prayer that includes seeking forgiveness daily. The invitation to regular repentance is not a means of renewing our salvation, but rather a maintenance plan for our fellowship with the Lord. When we trust Jesus as our Savior, our sins are forgiven forever. The stains from our past, present, and future wrongs are wiped from our record; however, we're a fallen people so we do continue to commit sin.

With the exception of Jesus Christ, no person is perfect. Sin is simply a fact of human life. The Lord's payment for our transgressions means that we can look forward to an eternity spent in God's presence instead of getting the punishment we deserve. On this side of heaven, though, we still have to contend with our tendency to do wrong--and we must also deal with the consequences. The Lord's admonition to seek daily forgiveness is a reminder to confess our sins and turn away from them because we are forgiven.

God's grace is not a license to sin; instead, it's a reason to pursue righteousness. Bad attitudes, thoughtless actions, and unkind speech do not fit who we are as children of light. We're new creatures in Christ, bought for a price and set free to live as partakers of His grace.

Salvation makes a way for us to enter God's presence, while regular confession and repentance keep the pathway well maintained and free of obstruction (1 John 1:9). The so-called "sinner's prayer" need be said only once, but a saint will tap into God's forgiveness every day of his or her life.

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 21

Tell it, Lord!

by Shawn McEvoy

He saw a man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax office; and He said to him, "Follow me!" Matthew 9:9

In the margin of my Bible next to Matthew 7:11 is a notation dated 9/1/90. It says:

    "I love verses with exclamation points!"

That particular verse, in case you were wondering, says, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"

I wonder why editors chose an exclamation point there, and not a question mark. I also wish I knew the inspiration or emotion that prompted me to make the notation. All I know is that it would have been made during the first or second week of my sophomore year of college, and at the time I was a Youth Ministry major. And that the sentiment has continued.

Coming across that notation again recently prompted me to look up more verses in which Jesus is credited with having expressed some extra "oomph." Of course, the original manuscripts were not inscribed with modern punctuation marks. Those have been left up to various translators through the years. In my New American Standard Version of Matthew's Gospel, however, the emphasis has been added to several statements the Lord made, and some of those may be categorized as follows:

Rebuke of Temptation

Matthew 4:10-11: Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'" Then the devil left Him...

Matthew 16:23: But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."

Rebuke of Hypocrisy

Matthew 23:23-39: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!... Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you shall not see Me until you say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"

Matthew 11:18-19: "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."

Matthew 12:12: "Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."

Stern Warning

Matthew 9:30: "And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See here, let no one know about this!"

Matthew 6:23: "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!"

Regarding Spiritual Warfare

Matthew 8:32: And he said to them, "Begone!" And they came out, and went into the swine..."

Matthew 10:24-25: "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of the house!"

Stirring to Faith in Action

Matthew 12:13: Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" And he stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.

Matthew 14:16: But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!"

Matthew 14:29: And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

Matthew 9:9: He saw a man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax office; and He said to him, "Follow me!"

Remembering the Father's Provision

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"

Making a Radical Point

Matthew 12:49-50: "And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Behold, My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."

Sadness

Matthew 26:24, 46: "The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!... Arise, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays me is at hand!"

Matthew 18:7: "Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!"

Regarding the End Times

Matthew 24:19: "But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days!"

The Father's Confirmation of His Son

Matthew 17:5: Behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!"

Listen to Him indeed. What is He saying? How emphatically is he saying it?

Don't mess around when temptation comes.
Don't disregard the spiritual realm and the forces that oppose you.
Be stirred to action.

Recognize once and for all that God has provided for you like the loving Father He is, so that you are free to do His will without worry.
Following Christ is a radical road, but those that betray the Way and put stumbling blocks in the road will be left to God's judgment.
Dangerous days are coming.
But in the end, your belief is in the Son of Almighty God!

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 20

Give What You've Received 

By Brent Rinehart 

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” - Ephesians 4:31-32 

Ruth Bell Graham, wife of legendary evangelist Billy Graham, once said that “a happy marriage is a union of two good forgivers.” Those are some of the wisest words ever spoken. 

In a marriage, there are some things you are better at than your spouse. And, other things your spouse is better at than you. For instance, in our home, my wife and I are both on the same page with the budget and the priorities, but I handle a majority of the finances and bill-paying. While we split many household chores, my wife is better at laundry than me, and I wash a lot of the dishes. Most healthy marriages are a partnership this way. But, there's one thing that a marriage cannot afford to have one-half excel at over the other: forgiveness. Both partners need to be equally adept at it. This verse in Ephesians is so challenging, especially if you are prone to hanging onto something far too long. I became a Christian when I was young, but didn't always follow Christ. I went through periods in my life where I was far from who God created me to be. However, just like the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son, God accepted me back with open arms. I was never beyond His love and forgiveness. Knowing the things I've done, and the things for which God has forgiven me, how could I not extend forgiveness to others? 

My wife and I have had arguments in our time together. What couple hasn't? But, there's nothing she can do that would rise to the level of the sins I've committed against God. And, yet, each and every time, He forgives. Who am I to think that my wife is ever outside of being forgiven? 

In Matthew 18, Jesus illustrates the point with a parable, as He so often did. A servant owed his master 10,000 talents, but the master “took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go” (Matthew 18:27). As the servant went out, he encountered a fellow servant who owed him only 100 denali who could pay his debt. The servant refused to show mercy and had him thrown into prison. 

Pastor and author Tony Evans ties biblical love and forgiveness together, describing it this way: "Biblical forgiveness means you release your spouse from a debt owed to you. Forgiveness is not contingent on how you feel about your spouse. It is a choice to no longer blame your spouse for an offense. First Corinthians 13:5 details this in a most straightforward way: Biblical love “keeps no record of wrongs.” Biblical love doesn’t justify wrong, nor does it ignore wrong, excuse it or pretend it doesn’t exist. All of those types of responses to wrongdoing would lead to enablement. Rather, biblical love acknowledges and addresses the wrong and then forgives and releases it.” 

The best thing we can do for ourselves, our spouses and our marriages when we encounter conflict is to meet it head-on. We need to communicate with each other, then love and forgive each other just as Christ loves and forgives us. 

I mess up a lot. I say things I shouldn’t and make the wrong choices from time to time. I’m so thankful for grace and mercy that God extends to me daily. The least I can do is offer the same grace and mercy to others, starting with those inside my own home. Holding on to bitterness and withholding forgiveness is sinful and unhealthy. As the famous quotes says, “Not forgiving someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” 

Brent Rinehart is a public relations practitioner and freelance writer. He writes about parenting, marriage and faith at www.apparentstuff.com.

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 19

God Loves You 

by Mary Southerland 

Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever (Psalm 136:2, NIV). 

God loves you. He created you. The words of Psalm 139 beautifully express the heart of God toward each one of us: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:13-16). 

A healthy self-image is not one of pride or arrogance, but rather one that coincides with God’s viewpoint. It is learning to accept God’s evaluation of who we are, learning to see ourselves as God sees us, no more and no less, learning who we are in His eyes and giving Him permission to make us what He designed us to be. In His eyes, every person is valuable. We are all sinful and broken, wounded and sick, and He loves us still. In fact, Jesus is drawn toward brokenness. Broken people are why He came. With tenacity and stubborn love, He pursues those others may only shun – like the woman at the well. 

John 4:5-9 “Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans” (NLT). 

Little is known about this woman and what we do know is not good. She was immoral and spiritually ignorant, an outcast despised by the Jews and even by her own people.  She was very popular with the men of the village who bought her to satisfy their own physical pleasure and then tossed her aside like a broken, damaged and used doll. I am certain this woman had no illusions about the fact that she meant absolutely nothing to these men. 

In the beginning, she may have convinced herself that they cared for her and perhaps even loved her, but I imagine that illusion was short-lived. In fact, while studying her life, I have many times wondered if there had ever been a man in her life that she could love or trust. I do not know what drove this woman to such an empty and futile existence, but I do know as far as Jesus was concerned, that old life was over. It did not matter to Him. He looked at this woman through eyes of healing and forgiveness and saw His precious child. He just loved her – right where she was and just as she was. He recognized her worth, her value – and He loved her. 

God loves you. He paid for your sin. God defined His unconditional and relentless love for you and for me when He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to earth as a baby. And Jesus said, “Yes!” What an amazing gift! The love of God for us compelled Jesus Christ to willingly exchange a throne for a manger, divinity for humanity and Heaven for Earth. 

John 3:16 (NIV) “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” 

God’s love changes everything and everyone who receives it. God’s love protects and breathes life and purpose into every minute of every day. God’s love is a gift beyond measure that surrounds us and covers us when the fire of life rains down. 

I know many of you are experiencing those fires of life this year. No job and no prospect of one. Someone you love is very ill or maybe you are the one battling to survive each day. A rebellious child has broken your heart. A secret addiction is slowly destroying your life. Your spouse packed his bags and walked out the front door because he no longer wants to be married. 

Do not believe the lies of the enemy when he tells you that your God has forsaken you. God is with you – Emmanuel. He endured the cross, completely and absolutely alone because He loves you. No one can take your place in the Father’s heart. God knows your pain and He understands. God created you and paid for your sin for one reason alone – He loves you. Not because you are so lovable, but because He is love. 

Let’s Pray 
God, I need Your love. My life is filled with scars and wounds that can be healed by Your love alone. I celebrate the love You so freely offer. I accept the gift of Your love and thank You for its transforming power in my life. I love You, Father. 

In Jesus’ Name, 
Amen.

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 18

One Plus One Equals One 

BIBLE MEDITATION: 
“Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Matthew 19:6 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: 
Do you know what’s wrong with many marriages? Husbands treat their wives like a new car. When it’s new, he shows it off; and then when it gets old and the paint fades a little bit, he trades her in for a new model. 

Are you a married man? Then you are to satisfy her needs and share your life with her. That means all that you are and all that you have is for her! God’s arithmetic is one plus one equals one! There’s no part of our lives that we do not share. 

Are you the strong, independent type? Then you’re not like Jesus, who shared unconditionally and sacrificially with you. 

ACTION POINT: 
This week, make it a priority to give something sacrificially to your wife. It may be your time. It may be a possession. It may be a word of encouragement that she needs. 


Devotional taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 17

Clean Before the Lord 

BIBLE MEDITATION: 
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: 
I heard of a missionary whose wife was very fastidious. They moved into a small hut, and soon she noticed that the floor was filthy. The first thing the wife wanted to do was to scrub that floor, so she scrubbed and scrubbed but to no avail. She began to wonder if she would ever get the floor clean. Finally, somebody told her the problem. It was a dirt floor! The more she scrubbed the more dirt she scrubbed up. 

In the same way, we can never scrub off our sinful nature. All we do is reveal more of what is there. 

I hate to tell you this, but we’re rotten to the core. 

Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). 

ACTION POINT: 
How dirty are you this morning? How clean must you be before you can talk with your heavenly Father? Claim the blood of Jesus and commune freely with your Father who loves you. 

Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 16

Faith in Our Great God 

BIBLE MEDITATION: 
“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: 
How do you have faith? You look to Jesus, and faith is produced in your heart. 

You don’t have to work up faith. 

Suppose I needed to cross the Mississippi River and I wasn’t sure whether the bridge could hold me up or not. I could do one of two things. I could stand on the banks of the Mississippi and try to work up enough courage to make myself believe in that bridge, then timorously walk over that bridge. Or I could look at the semi-trucks traveling across the mighty steel and concrete of that bridge, believe, and boldly walk across in faith! In this case, faith is the by-product of seeing the strength of the bridge itself. In the same way, it’s not great faith in God that you need; it is faith in a great God! 

ACTION POINT: 
Attempt something so great in your life today that it is doomed to failure unless God is in it. 


Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 15

What We Do to Him 

by Max Lucado 

How we treat others is how we treat Jesus. 

The soldiers bowed before Jesus, making fun of him, saying ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’  They spat on Jesus.  They began to beat him on the head.  Then they led him away to be crucified.” (Mark 15:18-19). 

The soldiers’ assignment was simple.  Take the Nazarene to the hill and kill him.  But they wanted to have some fun first.  Strong, armed soldiers encircled an exhausted, nearly dead Galilean carpenter and beat up on him. The beating was commanded.  The crucifixion was ordered.  But the spitting?  Spitting isn’t intended to hurt the body—it can’t.  Spitting is intended to degrade the soul, and it does. 

Ever done that?  Maybe you haven’t spit on anyone, but have you gossiped?  Raised your hand in anger?  Ever made someone feel bad so you would feel good? Our Lord explained this truth in Matthew 25:40:  How we treat others is how we treat Jesus! 

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12) 

From He Chose the Nails

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 14

Easter Has the Final Say 

by Pastor Greg Laurie 

“So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man” (1 Corinthians 15:21 nlt). 

Researchers have found that disappointment is one of the toughest emotional experiences. An article from The Cut pointed out that “the feeling is inextricably linked with the brain chemical dopamine.” When something good happens to you, dopamine is released. You get almost an emotional rush. Or maybe something exciting is coming like your birthday. So, you post it on social media, but no one acknowledges it. First you get the double dopamine rush, and then you experience the double downer afterwards. It’s an actual chemical reaction. This brings the disappointment. 

A lot of things can happen to cause us to feel that way. Maybe your plans were disrupted due to COVID-19. Maybe something traumatic just happened to you or your family. Or maybe you even feel that God has let you down. 

Imagine the disappointment the disciples felt when Jesus was murdered and taken away from them. But He promised that He would rise from the dead. 

The women who went to the tomb together to anoint His dead body were not expecting to see a risen Lord. But an angel told them, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body” (Mark 16:6 nlt). 

Jesus rose in a real body in a real world in a real way. 

The Bible tells us, “But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man” (1 Corinthians 15:20–21 nlt). Death does not have the final say, even over our bodies. Easter has the final say. 


Copyright © 2020 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

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April, 2020 - The StarLight News Daily On Line Edition - Day 13

Why God Doesn’t Heal Every Sickness, Disease, and Illness 

By Chris Russell 

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (James 5:13-15) 

I am a big believer in the doctrine of healing. I have experienced God’s healing in my own life, and I have witnessed God healing myriads of people over the past couple decades I’ve been in ministry. I am greatly comforted by verses like the one in James that gives us a great hope in the power of prayer. I do believe that God heals, but I also believe that healing is not always the only path that He chooses for us. Sometimes His perfect plan for our lives is to allow us to suffer and experience disease, illness, and hardship. The reason for this is that He can often teach us things through suffering that we would never be able to learn through a book or seminar, or through comfort and prosperity. 

Paul had a problem with his eyesight that God never healed. When Timothy was sick, Paul told him to drink wine (not go to a healing service). The Lazarus who was raised from the dead eventually died later. Paul says that he had a thorn in the flesh which he prayed for God to remove over and over again, but God never removed it. Job suffered because God had a whole bigger purpose for him than mere comfort on this planet. And Job’s suffering was not the result of a lack of faith. 

Some of the greatest blessings in this world come from God’s power in the midst of trials. God changes us, molds us, strengthens us, and builds us through hardship. And there is nothing like the experience of being comforted by God alone in that dark hour. 

Over the past twenty-five years that I have been in ministry, I have seen people hurt greatly by the false teaching that God always wants to heal every malady. This is because that belief can cause a massive amount of guilt and disillusionment for the afflicted in those times when God actually chooses not to heal. The implication is that the suffering Christian just didn’t quite believe enough or is hiding some sort of sin. I have seen Christians destroyed in their faith over this erroneous teaching. 

We must realize that sometimes it’s just not God’s plan to heal or to fix a problem quickly for us. And that’s ok. He still loves us. He still has a plan. And He still has a profound purpose for that pain that can end up blessing us beyond anything we could ever imagine. 

Often God chooses to heal! But sometimes He teaches us more and draws us closer when we walk the dark mile of suffering. But to experience such blessing, it is important that we run to God and not away from Him in the midst of the storm.

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