He Is with You by Dr. Paul Chappell “And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” Luke 24:36–39 No matter where you go or what you do, God is always there with you. Have you ever thought of climbing Mount Everest? God formed the rocks and sits upon the vast mountain range. Ever dreamed of diving into the depths of the oceans? God filled the oceans with water and takes residence there as well. Ever wanted to explore the great Amazon jungles? God handmade each leaf and plant and can be found there also! There is no place on earth where God is not present—just ask Jonah! Remember, God is in the midst of your trials. Have you lost a loved one who knew Christ personally? God took that person home for a reason, and He is with you. Have you faced financial hardship? God knows your struggle, and He wants to help you through it. Have you felt as if your world was falling apart? God planned your life, and He wants to help you through the trials you face. There is no trial you face that God is not standing beside you, urging you to turn to Him. God has compassion on those who are hurting and struggling through trials. Did you know that over fifteen hundred people saw the resurrected Christ? Those people were mostly weary and worried disciples. He visited them to strengthen their faith and encourage their hearts. Luke 24:36 says, “And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.” Even as Christ gave His presence to help comfort His disciples, so He gives us Himself as well. When a person is born again, God’s Spirit takes residence in his or her life. Jesus says, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). He promises, “lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). Jesus says, “I want you to know something. Not only do you have the words I have promised you, but you have Me also. I will never leave you or forsake you. I am here, by your side, whenever you need My help. Just turn to Me.” Christ emphasized this point the day He arose from the grave. Not even death could conquer our Lord and keep Him from being with us! The pyramids of Egypt are famous because they contain the mummified bodies of ancient Egyptian kings. Westminster Abbey in London is renowned because in it rests the bodies of English nobles and notables. Mohammed's tomb is noted for the stone coffin and the bones it contains. Arlington Cemetery in Washington D.C. is revered, for it is the honored resting place of many outstanding Americans. But the garden tomb of Jesus is famous because it is empty! While many flock to the tombs of noted people, you don’t need to go anywhere to “see” the Lord—He is with you always! Are you in a difficult time right now? Is it hard to see any sign of hope? Christian, do not forget that God has promised to be with you always! Turn to Him right now and seek His help. Claim His promise and live today as if God is standing next to you the entire time—for He is! Daily Bible Reading 1 Samuel 10-12 • Luke 9:37-62

Fear Not by Dr. Paul Chappell “And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words.” Luke 24:5–8 God can turn even the most fearful days into joyful days. A very nervous airline passenger began pacing the terminal when the bad weather delayed his flight. During his walk, he ran across a life insurance machine. It offered $100,000 in the event of an untimely death aboard a flight. The policy was just three dollars. He looked out the window at the threatening clouds and thought of his family at home. For that price it was foolish not to buy, so he took out the coverage. He then looked for a place to eat. Airports carry a good variety of eateries so he settled on his favorite, Chinese. It was a relaxing meal until he opened his fortune cookie. It read, “Your recent investment will pay big dividends.” We all face fears in our lives. Some people are afraid of heights, some are afraid of snakes, and some are afraid of dying. It is common for us to be afraid of things, yet God commands us to fear not. How can we live today without fear? We aren’t the only ones who often have fears. The women who journeyed to Christ’s tomb felt fear and sorrow as well. But their journey of fear and sorrow became a time of rejoicing the morning they arrived at the tomb. Once they saw the stone rolled away and realized Christ was alive, their fear turned to joy. Our fears and worries can be turned to joy when we look to Christ and remember His promises. When we realize the truth of God’s Word and apply it to our lives, sorrowful days will turn into joyful days. Many times, Christians can focus so much on the fear in their lives that they fail to see God. It seems as if the devil causes Christians to shift their focus when they are going through a time of fear. Friend, that’s the time you need God the most! He’s the only one who can help you through your fear. When the women at the tomb remembered the words of Jesus, their fears were relieved. They realized God had conquered death, and He was still alive! They had hope! They could face the future, knowing their Lord and Saviour was there to help them. Even so, when you spend time in God’s Word and remember the words of Christ, your fears will be relieved. You will remember what God said in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” You will remember that God has promised to provide for you in 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” You will remember that He is watching out for you. Do you find yourself fearing about the future or about some event in your life? Maybe it’s finances, the economy, or a work situation. God has everything under control. Spend time with Him now and shift your focus from your problem to the Problem-solver. Daily Bible Reading 1 Samuel 7-9 • Luke 9:18-36

Restoring Fellowship with God by Dr. Paul Chappell “And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.” 2 Samuel 12:7–9 The key to restoration is your attitude toward conviction. One youth worker recalls a deeply moving incident that happened in a Christian junior high camp where he served. One of the campers, a boy with spastic paralysis, was the object of heartless ridicule. When he would ask a question, the boys would deliberately answer in a halting, mimicking way. One night his cabin group chose him to lead the devotions before the entire camp. It was one more effort to have some "fun" at his expense. Unashamedly the spastic boy stood up, and in his strained, slurred manner—each word coming with enormous effort—he said simply, "Jesus loves me—and I love Jesus!" That was all. Conviction fell upon those junior highers. Many began to cry. Revival gripped the camp. Just as repentance for those teenagers came about as a result of the conviction and repentance they experienced, so King David was restored to fellowship with God as a result of his response to conviction. After David’s sin with Bathsheeba, David was confronted by a prophet named Nathan. Second Samuel 12:7 says, “And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul.” Nathan was not coming with a condemning spirit, but with a heart that wanted David to get right with God. Many times we can become upset or defensive when God convicts us. But notice David’s response in verse 13, “And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD.” The key to David’s restoration to God was the fact that he recognized his sin and humbly sought the Lord’s forgiveness. David was the king and could have had Nathan put to death for confronting him, but instead he realized his sin, repented before God, and restored his relationship with God. How do you handle conviction? Do you become angry when confronted about sin in your life? You cannot come back into fellowship with God if you do not respond correctly to biblical conviction. Has God convicted you about some area of your life? Do not view conviction as an attack on your character. God merely wants to bring you back to fellowship with Him! And He often uses earthly means to bring conviction—a godly friend, a sermon at church, a verse from the Bible. Thank God that He cares enough about you to call you back to Himself through conviction! Repent to God about the area He is convicting you of in your life. Let Him restore you to a right relationship with Him today. Daily Bible Reading Ruth 1-4 • Luke 8:1-25

The Greatest Loss by Dr. Paul Chappell “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James 1:14–15 Sin will always cause loss. Gary Richmond was a zookeeper who wrote an article about raccoons. He said in his article that when raccoons reach the age of twenty-four months, a glandular change takes place. Instead of being cuddly, playful animals, they will oftentimes strike at people for no particular reason. He noted that a thirty-pound raccoon can fight more viciously than a one-hundred pound dog. Gary had a friend named Julie who had a raccoon. Julie loved the raccoon, and the raccoon loved her. Gary felt he should share his discovery with Julie. He warned, “Julie, that raccoon is just about the age now where it could become a danger to you.” Julie looked at Gary and said, “Oh, it will be different for me. Bandit would never hurt me.” Gary did what he could to try to persuade her, but she wouldn’t listen. Three months later Gary went to visit Julie at the hospital where she had just undergone plastic surgery for the facial lacerations she had received from her pet raccoon. Sin isn’t a pet that you can keep and walk away unscathed when it attacks. Sin always causes loss, as we see in King David’s life. Because he gave in to sin and willfully disobeyed God, God punished him and brought about great loss in his life. David had experienced trials before in his life, but he had never faced such a time of loss. He lost his fellowship with the Lord. Second Samuel 11:27 says, “And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.” David did not lose his salvation, for you cannot lose your salvation once you have been saved as we see in John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” But because David sinned and had displeased the Lord, his relationship with God was strained. One of the greatest things you can lose because of sin is your fellowship with God. God desires to meet with you each day and help you live for Him, but when there is sin in your life, He cannot help you. Because God is just, He despises sin and can have no dealings with it. He longs to spend time with you, but sin in your life will prevent Him from doing so. Is there sin in your life? Do not lose the sweet fellowship God offers you because of sin. Confess your sin and turn your heart back towards Him. When you fall, quickly ask God’s forgiveness so you can continue in your intimate relationship with Him. Daily Bible Reading Judges 19-21 • Luke 7:31-50

Idle Times by Dr. Paul Chappell “And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.” 2 Samuel 11:2 Idleness gives great opportunity to the devil. The Spanish philosopher, Unamuno, tells about the Roman aqueduct at Segovia, in his native Spain. It was built in 109 A.D. For eighteen hundred years, it carried cool water from the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. Nearly sixty generations of men drank from its flow. Then came another generation, a recent one, who said, "This aqueduct is so great a marvel that it ought to be preserved for our children, as a museum piece. We shall relieve it of its centuries-long labor." They did, laying modern iron pipes to replace the aqueduct. They gave the ancient bricks and mortar a reverent rest, but the aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating on the dry mortar caused it to crumble. The bricks and stones sagged and now threatened to fall. What ages of service could not destroy idleness disintegrated. Just as with the aqueduct, idleness in the life of a Christian can cause decay or sin to enter his life. Bible commentator Matthew Henry once said, “Standing waters gather filth. The bed of sloth often proves to be the bed of lust.” As the verse today shows, David had nothing better to do than simply lie around his palace. He should have been off at war, but since he decided to stay home, he found himself looking for something to do. Idleness is the devil’s playground. When you neglect your duties and slack from your responsibilities, you will find yourself to be easy prey for the devil. When you know you should be at church but you decide to stay home, the devil has his foot in the door. When you should have gone to work, but chose to skip out, the devil will jump on your back. Never let idleness into your life, for it will lead to temptation and sin. Idleness led to sin in David’s life as the verse today shows. David saw something he shouldn’t have, and rather than turning away from it, he continued to look. First Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” This is every Christian’s battle, not just David’s. We are all sought after by the devil and tempted to sin. There is no Christian so spiritual or so godly that the devil does not seek after them and tempt them to fall. One of the ways the devil uses to cause Christians to fall is idleness. Have you been idle in some area of your life? Perhaps you have idled in your Bible reading or prayer time. Or maybe you have idled in your church attendance or giving. Idleness can also come when you stray from or relax in the everyday routine of life. Don’t let the devil get a foothold in your life through idleness. Commit to persevering for God and to staying busy for Him. For when you are busily serving God, the devil will have no opportunity to bring idleness into your life. Daily Bible Reading Judges 16-18 • Luke 7:1-30

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