North Carolina College Considering Ban on Chick-fil-A By Michael Gryboski , Christian Post Reporter

A college in North Carolina is considering a ban on products from  Chick-fil-A in response to complaints over the chicken sandwich chain’s  connections to social conservative groups.

Davidson College‘s Union Board, a student organization that oversees events  at the campus, decided last week to consider halting the use of Chick-fil-A for  its popular “After Midnight” monthly program.

Bill Giduz, director of Media Relations at Davidson, provided The Christian  Post with a statement regarding the pending decision.

“In light of the controversy over Chick-fil-A, the board has decided to  gather student input on the matter and discuss it at one of their early-semester  weekly meetings after classes resume on August 27,” read the statement.

“The Union Board serves different menus at After Midnight throughout the  year, and Chick-fil-A is served once or twice annually … Until a final decision  is made, alternative options will be served at After Midnight and other Union  Board events.”

“The only process envisioned is that the students who are members of the  College Union Board are planning to discuss the issue,” said Giduz to CP.  “They’re the party responsible for the ‘After Midnight’ events and what’s served  on those occasions. They have not yet set a date for their deliberation.”

Davidson College is not the only academic institution mulling over a ban on  Chick-fil-A products because of the fast-food chain’s connections to  organizations like Focus on the Family and Family Research Council. New York University may also ban Chick-fil-A over the  ideological viewpoints of its leadership.

Philip Lentz, director of Public Affairs for NYU, told The Christian Post  that the university had in the past seriously considered removing Chick-fil-A  from their campus.

“In 2011, the Student Senators Council passed a resolution asking that  Chick-fil-A be removed from campus. However, this spring, the council withdrew  that resolution, saying a ban would have limited freedom of expression,” said  Lentz.

“These types of issues at NYU are typically considered by our University  Senate, which consists of representatives of the faculty, students,  administrators and deans … So the issue has not yet been presented to the  University Senate.”

Lentz explained that the effort to ban Chick-fil-A from NYU reappeared on the  agenda after the much publicized remarks of COO Dan Cathy regarding same-sex marriage.

“In the wake of the recent controversy over Mr. Cathy’s remarks, the NYU  administration has asked the University Senate to take up the issue of  Chick-fil-A’s status on campus when it reconvenes this fall,” said Lentz.

“As of right now, the Chick-fil-A on the NYU campus is closed for the summer  and is scheduled to reopen when students return for the fall semester.”

Cathy said last month that he supports the biblical definition of the family  unit. He also remarked that America was “inviting God’s judgment” for saying “we  know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.”

http://www.christianpost.com/news/north-carolina-college-considering-ban-on-chick-fil-a-79831/#l4rKjrVLrfbbKH6c.99

Priceless Parables

Priceless Parables.

Supremely Significant

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5

Modern counseling and psychology focus a lot of attention on obsessive behaviors—whether it’s an obsession with food, tobacco, alcohol, pornography, drugs, or even work. But perhaps one of the most overlooked addictions is our obsession with personal significance. Think about the amount of time and energy you spend in maintaining, advancing, expanding, and protecting your sense of significance. You know, making yourself look good, staying on top of the heap, protecting your ego, and living to be more successful than the next guy.

And while it seems like everyone is signed up for this rat race, we need to face up to the reality that the search for significance is a treacherous pursuit personally.

Count the costs. Significance is often gained at the expense of our character as we are willing to lie and cut ethical corners to be viewed well by others. It makes us defensive when someone seeks to improve us through criticism. The pursuit embitters our hearts against God over disappointing and unchangeable personal issues like our size, shape, or color. Pursuing our own significance makes us vulnerable to a host of verbal sins, such as gossip, slander, boasting, lying, and immoral chatter. It’s why we are quick to violate basic principles of stewardship by burdening ourselves with debt in order to accumulate things that supposedly enhance our significance socially and materially. The warning label on being obsessed with your own significance is long and serious.

And, I need to add, being driven to protect and advance our sense of significance renders us unable to serve others unless there is an advantage to be gained; unable to sacrifice for a cause that is not our own and unwilling to suffer for that cause if necessary; unable to surrender to any agenda that impedes the progress of our personal persona. In short, it cripples our ability to love God more than ourselves and to live to bring glory to God since, when we are compelled to glorify ourselves, we are unable to exalt His worthy significance.

So let’s see what we can do about this. At the start of his letter to the Colossians, Paul notes that Jesus is the only truly significant Person: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. . . . All things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. . . . He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:15-18). Yet, as Paul wrote to the Philippians, Jesus did not live to hold on to these things but rather poured himself out for our benefit by humbling himself in obedience to His Father (Philippians 2:6-7).

Don’t miss the point! Jesus—who had every right to celebrate and advance His own significance—chose to serve, surrender, suffer, and sacrifice in order to bring glory to His Father and to rescue us from the grip of hell. And if you have accepted this gift of surrender on His part, you are now a child of God. You already are significant! God is your Father. Significance is no longer a search but a secured reality. And once you are significant in Him, you are free to refocus your obsession to living to glorify His significance and not your own.

So, let the attitude of Christ be in you. It’s a significant pursuit worthy of your obsession!

YOUR JOURNEY…

• Read Philippians 2:1-11. How can you transition from verses Philippians 2:3-4 to live with the attitude of Christ? Can you believe that, as it says in 1 Peter 5:6, when you humble yourself to Him, He will exalt you “in due time”?
• Make a list of things that make you feel significant. Is there anything on that list that competes with making Jesus significant through your life?
• Think through why you want to feel significant. Do you really think that elevating yourself is more worthy than living to elevate Him?
• What are some warning signs that might indicate whether or not you are obsessed with your own significance? If you’re not sure, ask a trusted friend to help you evaluate this area of your life.

http://getmorestrength.org/daily/supremely-significant/

This Experience Must Come

Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha . . . saw him no more —2 Kings 2:11-12

It is not wrong for you to depend on your “Elijah” for as long as God gives him to you. But remember that the time will come when he must leave and will no longer be your guide and your leader, because God does not intend for him to stay. Even the thought of that causes you to say, “I cannot continue without my ’Elijah.’ ” Yet God says you must continue.

Alone at Your “Jordan” (2 Kings 2:14). The Jordan River represents the type of separation where you have no fellowship with anyone else, and where no one else can take your responsibility from you. You now have to put to the test what you learned when you were with your “Elijah.” You have been to the Jordan over and over again with Elijah, but now you are facing it alone. There is no use in saying that you cannot go— the experience is here, and you must go. If you truly want to know whether or not God is the God your faith believes Him to be, then go through your “Jordan” alone.

Alone at Your “Jericho” (2 Kings 2:15). Jericho represents the place where you have seen your “Elijah” do great things. Yet when you come alone to your “Jericho,” you have a strong reluctance to take the initiative and trust in God, wanting, instead, for someone else to take it for you. But if you remain true to what you learned while with your “Elijah,” you will receive a sign, as Elisha did, that God is with you.

Alone at Your “Bethel” (2 Kings 2:23). At your “Bethel” you will find yourself at your wits’ end but at the beginning of God’s wisdom. When you come to your wits’ end and feel inclined to panic— don’t! Stand true to God and He will bring out His truth in a way that will make your life an expression of worship. Put into practice what you learned while with your “Elijah”— use his mantle and pray (see 2 Kings 2:13-14). Make a determination to trust in God, and do not even look for Elijah anymore.

http://utmost.org/this-experience-must-come/

Jesus Gives His Last Commands To His Helpers

While the two disciples were speaking, Jesus himself stood among them. And they were frightened and believed that they saw a ghost; but he said to them, “Why are you so frightened? Why do you doubt? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, for a ghost has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.” While they were still unable for very joy and wonder to believe, he said to them, “Have you anything to eat here?” And when they gave him a piece of broiled fish, he ate before them.

Then he said to them, “This is what I told you when I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he helped them to understand the scriptures, and said, “It is written that the Christ must suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that in his name all nations must be called upon to turn from their sins and gain God‘s forgiveness. You yourselves, beginning at Jerusalem, are to tell men about these things.”

Now Thomas, one of the twelve disciples, who was called “The Twin,” was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Master.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the marks of the nails in his hands and put my finger where they were and put my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

Eight days later Jesus’ disciples were again together, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were closed, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands, and put your hand here in my side. Do not be a doubter but a believer.” Thomas answered him, “My Master and my God!” Jesus said to him, “You believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who believe though they have never seen me!”

Later Jesus appeared to his disciples by the Sea of Galilee, and in this way. As Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, were together with two other of his disciples, Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” “We will go too,” they said, and they set out and went on board the boat; but that night they caught nothing. At daybreak Jesus stood on the beach, though the disciples did not know that it was he.

He said to them, “Children, have you anything to eat?” They answered, “No.” And he said, “Throw your net over on the right side of the boat and you will catch something.” So they threw over the net, and now they could not haul it in because of the great number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Master.” As soon as Simon Peter heard that it was the Master, he put on his fisherman’s coat (for he was stripped for his work), and jumped into the water; but the other disciples, being only about one hundred yards from the shore, came in the small boat dragging the net full of fish.

When they landed, they saw a charcoal fire burning, and over it a fish cooking, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard the boat and hauled the net ashore filled with large fish; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Then Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Not one of the disciples had courage to ask, “Who are you?” for they knew that it was the Master. Jesus came and gave them the bread and also the fish. This was the third time he appeared to his disciples after he had risen from the dead.

After breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said, “Surely, Master, you know I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” Then he asked him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” And he answered, “Surely, Master, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” Jesus said to him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me with all your heart?” Peter was grieved because Jesus asked a third time, “Do you love me?” And he answered, “Master, you know everything, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

And Jesus said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go you, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”

Jesus showed his disciples, by many proofs, that he still lived, revealing himself to them during forty days and telling them about the Kingdom of God. When he and his disciples were together he told them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised–”the promise,” he said, “of which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but before many days have passed you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

While they were together they asked him, “Master, is this the time when you are going to restore the rulership to Israel?” Jesus said to them, “It is not for you to know the time or the season which the Father has fixed by his own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses at Jerusalem, throughout all Judea and Samaria and to every part of the earth.” When he had said this and while they were still looking at him, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were staring into heaven, as he went up, two men clothed in white stood beside them, who said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way as you have seen him go.”

On the Day of Pentecost, as they were all together, suddenly, there came from heaven a sound like the rushing blast of a mighty wind which filled the whole house where they were seated. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in a strange way and to cry aloud and shout.

When this was reported a crowd gathered, astonished and perplexed, and asked one another, “What can it mean?” Others with a sneer said, “They are full of new wine!”

But Peter, together with the eleven apostles, stood up and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, understand this and listen to what I say: these men are not drunk as you suppose, for it is only nine in the morning, but this is what was foretold by the prophet Joel:

“‘In the last days,’ God declared,
‘I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions.

“‘And your old men shall dream dreams,
Even upon my slaves and slave-girls
In those days I will pour out my Spirit,
And they shall prophesy.’”

“Men of Israel, hear these words: By the help of lawless men you nailed to the cross and murdered Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was proved to be from God through the deeds of healing and the wonderful acts which God performed by him among you, as you yourselves know. But God released him from the bonds of death and raised him to life, for death could not hold him. Lifted on high at God’s right hand and having received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured it upon us as you now see and hear. Let the whole nation of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

When they heard this, their conscience troubled them, and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what are we to do?” Peter answered, “Say that you are sorry for your sins, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, that your sins may be forgiven; then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for it is promised to you, and to your children, and to all in distant lands, to any and to all whom the Lord our God shall call.”

With many other words he warned and urged them to save themselves from this wicked time. So those who believed what he taught were baptized; and on that day about three thousand were added to the brotherhood.

http://kids.ochristian.com/Childrens-Bible/Jesus-Gives-His-Last-Commands-To-His-Helpers.shtml

“All the land which thou seest” (Gen. xiii. 15).

The actual provisions of His grace come from the inner vision.             ]

He who puts the instinct in the bosom of yonder bird to cross the continent in search of summer sunshine in yonder Southern clime is too good to deceive it, and just as surely as He has put the instinct in its breast, so has He also put the balmy breezes and the vernal sunshine yonder to meet it when it arrives.

He who gave to Abraham the vision of the Land of Promise, also said in infinite truth and love: “All the land that thou seest will I give thee.” He who breathes into our hearts the heavenly hope, will not deceive or fail us when we press forward to its realization. There is nothing unfaithful in Him who has said: “If it were not so, I would have told you,” and we may know that He never will deceive us nor fail us, but all that He reveals by His Holy Spirit He will make our own, as we press forward and enter into its realization.

Lord, give me first the vision and then the victory. Show me all my inheritance, and then give it all to me in Christ Jesus.

http://devotionals.ochristian.com/a-b-simpson-devotional.shtml

 

Delighting in the Peace of Justification

Delighting in the Peace of Justification.

Eyes To See

My first glimpse of the Promised Land from the hills of Moab was disappointing. “Did this look a lot different when the Israelites got here?” I asked our guide as we looked toward Jericho. I was expecting a dramatic contrast from the east side of the Jordan. “No,” she answered. “It has looked the same for thousands of years.”

I rephrased the question. “What did the Israelites see when they got here?” “The biggest oasis on the face of the whole earth,” she replied.

Then I understood. I had ridden across the barren desert in the luxury of an air-conditioned bus stocked with cold bottled water. To me, an oasis was nothing spectacular. The Israelites had spent years wandering in a hot, dry desert. To them, the sprawling patch of pale green in the hazy distance meant refreshing, life-sustaining water. They were parched; I was refreshed. They were exhausted; I was rested. They had spent 40 years getting there; I had spent 4 hours.

Like an oasis, God’s goodness is found in dry and difficult places. How often, I wonder, do we fail to see His goodness because our spiritual senses have been dulled by comfort. Sometimes God’s gifts are seen more clearly when we are tired and thirsty. May we always thirst for Him (Ps. 143:6).

Dear Lord, may our desire for You be like that of a deer panting for cold, refreshing water. Please don’t allow comfort or worldly success to keep us from seeing You in every detail of our lives.

Jesus is the only fountain who can satisfy the thirsty soul.

http://odb.org/

True Worship by Mark D. Roberts

Romans 12:1-2

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Romans 12:1

If I were to ask you to envision Christian worship, I expect you would imagine your church gathered for Sunday services, or something like that. Indeed, when God’s people assemble to offer praise and thanks to God, this is an essential element of true worship. But it’s just the beginning!

Romans 12:1 affirms what we learn throughout the Scripture, namely, that true worship includes everything we do in life, and not merely our participation in weekly “worship” services. The original language of this verse explains that when we offer our bodies to God, living for him in all we do, this is our “logical worship.” The noun translated as “worship” is used in the Old Testament for the actions of priests in the temple. The adjective, logike, is related to our word “logical,” and means “sensible” or “fitting.” In other words, the worship that makes sense for us is offering our whole selves to God, all that we are and all that we do.

Most of us are accustomed to thinking of worship as that which we do in our church buildings, but not the activity of our daily lives. It takes time for the truth of Scripture to permeate our thinking. But when this happens, when we understand the true extent of Christian worship, our lives will be transformed, saturated with new meaning and purpose.

When you enter your workplace today, think of it as a sanctuary for worshiping God. When you sit down for a meeting you’d rather skip, let it be for you an occasion to live for God’s glory. When the school bell summons you to class, let this be a call to worship. And when you sit down for supper with your family or friends, may this be the table of the Lord.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Do you think of worship as involving all of your life? Why or why not? How might Paul’s teaching on true worship make a difference in your life today?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, as I wrap up this four-day reflection on Romans 12:1, I feel as if I could easily spend another week meditating on this exceptional verse and its implications for my life. In truth, I could probably spend a lifetime discovering what it means to offer myself as a living sacrifice to you, worshiping you in everything I do. May that be so, dear Lord! As I leave this verse behind, may its truth stay with me.

Today, Lord, I will seek to worship you in everything I do, every word and deed, every thought and feeling. I will strive to love you with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Even as I say this, gracious God, I am only too aware of my own foibles. So I ask for your help. May your Spirit stir within me, teaching me to give you all that I am, all of the time. Amen.

http://www.thehighcalling.org/reflection/true-worship-0

Tozer Devotional-Setting Our Sails in the Will of God

Setting Our Sails in the Will of God

In the kingdom of God what we will is accepted as what we are. If any man will, said our Lord, let him. God does not desire to destroy our wills, but to sanctify them. In that terrible, wonderful moment of surrender it may be that we feel that our will has been forever broken, but such is not the case. In His conquest of the soul God does not destroy any of its normal powers. He purges the will and brings it into union with His own, but He never breaks it. In the diaries of some of God’s greatest saints will be found vows and solemn pledges made in moments of great grace when the presence of God was so real and so wonderful that the reverent worshiper felt he dared to say anything, to make any promise, with the full assurance that God would enable him to carry out his holy intention. The self-confident and irresponsible boast of a Peter is one thing and is not to be confused with the hushed and trustful vow of a David or a Daniel. Neither should Peter’s embarrassing debacle dissuade us from making vows of our own. The heart gives character to our pledges, and God knows the difference between an impulsive promise and a reverent declaration of intention. Let us, then, set our sails in the will of God. If we do this we will certainly find ourselves moving in the right direction, no matter which way the wind blows.

http://cmalliance.org/devotions/tozer?id=638