In Touch Readings Used While Bobby Was in ICU

The following devotionals were read to Bobby, while he was in ICU.  Dr. Charles Stanley was one of his favorite pastors.  I knew in my heart that he needed to hear these words again, as he was approaching the end.  I read these pages over and over to him throughout his last days.  Various persons were in and out of the room, as I read.  My prayer is that these words may have touched someone the heart of someone else, also. Bobby would have especially liked that.

In Touch, Dr. Charles Stanley
December 3, 2007 -- A Relationship With God -- 1 John 4:7-10
              Intimate relationships are characterized by a close connection to another person and a commitment to his or her well-being. In other words, acquaintances have superficial information about us, but true friends know our deeper emotions, thoughts, and desires.
            God, who is perfect and holy, has always desired such a personal relationship with man, but human sinfulness made that seem impossible. For one thing, we all have rebelled against God's authority and deserve the death penalty (Romans 3:23; 6:23). But more than that, we were born with a corrupt nature inherited from Adam (Psalm 51:5), and neither good works nor moral values can overcome it.
            God alone could remedy the situation. His solution is to change our nature so we can be in His family. Nonetheless, divine justice must still be satisfied, and only a perfect sacrifice can pay for our sins (Deuteronomy 17:1). God requires the death of someone without a sin nature as payment for our debt. Throughout history, just one qualified: Jesus, the perfect God-man, who gave His life (Hebrews 4:15) so we could have a relationship with the Father. Our friendship with God came at a very high price to Him--the death of His beloved Son.
            The Father has done everything necessary for us to be in His family and experience intimacy with Him. Have you entered into a relationship with Him through the saving work of His Son? If not, make today your spiritual birthday by receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. This Christmas season, discover the gifts of freedom, satisfaction, and joy found only in Him

Following are the scriptures referred to in this devotional:

1 John 4     Read This Chapter

4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

4:9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Romans 3     Read This Chapter

3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6     Read This Chapter

6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

New International Version

Deuteronomy 17     Read This Chapter

17:1 Do not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect or flaw in it, for that would be detestable to him.

Hebrews 4     Read This Chapter

4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.

December 4, 2007 -- Intimacy With God -- John 15:12-15             Sometimes God seems far away from us. In those moments, we may wonder how personally involved in our lives He actually is. At such times, we should rely on what the Lord Himself has said in Scripture.
            Psalm 139:13-17 says that the Lord knit us together in the womb and loves us unconditionally. We also know He plans to prosper us spiritually (Philippians 1:6). These truths confirm that He knows us intimately.
            Jesus' life further testifies to the divine desire for intimacy. He consistently reached out to strangers, inviting them to draw near to Him. He spoke words of encouragement to His disciples and other followers, teaching them the profound truths He'd received from His Father (John 7:16) and holding them accountable for their actions. He invited certain ones to accompany Him for deeply personal experiences, such as the transfiguration and His last prayer retreat to Gethsemane (Mark 9:2; Matthew 26:36-37). These are all indications of real friendship.
            Jesus' final act--dying on the cross--made it possible for us to join His "inner circle" as a part of God's family. The Holy Spirit, each believer's indwelling companion and guide, also witnesses to God's closeness and detailed knowledge of those who are His.
            God has made intimacy with Him possible, but we often hold back. Distracted by earthly concerns, we put limits on His involvement in our lives and set family and friends as a higher priority. Let's commit to placing the Lord first and pursuing Him with our whole heart (Mark 12:30).

Following are the scripture references from this devotional:

John 15     Read This Chapter

15:12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command.

15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Psalms 139     Read This Chapter

139:13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

139:15 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,

139:16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

139:17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

New International Version

Philippians 1     Read This Chapter

1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1     Read This Chapter

1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Mark 9     Read This Chapter

9:2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.

Matthew 26     Read This Chapter
26:36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."
26:37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.  Mark 12     Read This Chapter 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. December 6, 2007 -- Receiving Answers to Our Prayers -- John 16:23-24             In response to our prayers, the Lord uses His power to penetrate closed minds and hard hearts. In that way, He brings people to salvation and transforms unrighteous lives.             We all want our petitions fulfilled, so it is important to understand God's conditions for answered prayer. Besides having a relationship with Him (John 3:3) and confessing all known sin, we must have faith that His Word is true and His promises reliable. The Bible, which was divinely written by God through man, is without error. In this amazing book, the Lord reveals His nature--holy, sovereign, and perfect--and presents His plan of salvation (Romans 10:9). Because God's promises are based on His perfect character, we can be certain He will do what He says; otherwise He would not be God. And Jesus' promises can be trusted because He always spoke the Father's words (John 12:49).             Another condition is that we ask according to the Lord's purposes. We're to pray for things that are in keeping with His divine plan and character. God wants us to discern His will, to pray that it would be carried out, and to do our part in fulfilling it (Matthew 6:9-10). The Holy Spirit will help us know what to pray. And as we consider which petitions to make, we should ask ourselves, Is my request based on God's Word? How will an answer to this prayer bring me or someone else closer to Him?             It takes an investment of time to meet the Lord's requirements for prayer. But in response, He will provide answers beyond anything we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Following are the scriptures referred to in this devotional: John 16     Read This Chapter 16:23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 16:24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. John 3     Read This Chapter 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." Romans 10     Read This Chapter 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved John 12     Read This Chapter 12:49 For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. Matthew 6     Read This Chapter 6:9 "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 6:10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Ephesians 3     Read This Chapter 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...  December 7, 2007 -- How to Handle Sin After Salvation -- 1 John 2:1-2              Am I really saved if I sin? Many new believers wonder this as they start to learn about their faith. But even longtime Christians may question whether their salvation is secure--unless they correctly understand their relationship with the Lord.             Two things happen when someone receives Christ. First, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross pays that person's sin-debt in full--past, present, and future wrongdoing is forgiven and removed. Since sin was the barrier separating mankind from holy God, the new believer is now welcome in His presence. Second, the Father does away with the person's original, rebellious nature and sends His Holy Spirit to indwell and guide the new Christian.             By trusting in Jesus, we each become a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17). Yet, since the body and mind don't change automatically, self-serving habits developed before salvation can remain ingrained and tempting. Though we may sometimes give in, we aren't suddenly unsaved because we sinned. Once God's grace is bestowed, it can't be removed-- salvation cannot be lost, nor can the Spirit's power be revoked. Our relationship with God remains intact, though it does need repair in the form of confession and repentance.             Being saved is not about keeping a perfect record of behavior. If we could do that, we wouldn't need the Father's grace. He knows we are human and prone to making selfish choices contrary to His will. When we do, Jesus Christ acts as our Advocate, because His sacrifice is what makes possible our relationship with the Father. Following are the scriptures referred to in this devotional: 1 John 2     Read This Chapter 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2:2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 Corinthians 5     Read This Chapter 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  December 8-9, 2007 -- Dealing With Sin -- Colossian 1:13-14             Back in my youth when I first became a Christian, I didn't really understand what confession and repentance meant. I thought it was necessary to beg God's forgiveness for every sin. That left me worried I might forget to confess some error--and even wondering if I was truly saved, since I kept doing wrong. But as I grew up in my faith, I learned the steps a believer takes to deal with sin.             Confession is the act of taking responsibility for sin and agreeing with God that we've violated His will. We acknowledge that we have grieved His heart by trying to get our perceived needs met in our own way and timing. Setting the relationship right begins with admitting where we went wrong.             Repentance is the decision to turn away from our sin. We make an honest evaluation of our life and see that our wrong choices neither honor the Lord nor fit who we are as believers. Then we focus our mind on God and commit to doing His will.             Gratitude is our expression of thanks for divine mercy. Forgiveness isn't earned; confession, repentance, and feelings of guilt can never "purchase" a clean slate. We receive divine pardon only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which allows us to have a relationship with God.             After confessing, repenting, and praising God, we move on. To wallow in remorse doesn't suit Christians. The Father has removed our sin as far as the east is from the west, and the way we live should reflect our freedom (Psalm 103:12; Galatians 5:1). Following are the scriptures referred to in this devotional: Colossians 1     Read This Chapter 1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Psalms 103     Read This Chapter 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Galatians 5     Read This Chapter 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.