Brokenness— The Plan
JOHN 12:20-26 

Do you desire God’s best in life? And do you hope to become the person He created you to be, able to accomplish all He has planned? Most likely, your answer is affirmative to both questions. But are you willing for the Lord to do whatever is necessary to bring about full submission in your life?

This third inquiry oftentimes does not receive a resounding “yes.” Yet in order for us to enjoy the best of God’s blessings and to blossom into the people we were designed to be, we have to surrender our will. Let me be the first to admit that it is not an easy process.

All of us have certain desires and habits that we simply do not want to relinquish. Today’s passage teaches us that dying to ourselves is necessary before we can truly live for God.

As you would expect, that is inevitably painful. It would be much easier if we could just choose to give up our stubborn wills. But according to Scripture, when we become believers, we retain unrighteous behavior patterns, which can be rather ingrained. God has to permit enough difficulty to enter our lives so that our old “flesh” tendencies are broken. Only then can we yield our hearts to the Lord without reservation.

Though it is hard to understand, our heavenly Father allows pain because of His great love. Just as a parent hates for his child to hurt, God takes no pleasure in our difficulty. But He so desires that we experience fullness of life in Christ that He allows hardship to shape us

A Spider’s Web    –    They weave the spider’s web.

Isaiah 59:5

Observe the spider’s web and find in it a most suggestive picture of the hypocrite’s religion. It is meant to catch his prey: The spider fattens himself on flies, and the Pharisee has his reward. Foolish people are easily trapped by the loud professions of pretenders, and even the more discerning cannot always escape. Philip baptized Simon Magus, whose deceitful declaration of faith was so quickly exposed by the stern rebuke of Peter. Routine and reputation, praise and promotion, along with other flies, are the small game that hypocrites take in their nets.

A spider’s web is a marvel of skill: Look at it and admire the tricks of this cunning hunter. The deceiver’s religion is equally seductive. How does he make so barefaced a lie appear to be a truth? How can he make his tinsel look so much like gold?

A spider’s web emerges all from the creature itself. The bee gathers her wax from flowers; the spider doesn’t, but still she spins her material to great length. In the same way hypocrites find their trust and hope within themselves; their anchor was forged on their own anvil, and their rope twisted by their own hands. They rest upon their own foundation and carve out the pillars from their own house, scorning the thought of being debtors to the sovereign grace of God.

But a spider’s web is very frail. It is curiously constructed, but not enduringly manufactured. It is no match for the servant’s broom or the traveler’s staff. The hypocrite does not need a battery of cannons to blow his hope to pieces; a mere puff of wind will do it. Hypocritical cobwebs will soon come down when the broom of destruction begins its purifying work. Which reminds us of one more thought-namely, that such cobwebs are not to be tolerated in the Lord’s house: He will see to it that the webs and those who spin them will be utterly destroyed. My soul, make sure to rest on something better than a spider’s web. Take the Lord Jesus as your eternal hiding-place.

The family reading plan for August 8, 2011

Ruth 1 | Acts 26

Know Your Enemies

Watchman, what time of the night?

Isaiah 21:11

What enemies are around? Errors abound, and new ones appear every hour: Against what heresy am I to be on my guard? Sins creep from their lurking places when the darkness reigns; I need to climb the watchtower and give myself to prayer. Our heavenly Protector anticipated all the attacks that are about to be made upon us, and when the evil designed for us is still in the desire of Satan, He prays for us that our faith will not fail when we are sifted as wheat. Continue then, gracious Watchman, to warn us of our foes, and for Zion’s sake do not remain silent.

“Watchman, what time of the night?” What weather is coming for the Church? Are the clouds rolling in, or is it all clear and fair overhead? We must care for the Church of God with sincere and thoughtful love; and now that empty religion and irreligion both threaten, let us observe the signs of the times and prepare for conflict.

“Watchman, what time of the night?” What stars are visible? What precious promises are relevant to our circumstances? You sound the alarm and also give us the consolation. Christ, like the North Star, is always fixed in His place, and all the stars are secure in the right hand of their Lord.

But, watchman, when comes the morning? The Bridegroom delays. Are there no signs of His appearing as the Sun of Righteousness? Hasn’t the morning star arisen as the pledge of day? When will the day dawn and the shadows flee away? O Jesus, if You don’t come in person to Your waiting Church today, still come in Spirit to my sighing heart, and make it sing for joy.

Now all the earth is bright and glad

With the fresh morn;

But all my heart is cold, and dark and sad:

Sun of the soul, let me behold Thy dawn!

Come, Jesus, Lord,

O quickly come, according to Thy word.

The family reading plan for August 6, 2011

Judges 20 | Acts 24

A Hunger for God
PSALM 63:1-5 

The Lord has given us a variety of appetites, which are essential for our physical survival. But He has also created within our hearts a hunger that is spiritual. David was a man who recognized and felt this yearning for the Lord. Throughout the Psalms, we find him meditating, offering praise, or crying out to God. His greatest joy was to be with his heavenly Father in intimate communion.

Hungering for the Lord is a desire to know and draw closer to Him. Sadly, this yearning lies dormant in many believers’ lives. They’re saved but have very little desire for more. One of the problems is that our society is filled with all sorts of things that grab and hold our interest and affections. These pleasures and pursuits compete with God for our attention, claiming our time and effort.

The good news is that the longing for God can be awakened if we are willing to change our priorities and pursuits. Although cultivating a desire for the Lord takes time, the joy we’ll experience is lasting—and the rewards are eternal. You’ll always get more out of a relationship with God than you put in. In fact, as your hunger for Him comes to life, He will open your heart and mind to understand and desire Him even more.

When we yearn for the Lord, He will satisfy us with contentment and a sense of completeness, while awakening an even deeper longing in our soul. Unlike physical hunger, a craving for Him is filled but paradoxically leaves us hungry. The more we are satisfied in Christ, the more we want of Him

Levels of Faith in the Believer’s Life
MARK 11:20-24 

It’s a good idea to pause every now and then to evaluate where we are in our spiritual development. All Christians operate on one of three levels of faith. Although we all spend time in each one at various points in our lives, our goal should be to continually advance upward.

Level 1 is Little Faith. This stage is characterized by struggling to believe God. We hope He’ll answer our prayer, but we’re just not sure. Sometimes doubts creep in because we’re looking at the situation, not at the Lord and His Word. Or maybe our problem is that we just don’t know what God has said in the Bible, so we have nothing to anchor our faith.

Level 2 is Great Faith. I like to call this phase “reaching faith” because it involves stretching to believe the Lord more and more. Christians at this level are beginning to stand on the truth of Scripture. When we let the Word of God shape our thinking and petitions, we can know that He will grant our requests.

Level 3 is Perfect Faith. This one is characterized as resting in the confidence that the Lord has already accomplished what we’ve asked. When our requests align with His will, it’s a “done deal.” Our job is simply to thank Him and watch His promise become a reality.

No matter where you are, the Lord wants you to continually progress. Being in His Word is the only way to move upward. How can we believe Him if we don’t know what He has said He will do? But if you know what He has promised, hang on, and don’t let go

What Do We Know?

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good.

Romans 8:28

Upon some points a believer is absolutely sure. He knows, for instance, that God sits in the center of the vessel when it rocks most. He believes that an invisible hand is always on the world’s tiller, and that wherever providence may drift, God is steering it. That reassuring knowledge prepares him for everything. He looks over the raging waters and sees the spirit of Jesus walking on the water, and he hears a voice saying, “It is I-do not be afraid.” He knows too that God is always wise, and knowing this, he is confident that there can be no accidents, no mistakes and that nothing can occur that ought not to happen. He can say, “If I should lose everything, it is better that I should lose it than keep it if it is God’s will: The worst disaster is the wisest and the kindest thing that I could face if God ordains it.”

“We know that for those who love God all things work together for good.” The Christian does not merely hold this as a theory, but he knows it as a matter of fact. So far everything has worked for good; the poisonous drugs mixed in proper proportions have effected the cure; the sharp cuts of the scalpel have cleaned out the disease and facilitated the healing. Every event as yet has worked out the most divinely blessed results; and so, believing that God rules all, that He governs wisely, that He brings good out of evil, the believer’s heart is assured, and he is learning to meet each trial calmly when it comes. In the spirit of true resignation the believer can pray, “Send me what You will, my God, as long as it comes from You; there never was a poor portion that came from Your table to any of Your children.”

Do not say, my soul, “Where will God find one to relieve my care?”

Remember that Omnipotence has servants everywhere.

His method is sublime and His heart profoundly kind,

God is never too early and never behind!

The family reading plan for August 5, 2011

Judges 19 | Acts 23

Growing Faith
2 THESSALONIANS 1:3-5 

God’s desire is that our faith grow continuously as we walk with Him. He never intended belief to be a one-time event with a single purpose of ushering us into salvation. The older we get, the greater our trust should become. Yet I’ve met some Christians who have stayed at the same level of faith throughout life.

We need to realize that our willingness to trust the Lord affects every area of our lives—how we feel, what we do, the way He blesses us, and whether our prayers are answered. It all begins with our focus. When you face difficulties or heartbreak, do you notice only the impossibility of the circumstances, or do you see the greatness of our Father? To whose voice are you listening—the skeptical advice of others, the lies of Satan, or the Word of God?

Our focus in turn affects our emotions. Those who choose to believe what God says experience the peace and joy of knowing He has everything under His control. Because they trust Him, fewer situations bother them. But if our minds are filled with doubts, anxiety and fear rush in—then, we’re just not sure if the Lord is going to help us or not. Instead of resting in Christ, we fuss and fume, trying to anticipate all possible outcomes and solve every problem in our own strength.

I don’t think we realize how important faith is to God. He delights in us when we choose to believe Him; He will also move heaven and earth to act on our behalf and answer our prayers. By trusting Him, we’ll discover new excitement and adventure in life and find that He is always faithful

Highest and Best Knowledge   –   The people who know their God shall stand firm.

Daniel 11:32

Every believer understands that to know God is the highest and best form of knowledge; and this spiritual knowledge is a source of strength to the Christian. It strengthens his faith. Believers are constantly referred to in the Bible as people who are enlightened and taught by the Lord; they are said to “have been anointed by the Holy One,”1 and it is the Spirit’s peculiar office to lead them into all truth, so that they might grow in their faith.

Knowledge strengthens love as well as faith. Knowledge opens the door, and then through that door we see our Savior. Or to put it another way, knowledge paints the portrait of Jesus, and when we see that portrait, then we love Him. We cannot love a Christ whom we do not know at least in some degree. If we know only a little of the excellencies of Jesus, what He has done for us and what He is doing now, we cannot love Him much; but the more we know Him, the more we will love Him.

Knowledge also strengthens hope. How can we hope for something if we do not know of its existence? Hope may be the telescope, but until we receive instruction, our ignorance blocks our view, and we can see nothing. Knowledge removes the blockage, and when we look through the bright optic glass we discover the glory to be revealed and anticipate it with joyful confidence.

Knowledge supplies us with reason for patience. How will we have patience unless we know something of the sympathy of Christ and understand the good that comes out of the correction that our heavenly Father sends us? There is not a single Christian who, under God, will not be fostered and brought to perfection by holy knowledge. It is then very important that we should grow not only in grace, but in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

11 John 2:20

The family reading plan for August 4, 2011

Judges 18 | Acts 22

A New Nature
1 THESSALONIANS 5:21-23 

When we trust Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us. That is the moment of salvation, when we become a new creation. Yet until life in these earthly bodies ceases, there will continue to be a war between the old and new patterns of behavior.

To lead us to victory, the Lord may allow difficulty that brings about brokenness. His purpose is to rid us of our old “flesh” so that we can experience fullness of life in Christ.

Let’s examine this flesh. The following are indications that the sinful self still thrives: self-advancement, self-centeredness, self-will, self-dependency, and self-righteousness. These motives exist in all people to some extent, but over time our heavenly Father lovingly breaks them in His children.

At salvation, God gives us His nature, the evidence of which is fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal. 5:22). These qualities allow us to love and be loved. And people will be attracted to Jesus when they sense these characteristics in believers. On the other hand, if these attributes are missing, we can never truly experience life as God intended. The process of brokenness and restoration is unpleasant. But the end result is well worth the suffering that it requires.

What rules your actions, choices, and thoughts? Are they primarily influenced by the Holy Spirit or by your flesh? It takes courage to look at your heart and notice its true condition. Ask God to work in your life so that His Spirit can reign freely in your heart

The Light of Heaven      Its lamp is the lamb.

Revelation 21:23

Quietly contemplate the Lamb as the light of heaven. Light in Scripture is the emblem of joy. The joy of the saints in heaven is comprised in this: Jesus chose us, loved us, bought us, cleansed us, robed us, kept us, glorified us: We are here entirely through the Lord Jesus. Each one of these thoughts shall be as sweet as a cluster of grapes.

Light is also the cause of beauty. Nothing of beauty is left when the light is gone. Without light no radiance flashes from the sapphire, no peaceful ray proceeds from the pearl; and so all the beauty of the saints above comes from Jesus. As planets, they reflect the light of the Sun of Righteousness; they live as beams proceeding from the central orb. If He withdrew, they must die; if His glory were veiled, their glory must expire.

Light is also the emblem of knowledge. In heaven our knowledge will be perfect, but the Lord Jesus Himself will be the fountain of it. Dark providences we’ve never understood will then be clearly seen, and all that puzzles us now will become plain to us in the light of the Lamb. Oh, what discoveries there will be, and what glorifying of the God of love!

Light also means manifestation. Light manifests. In this world it does not yet appear what we shall be. God’s people are a hidden people, but when Christ receives His people into heaven, He will touch them with the wand of His own love and change them into the image of His manifested glory. They were poor and wretched, but what a transformation! They were stained with sin, but one touch of His finger, and they are as bright as the sun and as clear as crystal. What a display! All this proceeds from the exalted Lamb. Whatever there may be of transcendent splendor, Jesus will be the center and soul of it all. Plan on being present to see Him in His own light, the King of kings and Lord of lords!

The family reading plan for August 3, 2011

Judges 17 | Acts 21

The Power of the Cross     ROMANS 1:16-17

The scene of the cross is a paradox. It demonstrates the power of God in what appears to be the weakest moment in His Son’s life. With hands and feet nailed to rough wood, Jesus looked totally helpless. Adding to that impression was the fact that He remained there while the crowd jeered, “If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross” (Matt. 27:40).

Strength is not always revealed in a dramatic display; at times, it’s demonstrated in determined endurance. What power held Jesus on that cross, when with one spoken word, He could have been free? Divine love kept Him there. With mankind’s eternal destiny at stake, Christ hung on the cross until our salvation was attained.

But the power of the cross didn’t end when Jesus finally finished His suffering, gave up His spirit, and died. His death thrust open the door of salvation to all people, and those who walk through it by faith are forgiven for every sin and insured a place in heaven.

Yet even after salvation, the power of the cross continues in believers’ lives. Millions of people have been transformed as a result of the Savior’s victory over sin and death. He sets us free from sinful habits and addictions, empowering us to live victoriously in His righteousness.

Have you let the cross do its work in your life? The Lord does not force its benefits on anyone. Rather, He offers them freely to all who will believe in Him and walk in His ways. With each step of faith that we take, the mighty work of God in us increases

According to His Will

Who works all things according to the counsel of his will.

Ephesians 1:11

Our belief in God’s wisdom supposes and necessitates that He has a settled purpose and plan in the work of salvation. What would creation have been without His design? Is there a fish in the sea or a bird in the air that was formed by chance? No; in every bone, joint, and muscle, sinew, gland, and blood-vessel, you see the presence of a God working everything according to the design of infinite wisdom. And will God be present in creation, ruling over all, but not in grace? Shall the new creation have the fickle genius of free will to preside over it when divine counsel rules the old creation? Look at providence!

We know that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without our Father. Even the hairs of your head are all numbered. God weighs the mountains of our grief in scales, and the hills of our tribulation in balances. And shall there be a God in providence and not in grace? Shall the shell be ordained by wisdom and the kernel left to blind chance? No; He knows the end from the beginning. He sees in its appointed place not merely the cornerstone that He has laid in fair colors, in the blood of His dear Son, but He sees each of the chosen stones taken out of the quarry of nature, placed in their ordained position, and polished by His grace. He sees the whole from corner to cornice, from base to roof, from foundation to pinnacle. In His mind he has a clear knowledge of every stone that will be put in its prepared space, and how vast the structure will be when the capstone is set in place with shouts of “Grace! Grace!” In the end it will be clearly seen that in every child of God, Jehovah did as He planned with His own; and in every part of the work of grace He accomplished His purpose and glorified His own name.

The family reading plan for August 2, 2011

Judges 16 | Acts 20

The Broad Field of Promise

Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain.

Ruth 2:2

Downcast and troubled Christian, come and glean today in the broad field of promise. Here is an abundance of precious promises, which meet your needs exactly. Take this one: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench.”1 Is that not helpful to you? A reed, helpless, insignificant, and weak, a bruised reed, out of which no music can come, weaker than weakness itself-yet He will not break you, but on the contrary, will restore and strengthen you.

You are like the smoking wick: No light, no warmth, can come from you, but He will not extinguish you; He will blow with His sweet breath of mercy until He fans you into a flame. Would you glean another ear? “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”2 What gentle words! Your heart is tender, and the Master knows it, and therefore He speaks so softly to you. Will you not obey Him and come to Him even now? Take another ear of corn: “Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.”3 How can you fear with such a wonderful assurance as this?

You may gather ten thousand golden ears such as this: “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist.”4 Or this: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”5 Or this: “The Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”6 Our Master’s field is very rich, as you can see. Plenty of promises lie before you, believer! Gather them up, make them your own, for Jesus wants you to have them. Do not be afraid; only believe! Grasp these sweet promises, thresh them out by meditation, and feed on them with joy.

1Isaiah 42:3

2Matthew 11:28

3Isaiah 41:14

4Isaiah 44:22

5Isaiah 1:18

6Revelation 22:17

The family reading plan for August 1, 2011 – Judges 15 | Acts 19