Proverbs 27:21

How do you respond when someone compliments you? Some people absolutely love receiving praise because it lifts their spirits and makes them feel valuable. Others are uncomfortable with it. They look down at their feet or offer reasons why they really don’t deserve such praise.

For Christians, there’s another dilemma. We’re called to be humble, so what are we to do when others say good things about us? Because pride is always waiting to raise its ugly head, we need to be careful not to let praise puff us up. Some believers think that accepting a compliment is a sign of pride, so they make a big show of giving all the glory to God. That’s fine, if it’s really what’s in their hearts, but too often it becomes a rote “Christian” response that’s geared to impressing others.

My advice is simply to say, “Thank you very much.” Then whisper a prayer in your heart to the Lord, thanking Him for the blessing, recognizing that anything worthy of praise ultimately comes from Him. If you felt encouraged, let the person know how the comment blessed you. If you receive praise for an achievement that was really a group effort, be sure to redirect the compliment to all those who were involved. A blessing is always more enjoyable when it’s shared.

Our character is tested by the praise that comes to us. Every compliment that bounces into our ears should quickly rebound up to the Father. If we hold onto it, the poison of pride will begin to infect our hearts. But if we pass the praise to God, humility takes up residence in our souls.

A familiar fable tells of the hunter who lost his life to the leopard he himself had saved as a pet for his children when the leopard was just a cub. The moral of the story can be deduced easily from the title, Little Leopards Become Big Leopards; or else, sin is easier to deal with before it becomes a habitual practice that eventually defines our lives.(1) Though the story as it stands is a beautiful illustration of a profound truth, there is a deeper lesson regarding the nature of sin that is easily concealed by this line of thinking and which, I believe, lies at the very essence of the Christian call to Christ-likeness. The problem is that the parallel between little harmless leopard cubs and little harmless sins can be dangerously deceptive.

Whereas leopard cubs are indeed harmless, there is no stage of development at which sin can be said to be harmless, for individual acts of sin are merely the symptoms of the true condition of our hearts. It is not accidental that the call to Christian growth in the Scriptures repeatedly zeros-in on such seemingly benign “human shortcomings” as bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, slander, and malicious behavior (Ephesians 4:31). In his watershed address, The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus placed a great deal of emphasis on lust, anger, and contempt—behaviors and attitudes that would probably not rank high on our lists of problems in need of urgent resolution. Armed with firm and sometimes unconscious categories of serious versus tolerable sins, we gloss over lists of vices in the Scriptures because they seem to be of little consequence to life as we experience it.

But when we fail to grasp the subtleties of sin, we run the risk of rendering much of biblical wisdom irrelevant to our daily life and practice. While we appreciate the uniqueness and necessity of the sacrificial death of Jesus on our behalf, his specific teachings can at times appear to be farfetched and the emphasis misplaced. Does it not seem incredible that the God who made this world would visit it in its brokenness, dwell among us for over thirty years, and then leave behind the command that we must be nice to each other? Can the problems of the world really be solved by having people “turn the other cheek” and “get rid of anger and malice”? To quote a close friend, “Hello!”

Unfortunately, those “little” sins are not only the mere symptoms of a much bigger problem; they are also effective means of alienating us from God and other human beings.  How many careers have been ruined only because of jealousy? How many people have been deprived of genuine help as a result of the seemingly side-comment of someone who secretly despised them? How many relationships have been destroyed by bitterness? How many churches have split up because of selfish ambitions couched in pietistic terms? How much evil has resulted from misinformation, a little coloring around the edges of truth? And have you noticed how much we can control other people just through our body language? From the political arena to the basic family unit, the worst enemy of human harmony is not spectacular wickedness but those seemingly harmless petty sins routinely assumed to be part of what it means to be human.

According to a NASA scientist, a two-degree miscalculation when launching a spacecraft to the moon would send the spacecraft 11,121 miles away from the moon: all one has to do is take time and distance into account.(2) How perceptive then was George MacDonald when he uttered these chilling words, “A man may sink by such slow degrees that, long after he is a devil, he may go on being a good churchman or a good dissenter, and thinking himself a good Christian”!(3) Similarly, C.S. Lewis warned that cards are a welcome substitute for murder if the former will set the believer on a path away from God. “Indeed,” he wrote, “the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”(4)

Now the decisive path out of this quandary is not just a greater resolve to be obedient to God. Such a response is usually motivated by guilt, and the duration of our effort will be directly proportional to the amount of guilt we feel: we will be right back where we started from when the guilt is no longer as strong. The appropriate response must begin with a greater appreciation of the holiness of God and a clear vision of life in God. It is only along the path of Christ-likeness that the true nature of sin is revealed and its appeal blunted. Yes, brazen sinfulness is appallingly evil and destructive, but it only makes a louder growl in a forest populated by stealthier, deadly hunters masquerading as little leopards. It is no idle, perfunctory pastime to pray with King David:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Test me and know my thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
And lead me along the path of everlasting life (Psalm 139:23-24).

 J.M. Njoroge is a member of the speaking team at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

(1) For example, Paul White’s, Little Leopards Become Big Leopards, published by African Christian Press.
(2) John Trent, Heartshift: The Two Degree Difference That Will Change Your Heart, Your Home, and Your Health (Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2004), 17.
(3) George MacDonald, in George MacDonald: An Anthology by C. S. Lewis (New York: Dolphin Books, 1962), 118.
(4) C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, in A C.S. Lewis Treasury: Three Classics in One Volume (New York: Harcourt & Company, 1988), 250.

Morning   “The evening and the morning were the first day.”    Genesis 1:5

Was it so even in the beginning? Did light and darkness divide the realm of time

in the first day? Then little wonder is it if I have also changes in my

circumstances from the sunshine of prosperity to the midnight of adversity. It

will not always be the blaze of noon even in my soul concerns, I must expect at

seasons to mourn the absence of my former joys, and seek my Beloved in the

night. Nor am I alone in this, for all the Lord’s beloved ones have had to sing

the mingled song of judgment and of mercy, of trial and deliverance, of mourning

and of delight. It is one of the arrangements of Divine providence that day and

night shall not cease either in the spiritual or natural creation till

we reach the land of which it is written, “there is no night there.” What our

heavenly Father ordains is wise and good.

What, then, my soul, is it best for thee to do? Learn first to be content with

this divine order, and be willing, with Job, to receive evil from the hand of

the Lord as well as good. Study next, to make the outgoings of the morning and

the evening to rejoice. Praise the Lord for the sun of joy when it rises, and

for the gloom of evening as it falls. There is beauty both in sunrise and

sunset; sing of it, and glorify the Lord. Like the nightingale, pour forth thy

notes at all hours. Believe that the night is as useful as the day. The dews of

grace fall heavily in the night of sorrow. The stars of promise shine forth

gloriously amid the darkness of grief. Continue thy service under all

changes. If in the day thy watchword be labour, at night exchange it for watch.

Every hour has its duty, do thou continue in thy calling as the Lord’s servant

until he shall suddenly appear in his glory. My soul, thine evening of old age

and death is drawing near; dread it not, for it is part of the day; and the Lord

has said, “I will cover him all the day long.”

Evening   “He will make her wilderness like Eden.”   Isaiah 51:3

Methinks, I see in vision a howling wilderness, a great and terrible desert,

like to the Sahara. I perceive nothing in it to relieve the eye, all around I am

wearied with a vision of hot and arid sand, strewn with ten thousand bleaching

skeletons of wretched men who have expired in anguish, having lost their way in

the pitiless waste. What an appalling sight! How horrible! a sea of sand without

a bound, and without an oasis, a cheerless graveyard for a race forlorn! But

behold and wonder! Upon a sudden, upspringing from the scorching sand I see a

plant of renown; and as it grows it buds, the bud expands–it is a rose, and at

its side a lily bows its modest head; and, miracle of miracles! as

the fragrance of those flowers is diffused the wilderness is transformed into a

fruitful field, and all around it blossoms exceedingly, the glory of Lebanon is

given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon. Call it not Sahara, call it

Paradise. Speak not of it any longer as the valley of deathshade, for where the

skeletons lay bleaching in the sun, behold a resurrection is proclaimed, and up

spring the dead, a mighty army, full of life immortal. Jesus is that plant of

renown, and his presence makes all things new. Nor is the wonder less in each

individual’s salvation. Yonder I behold you, dear reader, cast out, an infant,

unswathed, unwashed, defiled with your own blood, left to be

food for beasts of prey. But lo, a jewel has been thrown into your bosom by a

divine hand, and for its sake you have been pitied and tended by divine

providence, you are washed and cleansed from your defilement, you are adopted

into heaven’s family, the fair seal of love is upon your forehead, and the ring

of faithfulness is on your hand–you are now a prince unto God, though once an

orphan, cast away. O prize exceedingly the matchless power and grace which

changes deserts into gardens, and makes the barren heart to sing for joy.

. . . Who heals all your diseases.   Psalms 103:3

Humbling as this statement is, yet the fact is certain that we are all more or less suffering under the disease of sin. What a comfort to know that we have a great Physician who is both able and willing to heal us! Let us think of Him for a moment tonight.

His cures are very speedy—there is life for a look at Him; His cures are radical—He strikes at the center of the disease; and so His cures are sure and certain. He never fails, and the disease never returns. There is no relapse where Christ heals, no fear that His patients should be merely patched up for a season. He makes new men of them: He also gives them a new heart and puts a right spirit within them.

He is well skilled in all diseases. Physicians generally have some specialty. Although they may know a little about almost all our pains and ills, there is usually one disease that they have studied more than others; but Jesus Christ is thoroughly acquainted with the whole of human nature. He is as much at home with one sinner as with another, and He never yet met an unusual case that was difficult for Him. He has had extraordinary complications of strange diseases to deal with, but He has known exactly with one glance of His eye how to treat the patient. He is the only universal doctor; and the medicine He gives is the only true panacea, healing in every instance.

Whatever our spiritual malady may be, we should apply at once to this Divine Physician. There is no brokenness of heart that Jesus cannot bind up. “The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”1 We have only to think of the myriads who have been delivered from all sorts of diseases through the power and virtue of His touch, and we will joyfully put ourselves in His hands. We trust Him, and sin dies; we love Him, and grace lives; we wait for Him, and grace is strengthened; we see Him as he is, and grace is perfected forever.

11 John 1:7

The family reading plan for May 31, 2012

Isaiah 32 | Revelation 2

Proverbs 15:31-33

No one likes criticism, but encountering some is inevitable, so we need to learn how to respond in a godly way. Although you might be tempted to become defensive or angry, remain calm and listen. The words may hurt, but great benefits come to those who carefully consider what is said.

If we refuse to accept reproof, we’ll limit our potential for Christlike character development and spiritual growth. Some of life’s best lessons come through difficult experiences. If God allowed the situation, you can be sure that He wants to use it in transforming you into His Son’s image. Whether the criticism is valid or not, whether it’s delivered with kindness or harshness, your goal should always be to respond in a way that glorifies the Lord. Remember that you are responsible only for how you handle yourself, not for how the other person is acting.

When a criticism comes your way, be quiet and listen until the other person has finished. Make direct eye contact to show attentiveness and respect. When your critic finishes, thank him for bringing his concerns to your attention, and tell him that you will consider what he’s said. Ask the Lord if the accusation is valid. Let Him search your heart and either affirm your innocence or convict you.

Every rebuke is an opportunity from God. It’s a chance to let your Christian character shine by showing love to your critic. If he is angrily attacking you, your respect and kindness become a powerful testimony. Criticism is also an occasion to humble yourself and accept the Lord’s correction.

With the occasion of U.S. Memorial Day in my mind, I was thinking about my grandfather. For years he marched in our small hometown parade, proudly representing the United States Air Force. I have not made it home for the parade in the past few years, but in my mind are countless parades past. I recall the serious look on his face as he carried himself and the uniform on his back with stately regard. When I was among the cheering crowd I loved to watch his official countenance momentarily dissolve as the veterans marched past our house. For those of us waving from the front porch my grandfather always reserved a warm smile and a distinguished nod.

But one thing that would remain meticulously unaffected—whether grinning at grandchildren or honoring the flag with his attention—was his careful propensity to march in step. Carrying the weighted memories of all that our nation attempts to pause and remember on Memorial Day, a veteran could perhaps do nothing less.

But when the roles were reversed, and my sister and I were marching in the junior high band while my grandfather was looking on, we were the slouching targets of his disgust. “Did you realize that no one in your marching band was actually marching? Not one of you was in step.” While the etiquette of carrying oneself with proper time and rhythm may have been lost on teenagers, to my grandfather, marching in step was as necessary as remembering to wear shoes.

To this day, I cannot watch a parade without duly noticing if its participants are in step with the drummer. And I realize now that to march in step one must first want to march in step. It requires a willingness to hear the cadence and align oneself with it accordingly. Subsequently, our unwillingness to march in step said something about our band, our commitment and unity, our respect for what we were doing, and our willingness to follow the authority of the drummer. And it was true; while we prided ourselves on performing in concert, we did not see ourselves as a marching band, and it showed in our walk. Moreover, the attitudes with which we carried ourselves ultimately affected our sound.

Christianity uses a similar imagery where it speaks of keeping “in step” with the Spirit as it relates to fruit and authority. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control… Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25). The apostle Paul wants followers of Christ to recognize that the fruit we produce as his followers is directly related to the cadence we pursue. If our desire is to march to our own beat and direct our own way, we are likely to be out of step with Christ and out of touch with the Spirit.

There are so many ways to walk through life. There are so many drummers to choose as guiding authorities of life’s parade. The question of cadence is related to every aspect of life; from the way we carry ourselves to the tune we produce as we go along. In the earnest prayer of Psalm 119, the psalmist recognizes both his heartfelt need for a “drummer” and a desire to walk in his better way. “Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.” Like marchers who align themselves with one calling out the better cadence, the Christian pilgrim aligns herself with the enduring voice of God and the victorious life of Christ. She is being led further into the house of heaven by the very one who is preparing her room.

Since it is in Christ’s steps the Christian follows, by the Spirit that he lives, and by God’s voice that he is directed, his steps are aligned by the Spirit accordingly, walking forward in faith, treading where the saints have trod. No doubt, like my grandfather, the heavens rejoice at the sight of the great cloud of witnesses, who, in following hard after Christ by the Spirit who enables them, find themselves marching in step.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia

Morning    “The king also himself passed over the brook Kidron.”  2 Samuel 15:23

David passed that gloomy brook when flying with his mourning company from his

traitor son. The man after God’s own heart was not exempt from trouble, nay, his

life was full of it. He was both the Lord’s Anointed, and the Lord’s Afflicted.

Why then should we expect to escape? At sorrow’s gates the noblest of our race

have waited with ashes on their heads; wherefore then should we complain as

though some strange thing had happened unto us?

The King of kings himself was not favoured with a more cheerful or royal road.

He passed over the filthy ditch of Kidron, through which the filth of Jerusalem

flowed. God had one Son without sin, but not a single child without the rod. It

is a great joy to believe that Jesus has been tempted in all points like as we

are. What is our Kidron this morning? Is it a faithless friend, a sad

bereavement, a slanderous reproach, a dark foreboding? The King has passed over

all these. Is it bodily pain, poverty, persecution, or contempt? Over each of

these Kidrons the King has gone before us. “In all our afflictions he was

afflicted.” The idea of strangeness in our trials must be banished at once and

forever, for he who is the Head of all saints, knows by experience the grief

which we think so peculiar. All the citizens of Zion must be free of the

Honourable Company of Mourners, of which the Prince Immanuel is Head and

Captain. Notwithstanding the abasement of David, he yet returned in triumph to his city,

and David’s Lord arose victorious from the grave; let us then be of good

courage, for we also shall win the day. We shall yet with joy draw water out of

the wells of salvation, though now for a season we have to pass by the noxious

streams of sin and sorrow. Courage, soldiers of the Cross, the King himself

triumphed after going over Kidron, and so shall you.

Evening    “Who healeth all thy diseases.”    Psalm 103:3

Humbling as is the statement, yet the fact is certain, that we are all more or

less suffering under the disease of sin. What a comfort to know that we have a

great Physician who is both able and willing to heal us! Let us think of him

awhile tonight. His cures are very speedy–there is life in a look at him; his

cures are radical–he strikes at the centre of the disease; and hence, his cures

are sure and certain. He never fails, and the disease never returns. There is no

relapse where Christ heals; no fear that his patients should be merely patched

up for a season, he makes new men of them: a new heart also does he give them,

and a right spirit does he put within them. He is well skilled in

all diseases. Physicians generally have some speciality. Although they may know

a little about almost all our pains and ills, there is usually one disease which

they have studied above all others; but Jesus Christ is thoroughly acquainted

with the whole of human nature. He is as much at home with one sinner as with

another, and never yet did he meet with an out-of-the-way case that was

difficult to him. He has had extraordinary complications of strange diseases to

deal with, but he has known exactly with one glance of his eye how to treat the

patient. He is the only universal doctor; and the medicine he gives is the only

true catholicon, healing in every instance. Whatever our spiritual

malady may be, we should apply at once to this Divine Physician. There is no

brokenness of heart which Jesus cannot bind up. “His blood cleanseth from all

sin.” We have but to think of the myriads who have been delivered from all sorts

of diseases through the power and virtue of his touch, and we shall joyfully put

ourselves in his hands. We trust him, and sin dies; we love him, and grace

lives; we wait for him and grace is strengthened; we see him as he is, and grace

is perfected forever.

. . . So that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.    Romans 6:6

Christian, why would you play with sin? Has it not cost you enough already? Burnt child, will you play with the fire? What! When you have already been between the jaws of the lion, will you step a second time into his den? Have you not had enough of the old serpent? Did he not poison all your veins once, and will you play at the cobra’s den and put your hand in the dragon’s lair a second time?

Do not be not so mad, so foolish! Did sin ever yield you real pleasure? Did you find solid satisfaction in it? If so, go back to your old drudgery, and wear the chain again, if it delights you. But inasmuch as sin never gave you what it promised to bestow but deluded you with lies, do not be snared by the old fowler: Be free, and let the memory of your enslavement prevent you from entering the net again!

It is contrary to the designs of eternal love, which are all focused on your purity and holiness; therefore do not run counter to the purposes of your Lord.

Another thought should restrain you from sin. Christians can never sin cheaply; they pay a heavy price for iniquity. Transgression destroys peace of mind, obscures fellowship with Jesus, hinders prayer, brings darkness over the soul; therefore do not be the serf and slave of sin.

There is still a higher argument: Each time you serve sin you are “crucifying once again the Son of God . . . and holding him up to contempt.”1 Can you bear that thought? If you have fallen into any special sin during this day, it may be that my Master has sent this admonition this evening to bring you back before you have wandered very far. Turn to Jesus afresh. He has not forgotten His love for you; His grace is still the same. With weeping and repentance, come to His footstool, and you shall be reunited in His love; you will be set upon a rock again, and your goings shall be established.

1Hebrews 6:6

The family reading plan for May 30, 2012

Isaiah 31 | Revelation 1

Luke 12:11-12

When conflict occurs, the natural reaction is to blame someone else and defend yourself. But believers must respond differently. Once, I was publicly chastised for a wrong I had not committed. Thankfully, the Lord enabled me to remain calm rather than react angrily. Praying first isalways the best response in a crisis. When we do, God supernaturally provides that which we can t muster up ourselves.

• Spiritual discernment. The Lord, who perfectly understands the source of every problem, can give us insight beyond our limited perspective. Perhaps there’s been a communication breakdown, a feeling of jealousy on the other person’s part, or a mistake we unknowingly made. The Holy Spirit can show us how to approach our accuser and see beyond hurtful words or actions.
• A quiet spirit. Our human nature wants to react quickly so that we can defend ourselves. That’s why we must first deliberately focus our attention on the Lord and experience the inward peace He alone makes available to us (John 14:27).
• Wisdom. Jesus told His disciples the Holy Spirit would give them wise words to say when they faced hostile authorities. He’ll do the same for you. Ask Him to put a seal on your lips until He shows you what to say and when (Ps. 141:3).

We don’t have to react to criticism with anger and self-protection the way the world does. Instead, we are called to represent Christ in every situation by depending on Him. In responding as He directs, we bring Him glory and cause unbelievers to want to know the source of our strength.

As the summer arrives each year, I revisit many fond memories of fishing outings with my older brother and grandfather. Living near Lake Erie, my grandfather would thrill us with stories of his great fishing adventures with Northern Pike and Muskie. They were great fighters and would continue that fight long after they had been pulled from the water and thrown into the boat.

My own fishing career, if you could call it a fishing career, was far less dramatic than my grandfather’s adventures. My career began at Lake Pymatuning. Whenever we came to visit in the summers, my grandfather would take my older brother and me to fish is this kinder, gentler lake. Unfortunately, I was never successful enough as an angler to know the thrill of catching many fish. What I was successful at was hooking someone in the boat! Both my brother and I bear the scars of fishing hooks in our arms and legs.

Even though my angling career was not very successful, I liked to think that I was following in a great tradition—not only one begun with my grandfather, but one that began with a young carpenter’s call to four fishermen to follow him. I read with amazement how these four fishermen “immediately left their nets and followed him” (Mark 1:18). What was it about this call to follow and the invitation to become “fishers of men” that would compel such a dramatic response?

The notion of “fishing for people” was actually not a foreign idea for those familiar with the Hebrew prophets. The prophets used this term to describe God (Ezekiel 29:4ff, 38:4). God was the great “angler” catching people for judgment—judgment that preceded the coming of God’s kingdom. This came to be the understanding of these texts, particularly after Israel returned from their exile in Babylon. Having experienced the horror of the exile, the Jews had a new appreciation for obedience to the law. Furthermore, they thought their restoration was dependent on cleansing their world from all sin and evil. So prior to the coming kingdom, God would go on the ultimate fishing mission to gather evil and destroy wickedness.

With this background, it is easy to understand why the first disciples jumped when Jesus used this phrase to call them. The judgment was coming and they were being called as fishermen for God. Jesus had come to purify the nation from evil, and they would be co-anglers with him, catching evil and wiping Israel clean of sin prior to the kingdom of God being established in their midst.

Their fishing mission began with Jesus’s announcement, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The followers of Jesus heard this call as a warning to get life in order or be caught up in the fierce wrath of God. But Jesus upended their expectations. Something new happened. First, Jesus made this announcement to the Gentiles. These were the very ones God should have destroyed! Yet, rather than destroying, Jesus began to heal. Soon after calling the disciples, Mark’s gospel reports that Jesus healed a demoniac; in Matthew’s gospel, he healed “every disease and every infirmity among the people” and in Luke’s gospel, he healed a leper.(1) The old understanding of this mission kept all these people as unclean outsiders; these were the ones who needed to be gathered up in the nets of judgment and destroyed.

But Jesus rightly understood what the in-breaking of God’s kingdom entailed. Calling individuals to the mission of fishing was a sign of Jesus’s proclamation: “The time is now fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand.” Jesus went fishing as the sign of the in-breaking kingdom in his very person, and in his teaching ministry. And so it remains today. Rather than ridding the world of sinners and of evil, Jesus gathers these outsiders into the net of his fellowship where they are healed and transformed. Dallas Willard says it this way: “Jesus then came into Galilee announcing the good news from God. All the preliminaries have been taken care of and the rule of God is now accessible. Review your plans for living and base your life on this remarkable new opportunity.”(2)

It is into this same fishing mission that Jesus calls those who would follow him. His intention is not simply telling people what they need to turn away from, but showing them who they can turn toward. To be sure, turning to God requires an entire reorientation of our lives: we do need to repent, to turn around, and go in a kingdom-direction. In the presence of Jesus, there is now the option of living within the light of God’s kingdom purposes and finding our lives caught up into the kind of life we were always intended to live.

Often attempts at fishing for God’s kingdom might be just as bumbling and clumsy as my childhood attempts at casting. Sometimes they are only as good as our own understanding of what it means to be kingdom dwellers. As those who would seek to follow Jesus, we too are called to review our plans for living and base our life on this remarkable new opportunity. Jesus’s mission compels us beyond ourselves and towards others, reaching out to those on the margins, healing those who are sick, blessing those who are cursed, and combating evil with love and justice. We are invited to join Jesus in his ministry of reconciliation, gathering people up into the net of the kingdom and kingdom living.

Margaret Manning is a member of the speaking and writing team at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Seattle, Washington.

(1) Matthew 4:18-23, Mark 1:21-28, Luke 5:1-15.
(2) Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy (San Francisco, Harper Books: 1998), 15.

Morning     “Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines.”   Song of Solomon 2:15

A little thorn may cause much suffering. A little cloud may hide the sun. Little

foxes spoil the vines; and little sins do mischief to the tender heart. These

little sins burrow in the soul, and make it so full of that which is hateful to

Christ, that he will hold no comfortable fellowship and communion with us. A

great sin cannot destroy a Christian, but a little sin can make him miserable.

Jesus will not walk with his people unless they drive out every known sin. He

says, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have

kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” Some Christians very

seldom enjoy their Saviour’s presence. How is this? Surely it must be an

affliction for a tender child to be separated from his father. Art thou a child

of God, and yet satisfied to go on without seeing thy Father’s face? What! thou

the spouse of Christ, and yet content without his company! Surely, thou hast

fallen into a sad state, for the chaste spouse of Christ mourns like a dove

without her mate, when he has left her. Ask, then, the question, what has driven

Christ from thee? He hides his face behind the wall of thy sins. That wall may

be built up of little pebbles, as easily as of great stones. The sea is made of

drops; the rocks are made of grains: and the sea which divides thee from Christ

may be filled with the drops of thy little sins; and the rock

which has well nigh wrecked thy barque, may have been made by the daily working

of the coral insects of thy little sins. If thou wouldst live with Christ, and

walk with Christ, and see Christ, and have fellowship with Christ, take heed of

“the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.” Jesus

invites you to go with him and take them. He will surely, like Samson, take the

foxes at once and easily. Go with him to the hunting.

Evening   “That henceforth we should not serve sin.”   Romans 6:6

Christian, what hast thou to do with sin? Hath it not cost thee enough already?

Burnt child, wilt thou play with the fire? What! when thou hast already been

between the jaws of the lion, wilt thou step a second time into his den? Hast

thou not had enough of the old serpent? Did he not poison all thy veins once,

and wilt thou play upon the hole of the asp, and put thy hand upon the

cockatrice’s den a second time? Oh, be not so mad! so foolish! Did sin ever

yield thee real pleasure? Didst thou find solid satisfaction in it? If so, go

back to thine old drudgery, and wear the chain again, if it delight thee. But

inasmuch as sin did never give thee what it promised to bestow, but deluded thee

with lies, be not a second time snared by the old fowler–be free, and let the

remembrance of thy ancient bondage forbid thee to enter the net again! It is

contrary to the designs of eternal love, which all have an eye to thy purity and

holiness; therefore run not counter to the purposes of thy Lord. Another thought

should restrain thee from sin. Christians can never sin cheaply; they pay a

heavy price for iniquity. Transgression destroys peace of mind, obscures

fellowship with Jesus, hinders prayer, brings darkness over the soul; therefore

be not the serf and bondman of sin. There is yet a higher argument: each time

you “serve sin” you have “Crucified the Lord afresh, and put him to an

open shame.” Can you bear that thought? Oh! if you have fallen into any special

sin during this day, it may be my Master has sent this admonition this evening,

to bring you back before you have backslidden very far. Turn thee to Jesus anew;

he has not forgotten his love to thee; his grace is still the same. With weeping

and repentance, come thou to his footstool, and thou shalt be once more received

into his heart; thou shalt be set upon a rock again, and thy goings shall be

established.

Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho.  Joshua 6:26

If the man who rebuilt Jericho was cursed, how much more does the man who works to restore false religion among us deserve the same. In our fathers’ days the gigantic walls of false religion fell by the power of their faith, the perseverance of their efforts, and the blast of their gospel trumpets; and now there are some who would like to rebuild those false systems upon their old foundations.

Lord, we pray, be pleased to thwart these unrighteous endeavors, and pull down every stone that they build. It should be a serious business with us to be thoroughly purged of every error that tends to foster the spirit of falsehood, and when we have made a clean sweep at home we should seek in every way to oppose its all too rapid spread abroad in the church and in the world.

This we may accomplish only in secret by fervent prayer and in public by faithful witness. We must warn with judicious boldness those who are inclined toward the errors of false religion; we must instruct the young in gospel truth and tell them of the dark doings of falsehood in earlier times. We must assist in spreading the light more thoroughly through the land, for false teachers, like owls, hate daylight.

Are we doing all we can for Jesus and the Gospel? If not, our negligence plays into the hands of the heretics. What are we doing to spread the Bible, which is the antidote to falsehood? Are we sending out good, sound gospel writings? Luther once said, “The devil hates goose quills,” and, no doubt, he has good reason; the writer’s pen blessed by the Holy Spirit has damaged his evil kingdom greatly. If the thousands who read this short word tonight will do all they can to hinder the rebuilding of this accursed Jericho, the Lord’s glory shall spread quickly among the sons of men.

Reader, what can you do? What will you do?

The family reading plan for May 29, 2012

Isaiah 30 | Jude 1

1 Corinthians 15:33-34

In an ideal environment, all our relationships would draw us closer to the Lord. However, we live in a fallen world with sinful people, so that is not our reality. God wants us to influence those who aren’t walking obediently with Him, but unless we’re careful, we could easily end up following them. How are we to deal with relationships that drag us down instead of building us up?

Prayer: Your first step is to pray for the people who tend to pull you away from the Lord. It’s not your job to change them, but you can ask God to work in their lives. And don’t forget to ask Him to give you the wisdom and patience you need in your interactions with them.

Separation: You may have to break off a relationship if it’s hindering your Christian walk. However, this should be done only after much prayer and wise counsel. And remember, some relationships are meant to be permanent, so listen carefully to what God is telling you.

Perseverance: If the negative relationship never changes, and the Lord is not calling you to break off association with that person, then He wants you to persevere in the situation. Your goal is to walk faithfully with your heavenly Father despite any hindrances or opposition.

If you struggle with negative relationships, cultivate friendships with godly people who can help you grow in your faith. Spend time in God’s Word, filling your mind with truths that anchor your soul in stormy situations. Persevere in walking faithfully with Christ–you may even influence the other person.

In the days of Mordecai and Queen Esther the people of Israel set themselves to remember an eventful time in their history. Mordecai sent letters throughout the provinces calling for the memorializing of the month that was turned “from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday.”(1) Near and far, the call was sent to annually remember the day the tables were turned and the Jews received relief from their enemies. And so it was determined: “These days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews, nor should the memory of them die out among their descendants.” These days were weighted with enough hope to press upon them the need to remember forever. Moreover, and most significantly, they saw the certain possibility that they might forget.

There are moments in our lives when we realize that we are beholding the carving of a day into the great tree of history. On the night before my wedding I scribbled anxiously in my journal, “It will never be this day again, but the seventeenth of every August will never be the same either.” I knew from that day forward it would be difficult (and detrimental) to forget that day on the calendar—it would carry the force of forgetting so much more.

Israel’s history is wrought with such commands to remember. God told the Israelites that they would remember the night of Passover before the night had even happened. “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever.”(2) Moses and Aaron were told to instruct the whole community of Israel to choose a lamb without defect and slaughter it at twilight. They were then to take some of the blood and put it on the doorposts of their houses. “The blood will be a sign,” the LORD declared. “And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike the firstborns of Egypt.”

From that day onward, celebrating the Passover was nonnegotiable, and with good reason. God had spared his people by the blood of a lamb. From that day onward, the command was passed down from generation to generation: “You shall remember this day as a statute forever.” And so they remembered the Passover each year.

But just as we recall more than the wedding itself on an anniversary, the act of birth on a child’s birthday, or the grave events of a tragic day in history, the Israelites were remembering far more than the act of Israel’s exodus from Egypt; they were remembering the God of that Exodus—the faithful hand that moved and moves among them, the mighty acts which indeed shout of God’s timely remembering of God’s people. They were remembering God among them.

Centuries later, the disciples sat around the table celebrating their third Passover meal with Jesus, an observance they kept long before they could walk. Everything perhaps looked ceremoniously familiar. The smell of lamb filled the upper room; the unleavened bread was prepared and waiting to be broken. Remembering again the acts of God in Egypt, the blood on the doorposts, the lives spared and brought out of slavery, they looked at their teacher as he lifted the bread from the table and gave thanks to God. Then Jesus broke the bread, and gave it to them, saying something entirely new: “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).

I have always wished that Luke would have described a little more of the scene that followed. Did a hush immediate fall over the room? Were the disciples once again confused at his words? Or did their years of envisioning the blood-marked doorposts cry out at the new and faultless Lamb before them?

They had spent their entire lives remembering the power and mercy of God in the events of the Passover, and on this day, Jesus tells them that there was yet even more to see: In this Passover lamb, in this the broken bread is the reflection of me. As you remember God in history, so remember me. For on this day, God is engraving across all of time the promise of Passover: “I still remember you.”

I imagine from that day forward the disciples knew it would be difficult to forget that day on the calendar.  And for us today there is no doubt something that still weights that day with hope. Forgetting what was witnessed in the upper room on that Passover carries the force of forgetting so much more.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

 (1) Esther 9:22.
(2) Exodus 12:14

Morning   “Thou hatest wickedness.”   Psalm 45:7

“Be ye angry, and sin not.” There can hardly be goodness in a man if he be not

angry at sin; he who loves truth must hate every false way. How our Lord Jesus

hated it when the temptation came! Thrice it assailed him in different forms,

but ever he met it with, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” He hated it in others;

none the less fervently because he showed his hate oftener in tears of pity than

in words of rebuke; yet what language could be more stern, more Elijah-like,

than the words, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour

widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer.” He hated wickedness, so

much that he bled to wound it to the heart; he died that it might die;

he was buried that he might bury it in his tomb; and he rose that he might

forever trample it beneath his feet. Christ is in the Gospel, and that Gospel is

opposed to wickedness in every shape. Wickedness arrays itself in fair garments,

and imitates the language of holiness; but the precepts of Jesus, like his

famous scourge of small cords, chase it out of the temple, and will not tolerate

it in the Church. So, too, in the heart where Jesus reigns, what war there is

between Christ and Belial! And when our Redeemer shall come to be our Judge,

those thundering words, “Depart, ye cursed” which are, indeed, but a

prolongation of his life-teaching concerning sin, shall manifest his abhorrence

of iniquity. As warm as is his love to sinners, so hot is his hatred of sin; as

perfect as is his righteousness, so complete shall be the destruction of every

form of wickedness. O thou glorious champion of right, and destroyer of wrong,

for this cause hath God, even thy God, anointed thee with the oil of gladness

above thy fellows.

Evening   Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city

Jericho.”    Joshua 6:26

Since he was cursed who rebuilt Jericho, much more the man who labours to

restore Popery among us. In our fathers’ days the gigantic walls of Popery fell

by the power of their faith, the perseverance of their efforts, and the blast of

their gospel trumpets; and now there are some who would rebuild that accursed

system upon its old foundation. O Lord, be pleased to thwart their unrighteous

endeavours, and pull down every stone which they build. It should be a serious

business with us to be thoroughly purged of every error which may have a

tendency to foster the spirit of Popery, and when we have made a clean sweep at

home we should seek in every way to oppose its all too rapid spread abroad

in the church and in the world. This last can be done in secret by fervent

prayer, and in public by decided testimony. We must warn with judicious boldness

those who are inclined towards the errors of Rome; we must instruct the young in

gospel truth, and tell them of the black doings of Popery in the olden times. We

must aid in spreading the light more thoroughly through the land, for priests,

like owls, hate daylight. Are we doing all we can for Jesus and the gospel? If

not, our negligence plays into the hands of the priestcraft. What are we doing

to spread the Bible, which is the Pope’s bane and poison? Are we casting abroad

good, sound gospel writings? Luther once said, “The devil hates

goose quills” and, doubtless, he has good reason, for ready writers, by the

Holy Spirit’s blessing, have done his kingdom much damage. If the thousands who

will read this short word this night will do all they can to hinder the

rebuilding of this accursed Jericho, the Lord’s glory shall speed among the sons

of men. Reader, what can you do? What will you do?

This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.   Lamentations 3:21

Memory is frequently the slave of despondency. Despairing minds remember every dark prediction in the past and expand upon every gloomy feature in the present; in this way memory, clothed in sackcloth, presents to the mind a cup of bitter-tasting herbs.

There is, however, no necessity for this. Wisdom can readily transform memory into an angel of comfort. That same recollection that on the one hand brings so many gloomy omens may be trained instead to provide a wealth of hopeful signs. She need not wear a crown of iron; she may encircle her brow with a tiara of gold, all spangled with stars.

Such was Jeremiah’s experience: in the previous verse memory had brought him to deep humiliation of soul: “My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me”; but now this same memory restored him to life and comfort. “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.” Like a two-edged sword, his memory first killed his pride with one edge and then slew his despair with the other.

As a general principle, if we would exercise our memories more wisely, we might, in our very darkest distress, strike a match that would instantaneously kindle the lamp of comfort. There is no need for God to create a new thing upon the earth in order to restore believers’ joy; if they would prayerfully rake the ashes of the past, they would find light for the present; and if they would turn to the book of truth and the throne of grace, their candle would soon shine as before.

Let us then remember the loving-kindness of the Lord and rehearse His deeds of grace. Let us open the volume of recollection, which is so richly illuminated with memories of His mercy, and we will soon be happy. Thus memory may be, as Coleridge calls it, “the bosom-spring of joy,” and when the Divine Comforter bends it to His service, it is then the greatest earthly comfort we can know.

The family reading plan for May 28, 2012

Isaiah 29 | 3 John 1

2 Peter 2:1-3

Recognizing a danger for the believers of his day, Peter penned this warning: “There will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies” (2 Pet. 2:1). His words are as true today as they were in the first century.

Spotting false teachers can be difficult, and many people are swayed by their lies. Matthew called them ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt. 7:15). How, then, can we detect deceptive teaching?

First, become familiar with biblical truth, and be vigilant. On the surface, false teaching may seem to align with Scripture, but underneath lies a faulty agenda.

Second, listen for any denial of truth, such as someone who claims to believe in God but argues that the creation story is myth. It is dangerous to pick and choose which parts of the Bible can be taken literally.

Third, notice teachings that promote sensuality. False teachers interpret the Bible in a permissive way: they often make allowances for immorality, misrepresent grace, and justify sin as gratifying “natural desires.” Why do they guide others this way? Some may not realize their mistake. Others are driven by power and greed: if a leader can stir a crowd emotionally, the offering plate will likely be full and the church will probably grow–both for the wrong reasons.

Don’t be led astray by false doctrine. The wise will guard themselves by feasting daily on God’s Word. Then they can compare teachings to Scripture and scrutinize them for the three signs of falsehood listed above. The truth is able to set us free, but lies entangle and lead to much bondage.

It has been said that life is like entering a very long movie that has already started and then learning that you have to leave it before it ends. It is at once an analogy I appreciate and find troubling. As a Christian, it is the reality, and the hope, I profess: “My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass.  But you, O LORD, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations.”(1) Even so, entering a movie already started and leaving before it ends also means that I could entirely miss the point.

Every time I read St. Augustine’s Confessions I seem to come uncomfortably face to face with myself, and with it, the thought that someone has already told my story—or at least very real parts of it. It is this shock of recognition that wakes me to my own pride and makes real the danger of missing the point. In Augustine, as in countless others who have wrestled with God long before me, I am reminded that I am a small character in a much greater story. I have entered a movie that has already started, and to my surprise, it’s not all about me.

What if there is a vast stage full of lives who have wrestled with questions quite similar to your own? Men and women who have gone before you may well have lived with the same doubts and faith, pains and hope. Many have lived aware, often more than we are, of life as it existed before them and time that would march beyond them. Many have lived to “tell the old, old story,” that they might take it in to their own. For they saw with the writer of Ecclesiastes that it is important to realize there is “nothing new under the sun,” lest we miss the sun entirely by focusing only on the shadows we watch it cast. They saw that it is important we see the momentaryness of our lives specifically because there is a permanence to life itself, a story with an end and a beginning.

Jesus once turned to his disciples and said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it” (Luke 10:22-23). The disciples were seeing in the present all that kings and prophets looked for at a distance. Yet even those who walked intimately with Christ were not always aware of all there was to see. Chances are good we are missing him too.

If life is like entering a movie that has already started and leaving before it ends, it is important to look both behind us and ahead of us in order to see what is in front of us. There is only one place in Scripture where God is referred to as the “Ancient of Days” but it significantly comes from the lips of one indelibly marked by the present. “As I looked,” says Daniel describing a dream, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat.  His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze” (7:9). This one addressing God as sovereign over days long before his own is someone who could have been overwhelmed with the small picture of life before him. Jerusalem was in ruins; God’s people were scattered. Daniel could have easily viewed his situation as being stuck somewhere in the middle of a movie he wasn’t happy with, yet he chose to see beyond the troubling scene in which he was living. And he saw the “Ancient of Days” in the midst of the days he was given.

We, too, have entered a story that has already started and we may very well leave before it ends. But we can still live with sight beyond our own—looking back at lives of faith and God in history, gazing forward at all that God has promised, seeing all that God has placed before us. Though the picture before us seems unfair, or life is not what we bargained for, there is a story. Our lives may be like the evening shadow, but they are lived within a greater tale.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

(1) Psalm 102:11-12.

And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. . . . Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them.  Luke 24:33, 35

When the two disciples had reached Emmaus and were refreshing themselves at the evening meal, the mysterious stranger who had so enchanted them on the road took bread and broke it, made Himself known to them, and then vanished out of their sight. They had constrained Him to stay with them because the day was far spent; but now, although it was much later, their love was a lamp to their feet, indeed wings also. They forgot the darkness, their weariness was all gone, and immediately they headed back the seven miles to tell the wonderful news of a risen Lord who had appeared to them on the road. They reached the Christians in Jerusalem and were received by a burst of joyful news before they could tell their own tale.

These early Christians were all on fire to speak of Christ’s resurrection and to proclaim what they knew of the Lord; they happily shared their experiences. This evening let their example impress us deeply.

We also must bear our witness concerning Jesus. John’s account of the sepulcher needed to be supplemented by Peter; and Mary could speak of something further still; the combined accounts provide us with a complete testimony from which nothing necessary is missing. Each of us has peculiar gifts and personal experiences; but the one object God has in view is the maturing of the whole Body of Christ. We must, therefore, bring our spiritual possessions and lay them at the apostles’ feet, that we may share all of what God has given to us.

Withhold no part of the precious truth, but speak what you know and declare what you have seen. Do not allow the toil or darkness or possible unbelief of your friends to dissuade you. Let us rise and march to the place of duty, and there declare what great things God has shown to our soul.

The family reading plan for May 25, 2012

Isaiah 26 | 1 John 4

Galatians 1:6-9

The Word of God is truth that’s living and able to penetrate human souls (Heb. 4:12). Consider how powerful Scripture is: it can change hearts, save lives from eternal condemnation, and give hope to the hopeless.

Is it any wonder, then, that the Bible is a battlefield of Satan? The Devil will do his best to destroy its message and truth. In fact, this has been our Enemy’s continuous goal since he chose to turn from God.

Our heavenly Father has graciously let us know in advance the outcome of this ongoing battle: Truth will prevail. But while the Lord has the ultimate victory, Satan can gain ground among individuals. His tactics are dangerous and deceptive to the unsuspecting. For this reason, we should carefully guard against his attacks, which are hard to recognize unless we are prepared.

False teaching is one of Satan’s preferred tactics for leading us astray. At first glance, such instruction often seems to align with Scripture, but do not be misled by the deception. Two things are essential for standing firm against these slippery falsehoods: to be well grounded in the truth of God’s Word and to listen to His Spirit. Only then can we recognize the error and avoid the pitfalls of Satan’s lies.

The Enemy longs to mislead believers so they’ll be ineffective for the kingdom. He also wants to keep all unsaved souls far from salvation through Jesus Christ. Friends, prepare for battle. Grow in the knowledge of truth, and lean on God’s Spirit to guide you moment by moment.