. . . The only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14

Believer, you can bear your testimony that Christ is the only Son from the Father, as well as the firstborn from the dead. You can say, “He is divine to me, even if He is regarded as simply human by the world. He has done for me what only God could do. He has subdued my stubborn will, melted a rebellious heart, opened gates of brass, and snapped bars of iron. He has turned my mourning into laughter and my desolation into joy; He has left my captivity captive and made my heart rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Let others think of Him as they will—to me He must be the only Son from the Father: Blessed be His name.

And He is full of grace. If He had not been, I would never have been saved. He drew me when I struggled to escape from His grace; and when at last I came trembling like a condemned culprit to His mercy-seat He said, ‘Take heart, My son; your sins are forgiven.’ And He is full of truth. His promises have been true; not one has failed. I testify that no servant ever had such a master as He; no brother ever had such a relative as He has been to me; no spouse ever had such a husband as Christ has been to my soul; no sinner ever had a better Savior, no mourner a better comforter than Christ has been to my spirit.

He is all I need! In life He is my life, and in death He will be the death of death; in poverty Christ is my riches; in sickness He is my great physician; in darkness He is my star, and in brightness He is my sun; He is the manna of the camp in the wilderness, and it is He who makes the feast in the promised land. Jesus is to me all grace and no wrath, all truth and no falsehood: And of truth and grace He is full, infinitely full.

My soul, tonight bless with all your might ‘the only Son.'”

The family reading plan for May 10, 2012

Isaiah 8 , 9:1-7 | James 2

 Matthew 5:14-15

Every Sunday countless people all over the world sit in church buildings with a false sense of security. They assume that their morality, lifelong church membership, or baptism will earn them a place in heaven. While many of these folks sincerely desire to please God, they are confused about what the Christian life is all about. They think in terms of doing rather than being. So they imitate the actions of good Christians: going to a weekly service, praying, reading the Bible, and trying to be decent people.

However, salvation is not the product of good works. We come into the world with a corrupt nature, and all our wrongdoing is born of a heart turned away from the Lord. Because we are sinful people, we sin. It’s that simple. The good news is that in the salvation experience, we are given a brand-new nature (2 Cor. 5:17). Our sin is wiped away because Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself for us. From the moment we trust in Him, the Holy Spirit dwells in our heart so that we can live righteously.

The world values action, but the Father prioritizes relationship–specifically a right relationship with Him. People who scurry about flaunting religiosity are missing out on the deeply satisfying and joyous intimacy between a believer and the Lord.

We can help turn others’ tragic misunderstanding into triumph by being ready to explain why we have hope (1 Peter 3:15). Speak of the personal relationship with Christ that’s possible when a person admits his need and trusts in the Savior. If your light shines, it reflects well on the church.

Is the Christian faith intellectual nonsense? Does God really transform us?

“If God exists and takes an interest in the affairs of human beings, his will is not inscrutable,” writes Sam Harris about the 2004 tsunami in Letter to a Christian Nation. “The only thing inscrutable here is that so many otherwise rational men and women can deny the unmitigated horror of these events and think this is the height of moral wisdom.”(1) In his article “God’s Dupes,” Harris argues, “Everything of value that people get from religion can be had more honestly, without presuming anything on insufficient evidence. The rest is self-deception, set to music.”(2) Oxford zoologist Richard Dawkins similarly suggests that the idea of God is a virus, and we need to find software to eradicate it. Somehow if we can expunge the virus that led us to think this way, we will be purified and rid of this bedeviling notion of God, good, and evil.(3) Along with a few others, these atheists call for the banishment of all religious belief. “Away with this nonsense” is their battle cry. In return, they promise a world of new hope and unlimited horizons once we have shed this delusion of God.

I have news for them, however—news to the contrary. The reality is that the emptiness that results from the loss of the transcendent is stark and devastating, philosophically and existentially. Indeed, the denial of an objective moral law, based on the compulsion to deny the existence of God, results ultimately in the denial of evil itself. Furthermore, one would like to ask Dawkins: Are we morally bound to remove that virus? Somehow he himself is, of course, free from the virus and can therefore input our moral data.

In an attempt to escape what they call the contradiction between a good God and a world of evil, atheists try to dance around the reality of a moral law (and hence, a moral law giver) by introducing terms like “evolutionary ethics.”  The one who raises the question against God in effect plays God while denying God exists. Now one may wonder: Why do you actually need a moral law giver if you have a moral law? The answer is because the questioner and the issue he questions always involves the essential value of a person. You can never talk of morality in abstraction. Persons are implicit to the question and the object of the question. In a nutshell, positing a moral law without a moral law giver would be equivalent to raising the question of evil without a questioner. So you cannot have a moral law unless the moral law itself is intrinsically woven into personhood, which means it demands an intrinsically worthy person if the moral law itself is valued. And that person can only be God.

In reality, our inability to alter what is actual frustrates our grandiose delusions of being sovereign over everything. Yet the truth is we cannot escape the existential rub by running from a moral law. Objective moral values exist only if God exists. Is it all right, for example, to mutilate babies for entertainment? Every reasonable person will say “no.” We know that objective moral values do exist. Therefore, God must exist. Examining those premises and their validity presents a very strong argument.

Of course, the world does not understand what the absoluteness of the moral law is all about. Some get caught, some don’t get caught. Yet who of us would like our hearts exposed on the front page of the newspaper today?  Have there not been days and hours when like the apostle Paul, you’ve struggled within yourself, and said, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:15, 24). Each of us knows this tension and conflict within if we are honest with ourselves.

In that spirit, we ought to take time to reflect seriously upon the question, “Has God truly wrought a miracle in my life? Is my own heart proof of the supernatural intervention of God?” In the West where we go through seasons of new-fangled theologies, the whole question of “lordship” plagued our debates for some time as we asked, is there such a thing as a minimalist view of conversion?  “We said the prayer and that’s it.” Yet how can there be a minimalist view of conversion when conversion itself is a maximal work of God’s grace? “Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). In a strange way we have minimized every sacred commitment and made it the lowest common denominator. What might my new birth mean to me? That is a question we seldom ask. Who was I before God’s work in me, and who am I now?

The first entailment of coming to know the God of transformation is the new hungers and new pursuits that are planted within the human will. I well recall that dramatic change in my own way of thinking. There were new longings, new hopes, new dreams, new fulfillments, but most noticeably a new will to do what was God’s will. This new affection of heart—the love of God wrought in us through the Holy Spirit—expels all other old seductions and attractions. The one who knows Jesus Christ begins to see that her own misguided heart is impoverished and in need of constant submission to the will of the Lord—spiritual surrender. The hallmark of conversion is to see one’s own spiritual poverty. Arrogance and conceit ought to be inimical to the life of the believer. A deep awareness of one’s own new hungers and longings is a convincing witness both to God and God’s grace within.

Ravi Zacharias is founder and chairman of the board of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

 (1) Sam Harris, Letter to a Christian Nation (New York: Knopf, 2006), 48.
(2) Sam Harris, “God’s Dupes,” The Los Angeles Times (March 15, 2007). Article available at http://www.samharris.org/site/full_text/gods-dupes1/
(3) Richard Dawkins, “Viruses of the Mind,” 1992 Voltaire Lecture (London: British Humanist Association, 1993), 9.

Morning    “But now is Christ risen from the dead.”    1 Corinthians 15:20

The whole system of Christianity rests upon the fact that “Christ is risen from

the dead;” for, “If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your

faith is also vain: ye are yet in your sins.” The divinity of Christ finds its

surest proof in his resurrection, since he was “Declared to be the Son of God

with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the

dead.” It would not be unreasonable to doubt his deity if he had not risen.

Moreover, Christ’s sovereignty depends upon his resurrection, “For to this end

Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead

and living.” Again, our justification, that choice blessing of the

covenant, is linked with Christ’s triumphant victory over death and the grave;

for “He was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our

justification.” Nay, more, our very regeneration is connected with his

resurrection, for we are “Begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection

of Jesus Christ from the dead.” And most certainly our ultimate resurrection

rests here, for, “If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell

in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal

bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” If Christ be not risen, then shall

we not rise; but if he be risen then they who are asleep in Christ have not

perished,   but in their flesh shall surely behold their God. Thus, the silver thread of

resurrection runs through all the believer’s blessings, from his regeneration

onwards to his eternal glory, and binds them together. How important then will

this glorious fact be in his estimation, and how will he rejoice that beyond a

doubt it is established, that “now is Christ risen from the dead”!

“The promise is fulfill’d,

Redemption’s work is done,

Justice with mercy’s reconciled,

For God has raised his Son.”

Evening   “The only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”    John 1:14

Believer, you can bear your testimony that Christ is the only begotten of the

Father, as well as the first begotten from the dead. You can say, “He is divine

to me, if he be human to all the world beside. He has done that for me which

none but a God could do. He has subdued my stubborn will, melted a heart of

adamant, opened gates of brass, and snapped bars of iron. He hath turned for me

my mourning into laughter, and my desolation into joy; he hath led my captivity

captive, and made my heart rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Let

others think as they will of him, to me he must be the only begotten of the

Father: blessed be his name. And he is full of grace. Ah! had he not

been, I should never have been saved. He drew me when I struggled to escape

from his grace; and when at last I came all trembling like a condemned culprit

to his mercy-seat, he said, Thy sins which are many are all forgiven thee: be of

good cheer.’ And he is full of truth. True have his promises been, not one has

failed. I bear witness that never servant had such a master as I have; never

brother such a kinsman as he has been to me; never spouse such a husband as

Christ has been to my soul; never sinner a better Saviour; never mourner a

better comforter than Christ hath been to my spirit. I want none beside him. In

life he is my life, and in death he shall be the death of death; in poverty

Christ is my riches; in sickness he makes my bed; in darkness he is my star,

and in brightness he is my sun; he is the manna of the camp in the wilderness,

and he shall be the new corn of the host when they come to Canaan. Jesus is to

me all grace and no wrath, all truth and no falsehood: and of truth and grace he

is full, infinitely full. My soul, this night, bless with all thy might the only

Begotten.'”

Come, my beloved, let us go out into the fields . . . Let us . . . See whether the vines have budded.   Song of Songs 7:11

The bride was about to engage in hard work and desired her beloved’s company in it. She does not say, “I will go,” but “let us go.” In like fashion, it is a blessing to work when Jesus is at our side! It is the business of God’s people to be trimmers of God’s vines. Like our first parents, we are put into the garden of the Lord for usefulness; let us then go out into the fields.

When God’s people are thinking properly, they desire to enjoy communion with Christ. Some may imagine that they cannot serve Christ actively and still have fellowship with Him; they are mistaken. There is no doubt that we may easily neglect our inward life in outward exercises and be forced to say, “They made me keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard have I not kept!”1 There is no reason why this should be the case except for our own foolishness and neglect. It is certain that a professing Christian may do nothing and end up just as lifeless in spiritual things as those who are most busy.

Mary was not praised for sitting still, but for her sitting at Jesus’ feet. Even so, Christians are not to be praised for neglecting duties under the pretense of having secret fellowship with Jesus: It is not sitting, but sitting at Jesus’ feet that is commendable. Do not think that activity is in itself an evil: It is a great blessing and a means of grace to us. Paul called it a grace given to him to be allowed to preach; and every form of Christian service may become a personal blessing to those engaged in it. Those who have most fellowship with Christ are not recluses or hermits, who have time on their hands, but tireless workers who are toiling for Jesus and who, in their endeavor, have Him side by side with them, so that they are workers together with God.

Let us remember then, in anything we have to do for Jesus, we can do it and should do it in close communion with Him.

1Song of Solomon 1:6

The family reading plan for May 9, 2012

Isaiah 7 | James 1

1 Corinthians 12:18-26

When I talk about serving the church with God-given talents and gifts, people oftentimes think too small. They picture the choir singer or the Sunday school teacher. But if they don’t happen to be naturallly adept at singing or teaching, they give up.

It’s time we stop thinking in terms of a “Sunday only” establishment. The church is not a place or a time; it is a body of believers, each one uniquely gifted by God to guide, help, challenge, and support the rest. In fact, most service to the Lord doesn’t take place inside the church building. It happens out in the world, where we do all the things that Scripture commands.

Most believers are not in a position to influence a lot of people. When we act or speak, only those closest to us notice, but a chain reaction ripples outward to affect an entire community. Paul’s metaphor of body parts working together harmoniously is a helpful description of how one small action can have a widespread impact. Consider the way tensing your big toe keeps your foot stable and thereby steadies your whole body. In the same way, a gentle rebuke, a listening ear, or a loving deed benefits the church by strengthening one brother or sister, who then supports another…

We are on this earth to serve the kingdom of God and His church. And we do that by ministering to each other in small ways that steady the whole body as we give extra support to one member. In talking about such service, I am challenging you to find a need that God can meet through you.

“Do not be afraid,” my instructor encouraged me as my horse continued to back up, getting closer and closer to the edge of the trail. Once crossed, the “edge” would certainly mean that horse and rider would tumble down an eight foot embankment. Do not be afraid sounded silly and naïve to me as my horse continued to ignore my increasingly anxious prodding with my arms and legs. “Watch out, beware, don’t ever ride a horse” would have sounded more apropos given these circumstances. I was afraid, terrified even, as my horse backed right over the edge.

Fear is an entirely appropriate and indeed necessary emotion when facing danger. Proper fear ignites the “fight or flight” response in the animal world. And for human beings, we experience a “fight or flight” response because we fear losing that which we love. Author Scott Bader-Saye argues: “We fear evil because it threatens the things we love—family, friends, community, peace, and life itself.  The only sure way to avoid fear, then, is to love less or not at all. If we loved nothing, we would have no fear, but this would hardly be considered a good thing.”(1)

Interestingly enough, more than any other command in Christian Bible, Christians are commanded to “fear not,” and to “not be afraid.”(2) In fact, the admonition to not be afraid is offered up 366 times (one for every day of the year and for Leap Year). And just like my instructor uttered those words right in the middle of a crisis, so too, the writers of Scripture record these words in the midst of a crisis or prior to one’s life being turned upside down. In the birth narratives of both John the Baptist and Jesus, for example, Zechariah and Mary are told to not be afraid even though they are being visited by an angelic being, not likely a typical visitor. Furthermore, Mary is unmarried, just a young girl. Surely, she must have feared the repercussions of an unplanned pregnancy, including the possibility of her betrothed, Joseph, rejecting her. In the very midst of their worst fears, these and other biblical figures are told not to be afraid.

For many living in today’s world, do not be afraid evokes images of ostriches with their heads in the sand as the world collapses around them. It sounds just as naïve and perplexing as my instructor’s words to me right as my horse backed me off the eight-foot embankment. We have many, many reasons to feel afraid largely because we feel we have so much to lose. Whether or not we claim Christian faith, do not be afraid echoes in our heads, and we wonder how to live courageously in a world filled with jagged edges and eight-foot embankments that would seek to claim all that is near and dear to us.

While there are no explicit references to hope in the teaching of Jesus, he too encouraged his followers to “not be anxious” but to trust in the God who could be trusted even in the face of our anxieties. Hope, contrary to what many of us might believe, is not the absence of fear but often arises in the midst of fear. It is both that which anchors us in the midst of the storm, and that which compels us to move forward—however ploddingly—towards goals, others, and the God whom the apostle Paul names the “God of hope” in his letter to the Romans. We hold on to hope, just as I held on while my horse slid backwards with me on her back, down the embankment that seemed without bottom, down to what I feared would end her life and my life. It is a desperate clinging to the God who is mysterious, and of whom we do not have control. There is a mystery in hope because we do not know how God will intervene.

I lived to tell about my horse-riding adventure without even a broken bone—not my own bones, or the bones of my horse. I couldn’t see the wide trail below me that would hold me, and would offer sure footing for my wayward steed. Our lives are often this way; we are often afraid because we cannot see where we will land. But hope longs to hold us and to ground us in the midst of our fears. Hope is the broad place, the wide trail underneath us. And though we know of those who fell and were not caught, though we often fear a world destroying itself, the God of hope raises the dead to life. Do not be afraid.

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

(1) Scott Bader-Saye, Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2007), 39-40.
(2) Lloyd Ogilvie cited in John Ortberg, If You Want To Walk on Water You Have to Get Out of The Boat (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 118.

Morning   “Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings.”   Ephesians 1:3

All the goodness of the past, the present, and the future, Christ bestows upon

his people. In the mysterious ages of the past the Lord Jesus was his Father’s

first elect, and in his election he gave us an interest, for we were chosen in

him from before the foundation of the world. He had from all eternity the

prerogatives of Sonship, as his Father’s only-begotten and well-beloved Son, and

he has, in the riches of his grace, by adoption and regeneration, elevated us to

sonship also, so that to us he has given “power to become the sons of God.” The

eternal covenant, based upon suretiship and confirmed by oath, is ours, for our

strong consolation and security. In the everlasting settlements of

predestinating wisdom and omnipotent decree, the eye of the Lord Jesus was ever

fixed on us; and we may rest assured that in the whole roll of destiny there is

not a line which militates against the interests of his redeemed. The great

betrothal of the Prince of Glory is ours, for it is to us that he is affianced,

as the sacred nuptials shall ere long declare to an assembled universe. The

marvellous incarnation of the God of heaven, with all the amazing condescension

and humiliation which attended it, is ours. The bloody sweat, the scourge, the

cross, are ours forever. Whatever blissful consequences flow from perfect

obedience, finished atonement, resurrection, ascension, or intercession,

all are ours by his own gift. Upon his breastplate he is now bearing our names;

and in his authoritative pleadings at the throne he remembers our persons and

pleads our cause. His dominion over principalities and powers, and his absolute

majesty in heaven, he employs for the benefit of them who trust in him. His high

estate is as much at our service as was his condition of abasement. He who gave

himself for us in the depths of woe and death, doth not withdraw the grant now

that he is enthroned in the highest heavens.

Evening   “Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field … let us see if the vine   flourish.”   Song of Solomon 7:11-12

The church was about to engage in earnest labour, and desired her Lord’s company

in it. She does not say, “I will go,” but “let us go.” It is blessed working

when Jesus is at our side! It is the business of God’s people to be trimmers of

God’s vines. Like our first parents, we are put into the garden of the Lord for

usefulness; let us therefore go forth into the field. Observe that the church,

when she is in her right mind, in all her many labours desires to enjoy

communion with Christ. Some imagine that they cannot serve Christ actively, and

yet have fellowship with him: they are mistaken. Doubtless it is very easy to

fritter away our inward life in outward exercises, and come to complain

with the spouse, “They made me keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard

have I not kept;” but there is no reason why this should be the case except our

own folly and neglect. Certain is it that a professor may do nothing, and yet

grow quite as lifeless in spiritual things as those who are most busy. Mary was

not praised for sitting still; but for her sitting at Jesus’ feet. Even so,

Christians are not to be praised for neglecting duties under the pretence of

having secret fellowship with Jesus: it is not sitting, but sitting at Jesus’

feet which is commendable. Do not think that activity is in itself an evil: it

is a great blessing, and a means of grace to us. Paul called it a grace

given to him to be allowed to preach; and every form of Christian service may

become a personal blessing to those engaged in it. Those who have most

fellowship with Christ are not recluses or hermits, who have much time to spare,

but indefatigable labourers who are toiling for Jesus, and who, in their toil,

have him side by side with them, so that they are workers together with God. Let

us remember then, in anything we have to do for Jesus, that we can do it, and

should do it in close communion with him.

Agree with God, and be at peace.   Job 22:21

In order to properly “agree with God, and be at peace,” we must know Him as He has revealed Himself, not only in the unity of His essence and subsistence, but also in the plurality of His persons. God said, “Let us make man in our image”1—man must not be content until he knows something of the “us” from whom his being was derived.

Endeavor to know the Father. Approach Him in deep repentance, and confess that you are not worthy to be called His son; receive the kiss of His love; let the ring that is the token of His eternal faithfulness be on your finger; sit at His table and let your heart rejoice in His grace.

Then press forward and seek to know much of the Son of God who although He is the brightness of His Father’s glory humbled Himself and became man for our sakes. Know Him in the singular complexity of His nature: eternal God, and yet suffering, finite man; follow Him as He walks the waters with the tread of deity, and as He sits down at the well tired in the weariness of humanity. Do not be satisfied unless you know much of Jesus Christ as your Friend, your Brother, your Husband, your all.

Do not forget the Holy Spirit. Endeavor to obtain a clear view of His nature and character, His attributes, and His works. Behold the Spirit of the Lord, who first of all moved upon chaos and brought forth order, who now visits the chaos of your soul and creates the order of holiness. Behold Him as the Lord and giver of spiritual life, the Illuminator, the Instructor, the Comforter, and the Sanctifier. Behold Him as He descends upon the head of Jesus, and then as He rests upon you.

Such an intelligent, scriptural, and experiential belief in the Trinity is yours if you truly know God; and such knowledge brings peace indeed.

1Genesis 1:26

The family reading plan for May 8, 2012

Isaiah 6 | Hebrews 13

Luke 10:25-37

Do you realize that believers should not have to look beyond the body of Christ to have their needs met? We are meant to be a self-sustaining body. After several decades in ministry, I have seen only one way for the church to function as it should: believers must commit to give of themselves on behalf of others.

For example, a man determines to pray and struggle alongside a hurting brother until the burdensome situation is resolved or peace returns. Or a woman makes herself available to answer a new Christian’s questions about the weekly sermon–the two ladies search the Bible and fill their minds with Scripture. And there are countless other ways to serve others, such as driving an elderly member to the service, teaching a Sunday school class, or visiting a weary single mom and listening to her concerns.

Before you become overwhelmed by the variety of needs in your church, let me remind you that loving each other is meant to be a body-wide effort. One person cannot meet every need. But suppose you commit to serving a small group of folks whom God brings into your sphere of influence. If, in order to care for them, you surrender self-focused preferences about resources and time, the Lord will bless you with more joy and contentment than you’ve ever known.

To serve others before serving yourself is to practice authentic Christianity. I’m certain that if believers commit to meeting as many needs as the Lord brings to their attention, then a lazy church can be transformed, becoming a true body of believers who function together for the glory of God.

“Why Christian?” was a question put before Professor Douglas John Hall by one of the many students who discover themselves in his office asking more about the theology he teaches. It’s possible this question was asked rhetorically, maybe even a bit sarcastically, like those near Jesus who threw questions more like daggers than candid inquiries. It’s also possible the student just wanted to hear an honest explanation: In a world of so many spiritual options, in a world of reasons to reject religion altogether, Why Christianity? Regardless of tone or motive, the seasoned professor of theology decided to answer the question, laying aside the responses that must come automatically after so many years to really give an answer. “I confess, I [am answering] as much for myself as for you,” he writes. “You made me realize that after all these years I needed to face that question in the quite basic and personal way you put it to me.”(1)

On a typical day, my answer to the question of Christianity might be steeped in the signs and realities of the uniqueness of Christ. Thankfully this answer is not my own. With many who have gone before me, I cannot explain Jesus of Nazareth without concluding his uniqueness. “Surely this man was the Son of God!” “Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing” “Come and see the man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”(2)

Christianity is not a matter of preference or pedigree, but pilgrimage chosen specifically because a follower has found one worth following. “[Jesus] was the meekest and lowliest of all the sons of men,” wrote Scottish nobleman James Stewart, “yet he spoke of coming on the clouds of heaven with the glory of God… No one was half so kind or compassionate to sinners yet no one ever spoke such red-hot scorching words about sin… His whole life was love. Yet on one occasion he demanded of the Pharisees how they ever expected to escape the damnation of hell… He saved others but at the last, Himself He did not save. There is nothing in history like the union of contrasts which confront us in the Gospels.” Why Christian? Because there is none other like Christ.

The incomparability of Jesus Christ answers the questions of a world of spiritual options and religious hostility. Like professor Hall, facing the question “Why Christian?” is typically a matter of confessing the things I know, even as I know I now see but a reflection and will one day see face to face. Still, there are less typical days when the question comes not with hostility or sarcasm or curiosity, but from somewhere within, and the answers are somewhere caught up in despair or injustice or death. When standing over a casket or holding the hand of one whose body is riddled with cancer, “Why Christian?” takes on a different flesh—or else it wavers cold and corpselike. Christ’s uniqueness is suddenly a matter of urgency, needing to be spoken in words that have meaning even in valleys of death and shadow. Standing before this body that once breathed, what does it really mean that Christ was unique? Though with a far different kind of trembling certainty, here too Christ’s incomparability is ultimately what matters.

The apologetic of the apostle Paul was always spoken starring life’s “last enemy” dead in the eyes. Whether answering the question “Why Christian?” or standing in jail having been beaten to silence, Paul kept before him the hope of the resurrection as both the proof of Christ’s uniqueness and the assurance that this uniqueness inherently matters. He spoke of the resurrection of Christ and his hope in the resurrection of the dead before the assembled Sanhedrin, before the Roman procurator Felix, and again before Felix’s successor, Festus, who conceded that Paul’s arrest was due to his proclamation “about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive.”(3) Even before king Agrippa, Paul’s answer to the first acrimonious signs of the question “Why Christian?” was an appeal to Christ’s uniqueness in the hope of the resurrection. He asked, “Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?…I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen–that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:8, 22). For Paul, and for all who claim the inimitableness of Jesus, if Christ has not been raised, there is no answer to the question “Why Christian?”

Instead, the uniqueness of Christ is an answer for questions that come with sarcasm or sincerity. But so it is an answer with flesh when life’s typical comforts fall by the wayside and the valley of shadows is long and lonely. “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”(4) There is none other like Christ. I know of no other god who weeps with us at gravesides and then shows us in his own dying and rising that death no more holds its sting.

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

 (1) Douglas John Hall, Why Christian: For Those on the Edge of Faith (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1998), 11.
(2) Mark 15:39, John 9:32-33, John 4:29.
(3) Acts 23:6, Acts 24:15, 21, Acts 25:19.
(4) Matthew 28:6.

Morning  “He that was healed wist not who it was.”   John 5:13

Years are short to the happy and healthy; but thirty-eight years of disease must

have dragged a very weary length along the life of the poor impotent man. When

Jesus, therefore, healed him by a word, while he lay at the pool of Bethesda, he

was delightfully sensible of a change. Even so the sinner who has for weeks and

months been paralysed with despair, and has wearily sighed for salvation, is

very conscious of the change when the Lord Jesus speaks the word of power, and

gives joy and peace in believing. The evil removed is too great to be removed

without our discerning it; the life imparted is too remarkable to be possessed

and remain inoperative; and the change wrought is too marvellous

not to be perceived. Yet the poor man was ignorant of the author of his cure;

he knew not the sacredness of his person, the offices which he sustained, or the

errand which brought him among men. Much ignorance of Jesus may remain in hearts

which yet feel the power of his blood. We must not hastily condemn men for lack

of knowledge; but where we can see the faith which saves the soul, we must

believe that salvation has been bestowed. The Holy Spirit makes men penitents

long before he makes them divines; and he who believes what he knows, shall soon

know more clearly what he believes. Ignorance is, however, an evil; for this

poor man was much tantalized by the Pharisees, and was quite unable

to cope with them. It is good to be able to answer gainsayers; but we cannot do

so if we know not the Lord Jesus clearly and with understanding. The cure of his

ignorance, however, soon followed the cure of his infirmity, for he was visited

by the Lord in the temple; and after that gracious manifestation, he was found

testifying that “it was Jesus who had made him whole.” Lord, if thou hast saved

me, show me thyself, that I may declare thee to the sons of men.

Evening  “Acquaint now thyself with him.”   Job 22:21

If we would rightly “acquaint ourselves with God, and be at peace,” we must know

him as he has revealed himself, not only in the unity of his essence and

subsistence, but also in the plurality of his persons. God said, “Let us make

man in our own image”–let not man be content until he knows something of the

“us” from whom his being was derived. Endeavour to know the Father; bury your

head in his bosom in deep repentance, and confess that you are not worthy to be

called his son; receive the kiss of his love; let the ring which is the token of

his eternal faithfulness be on your finger; sit at his table and let your heart

make merry in his grace. Then press forward and seek to know much of

the Son of God who is the brightness of his Father’s glory, and yet in

unspeakable condescension of grace became man for our sakes; know him in the

singular complexity of his nature: eternal God, and yet suffering, finite man;

follow him as he walks the waters with the tread of deity, and as he sits upon

the well in the weariness of humanity. Be not satisfied unless you know much of

Jesus Christ as your Friend, your Brother, your Husband, your all. Forget not

the Holy Spirit; endeavour to obtain a clear view of his nature and character,

his attributes, and his works. Behold that Spirit of the Lord, who first of all

moved upon chaos, and brought forth order; who now visits the chaos of your

soul, and creates the order of holiness. Behold him as the Lord and giver of

spiritual life, the Illuminator, the Instructor, the Comforter, and the

Sanctifier. Behold him as, like holy unction, he descends upon the head of

Jesus, and then afterwards rests upon you who are as the skirts of his garments.

Such an intelligent, scriptural, and experimental belief in the Trinity in Unity

is yours if you truly know God; and such knowledge brings peace indeed.

Jesus said to him, ‘Get up, take up your bed, and walk.’   John 5:8

Like many others, this impotent man had been waiting for a wonder to be performed and a sign to be given. He grew tired watching the pool, but no angel came, or at least not for him; still considering it to be his only chance, he kept waiting, not knowing that there was One near him whose word could heal him in a moment. Many are in the same condition. They are waiting for some singular emotion, remarkable impression, or celestial vision; but they wait and watch in vain. Even supposing that, in a few cases, remarkable signs are seen, yet these are rare, and no man has a right to look for them in his own case—especially not the man who feels his inability to take advantage of the moving of the water even if it came.

It is sad to think of how many tens of thousands are waiting on the use of means and ordinances and vows and resolutions and have been waiting for so long and completely in vain. Meanwhile these poor souls forget that Jesus is near, and He bids them look to Him and be saved. He could heal them at once, but they prefer to wait for an angel and a wonder. To trust Him is the sure way to every blessing, and He is worthy of the most implicit confidence; but unbelief makes them prefer to wait for the water to stir than to embrace the warm welcome of His love.

May the Lord turn His eye upon the multitudes who are in that position tonight; may He forgive their lack of faith in His divine power and call them by His sweet constraining voice to rise from the bed of despair and in the energy of faith take up their bed and walk. O Lord, hear our prayer for such as these in the sunset hour, and before a new dawn may they look and live.

Thankful reader, is there anything in this portion for you?

The family reading plan for May 7, 2012

Isaiah 5 | Hebrews 12

2 Timothy 1:6-7

What do you do when you’ve lost your enthusiasm for ministry? Perhaps difficult circumstances have led to discouragement. Or maybe you just keep going, but the Spirit seems absent and no fruit is visible. Paul told Timothy to “kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you” (v. 6), but how is that accomplished? Over the years, God has taught me what to do whenever I sense that my flame is beginning to flicker.

Refill: Ministry is exciting when we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, but everyone springs a leak now and then. Get on your knees before the Lord and ask for a refill. Examine your life, repent of any sins, and submit to His leadership in every area.

Refocus: Nothing dims the flame like fixing your eyes on the problem. Whenever we focus on obstacles, they grow larger. But when we shift our eyes to Christ, He becomes bigger than any problem we face.

Reject: When we’re down, the Devil whispers his lies into our minds: You can’t do this. No one appreciates you. Why not call it quits? We need to recognize all discouraging thoughts as coming from him–and reject them.

Retreat: Turn off the phone, electronics, and entertainment, and get away with the Lord to rekindle your intimate relationship with Him.

After going through all these steps, you will be able to return to ministry with new enthusiasm and commitment. Hard circumstances may remain, but you’ll be equipped to handle them because the Spirit’s flame is burning brightly within you. Rely on Him, and He will empower you for service.

Like many Generation Xers, I have spent a great deal of my life asking questions. In retrospect, it seems that more than a few of my plaguing inquires were probably the wrong inquiries. In fact, more than a few of my questions were probably even unanswerable. But it took me a while to be able to admit there existed such distinctions. When you are a child and inquiry is your way of gaining a handle on the world around you, you come to believe that every question is right, and every inquiry deserves an answer that satisfies. And there is some truth to that comforting thought; questions are valid and answers should satisfy. Later, when social pressure begins to stress conformity and asking questions carries the risk of embarrassment, we learn to repress our inquisitiveness, even as those who still see the value in inquiring minds offer the ready assurance, “There are no wrong questions!” And this may be true as well, particularly in a classroom. But it does not mean that one cannot ask an unanswerable question or inquire in such a way that simply fails to cohere with reality. Is your idea blue or purple? How much time is in the sky? I imagine a great number of the questions we ask along the way are in fact quite similar.

When it comes to faith, we are actually instructed in the Christian religion to carry into our discipleship some of the qualities we held as children. I suspect a child’s passion for inquiry is one of the traits Jesus intended in his directive: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” But the childlike expectation that every inquiry is capable of being answered to our satisfaction, that every question is capable of being answered now (or even answered at all) is likely not a quality he was encouraging us to keep.

Regardless, Jesus readily received the questions of those around him, whether they were asked with ulterior motive or childlike abandon; no inquiry was turned away. Of course, this is not to say that he always answered, or that he always satisfied the questioner. Actually, more often than not, he replied with a question of his own. “Who gave you the authority to do what you are doing?” the scribes asked. Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question; answer me and I will answer you. Did the baptism of John come from heaven or human origin?” Knowing they were stuck between conceding to Jesus’s authority and risking the wrath of the crowd, they refused to answer. So Jesus refused as well.

Hopefully, beyond learning that questions, like words, can be used as ammunition, we also learn as we grow from inquiring children to questioning adults that questions are not deserving of satisfactory answers simply because they are asked. Most of us can now admit that there are some questions that simply can’t be satisfied. And yet, we scarcely take this wisdom with us into the realms of faith and belief. Standing before a God whose wisdom is said to be many-sided, we somehow feel that God can and must answer our every inquiry. But questioning an all-knowing God does not presuppose that the question itself was even rational. In fact, Jesus’s reactions to the questions around him seem to verify the strong possibility that many of our questions miss the point entirely.

So what does it mean if many of our great questions of ultimate reality and theological inquiry are as unanswerable as the child who wants to know God’s home address? First, the question isn’t wrong in the sense that it has no meaning for the inquirer. Nor does a question’s unanswerability mean we must walk away from the inquiry entirely disheartened. On the contrary, even in questions that cannot be answered there rings the promise of an answerer who satisfies. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.”(1) God may not have a physical address, but God’s dwelling is nearer and greater than we imagine.

The desire to know, the curiosity that formed the question, and the assumption that someone indeed holds the answer, are all forces that compel a child to ask in the first place. It is this compulsion to know that Jesus encouraged in every questioner, however he chose to answer them. Perhaps he knew that in becoming like children who long to see we would be moved further up and farther in to the kingdom and closer to the one who prepares us for it. Inquiry is not in opposition to faith; it is faith’s road to the answerer.

Interestingly, one of the first questions the disciples asked Jesus was, “Where do you live?” He simply answered, “Come and see.”
 Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

   (1) 1 Corinthians 2:9.

Morning   “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”   2 Corinthians 6:16

What a sweet title: “My people!” What a cheering revelation: “Their God!” How

much of meaning is couched in those two words, “My people!” Here is speciality.

The whole world is God’s; the heaven, even the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s,

and he reigneth among the children of men; but of those whom he hath chosen,

whom he hath purchased to himself, he saith what he saith not of others–“My

people.” In this word there is the idea of proprietorship. In a special manner

the “Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.” All the

nations upon earth are his; the whole world is in his power; yet are his people,

his chosen, more especially his possession; for he has done more

for them than others; he has bought them with his blood; he has brought them

nigh to himself; he has set his great heart upon them; he has loved them with an

everlasting love, a love which many waters cannot quench, and which the

revolutions of time shall never suffice in the least degree to diminish. Dear

friends, can you, by faith, see yourselves in that number? Can you look up to

heaven and say, “My Lord and my God: mine by that sweet relationship which

entitles me to call thee Father; mine by that hallowed fellowship which I

delight to hold with thee when thou art pleased to manifest thyself unto me as

thou dost not unto the world?” Canst thou read the Book of Inspiration, and find

there the indentures of thy salvation? Canst thou read thy title writ in

precious blood? Canst thou, by humble faith, lay hold of Jesus’ garments, and

say, “My Christ”? If thou canst, then God saith of thee, and of others like

thee, “My people;” for, if God be your God, and Christ your Christ, the Lord has

a special, peculiar favour to you; you are the object of his choice, accepted in

his beloved Son.

Evening   “He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the

Lord, happy is he.”   Proverbs 16:20

Wisdom is man’s true strength; and, under its guidance, he best accomplishes the

ends of his being. Wisely handling the matter of life gives to man the richest

enjoyment, and presents the noblest occupation for his powers; hence by it he

finds good in the fullest sense. Without wisdom, man is as the wild ass’s colt,

running hither and thither, wasting strength which might be profitably employed.

Wisdom is the compass by which man is to steer across the trackless waste of

life; without it he is a derelict vessel, the sport of winds and waves. A man

must be prudent in such a world as this, or he will find no good, but be

betrayed into unnumbered ills. The pilgrim will sorely wound his feet

among the briers of the wood of life if he do not pick his steps with the

utmost caution. He who is in a wilderness infested with robber bands must handle

matters wisely if he would journey safely. If, trained by the Great Teacher, we

follow where he leads, we shall find good, even while in this dark abode; there

are celestial fruits to be gathered this side of Eden’s bowers, and songs of

paradise to be sung amid the groves of earth. But where shall this wisdom be

found? Many have dreamed of it, but have not possessed it. Where shall we learn

it? Let us listen to the voice of the Lord, for he hath declared the secret; he

hath revealed to the sons of men wherein true wisdom lieth, and we

have it in the text, “Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.” The true way to

handle a matter wisely is to trust in the Lord. This is the sure clue to the

most intricate labyrinths of life; follow it and find eternal bliss. He who

trusts in the Lord has a diploma for wisdom granted by inspiration: happy is he

now, and happier shall he be above. Lord, in this sweet eventide walk with me in

the garden, and teach me the wisdom of faith.

You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable.   1 Peter 1:23

Peter earnestly exhorted the scattered saints to love each other “earnestly from a pure heart” (verse 22), and he did so not on the basis of the law or human nature or philosophy, but from that high and divine nature that God has implanted in His people. In the same way that a sensible tutor of princes might seek to foster in them a kingly spirit and dignified behavior, finding arguments in their position and pedigree, so, looking upon God’s people as heirs of glory, princes of royal blood, descendants of the King of kings, earth’s truest and oldest aristocracy, Peter said to them in essence, “See that you love one another because of your noble birth, being born of imperishable seed, because of your pedigree, being descended from God, the Creator of all things, and because of your immortal destiny, for you shall never pass away, though the glory of the flesh shall fade and even its existence shall cease.”

We would do well if, in the spirit of humility, we recognized the true dignity of our regenerated nature and lived up to it. What is a Christian? If you compare him with a king, he adds priestly sanctity to royal dignity. The king’s royalty often lies only in his crown, but with a Christian it is infused into his inmost nature. He is as much above his fellows through his new birth as a man is above the beast that perishes. Surely he shall conduct himself in all his dealings as one who is different from the crowd, chosen out of the world, distinguished by sovereign grace, part of God’s “peculiar people.”1

Such trophies of God’s grace cannot grovel in the dust like some, nor live in the fashion of the world’s citizens. Let the dignity of your nature and the brightness of your prospects, O believers in Christ, constrain you to hold fast to holiness and to avoid the very appearance of evil.

1Titus 2:14, KJV

The family reading plan for May 4, 2012

Isaiah 1 | Hebrews 9

1 Timothy 4:12-16

Every Christian is given at least one spiritual gift with which to serve the Lord and build up the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:7). But many believers neglect this special empowerment of the Spirit. Although Timothy had some good reasons to forsake his calling from God, Paul advised him to “take pains with these things” and “be absorbed in them” (v. 15). As you look at Timothy, ask yourself if either of the following situations are hindering you from fully serving the Lord.

Age: No matter how old we are, the Lord wants us to use our spiritual gifts. Because Timothy was young, he could easily have been intimidated by those with more experience. However, youth isn’t our only excuse. Some believers think they’re too old to serve the Lord. Even though our areas of ministry may change over the years, we’re never called into spiritual retirement.

Inadequacy: Have you ever avoided a service opportunity simply because you felt totally unqualified? That’s probably how Timothy felt about leading the church at Ephesus. Our spiritual gifts rarely come to us fully developed. God often requires that we step out in faith and trust Him to work in and through us. Over time, as we obey and serve Him in our areas of giftedness, He increases the effectiveness of our ministry.

Is anything keeping you from using your spiritual gifts? Though given to us, these abilities aren’t for us; they’re for the church. To neglect them would not only deprive fellow believers but also rob ourselves: there is joy and blessing in serving others and doing the work God has designated for us.

There is an immense difference between a worldview that is not able to answer every question to complete satisfaction and one whose answers are consistently contradictory. There is an even greater difference between answers that contain paradoxes and those that are systemically irreconcilable.

Once again, the Christian faith stands out as unique in this test, both as a system of thought and in the answers it gives. Christianity does not promise that you will have every question fully answered to your satisfaction before you die, but the answers it gives are consistently consistent. There may be paradoxes within Christian teaching and belief, but they are not irreconcilable. To those who feel that Christianity has failed them because of prayers that went unanswered, it is important to realize what I am saying here.

I sat with a man in my car, talking about a series of heartbreaks he had experienced. “There were just a few things I had wanted in life,” he said. “None of them have turned out the way I had prayed. I wanted my parents to live until I was at least able to stand on my own and they could watch my children grow up. It didn’t happen. I wanted my marriage to succeed, and it didn’t. I wanted my children to grow up grateful for what God had given them. That didn’t happen. I wanted my business to prosper, and it didn’t. Not only have my prayers amounted to nothing; the exact opposite has happened. Don’t even ask me if you can pray for me. I am left with no trust of any kind in such things.”

I felt two emotions rising up within me as I listened. The first was one of genuine sorrow. He felt that he had tried, that he had done his part, but that God hadn’t lived up to his end of the deal. The second emotion was one of helplessness, as I wondered where to begin trying to help him.

These are the sharp edges of faith in a transcendent, all-powerful, personal God. Most of us have a tendency to react with anger or withdrawal when we feel God has let us down by not giving us things we felt were legitimate to ask him for. We may feel guilty that our expectations toward God were too great. We may feel that God has not answered our prayers because of something lacking in ourselves. We may compare ourselves with others whose every wish seems to be granted by God, and wonder why he hasn’t come through for us in the way he does for others. And sometimes we allow this disappointment in God to fester and eat away at our faith in him until the years go by and we find ourselves bereft of belief.

G. K. Chesterton surmised that when belief in God becomes difficult, the tendency is to turn away from him—but, in heaven’s name, to what?  To the skeptic or the one who has been disappointed in his faith, the obvious answer to Chesterton’s question may be to give up believing that there’s somebody out there, take charge of your own life, and live it out to the best of your own ability.

But Chesterton also wrote, “The real trouble with the world of ours is not that it is an unreasonable world, nor even that it is a reasonable one. The commonest kind of trouble is that it is nearly reasonable, but not quite.”(2)  He is right. Only so much about life can be understood by reason; so much falls far short of any reasonable explanation. Prayer then becomes the irrepressible cry of the heart at the times we most need it. For every person who feels that prayer has not “worked” for them and has therefore abandoned God, there is someone else for whom prayer remains a vital part of her life, sustaining her even when her prayers have gone unanswered, because her belief and trust is not only in the power of prayer but in the character and wisdom of God. God is the focus of such prayer, and that is what sustains such people and preserves their faith.

Prayer is far more complex than some make it out to be. There is much more involved than merely asking for something and receiving it. In this, as in other contexts, we too often succumb to believing that something is what it never was, even when we know it cannot be as simple as we would like to think it is.

Ravi Zacharias is founder and chairman of the board of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

(1) Excerpted from Has Christianity Failed You? by RAVI ZACHARIAS. Copyright © 2010 by Ravi Zacharias. Used by permission of Zondervan. http://www.zondervan.com
(2) G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1995), 87.

Morning    “Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods.”    Jeremiah 16:20

One great besetting sin of ancient Israel was idolatry, and the spiritual Israel

are vexed with a tendency to the same folly. Remphan’s star shines no longer,

and the women weep no more for Tammuz, but Mammon still intrudes his golden

calf, and the shrines of pride are not forsaken. Self in various forms struggles

to subdue the chosen ones under its dominion, and the flesh sets up its altars

wherever it can find space for them. Favourite children are often the cause of

much sin in believers; the Lord is grieved when he sees us doting upon them

above measure; they will live to be as great a curse to us as Absalom was to

David, or they will be taken from us to leave our homes desolate. If

Christians desire to grow thorns to stuff their sleepless pillows, let them

dote on their dear ones.

It is truly said that “they are no gods,” for the objects of our foolish love

are very doubtful blessings, the solace which they yield us now is dangerous,

and the help which they can give us in the hour of trouble is little indeed.

Why, then, are we so bewitched with vanities? We pity the poor heathen who adore

a god of stone, and yet worship a god of gold. Where is the vast superiority

between a god of flesh and one of wood? The principle, the sin, the folly is the

same in either case, only that in ours the crime is more aggravated because we

have more light, and sin in the face of it. The heathen bows to a false deity,

but the true God he has never known; we commit two evils, inasmuch as

we forsake the living God and turn unto idols. May the Lord purge us all from

this grievous iniquity!

“The dearest idol I have known,

Whate’er that idol be;

Help me to tear it from thy throne,

And worship only thee.”

Evening    “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible.”   1 Peter 1:23

Peter most earnestly exhorted the scattered saints to love each other “with a

pure heart fervently” and he wisely fetched his argument, not from the law, from

nature, or from philosophy, but from that high and divine nature which God hath

implanted in his people. Just as some judicious tutor of princes might labour to

beget and foster in them a kingly spirit and dignified behaviour, finding

arguments in their position and descent, so, looking upon God’s people as heirs

of glory, princes of the blood royal, descendants of the King of kings, earth’s

truest and oldest aristocracy, Peter saith to them, “See that ye love one

another, because of your noble birth, being born of incorruptible seed;

because of your pedigree, being descended from God, the Creator of all things;

and because of your immortal destiny, for you shall never pass away, though the

glory of the flesh shall fade, and even its existence shall cease.” It would be

well if, in the spirit of humility, we recognized the true dignity of our

regenerated nature, and lived up to it. What is a Christian? If you compare him

with a king, he adds priestly sanctity to royal dignity. The king’s royalty

often lieth only in his crown, but with a Christian it is infused into his

inmost nature. He is as much above his fellows through his new birth, as a man

is above the beast that perisheth. Surely he ought to carry himself, in all

his dealings, as one who is not of the multitude, but chosen out of the world,

distinguished by sovereign grace, written among “the peculiar people” and who

therefore cannot grovel in the dust as others, nor live after the manner of the

world’s citizens. Let the dignity of your nature, and the brightness of your

prospects, O believers in Christ, constrain you to cleave unto holiness, and to

avoid the very appearance of evil.