1 Peter 1:6-7

God is always at work in our lives. Even during seasons of adversity, He wants to accomplish something powerful and good. How should this knowledge affect our response? Today’s passage teaches us to choose to rejoice during difficult times. This doesn’t mean we have to be happy about the hardship itself. Instead, joy comes from drawing close to the Lord and believing steadfastly that through His redemptive power, He is growing and preparing us. If your usual response to trials is anxiety, anger, or depression, the idea of having joy in the midst of a negative situation might not seem logical. However, if you look beneath the surface, you will discover that this biblical directive makes sense for several reasons.

Often, our natural reaction to pain is to run in the opposite direction, and as fast as possible. However, God wants to teach us endurance–much like a long-distance runner builds up strength in training–so that we can fully benefit from what He is doing in our hearts. He uses trials as a refining fire to purify us like gold and bring us to greater spiritual maturity. As we realize that we are actually being made more complete through our adversities, we’ll begin to face challenging times with confidence that He always has our best interest in mind.

While a worldly viewpoint sees hope and joy in the midst of dark times as naïve, a spiritual perspective discerns that we’re really progressing on a journey toward life at its fullest. We can be filled with supernatural joy, knowing that the Lord is making us into world-changing spiritual warriors.

 Growing up, I had a pathological fear of getting lost. It didn’t matter if it was in a nearby cornfield that bordered our burgeoning suburbia, or on the busy highways connecting the vast metropolis in which I lived. For me, getting lost was a fate worse than death. While I wish I could pinpoint the origin of this fear, I cannot. Sure, I had the normal mishaps in which I was separated from my family—and I certainly remember numerous times in which I got lost driving. In the days before GPS, I relied not only on hand-written directions, but also on my ability to interpret them when encountering the street-level reality. The twists and turns in the roads often seemed to contradict the directions I had been given! Even today, living in a world in which we have GPS and Google Maps, I can still be turned in the wrong direction. New construction and detours move cars around the city streets in ever changing patterns that conspire to make even the most sophisticated GPS system sputter and fail.   

 When I feel I am lost, there is a deep terror that seizes me. Gripped by a feeling of panic, I am prevented from anything like clear thinking. I feel constricted within, my mind swimming with all of the worst possibilities that will befall me because I am lost. I can only focus in on my terror and I lose all sense of perspective with regards to finding my way. Perhaps the deepest anxiety that accompanies those instances of feeling lost is that I am all alone. I am not only separated from my bearings, but also from anyone who knows me, loves me, or cares about me. In these moments of panic, I feel I will wander alone and wonder how or if I will ever be found.

 In the life of people of faith, there is also the fear of being lost. What if believing the wrong thing leads one off course? What if wrong choices lead down a path from which one might never return? What if doubt separates one from all guidance and direction? Many times, we associate being lost with a deliberate turning away from faith by those who are rebellious, or who, like prodigal sons and daughters, desire escape to a far country away from the controlling gaze of those perceived to hinder freedom of movement in any way.      

 But what about those cases in which the directional equipment fails through no fault of those who seek their guidance? What about those unanticipated twists and turns in the road? What about the unexpected storm that arises and blows the ship far off course? There are certainly those times when disorientation, rather than rebellion obscures the path home. 

 Perhaps in these cases, ‘feeling’ lost is not the same thing as ‘being’ lost.  The ancient Hebrew psalmist suggests that even while one might ‘feel’ lost, one is never lost to God. Where can I go from your presence? Where can I hide from your love? In the midst of his own disorienting experiences, the psalmist found comfort in the fact that even while feeling lost and submerged in the remotest parts of the sea, even there your right hand will lay hold of me. When encompassed by utter darkness, the psalmist believes that the night is as bright as the day.  The psalmist felt lost—disoriented by the forces that would obstruct the clear way. Yet, in the midst of these feelings, the psalmist affirms the abiding presence of God even in the most desolate places.   

This image of the ever-abiding presence of God is extended in the ministry and teaching of Jesus. Jesus expands this image of the God who is especially near, not only to those who ‘feel’ lost, but for those deemed ‘lost’ by others. When the religious leaders of his day grumbled over the tax-gatherers and sinners coming near to listen to him teach, Jesus offered three images of a God who relentlessly seeks the lost in Luke’s gospel narrative.(1) The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine sheep in order to go after the one which is lost; the woman who has ten silver coins turns her house upside down in order to find the one coin she has lost; and the father of the prodigal son is watching and waiting such that he sees his once wayward son while he is still a long way off. In fact, Jesus summarizes his ministry as one that seeks and saves that which was lost.(2)  

This gives me great hope, both for the times when I feel lost, and as I wander alongside many others who have indeed lost their way home. Though some of the directions I’ve tried to follow are indiscernible, and even though I have been turned around and disoriented, I have always found the way home. But, more importantly, even when I feel I have lost my way, I am not lost to the God who pursues me. Like the servant Hagar affirmed when she was lost in the wilderness, you are the God who sees. 

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

 (1) Luke 15
(2) Luke 19:10.  Cf. Matt. 18:11

 Morning “I in them.” / John 17:23

 If such be the union which subsists between our souls and the person of our

Lord, how deep and broad is the channel of our communion! This is no narrow

pipe through which a thread-like stream may wind its way, it is a channel of

amazing depth and breadth, along whose glorious length a ponderous volume of

living water may roll its floods. Behold he hath set before us an open door,

let us not be slow to enter. This city of communion hath many pearly gates,

every several gate is of one pearl, and each gate is thrown open to the

uttermost that we may enter, assured of welcome. If there were but one small

loophole through which to talk with Jesus, it would be a high privilege to

thrust a word of fellowship through the narrow door; how much we are blessed

in having so large an entrance! Had the Lord Jesus been far away from us, with

many a stormy sea between, we should have longed to send a messenger to him to

carry him our loves, and bring us tidings from his Father’s house; but see his

kindness, he has built his house next door to ours, nay, more, he takes

lodging with us, and tabernacles in poor humble hearts, that so he may have

perpetual intercourse with us. O how foolish must we be, if we do not live in

habitual communion with him. When the road is long, and dangerous, and

difficult, we need not wonder that friends seldom meet each other, but when

they live together, shall Jonathan forget his David? A wife may when her

husband is upon a journey, abide many days without holding converse with him,

but she could never endure to be separated from him if she knew him to be in

one of the chambers of her own house. Why, believer, dost not thou sit at his

banquet of wine? Seek thy Lord, for he is near; embrace him, for he is thy

Brother. Hold Him fast, for he is thine Husband; and press him to thine heart,

for he is of thine own flesh.

Evening “And these are the singers … they were employed in that work day and night.”

/ 1 Chronicles 9:33

 Well was it so ordered in the temple that the sacred chant never ceased: for

evermore did the singers praise the Lord, whose mercy endureth forever. As

mercy did not cease to rule either by day or by night, so neither did music

hush its holy ministry. My heart, there is a lesson sweetly taught to thee in

the ceaseless song of Zion’s temple, thou too art a constant debtor, and see

thou to it that thy gratitude, like charity, never faileth. God’s praise is

constant in heaven, which is to be thy final dwelling-place, learn thou to

practise the eternal hallelujah. Around the earth as the sun scatters his

light, his beams awaken grateful believers to tune their morning hymn, so that

by the priesthood of the saints perpetual praise is kept up at all hours, they

swathe our globe in a mantle of thanksgiving, and girdle it with a golden belt

of song.

 The Lord always deserves to be praised for what he is in himself, for his

works of creation and providence, for his goodness towards his creatures, and

especially for the transcendent act of redemption, and all the marvellous

blessing flowing therefrom. It is always beneficial to praise the Lord; it

cheers the day and brightens the night; it lightens toil and softens sorrow;

and over earthly gladness it sheds a sanctifying radiance which makes it less

liable to blind us with its glare. Have we not something to sing about at this

moment? Can we not weave a song out of our present joys, or our past

deliverances, or our future hopes? Earth yields her summer fruits: the hay is

housed, the golden grain invites the sickle, and the sun tarrying long to

shine upon a fruitful earth, shortens the interval of shade that we may

lengthen the hours of devout worship. By the love of Jesus, let us be stirred

up to close the day with a psalm of sanctified gladness.

Now these, the singers . . . Were on duty day and night.  1 Chronicles 9:33

 It was so well organized in the temple that the sacred refrain never ceased, for the singers constantly praised the Lord, whose mercy endures forever. As mercy did not cease to rule either by day or by night, so neither did music hush its holy sound. My heart, there is a lesson sweetly taught to you in the ceaseless song of Zion’s temple. You are a constant debtor; therefore see to it that your gratitude, like charity, never fails. God’s praise is constant in heaven, which is to be your final dwelling-place; so learn to practice the eternal hallelujah. Around the earth as the sun scatters its light, its beams awaken grateful believers to tune their morning hymn, so that by the priesthood of the saints perpetual praise is kept up at all hours; they surround our globe in a mantle of thanksgiving and girdle it with a golden belt of song.

The Lord always deserves to be praised for what He is in Himself, for His works of creation and providence, for His goodness toward His creatures, and especially for the transcendent act of redemption and all the marvelous blessings that flow from it. It is always beneficial to praise the Lord; such praise cheers the day and brightens the night; it lightens toil and softens sorrow; and over earthly gladness it sheds a sanctifying radiance that makes it less liable to blind us with its glare. Do we not have something to sing about at this moment? Can we not weave a song out of our present joys or our past deliverances or our future hopes? Earth yields her summer fruits: The hay is baled, the golden grain invites the scythe, and the sun tarries to shine upon a fruitful earth and shorten the interval of shade, that we may extend the hours of devoted worship. By the love of Jesus, let us be stirred up to close the day with a psalm of sanctified gladness.

Family Reading Plan Jeremiah 27  Mark 13

 John 21:15-19

All of us make tracks through the valley of failure. Then the key question is, What we will do next? Sadly, many believers who stumble give up a vibrant kingdom-serving life for a defeated existence. But failure can also be a chance for a new beginning of living in Christ’s strength.

In pride, Peter thought his faith was the strongest of all the disciples’ and swore that even if the others left Jesus, he never would (Mark 14:29). Yet when the time of testing came, he denied even knowing Christ–and did so three times (Matt. 26:69-75). Satan hoped the disciple would be so wounded by his own disloyalty that his faith would be undermined by shame, condemnation, and despair.

Likewise, when the Enemy sifts believers today, his goal is for us to become shelved and ineffective for God’s kingdom. That’s why he goes after our strengths, especially the areas in which we proudly consider ourselves invincible. But if we’re willing, the Lord can use our failures to do spiritual housecleaning, as He did in Peter’s life. After the resurrection, Jesus met with the disciple personally and restored him, preparing him to become a great leader in the early church. He made it clear that Peter’s potential to serve was defined, not by failure, but by his unwavering love for Christ.

Peter laid down his pride, received the healing Jesus offered, and put on courage with the Holy Spirit’s help. He then risked his life fearlessly to further the gospel, and many came to Christ through his example. Failure was the catalyst that grew in him a stronger, more authentic faith.

 Someone asked me recently to describe how I see God, what I envision, whom I perceive, and how I imagine God reacts when I think I’ve failed or succeeded. As I tried to put these mammoth ideas into words, I found it was helpful to speak aloud the attributes of God’s character. It was also helpful to see again the places where my own experiences of people or authorities have shaped the words I heard myself using, as well as the places where I might unjustly project upon God things that do not belong there. For instance, things that might seem incredibly real to me—my sense of failure or success, a sense of fear or offense—somehow seem, not unimportant, but less tall, less real, if I imagine really trying to describe them to the man who claimed to be God.

 The Gospel of John recounts the story of a man confronted with the responsibility to grapple with his perception of Jesus and the looming worry on his mind. John 4:43-54 tells of a certain royal official whose son was ill and hours away from death. This man had heard that Jesus had arrived in a town nearby, so with a desperate hope he left his son’s side and went to the place where Jesus was teaching. There, he hurriedly begged Jesus to come back with him to Capernaum and heal his son.

 We are not told much about the official’s perspective of the rabbi from Nazareth. Had he heard that Jesus was a miracle worker? Was he certain that God was with him and not Beelzebub as others speculated? Or was it merely a last feeble attempt to change the outcome that seemed likely on his son’s deathbed? This man’s perception of Jesus likely existed hazily within his perception of the things he knew were real—and pressingly real at that moment. His son lay at home dying. As we can imagine, his sense of time and space was incredibly heightened. His son was sick, death moments around the corner. Hearing of Christ’s arrival, the official left quickly hoping there was still time. If Jesus agreed to return with him, they would have to move quickly. 

 At the very least, the official held the hope that Jesus was a powerful healer, a man who might well make a difference in the outcome of his son’s illness. Perhaps he had seen or heard what others were noting: “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor” (Luke 7:22). Whatever his perception, the official believed there was something real enough about Jesus to possibly mend the peril of the moment. 

 Yet, as in many of the moments we face with tears or anger or excitement, factors other than God’s provision or Christ’s power often seem more real to us. For this desperate father, Jesus was more of a “last hope” in a race against death, than he was hope and life itself. Consumed by the weight of time, the man begged the face of eternity, “Sir, come down before my child dies!” The text is full of anxious awareness that time is of the essence. Like countless others of his day and ours, within his perception of Christ, he had not fully come to terms with the profundity of Christ’s unique claims as they might affect this and every moment. He may have believed him to be real; did he believe him to be God? The greatest tragedy in our thinking about Christ is often that it stops far short from really considering the outrageous claims he has given us to consider.

 Yet here, in a providential test of perception, Jesus responds to the anguished father’s desperation. But he simply says, “You may go. Your son will live” (4:50). In this defining moment, the man had to decide whether Christ was who he said he was or not. He had to decide what and who was more real. Could the hand of Jesus really touch his son across these cities? Could this word really mean something for his son from such a span? Were time and distance the greatest factors in his child’s life or was this rabbi one who could really overturn everything that loomed so real before him?    

 The gospel simply reports that the man “took Jesus at his word and departed” (4:50). At Christ’s word, the man’s perception of reality was sharpened. Jesus became more than a good man, more than a miracle worker; time and distance became lesser gods. Moving beyond fear and hurriedness, trusting beyond time and space, beyond his own eyes, the man took Jesus at his word, and went home to find his son well.

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

 Morning “And when he thought thereon, he wept.” / Mark 14:72

 It has been thought by some that as long as Peter lived, the fountain of his

tears began to flow whenever he remembered his denying his Lord. It is not

unlikely that it was so, for his sin was very great, and grace in him had

afterwards a perfect work. This same experience is common to all the redeemed

family according to the degree in which the Spirit of God has removed the

natural heart of stone. We, like Peter, remember our boastful promise: “Though

all men shall forsake thee, yet will not I.” We eat our own words with the

bitter herbs of repentance. When we think of what we vowed we would be, and of

what we have been, we may weep whole showers of grief. He thought on his

denying his Lord. The place in which he did it, the little cause which led him

into such heinous sin, the oaths and blasphemies with which he sought to

confirm his falsehood, and the dreadful hardness of heart which drove him to

do so again and yet again. Can we, when we are reminded of our sins, and their

exceeding sinfulness, remain stolid and stubborn? Will we not make our house a

Bochim, and cry unto the Lord for renewed assurances of pardoning love? May we

never take a dry-eyed look at sin, lest ere long we have a tongue parched in

the flames of hell. Peter also thought upon his Master’s look of love. The

Lord followed up the cock’s warning voice with an admonitory look of sorrow,

pity, and love. That glance was never out of Peter’s mind so long as he lived.

It was far more effectual than ten thousand sermons would have been without

the Spirit. The penitent apostle would be sure to weep when he recollected the

Saviour’s full forgiveness, which restored him to his former place. To think

that we have offended so kind and good a Lord is more than sufficient reason

for being constant weepers. Lord, smite our rocky hearts, and make the waters

flow.

Evening “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” / John 6:37

 No limit is set to the duration of this promise. It does not merely say, “I

will not cast out a sinner at his first coming,” but, “I will in no wise cast

out.” The original reads, “I will not, not cast out,” or “I will never, never

cast out.” The text means, that Christ will not at first reject a believer;

and that as he will not do it at first, so he will not to the last.

 But suppose the believer sins after coming? “If any man sin we have an

advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” But suppose that

believers backslide? “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely:

for mine anger is turned away from him.” But believers may fall under

temptation! “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that

ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye

may be able to bear it.” But the believer may fall into sin as David did! Yes,

but he will “Purge them with hyssop, and they shall be clean; he will wash

them and they shall be whiter than snow”; “From all their iniquities will I

cleanse them.”

 “Once in Christ, in Christ forever,

 Nothing from his love can sever.”

 “I give unto my sheep,” saith he, “eternal life; and they shall never perish,

neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” What sayest thou to this, O

trembling feeble mind? Is not this a precious mercy, that coming to Christ,

thou dost not come to One who will treat thee well for a little while, and

then send thee about thy business, but he will receive thee and make thee his

bride, and thou shalt be his forever? Receive no longer the spirit of bondage

again to fear, but the spirit of adoption whereby thou shalt cry, Abba,

Father! Oh! the grace of these words: “I will in no wise cast out.”

Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.  John 6:37

There is no expiration date on this promise. It does not merely say, “I will not cast out a sinner at his first coming,” but “I will never cast him out.” The original reads, “I will not, not cast out,” or “I will never, never cast out.” The text means that Christ will not at first reject a believer, and that as He will not do it at first, so He will not to the last.

But suppose the believer sins after coming? “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”1 But suppose that believers backslide? “I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.”2 But believers may fall under temptation! “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”3 But the believer may fall into sin as David did! Yes, but He will “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”4

Once in Christ, in Christ forever,

Nothing from His love can sever.

Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”5 What do you say to this, O trembling, feeble mind? This is a precious mercy. Coming to Christ, you do not come to One who will treat you well for a little while and then send you about your business, but He will receive you and make you His bride, and you shall be His forever! Live no longer in the spirit of bondage to fear, but in the spirit of adoption, which cries, “Abba, Father!” Oh, the grace of these words: “I will never cast out.”

11 John 2:1 2Hosea 14:4 31 Corinthians 10:13 4Psalm 51:7

5John 10:28

Family Reading Plan Jeremiah 26  Mark 12

 Matthew 5:3-16

Contrary to popular but poor theology, salvation doesn’t guarantee an easy life. It’s tempting to present the Christian faith as a safe haven from which to watch the world swirl past, the door keeping out hardship and letting in only obvious blessings. That brand of “faith” might sell well in the marketplace, but it isn’t real.

The truth is that in this world, we cannot escape conflict but must learn to face it with courage and wisdom. The joy of our faith is that the Lord gives us all we need to deal with whatever comes our way–and He’s able to use difficult things for good in our lives. We may feel tempted to just keep quiet and blend in rather than deal with ridicule. But while we’re called to be peacemakers, that doesn’t mean isolating ourselves from all who oppose our faith.

Consider the Lord’s example. While Jesus was fully God, He was also fully human; He understood the sting of rejection, just as we do (Heb. 4:15). Yet He was so fearless in challenging the status quo that religious leaders called for His death. He was at the center of controversy throughout His ministry, which is one reason He so often slipped away for time alone with His Father. So, when we are in the midst of persecution, we can come to know Him in a deep, new way.

Just as salt brings out the true flavor in food, our presence can impact those around us even when they criticize or reject us. Make a powerful impact on the world simply by being the person God created you to be. As you practice faithfulness, trust that He is at work!

 On any given week, three to five biographies make The New York Times best-seller list for non-fiction. Though historical biographies have changed with time, human interest in the genre is long-standing. The first known biographies were commissioned by ancient rulers to assure records of their accomplishments. The Old Testament writings, detailing the lives of patriarchs, prophets, and kings, are also some of the earliest biographies in existence. Throughout the Middle Ages, biographical histories were largely in the hands of monks; lives of martyrs and church fathers were recorded with the intention of edifying readers for years to come. Over time and with the invention of the printing press, biographies became increasingly influential and widely read, portraying a larger array of lives and their stories. 

 The popularity of the genre is understandable. As writer Thomas Carlyle once said, “Biography is the most universally pleasant and profitable of all reading.” Such books are pleasant because in reading the accounts of men and women in history, we find ourselves living in many places; they are profitable because in doing so, we hear fragments of our own stories. The questions and thoughts we considered our own suddenly appear before us in the life of another. The afflictions we find wearying are given meaning in the story of one who overcame much or the life of one who found hope in the midst of loss. Perhaps we move toward biography because we seem to know that life is too short to learn only by our own experience.  

 Christianity embraces a similar thought. The most direct attempt in Scripture to define faith is done so by the writer of Hebrews. The eleventh chapter begins, “Now faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see.” To be honest, it is a definition that has always somewhat eluded me, and I was thankful to read I am not alone. John Wesley once observed of the same words, “There appears to be a depth in them, which I am in no wise able to fathom.” Perhaps recognizing the weight and mystery of faith and the difficulty of defining it, the writer of Hebrews immediately moves from this definition to descriptions of men and women who have lived “sure of hope” and “certain of the unseen.” From Noah and Abraham, to Rahab and saints left unnamed, we find faith moving across the pages of history, the gift of God sparkling in the eyes of the faithful, the hope by which countless lives were guided. In this brief gathering of biographies, the writer seems to tell us that faith is understood functionally as much as philosophically, and that our own faith is more fully understood by looking at lives God has changed long before ours. For in between the lines that describe any faithful man or woman is the God who makes faith possible in the first place. 

 At the end of his compelling list, the writer of Hebrews thus concludes: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” The lives of those who followed Christ before us urge other onward, strengthening hearts with stories of faith, stirring minds at the thought of God’s enduring influence, reminding us that God moves in our biographies and yet beyond them. 

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

 Morning “Exceeding great and precious promises.” / 2 Peter 1:4

 If you would know experimentally the preciousness of the promises, and enjoy

them in your own heart, meditate much upon them. There are promises which are

like grapes in the wine-press; if you will tread them the juice will flow.

Thinking over the hallowed words will often be the prelude to their

fulfilment. While you are musing upon them, the boon which you are seeking

will insensibly come to you. Many a Christian who has thirsted for the promise

has found the favour which it ensured gently distilling into his soul even

while he has been considering the divine record; and he has rejoiced that ever

he was led to lay the promise near his heart.

 But besides meditating upon the promises, seek in thy soul to receive them as

being the very words of God. Speak to thy soul thus, “If I were dealing with a

man’s promise, I should carefully consider the ability and the character of

the man who had covenanted with me. So with the promise of God; my eye must

not be so much fixed upon the greatness of the mercy–that may stagger me; as

upon the greatness of the promiser–that will cheer me. My soul, it is God,

even thy God, God that cannot lie, who speaks to thee. This word of his which

thou art now considering is as true as his own existence. He is a God

unchangeable. He has not altered the thing which has gone out of his mouth,

nor called back one single consolatory sentence. Nor doth he lack any power;

it is the God that made the heavens and the earth who has spoken thus. Nor can

he fail in wisdom as to the time when he will bestow the favours, for he

knoweth when it is best to give and when better to withhold. Therefore, seeing

that it is the word of a God so true, so immutable, so powerful, so wise, I

will and must believe the promise.” If we thus meditate upon the promises, and

consider the Promiser, we shall experience their sweetness, and obtain their

fulfilment.

Evening “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?” / Romans 8:33

 Most blessed challenge! How unanswerable it is! Every sin of the elect was

laid upon the great Champion of our salvation, and by the atonement carried

away. There is no sin in God’s book against his people: he seeth no sin in

Jacob, neither iniquity in Israel; they are justified in Christ forever. When

the guilt of sin was taken away, the punishment of sin was removed. For the

Christian there is no stroke from God’s angry hand–nay, not so much as a

single frown of punitive justice. The believer may be chastised by his Father,

but God the Judge has nothing to say to the Christian, except “I have absolved

thee: thou art acquitted.” For the Christian there is no penal death in this

world, much less any second death. He is completely freed from all the

punishment as well as the guilt of sin, and the power of sin is removed too.

It may stand in our way, and agitate us with perpetual warfare; but sin is a

conquered foe to every soul in union with Jesus. There is no sin which a

Christian cannot overcome if he will only rely upon his God to do it. They who

wear the white robe in heaven overcame through the blood of the Lamb, and we

may do the same. No lust is too mighty, no besetting sin too strongly

entrenched; we can overcome through the power of Christ. Do believe it,

Christian, that thy sin is a condemned thing. It may kick and struggle, but it

is doomed to die. God has written condemnation across its brow. Christ has

crucified it, “nailing it to his cross.” Go now and mortify it, and the Lord

help you to live to his praise, for sin with all its guilt, shame, and fear,

is gone.

 “Here’s pardon for transgressions past,

 It matters not how black their cast;

 And, O my soul, with wonder view,

 For sins to come here’s pardon too.”

Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?  Romans 8:33

Most blessed challenge! How unanswerable it is! Every sin of the elect was laid upon the great Champion of our salvation, and by the atonement carried away. There is no sin in God’s book against His people: He sees no sin in Jacob, neither iniquity in Israel; they are justified in Christ forever. When the guilt of sin was taken away, the punishment of sin was removed. For the Christian there is no stroke from God’s angry hand—no, not so much as a single frown of punitive justice. The believer may be chastised by his Father, but God the Judge has nothing to say to the Christian except “I have absolved you: you are acquitted.”

For the Christian there is no penal death in this world, much less any second death. He is completely freed from all the punishment as well as the guilt of sin, and the power of sin is removed too. It may stand in our way and agitate us with perpetual warfare; but sin is a conquered foe to every soul in union with Jesus. There is no sin that a Christian cannot overcome if he will only rely upon his God to do it. They who wear the white robe in heaven overcame through the blood of the Lamb, and we may do the same. No lust is too mighty, no besetting sin too strongly entrenched; we can overcome through the power of Christ.

Do believe it, Christian—your sin is a condemned thing. It may kick and struggle, but it is doomed to die. God has written condemnation across its brow. Christ has crucified it, nailing it to His cross. Go now and mortify it, and may the Lord help you to live to His praise, for sin with all its guilt, shame, and fear is gone.

Here’s pardon for transgressions past,

It matters not how black their cast;

And, O my soul, with wonder view,

For sins to come here’s pardon too.

Family Reading Plan Jeremiah 23  Mark 9

Genesis 37-39

When we don’t understand what God is doing or why, His ways can seem perplexing. The times when ungodly people seem to triumph over the righteous make us scratch our heads and wonder why the Lord doesn’t intervene. But the truth is, He oftenuses the wicked to accomplish His purpose.

Joseph faced one hard-hearted individual after another during his years in exile. His brothers shipped him off to Egypt. His boss’s wife accused him of an unspeakable crime. And even those he helped, like Pharaoh’s cupbearer, forgot about him (Gen. 40:23). The actions (or seeming inactions) of God make little sense at this point.

But once the story of Joseph’s life was written in full, it was clear that everyone who harmed or neglected the young man contributed to God’s plan. The Lord used numerous people across several years to bring a humbled young Hebrew unexpectedly to power at the right moment to spare his family–who were the Messiah’s ancestors–from the effects of famine.

In our circumstances, we can see God’s actions only from the limited vantage point of our humanness. We experience the events He has allowed or caused but can’t discern what He is thinking. Often the Lord’s goals and purposes are hidden from us until His plans come to fruition.

God is sovereign over all the earth. We may wonder at the strange or even terrifying turns our lives take, but we can be certain that He is in control and at work. The wicked may triumph for a season, but the final, eternal victory belongs to Christ and His righteous followers.

 “Why would a theologian have anything to contribute to any worthwhile discussion, on any subject whatsoever?”(1) So asks Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist and author of The God Delusion. He further articulates his disgust for theology in his 2006 article in The Free Inquiry magazine:

 “What has theology ever said that is of the smallest use to anybody? When has theology ever said anything that is demonstrably true and is not obvious? I have listened to theologians, read them, debated against them. I have never heard any of them ever say anything of the smallest use, anything that was not either platitudinously obvious or downright false. If all the achievements of scientists were wiped out tomorrow, there would be no doctors but witch doctors, no transport faster than horses, no computers, no printed books, no agriculture beyond subsistence peasant farming. If all the achievements of theologians were wiped out tomorrow, would anyone notice the smallest difference? Even the bad achievements of scientists, the bombs, and sonar-guided whaling vessels work! The achievements of theologians don’t do anything, don’t affect anything, don’t mean anything. What makes anyone think that ‘theology’ is a subject at all?”(2)

 Dawkins scornfully dismisses not only theologians but the subject of theology, too. Francis Schaeffer similarly recalls in his book The God Who Is There meeting a successful young man when he was on a boat crossing the Mediterranean. “He was an atheist, and when he found out I was a pastor he anticipated an evening’s entertainment, so he started in.”(3) It seems not taking theologians seriously is hardly a new phenomenon. As a theologian, I might be tempted to respond to these provocations with the words of the Psalmist: The fool has said in his heart that there is no God. Nevertheless, skeptical commentators like Dawkins might also make me ask other questions. For instance, from where did people get the idea that theology is meaningless and also detached from other subjects? Do others think the same about theologians? Did the theological community contribute in any way to this impression? Are religious leaders guilty of indulging in spiritual talk divorced from reality?

When the apostle Paul visited Athens “his spirit was provoked” as he observed the city full of idols. Nevertheless, when he addressed the Areogagus gathering he commended them for being a religious people. Having spent time understanding their religious and philosophical beliefs he begins his message by finding a bridge in their idolatry with “The unknown god.” He knew that bridges could not be build without starting at their end of the shore. And he knew their ideas and interests well enough to be able to quote pagan poets and prophets.

 The Christian is always encouraged to take stewardship of this world of commerce, science, literature, philosophy, and every other field seriously. Where Christianity is lived well, the charge that theologians can engage only in the pursuit of theology devoid of contemporary issues should sound false to the ears of this generation. For all truth is God’s truth. As hymn writer Maltbie Babcock wrote more than a century ago:

 This is my Father’s world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres. 
This is my Father’s world: 
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.

 This is my Father’s world,
the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white,
declare their maker’s praise. 
This is my Father’s world: 
he shines in all that’s fair;
in the rustling grass I hear him pass;
he speaks to me everywhere.

 This is my Father’s world. 
O let me ne’er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet. 
This is my Father’s world: 
why should my heart be sad? 
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring! 
God reigns; let the earth be glad!

 Cyril Georgeson is a member of the speaking team with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Delhi, India.

 (1) Richard Dawkins as quoted in “What’s so heavenly about the God particle?” Newsweek, January 2, 2012.
(2) Richard Dawkins, “The Emptiness of Theology,” Free Inquiry magazine, Volume 18, Number 2.
(3) Francis Shaeffer, The God Who Is There in The Francis A. Schaeffer Trilogy (Wheaton: Crossway, 1990), 68.

 Morning “Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge,

etc.” / 2 Peter 1:5-6

 If thou wouldest enjoy the eminent grace of the full assurance of faith, under

the blessed Spirit’s influence, and assistance, do what the Scripture tells

thee, “Give diligence.” Take care that thy faith is of the right kind–that it

is not a mere belief of doctrine, but a simple faith, depending on Christ, and

on Christ alone. Give diligent heed to thy courage. Plead with God that he

would give thee the face of a lion, that thou mayest, with a consciousness of

right, go on boldly. Study well the Scriptures, and get knowledge; for a

knowledge of doctrine will tend very much to confirm faith. Try to understand

God’s Word; let it dwell in thy heart richly.

 When thou hast done this, “Add to thy knowledge temperance.” Take heed to thy

body: be temperate without. Take heed to thy soul: be temperate within. Get

temperance of lip, life, heart, and thought. Add to this, by God’s Holy

Spirit, patience; ask him to give thee that patience which endureth

affliction, which, when it is tried, shall come forth as gold. Array yourself

with patience, that you may not murmur nor be depressed in your afflictions.

When that grace is won look to godliness. Godliness is something more than

religion. Make God’s glory your object in life; live in his sight; dwell close

to him; seek for fellowship with him; and thou hast “godliness”; and to that

add brotherly love. Have a love to all the saints: and add to that a charity,

which openeth its arms to all men, and loves their souls. When you are adorned

with these jewels, and just in proportion as you practise these heavenly

virtues, will you come to know by clearest evidence “your calling and

election.” “Give diligence,” if you would get assurance, for lukewarmness and

doubting very naturally go hand in hand.

Evening “That he may set him with princes.” / Psalm 113:8

 Our spiritual privileges are of the highest order. “Among princes” is the

place of select society. “Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with

his Son Jesus Christ.” Speak of select society, there is none like this! “We

are a chosen generation, a peculiar people, a royal priesthood.” “We are come

unto the general assembly and church of the first-born, whose names are

written in heaven.” The saints have courtly audience: princes have admittance

to royalty when common people must stand afar off. The child of God has free

access to the inner courts of heaven. “For through him we both have access by

one Spirit unto the Father.” “Let us come boldly,” says the apostle, “to the

throne of the heavenly grace.” Among princes there is abundant wealth, but

what is the abundance of princes compared with the riches of believers? for

“all things are yours, and ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” “He that

spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with

him also freely give us all things?” Princes have peculiar power. A prince of

heaven’s empire has great influence: he wields a sceptre in his own domain; he

sits upon Jesus’ throne, for “He hath made us kings and priests unto God, and

we shall reign forever and ever.” We reign over the united kingdom of time and

eternity. Princes, again, have special honour. We may look down upon all

earth-born dignity from the eminence upon which grace has placed us. For what

is human grandeur to this, “He hath raised us up together, and made us sit

together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus”? We share the honour of Christ,

and compared with this, earthly splendours are not worth a thought. Communion

with Jesus is a richer gem than ever glittered in imperial diadem. Union with

the Lord is a coronet of beauty outshining all the blaze of imperial pomp.

…To make them sit with princes.   Psalm 113:8 

 Our spiritual privileges are of the highest order. “With princes” is the place of select society. “Indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”1 There is no more select society than this! “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.”2 “. . . to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.”3

The saints have direct and immediate access: Princes are admitted to royalty when common people must stand afar off. The child of God has free access to the inner courts of heaven. “For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.”4 “Let us then with confidence draw near,” says the apostle, “to the throne of grace.”5

Among princes there is abundant wealth, but what is the abundance of princes compared with the riches of believers? For “all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.”6 “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”7 Princes have peculiar power. A prince of heaven’s empire has great influence: He wields a scepter in his own domain; he sits upon Jesus’ throne, for “You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”8 We reign over the united kingdom of time and eternity.

Princes, again, have special honor. We may look down upon all earthborn dignity from the eminence upon which grace has placed us. For what is human grandeur to this: “[He] raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”?9 We share the honor of Christ, and compared with this, earthly splendors are not worth a thought. Communion with Jesus is a richer gem than ever glittered in a royal crown. Union with the Lord is an emblem of beauty outshining all the blaze of imperial pomp.

11 John 1:3 21 Peter 2:9 3Hebrews 12:23 4Ephesians 2:18 5Hebrews 4:16 61 Cor 3:22-23

7Romans 8:32     8Revelation 5:10      9Ephesians 2:6

Family Reading Plan Jeremiah 22 Mark 8

Psalm 62:1-2

Having been saved by faith in Christ, we express our love and gratitude through devotion to Him. Regular Bible study and prayer will be an integral part of our daily lives. In addition, our commitment to the Lord will be revealed through a passion to obey, a spirit of humility, and a servant’s heart.

1. Obedience. David sought to obey God all his life. As a shepherd boy, he faithfully tended the animals in his father’s fields. While king, he set aside his desire to build the temple and let Solomon lead the effort, as God had commanded. Although David lived imperfectly, his desire was to do what the Lord asked. We see from Jesus’ words in John 14:15 that obedience should be our high priority as well: He said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
2. Humility. After David killed Goliath, the crowds shouted praise about the young man. However, he did not become prideful. Instead, he remained in King Saul’s service and waited for God to make him the ruler of Israel. Even as king, he remained humble. He knew that what had been accomplished was because of the Lord’s actions and not his own (2 Sam. 7:18).
3. Service. Whether David was a lowly shepherd or a mighty king, his goal was to obey God and serve Him.

This man after God’s own heart was devoted to his Lord. He sought to know Him and longed to carry out His will. David’s actions reflected His humble attitude of servanthood and his longing to please his heavenly Father. Take steps each day to be sure your life expresses commitment to Jesus

 When a book titled Life Together landed on my desk as a college student, the subtitle promising “a discussion of Christian fellowship,” to say the least I was skeptical.  Wary of Christian culture and preferring to remain on the fringes, I saw fellowship primarily as a means of enclosing oneself in self-affirming circles. I was weary of feel-good religion; I was also bothered by the charade of unity carried on in pluralistic crowds. But the book was given to me, and the giver was insistent that its author, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was someone who would turn skepticism and self-affirmation on their heads. 

 Life Together was written in the thick of a mounting Nazi regime during Bonhoeffer’s unique experience with 25 vicars in an underground seminary. It took me only a few pages to realize that he was speaking with weighted words on a topic I had long judged as fluff. Almost immediately I was uncomfortably aware of the skepticism that kept me on the outskirts of community, clutching an impaired image of the Christianity I professed. “Christianity,” Bonhoeffer announced in the first few pages, “means community through Jesus Christ, and in Jesus Christ.”(1) The two are inseparable.

 In the community of believers, the Christian is said to be encouraged and admonished, uplifted and stretched (a few of the reasons I suspect many try to avoid it). As the priests called out to the crowds in the book of Nehemiah, the Christian is called to attention, called to remember in community the one who unites us: “Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting,” said Nehemiah. In community, the Christian is repeatedly shown that Christ has called us to die to ourselves and live in him—together. An invitation to be three.   

 Bonhoeffer thus reminds the cynical not to overlook the opportunity of Christian fellowship. “It is not simply to be taken for granted that the Christian has the privilege of living among other Christians. Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him. On the cross he was utterly alone.”(2) Being in the presence of other believers is indeed a hopeful gift. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus repeatedly cried out to his disciples that they stay awake and keep watch with him.  While in prison, the apostle Paul called for Timothy, his “true child in the faith,” to come and visit. 

 Christian fellowship is vital—though not as an end in itself, but in and of the God we profess. Thus we must not avoid being a part of a believing community, but neither should we believe that gathering is the extent of the call.  Christ’s call to the disciples was a call to community even as it was a call to a common vision to reach the world with the reality of God’s love. Before going to the cross, he asked the Father that “they might be one even as we are one… so that the world may know that you sent me” (John 17:11). Surrounded by a world of belief, the collective praise of the Son is a compelling testimony of God’s presence to a world the Father longs to reach. 

 Consequently, even as Bonhoeffer himself recognized the privilege of living with fellow Christians, he chose to live in the midst of enemies as well. Given the opportunity to move outside of Nazi Germany, he declined. 

 God’s people remain scattered throughout the nations, but held together in Jesus Christ. This is part and parcel of the invitation of Christ. Even as God places people around us that we can learn from and grow with, the reach of a believing community goes beyond physical presence. Hearing a song written by Fernando Ortega recently, “Take heart, my friend, the Lord is able,” I was stirred by words God knew I needed to hear, and moved to worship with the songwriter himself. “Where two or three are gathered in my name,” Jesus told them, “there I am among them.” United to Christ, we are invited to be members of a community beyond our imagination because of the one in our midst. And thus we can be encouraged by the believer beside us or a person we have not met, and heartened at the God who knows us both. A thousand voices tuned to the same instrument are automatically in tune with each other. And so we take heart; Christ is among us as we sing.

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

 (1) Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (New York: Harper and Row, 1954), 24.
(2) Ibid., 17.

Morning “With loving kindness have I drawn thee.” – Jeremiah 31:3

 The thunders of the law and the terrors of judgment are all used to bring us to

Christ; but the final victory is effected by loving kindness. The prodigal set

out to his father’s house from a sense of need; but his father saw him a great

way off, and ran to meet him; so that the last steps he took towards his

father’s house were with the kiss still warm upon his cheek, and the welcome

still musical in his ears.

 “Law and terrors do but harden

All the while they work alone;

But a sense of blood-bought pardon

Will dissolve a heart of stone.”

 The Master came one night to the door, and knocked with the iron hand of the

law; the door shook and trembled upon its hinges; but the man piled every piece

of furniture which he could find against the door, for he said, “I will not

admit the man.” The Master turned away, but by-and-bye he came back, and with

his own soft hand, using most that part where the nail had penetrated, he

knocked again–oh, so softly and tenderly. This time the door did not shake,

but, strange to say, it opened, and there upon his knees the once unwilling host

was found rejoicing to receive his guest. “Come in, come in; thou hast so

knocked that my bowels are moved for thee. I could not think of thy pierced hand

leaving its blood-mark on my door, and of thy going away houseless, Thy head

filled with dew, and thy locks with the drops of the night.’ I yield, I yield,

thy love has won my heart.” So in every case: lovingkindness wins the day. What

Moses with the tablets of stone could never do, Christ does with his pierced

hand. Such is the doctrine of effectual calling. Do I understand it

experimentally? Can I say, “He drew me, and I followed on, glad to confess the

voice divine?” If so, may he continue to draw me, till at last I shall sit down

at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Evening “Now we have received … the spirit which is of God; that we might know the

things that are freely given to us of God.” – 1 Corinthians 2:12

 Dear reader, have you received the spirit which is of God, wrought by the Holy

Ghost in your soul? The necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart

may be clearly seen from this fact, that all which has been done by God the

Father, and by God the Son, must be ineffectual to us, unless the Spirit shall

reveal these things to our souls. What effect does the doctrine of election have

upon any man until the Spirit of God enters into him? Election is a dead letter

in my consciousness until the Spirit of God calls me out of darkness into

marvellous light. Then through my calling, I see my election, and knowing myself

to be called of God, I know myself to have been chosen in the eternal purpose. A

covenant was made with the Lord Jesus Christ, by his Father; but what avails

that covenant to us until the Holy Spirit brings us its blessings, and opens our

hearts to receive them? There hang the blessings on the nail–Christ Jesus; but

being short of stature, we cannot reach them; the Spirit of God takes them down

and hands them to us, and thus they become actually ours. Covenant blessings in

themselves are like the manna in the skies, far out of mortal reach, but the

Spirit of God opens the windows of heaven and scatters the living bread around

the camp of the spiritual Israel. Christ’s finished work is like wine stored in

the wine-vat; through unbelief we can neither draw nor drink. The Holy Spirit

dips our vessel into this precious wine, and then we drink; but without the

Spirit we are as truly dead in sin as though the Father never had elected, and

though the Son had never bought us with his blood. The Holy Spirit is absolutely

necessary to our well-being. Let us walk lovingly towards him and tremble at the

thought of grieving him.

…In their distress earnestly seek me.   Hosea 5:15 

Losses and adversities are frequently the means that the Great Shepherd uses to bring home His wandering sheep; like fierce dogs they worry the wanderers back to the fold. Well-fed lions defy our attempts to tame them; they must be brought down from their great strength, and their stomachs must be lowered, and then they will submit to the tamer’s hand. How often have we seen the Christian rendered obedient to the Lord’s will by the absence of bread and the presence of difficulty. When rich and increased in goods, many professors carry their heads much too loftily and speak exceeding boastfully. Like David, they flatter themselves: “My mountain stands firm; I shall never be moved.”1

When the Christian grows wealthy, is in good repute, or has good health and a happy family, he too often admits Mr. Carnal-Security2 to feast at his table, and then if he is a true child of God there is a rod preparing for him. Wait awhile, and perhaps you will see his substance melt away as a dream. There goes a portion of his estate—how soon the acres change hands. That debt, that dishonored bill—how fast his losses roll in; where will they end? It is a blessed sign of divine life if, when these embarrassments occur one after another, he begins to be distressed about his backslidings and turns afresh to God. Blessed are the waves that wash the mariner upon the rock of salvation!

Losses in business are often sanctified to our soul’s enriching. If the chosen soul will not come to the Lord full-handed, it shall come empty. If God, in His grace, finds no other means of making us honor Him among men, He will cast us into the deep; if we fail to honor Him on the pinnacle of riches, He will bring us into the valley of poverty. Yet do not faint, heir of sorrow, when you are rebuked in this fashion; rather, recognize the loving hand that chastens and say, “I will arise and go to my Father.”3

1See Psalm 30:6-7 2The Holy War (John Bunyan) 3Luke 15:18

Family Reading Plan Jeremiah 21 Mark 7