Morning “They shall go hindmost with their standards.” / Numbers 2:31

 The camp of Dan brought up the rear when the armies of Israel were on the

march. The Danites occupied the hindmost place, but what mattered the

position, since they were as truly part of the host as were the foremost

tribes; they followed the same fiery cloudy pillar, they ate of the same

manna, drank of the same spiritual rock, and journeyed to the same

inheritance. Come, my heart, cheer up, though last and least; it is thy

privilege to be in the army, and to fare as they fare who lead the van. Some

one must be hindmost in honour and esteem, some one must do menial work for

Jesus, and why should not I? In a poor village, among an ignorant peasantry;

or in a back street, among degraded sinners, I will work on, and “go hindmost

with my standard.”

 The Danites occupied a very useful place. Stragglers have to be picked up upon

the march, and lost property has to be gathered from the field. Fiery spirits

may dash forward over untrodden paths to learn fresh truth, and win more souls

to Jesus; but some of a more conservative spirit may be well engaged in

reminding the church of her ancient faith, and restoring her fainting sons.

Every position has its duties, and the slowly moving children of God will find

their peculiar state one in which they may be eminently a blessing to the

whole host.

 The rear guard is a place of danger. There are foes behind us as well as

before us. Attacks may come from any quarter. We read that Amalek fell upon

Israel, and slew some of the hindmost of them. The experienced Christian will

find much work for his weapons in aiding those poor doubting, desponding,

wavering, souls, who are hindmost in faith, knowledge, and joy. These must not

be left unaided, and therefore be it the business of well-taught saints to

bear their standards among the hindmost. My soul, do thou tenderly watch to

help the hindmost this day.

Evening “Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path.” / Joel 2:8

 Locusts always keep their rank, and although their number is legion, they do

not crowd upon each other, so as to throw their columns into confusion. This

remarkable fact in natural history shows how thoroughly the Lord has infused

the spirit of order into his universe, since the smallest animate creatures

are as much controlled by it as are the rolling spheres or the seraphic

messengers. It would be wise for believers to be ruled by the same influence

in all their spiritual life. In their Christian graces no one virtue should

usurp the sphere of another, or eat out the vitals of the rest for its own

support. Affection must not smother honesty, courage must not elbow weakness

out of the field, modesty must not jostle energy, and patience must not

slaughter resolution. So also with our duties, one must not interfere with

another; public usefulness must not injure private piety; church work must not

push family worship into a corner. It is ill to offer God one duty stained

with the blood of another. Each thing is beautiful in its season, but not

otherwise. It was to the Pharisee that Jesus said, “This ought ye to have

done, and not to have left the other undone.” The same rule applies to our

personal position, we must take care to know our place, take it, and keep to

it. We must minister as the Spirit has given us ability, and not intrude upon

our fellow servant’s domain. Our Lord Jesus taught us not to covet the high

places, but to be willing to be the least among the brethren. Far from us be

an envious, ambitious spirit, let us feel the force of the Master’s command,

and do as he bids us, keeping rank with the rest of the host. To-night let us

see whether we are keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace, and

let our prayer be that, in all the churches of the Lord Jesus, peace and order

may prevail.

Let not one of them escape. 1 Kings 18:40 

When the prophet Elijah had received the answer to his prayer, and the fire from heaven had consumed the sacrifice in the presence of all the people, he called upon the assembled Israelites to take the priests of Baal and sternly cried, “Let not one of them escape.” He took them all down to the brook Kishon and slew them there. So must it be with our sins—they are all doomed; not one must be preserved.

Our darling sin must die. Do not spare it because it cries. Strike though it be as dear as a beloved son. Strike, for God struck at sin when it was laid upon His own Son. With stern unflinching purpose you must condemn to death that sin that was once the idol of your heart. Do you ask how you are to accomplish this? Jesus will be your power. You have grace to overcome sin, given you in the covenant of grace; you have strength to win the victory in the crusade against inward lusts because Christ Jesus has promised to be with you even unto the end.

If you would triumph over darkness, set yourself in the presence of the Sun of Righteousness. There is no place so well adapted for the discovery of sin and recovery from its power and guilt as the immediate presence of God. Job never knew how to get rid of sin half as well as he did when his eye of faith rested upon God, and then he abhorred himself and repented in dust and ashes.

The fine gold of the Christian is often becoming dim. We need the sacred fire to consume the dross. Let us fly to our God. He is a consuming fire; He will not consume our spirit, but our sins. Let the goodness of God excite us to a sacred jealousy and to a holy revenge against those iniquities that are hateful in His sight. Go forth to battle in His strength and utterly destroy the accursed crew: “Let not one of them escape.”

Family Reading Plan Jeremiah 13 Matthew 27

Proverbs 14:15-16

One fine afternoon, my best friend and I came upon an abandoned boat floating in the river. The paddles were broken, but that wasn’t much deterrent for a pair of teenage boys. We shoved off and drifted down the river talking, joking, and carrying on. I’m not sure how much time passed as we floated aimlessly along, but we knew we were in trouble when a loud roar reached our ears. Up ahead, water was rushing over the dam. Panicked, we grabbed the broken paddles and pulled hard against the current. We managed to get close enough to the shore to safely jump out into shallow water, but the boat went over the edge. What started out as pure fun nearly ended in disaster.

That’s exactly what is happening to a lot of people today. What begins as fun and pleasure ends in shipwreck because people drift along, neglecting to think ahead or notice how fast they’re moving away from the safety of the Lord’s plan. According to the prevailing attitude of modern society, God’s not needed as long as the stream runs smoothly. In other words, when income is good, family is safe, and health is stable, going with the flow seems fine. But in reality, a drifting man is being swept along on dangerous anti-Christ and anti-church currents.

Today’s passage reveals that the wise look to the future to avoid ruin. Let me put it another way: Drifting is foolish. In countless arenas of life–marriage, family, vocation, finances, etc.–we need a clear destination and navigation plan if we expect to be successful. God provides both (Prov. 3:6).

 Obedience is not a popular word. It conjures thoughts of condescending authorities, power imbalances and struggles, the uncomfortable choice of compliance or correction. Disobedience carries thoughts of being punished, the risk of reprimand. Yet whether we see ourselves as generally obedient or disobedient, living courageously or cowardly, dutifully or defiantly, in all of life there is always risk. Christian author John Piper refers to “the enchantment of security” as a potent myth that pollutes our lives. He describes risk as a reality for all of us—whether living obediently or otherwise—because we don’t know how things will turn out. Risk is built into the framework of our finite lives. That is to say, our plans for the future always carry the risk of being shattered by a thousand unknowns. Our declarations of love always carry with it the risk of dismissal. And for the Christian, though risk might be associated with disobedience, vows to follow after God carry with them the risk of obedience. As Jesus once illustrated to an agrarian audience, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
 In the Old Testament book of Joshua, which recounts the battles Israel fought after crossing the Jordan, “possession” and “promise” are key words in this notion of risk. The people of Israel were commanded by God to go and take possession of the land God had promised them, to seize what had been given. But there is a distinction between the promise itself and the possessing of that promise. The land was not just given to them; they were called to fight and seize hold of what was promised. To take possession of the Promised Land required risk, and yet God imparts that it was indeed given to them. He declares through Joshua, “I gave [your enemies] into your hands…. You did not do it with your own sword and bow” (24:11b, 12b). 

 In pursuit of God’s promise, the Israelites had to proceed courageously; many grew weary and some may have given their lives. The risk was certainly real. But each obstacle that blocked the Israelites’ ability to possess what God promised was an illustration that God was among them. Though the risk was certain, over each trial they faced, God declared the promise of risk and the assurance of God’s presence. 

 Thankfully our relationship with God does not hold risks the same way that our relationships with others pose risks.  The risk is not with God; it is with you and me. When the covenant was made with Israel that they would be God’s people and God would be their God, it was not God’s ability to keep the covenant that worried anyone. Standing on the Promised Land in the excitement of victory and the confidence of possession, the Israelites declared that they would faithfully serve and follow God. Joshua responded flatly, “You are not able to serve the LORD” (24:19).  Our promises to God certainly carry the risk that they will be broken. But as the Israelites encountered combat and conflict, risking their lives in obedience to the LORD, they were repeatedly reminded that the greatest of all possessions is the promise of God Himself. God not only kept God’s vow but acted on their behalf knowing that they could not.

 There is a risk to following God, a risk to obedience. But as God declared to Joshua, it was declared again by his Son, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” The Christian is invited to seize God’s promises knowing that she won’t know the outcome of her days, but that God himself is more certain than anything else. In risk and in suffering, uncertainty and disappointment we are assured and instructed by the same words given to Joshua. As he weighed the risk involved in seizing God’s promise, Joshua was told: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” God asks us to boldly follow and then carries us through the risk.

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

 Morning “Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.” / 1 Thessalonians 1:4

 Many persons want to know their election before they look to Christ, but they

cannot learn it thus, it is only to be discovered by “looking unto Jesus.” If

you desire to ascertain your own election;–after the following manner, shall

you assure your heart before God. Do you feel yourself to be a lost, guilty

sinner? go straightway to the cross of Christ, and tell Jesus so, and tell him

that you have read in the Bible, “Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise

cast out.” Tell him that he has said, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy

of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

Look to Jesus and believe on him, and you shall make proof of your election

directly, for so surely as thou believest, thou art elect. If you will give

yourself wholly up to Christ and trust him, then you are one of God’s chosen

ones; but if you stop and say, “I want to know first whether I am elect,” you

ask you know not what. Go to Jesus, be you never so guilty, just as you are.

Leave all curious inquiry about election alone. Go straight to Christ and hide

in his wounds, and you shall know your election. The assurance of the Holy

Spirit shall be given to you, so that you shall be able to say, “I know whom I

have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have

committed to him.” Christ was at the everlasting council: he can tell you

whether you were chosen or not; but you cannot find it out in any other way.

Go and put your trust in him, and his answer will be–“I have loved thee with

an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” There

will be no doubt about his having chosen you, when you have chosen him.

 “Sons we are through God’s election,

 Who in Jesus Christ believe.”

Evening  “Let not one of them escape.” / 1 Kings 18:40

 When the prophet Elijah had received the answer to his prayer, and the fire

from heaven had consumed the sacrifice in the presence of all the people, he

called upon the assembled Israelites to take the priests of Baal, and sternly

cried, “Let not one of them escape.” He took them all down to the brook

Kishon, and slew them there. So must it be with our sins–they are all doomed,

not one must be preserved. Our darling sin must die. Spare it not for its much

crying. Strike, though it be as dear as an Isaac. Strike, for God struck at

sin when it was laid upon his own Son. With stern unflinching purpose must you

condemn to death that sin which was once the idol of your heart. Do you ask

how you are to accomplish this? Jesus will be your power. You have grace to

overcome sin given you in the covenant of grace; you have strength to win the

victory in the crusade against inward lusts, because Christ Jesus has promised

to be with you even unto the end. If you would triumph over darkness, set

yourself in the presence of the Sun of Righteousness. There is no place so

well adapted for the discovery of sin, and recovery from its power and guilt,

as the immediate presence of God. Job never knew how to get rid of sin half so

well as he did when his eye of faith rested upon God, and then he abhorred

himself, and repented in dust and ashes. The fine gold of the Christian is oft

becoming dim. We need the sacred fire to consume the dross. Let us fly to our

God, he is a consuming fire; he will not consume our spirit, but our sins. Let

the goodness of God excite us to a sacred jealousy, and to a holy revenge

against those iniquities which are hateful in his sight. Go forth to battle

with Amalek, in his strength, and utterly destroy the accursed crew: let not

one of them escape.

You will arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come. For your servants hold her stones dear and have pity on her dust.  Psalms 102:13-14 

A selfish man in trouble is exceedingly hard to comfort, because the springs of his comfort are entirely within himself, and when he is sad all his springs are dry. But a large-hearted man full of Christian generosity has other springs from which to supply himself with comfort beside those that lie within. He can go to his God first of all and there find abundant help; and he can discover arguments for consolation in things relating to the world at large, to his country, and, above all, to the Church. David in this Psalm was exceedingly sorrowful; he wrote, “I am like an owl of the waste places; I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.”1 The only way in which he could comfort himself was in the reflection that God would arise and have mercy upon Zion. Though he was sad, yet Zion should prosper; however low his own estate, yet Zion would arise.

Christian man, learn to comfort yourself in God’s gracious dealing toward the Church. That which is so dear to your Master, should it not also be supremely precious to you? Although your path be dark, can you not cheer your heart with the triumphs of His cross and the spread of His truth? Our own personal troubles are forgotten while we look not only upon what God has done and is doing for Zion, but on the glorious things He will yet do for His Church.

Try this approach, O believer, whenever you are sad of heart and in heaviness of spirit: Forget yourself and your little concerns, and seek the welfare and prosperity of Zion. When you kneel in prayer to God, limit not your petition to the narrow circle of your own life, tried though it be, but send out your longing prayers for the church’s prosperity. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,”2 and your own soul shall be refreshed.

1Psalm 102:6-7 2 Psalm 122:6

Family Reading Plan Jeremiah 12 Matthew 26

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

One of God’s reasons for sending adversity into our lives is to conquer pride. Paul experienced this kind of divine intervention through the presence of what he called “a thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7). The Lord used pain in Paul’s life to guard his effectiveness as a servant of Christ.

We don’t usually realize what’s at stake when we allow pride to take root in our lives. It affects how God interacts with us because He “is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). If a Christian lets pride take root and grow, the Lord will set him on a shelf. Then the believer will never realize the potential of all that God wanted to do in and through him. In essence, he will miss his calling and become useless in the kingdom. Even if the world still sees him as a success, in the Lord’s eyes, his ministry is worthless because it’s self-motivated and self-empowered.

Can you see how much was at stake for Paul–and for believers throughout history? The apostle was God’s chosen instrument to establish churches and write letters that would become a major portion of our New Testament. When he understood the reason for his “thorn,” Paul reacted with complete trust and gratitude for the Lord’s wise and loving protection.

Perhaps you can see why adversity was essential for Paul–but it’s also vital for you. Each of us has been given areas of influence and opportunities to serve, but pride hinders the fulfillment of the Lord’s goals for our lives. If trouble comes, humble yourself immediately so God can use you greatly.

 “Unabridged” is a funny word to find beside the title of a dictionary. Of course, in the case of Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary the term is used more as a claim of thoroughness than of sovereignty, as if to say, “We are the most complete dictionary of our class,” and not, “Herein lies the comprehensive listing of all known words.” The team of individuals working toward the task of composing or updating a dictionary knows better than most that a complete and unabridged glossary of terms simply isn’t possible. For starters, one book could not house every word in the English language. Moreover, it could hardly keep up with the claim; new words are forever emerging: “Scratchiti” (words or images engraved or etched illegally into surfaces in a public place) and “ludology” (the study of video games and game playing) are two of the more recent additions to the Oxford English Dictionary this year, not to mention the ever-growing host of new medical and technological terms.(1) According to Webster Online, words also occasionally “die” from lack of use. The world of words is evidently a vast and active place. 

 In the Hebrew Scriptures, when God called Moses to go and speak with the people of Israel under slavery in Egypt, Moses was all too aware that he didn’t have the words within him for the task. “O Lord,” he announced, “I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” But God responded, “Who gave man his mouth?  Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” But still Moses asked God to send someone else to do it.(2)

 Whether Moses was afraid of speaking for God or speaking to the Israelites, most of us can in some way relate to his heartfelt plea. According to several surveys, public speaking is the greatest fear of the vast majority, a phobia ranked even above the fear of death. And speaking for God could certainly complicate the anxiety. Many of the prophets chosen by God to be his voice among the people spoke of the weight of such a task, coupled with the concern of speaking to a world that didn’t want to hear. Each time the prophet was reminded similarly: The God who set the world in place with a word will surely put the words in your mouth. Jesus likewise instructed the disciples in their ministering, “Make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.”

 The vast and daunting world of words is met with this thought. God is yet the giver of words and wisdom. Whether speaking for God or of God—or speaking at all—all wisdom is God’s wisdom. Thus Paul asks the people of Ephesus, “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” That the words of our mouths may be pleasing in God’s sight is a prayer that leads God’s own again and again to his Word. “Remain in me,” said Jesus to the disciples before he went to the cross, “and let my words remain in you.” His words are more vast and active than any dictionary, wisdom unabridged.

 God who speaks and who asks us to speak offers wisdom in person in the Son, the assurance that we are heard by the Father, and the promise of the Spirit to help us with the words. God who set the world in place with words still speaks.

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

 (1) Oxford English Dictionary, “New Words March 2012,” http://www.oed.com/public/newwords0312, accessed May 1, 2012.
(2) Exodus 4:10-12.

 Morning “If thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.” / Exodus 20:25

 God’s altar was to be built of unhewn stones, that no trace of human skill or

labour might be seen upon it. Human wisdom delights to trim and arrange the

doctrines of the cross into a system more artificial and more congenial with

the depraved tastes of fallen nature; instead, however, of improving the

gospel carnal wisdom pollutes it, until it becomes another gospel, and not the

truth of God at all. All alterations and amendments of the Lord’s own Word are

defilements and pollutions. The proud heart of man is very anxious to have a

hand in the justification of the soul before God; preparations for Christ are

dreamed of, humblings and repentings are trusted in, good works are cried up,

natural ability is much vaunted, and by all means the attempt is made to lift

up human tools upon the divine altar. It were well if sinners would remember

that so far from perfecting the Saviour’s work, their carnal confidences only

pollute and dishonour it. The Lord alone must be exalted in the work of

atonement, and not a single mark of man’s chisel or hammer will be endured.

There is an inherent blasphemy in seeking to add to what Christ Jesus in His

dying moments declared to be finished, or to improve that in which the Lord

Jehovah finds perfect satisfaction. Trembling sinner, away with thy tools, and

fall upon thy knees in humble supplication; and accept the Lord Jesus to be

the altar of thine atonement, and rest in him alone.

Many professors may take warning from this morning’s text as to the doctrines

which they believe. There is among Christians far too much inclination to

square and reconcile the truths of revelation; this is a form of irreverence

and unbelief, let us strive against it, and receive truth as we find it;

rejoicing that the doctrines of the Word are unhewn stones, and so are all the

more fit to build an altar for the Lord.

Evening “As it began to dawn, came Magdalene, to see the sepulchre.” / Matthew 28:1

 Let us learn from Mary Magdalene how to obtain fellowship with the Lord Jesus.

Notice how she sought. She sought the Saviour very early in the morning. If

thou canst wait for Christ, and be patient in the hope of having fellowship

with him at some distant season, thou wilt never have fellowship at all; for

the heart that is fitted for communion is a hungering and a thirsting heart.

She sought him also with very great boldness. Other disciples fled from the

sepulchre, for they trembled and were amazed; but Mary, it is said, “stood” at

the sepulchre. If you would have Christ with you, seek him boldly. Let nothing

hold you back. Defy the world. Press on where others flee. She sought Christ

faithfully–she stood at the sepulchre. Some find it hard to stand by a living

Saviour, but she stood by a dead one. Let us seek Christ after this mode,

cleaving to the very least thing that has to do with him, remaining faithful

though all others should forsake him. Note further, she sought Jesus

earnestly–she stood “weeping”. Those tear-droppings were as spells that led

the Saviour captive, and made him come forth and show himself to her. If you

desire Jesus’ presence, weep after it! If you cannot be happy unless he come

and say to you, “Thou art my beloved,” you will soon hear his voice. Lastly,

she sought the Saviour only. What cared she for angels, she turned herself

back from them; her search was only for her Lord. If Christ be your one and

only love, if your heart has cast out all rivals, you will not long lack the

comfort of his presence. Mary Magdalene sought thus because she loved much.

Let us arouse ourselves to the same intensity of affection; let our heart,

like Mary’s, be full of Christ, and our love, like hers, will be satisfied

with nothing short of himself. O Lord, reveal thyself to us this evening!

Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me.

Psalm 56:9 

It is impossible for any human speech to express the full meaning of this delightful phrase, “God is for me.” He was for us before the worlds were made. He was for us or He would not have given His well-beloved Son; He was for us when He smote the Only-begotten and laid the full weight of His wrath upon Him—He was for us, though He was against Him. He was “for us” when we were ruined in the Fall—He loved us notwithstanding all. He was for us when we were rebels against Him and with a high hand were bidding Him defiance. He was for us or He would not have brought us humbly to seek His face. He has been for us in many struggles; we have been summoned to encounter hosts of dangers; we have been assailed by temptations from without and within—how could we have remained unharmed to this hour if He had not been for us?

He is for us with all the infinity of His being, with all the omnipotence of His love, with all the infallibility of His wisdom. Arrayed in all His divine attributes, He is for us—eternally and immutably for us; for us when the heavens shall be rolled up like a worn-out robe; for us throughout eternity. And because He is for us, the voice of prayer will always ensure His help. “Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call.” This is no uncertain hope, but a well-grounded assurance—”this I know.”

I will direct my prayer unto You and will look up for the answer, assured that it will come and that my enemies shall be defeated, for “God is for me.” O believer, how happy you are with the King of kings on your side! How safe with such a Protector! How sure your cause pleaded by such an Advocate! If God be for you, who can be against you?

Family Reading Plan Jeremiah 9 Matthew 23

It doesn’t seem fair, does it? Paul spent his life serving Christ, and yet he experienced continual suffering. Why would God let one of His most faithful servants go through so much pain? This isn’t just a question about Paul; it’s an issue we face today. In our minds, the Lord should protect His loyal followers from hardships, but He doesn’t necessarily do so.

Maybe our reasoning is backwards. We think faithful Christians don’t deserve to suffer, but from God’s perspective, suffering is what produces faithful Christians. If we all had lives of ease without opposition, trials, or pain, we’d never really know God, because we’d never need Him. Like it or not, adversity teaches us more about the Lord than simply reading the Bible ever will.

I’m not saying we don’t need to know Scripture; that’s our foundation for faith. But if what we believe is never tested by adversity, it remains head knowledge. How will we ever know the Lord can be trusted in the midst of trouble if we’ve never been challenged by hardship? God gives us opportunities to apply scriptural truths to the difficulties facing us, and in the process, we find Him faithful. For example, how would Paul ever have known the strength of Christ if he had never been weakened by pain, persecution, and adversity?

Depending on your response, trials can be God’s greatest means of building faith or an avenue to discouragement and self-pity. If you’ll believe what Scripture says and apply its principles to your situation, your trust in God will grow, and your faith will be strengthened through adversity.

 Many world religions today accept the man Jesus within their belief system. Muslims call him a prophet; some Buddhists consider him a bodhisattva, and New Age practitioners call him a social activist. Amidst such diverse claims of the identity of Jesus, who is the real Jesus? This reminds me of Jesus’s own question to his disciples in Matthew 16—namely, “Who do people say that I am?” A brief look at the backdrop of his question would help us better grasp the significance of this passage.

 First, consider the location. The incident occurred at a place some miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee in the domain of Herod Philip.(1)It was also the reputed birthplace of the god of Pan—the god of nature and fertility—and he was staunchly worshipped there. The surrounding area was also filled with temples of classical pagan religion. Towering over all of these was the new temple to the Emperor Caesar. Thus, the question of Jesus’s identity was aptly and significantly posed to his disciples against a myriad of gods and idols.

 Second, consider Peter’s response. The answer Peter accorded to Jesus’s question—”You the Christ, the Son of the living God”—was a title with implications that the original audience knew perfectly well. Peter was describing Jesus as the Promised One who would fulfill the hopes of the nation. The interesting thing, though, is that the original audience was expecting a Messiah or savior who was more of a political figure. Of course, Jesus, the disciples were discovering, was much more than this. He described himself as the divine Son of God, and the salvation he was to bring as something not just for the Jewish nation but for peoples of all nations.

 Peter’s insightful confession was key in the disciples’ eventual recognition of Jesus and the turn of events that would follow. Though given divine insight, Peter was as unaware as the rest of the disciples that the victory of the Messiah they professed would come in the most unexpected way. Yet from here on, God’s plan was further revealed, Jesus’s suffering and impending death more clearly voiced. Jesus revealed that his Messiahship involved taking on the role of the suffering servant as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah. His very identity would ultimately lead him to his cursed death on the Cross.  

 Of course, how Jesus lived and died had implications as to how his followers were to live as well. The earliest Christians understood this very well as many were persecuted for their faith and betrayed by their own families. The laying down of one’s life was a literal reality for those who would become martyrs.

 Today, most of us live in environments where the question “Who do you say that I am?” is still asked in a world of distractions. We live in a context where we have endless options to choose from: a plethora of religions, pleasure and wealth, recognition, and so on. Yet the question is as pressing to us as it was for those who first heard it. Who do we say Christ is? Our response is both personal and public. That is, the confession of allegiance to Christ is both a denial of self-importance and a life of neighbor-importance. 

 Regardless of what we may have been told, the way of Jesus is ultimately the way of the Cross. Signing up with Christ won’t give you worldly benefits, but all the forms of suffering that arise from carrying one’s cross. If we proclaim in our religiously pluralistic context that Christ is supreme over all other gods of this world, we need to be reminded that his supremacy and victory cannot be divorced from the heavy price that he paid.

 Often, like Peter, we tend to expect a Lord who fits our preconceptions or ideas—perhaps one who is always “successful,” or one who is validated by signs and wonders.  Even the disciples were not spared this temptation. All of their questions about who would sit at his right hand and what one would secure from discipleship reveal that they were expecting glory as they walked with the Son. Their expectations likely did not include getting killed.

 However, as they soon learned, any commitment to Christ that does not feature the Cross is merely devotion to an idol, for following Christ is costly. For some, following will mean death itself. It will mean taking up the cross. It will mean living beyond comfort and preference. It will mean stepping out in love and conviction. It may mean undertaking a calling that many will scorn. Choosing to call Jesus the Christ may mean losing our lives, but then, this is the only way to truly live.

 I’Ching Thomas is associate director of training at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Singapore.

 (1) NIV Archaeological Study Bible (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2005), 1589.

 Morning “God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry?”  Jonah 4:9

 Anger is not always or necessarily sinful, but it has such a tendency to run

wild that whenever it displays itself, we should be quick to question its

character, with this enquiry, “Doest thou well to be angry?” It may be that we

can answer, “YES.” Very frequently anger is the madman’s firebrand, but

sometimes it is Elijah’s fire from heaven. We do well when we are angry with

sin, because of the wrong which it commits against our good and gracious God;

or with ourselves because we remain so foolish after so much divine

instruction; or with others when the sole cause of anger is the evil which

they do. He who is not angry at transgression becomes a partaker in it. Sin is

a loathsome and hateful thing, and no renewed heart can patiently endure it.

God himself is angry with the wicked every day, and it is written in His Word,

“Ye that love the Lord, hate evil.” Far more frequently it is to be feared

that our anger is not commendable or even justifiable, and then we must

answer, “NO.” Why should we be fretful with children, passionate with

servants, and wrathful with companions? Is such anger honourable to our

Christian profession, or glorifying to God? Is it not the old evil heart

seeking to gain dominion, and should we not resist it with all the might of

our newborn nature? Many professors give way to temper as though it were

useless to attempt resistance; but let the believer remember that he must be a

conqueror in every point, or else he cannot be crowned. If we cannot control

our tempers, what has grace done for us? Some one told Mr. Jay that grace was

often grafted on a crab-stump. “Yes,” said he, “but the fruit will not be

crabs.” We must not make natural infirmity an excuse for sin, but we must fly

to the cross and pray the Lord to crucify our tempers, and renew us in

gentleness and meekness after His own image.

Evening “When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God

is for me.”  Psalm 56:9

 It is impossible for any human speech to express the full meaning of this

delightful phrase, “God is for me.” He was “for us” before the worlds were

made; he was “for us,” or he would not have given his well-beloved son; he was

“for us” when he smote the Only-begotten, and laid the full weight of his

wrath upon him–he was “for us,” though he was against him; he was “for us,”

when we were ruined in the fall–he loved us notwithstanding all; he was “for

us,” when we were rebels against him, and with a high hand were bidding him

defiance; he was “for us,” or he would not have brought us humbly to seek his

face. He has been “for us” in many struggles; we have been summoned to

encounter hosts of dangers; we have been assailed by temptations from without

and within–how could we have remained unharmed to this hour if he had not

been “for us”? He is “for us,” with all the infinity of his being; with all

the omnipotence of his love; with all the infallibility of his wisdom; arrayed

in all his divine attributes, he is “for us,”–eternally and immutably “for

us”; “for us” when yon blue skies shall be rolled up like a worn out vesture;

“for us” throughout eternity. And because he is “for us,” the voice of prayer

will always ensure his help. “When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies be

turned back.” This is no uncertain hope, but a well grounded assurance–“this

I know.” I will direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up for the answer,

assured that it will come, and that mine enemies shall be defeated, “for God

is for me.” O believer, how happy art thou with the King of kings on thy side!

How safe with such a Protector! How sure thy cause pleaded by such an

Advocate! If God be for thee, who can be against thee?

His heavenly kingdom.    2 Timothy 4:18 

The city of the great King is a place of active service. Ransomed spirits serve Him day and night in His temple. They never cease to fulfill the good pleasure of their King. They always rest, so far as ease and freedom from care is concerned, and never rest, in the sense of indolence or inactivity. Jerusalem the golden is the place of communion with all the people of God. We shall sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in eternal fellowship. We shall hold high converse with the noble host of the elect, all reigning with Him who by His love and His powerful arm has brought them safely home. We shall not sing solos, but in chorus shall we praise our King. Heaven is a place of victory realized.

Whenever, Christian, you have achieved a victory over your lusts—whenever after hard struggling, you have laid a temptation dead at your feet—you have in that hour a foretaste of the joy that awaits you when the Lord shall soon tread Satan under your feet, and you shall find yourself more than a conqueror through Him who has loved you.

Paradise is a place of security. When you enjoy the full assurance of faith, you have the pledge of that glorious security that shall be yours when you are a perfect citizen of the heavenly Jerusalem. O my sweet home, Jerusalem, happy harbor of my soul! Thanks, even now, to Him whose love has taught me to long for you; but louder thanks in eternity, when I shall possess you.

 My soul has tasted of the grapes,

And now it longs to go

Where my dear Lord His vineyard keeps

And all the clusters grow.

Upon the true and living vine,

My famish’d soul would feast,

And banquet on the fruit divine,

An everlasting guest.

 Family Reading Plan Jeremiah 8 Matthew 22

Isaiah 55:8-9

When adversity hits you like a ton of bricks, it could easily throw you into a pit of discouragement and despair. Although you may consider difficulties as setbacks, the Lord sees them as times for great advancement. His purpose for allowing them is not to destroy you but to stimulate your spiritual growth. In His great wisdom, the Lord knows how to take an awful situation and use it to transform you into the image of Christ and equip you to carry out His will.

Every adversity that comes into your life is sifted through God’s permissive will. That doesn’t mean the difficulty itself is His perfect will, but He’s allowed the trial to touch you so that He can use it to accomplish His wonderful purposes for your life. Although some of the suffering we see and experience seems senseless or blatantly evil, we must recognize that we have a very limited perspective and cannot always understand what the Lord is doing.

Our heavenly Father sees every aspect of life, but our view is restricted to what is right before us. His plans include not only you but all of His creation, and they reach from the beginning of time to eternity future. Though we’ll never grasp the infinite mind of God, we can know His faithfulness and love.

When you can’t understand God’s ways, focus on His perfect knowledge, wisdom, and power rather than the magnitude of your sorrow. Remember, He sees the entire picture and loves you more than you can imagine. This is a time to walk by faith, as perfect understanding comes only in heaven.

 “Isn’t she a doll?” “Have you ever seen a more loveable face?”

 The two hour flight was filled with attempts to persuade me. To these new grandparents, working on the convictions of those around them was an involuntarily part of the job. Loving their grand daughter seemed to include the act of telling others to love her. Their admiration alone was not enough. They find their adored two-year old thoroughly worth the adoration of many. 

 I suspect it is a behavior recognizable to more than proud parents and beaming grandparents. We delight to commend what we enjoy not only because it expresses our enjoyment but because it also seems somehow to complete it. “I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free,” the song goes. Saying it aloud, bidding others to see what we see, sharing it with friend or stranger, somehow magnifies our delight. Ravi Zacharias tells a story about standing at the southernmost point of Africa where the Indian Ocean thunderously collides with the Atlantic. Not having his wife there to share in the grandeur of the scene, he was overcome with the longing to carve her name on a rock beside him. 

Like any of us who have ever commanded in excitement “Look at that!” the psalmist wants everyone to see what he sees. He not only praises God with his own song, but asks others to join him. “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!” (Psalm 47:2-3). In his delight, David calls on others to taste and see the goodness of God. “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together” (Psalm 34:3). He has found God worthy of praise even beyond his own.   

 Yet to many this call to praise is problematic. Friedrich Nietzsche once stated, “I cannot believe in a God who wants to be praised all the time.” C.S. Lewis stated a similar difficulty in his own coming to belief in God. He found troubling the thought that God ordained his own praise. He was also irritated by the clamorous demand of believing people to join them in praise of their God.  

 It is true that such invocations to praise are often heard, and heard also in the mouth of God. “The people whom I formed for myself will declare my praise,” God says through the prophet Isaiah. It is a demand at which we would cringe in the mouth of man, woman, or child. If the 2-year-old my traveling grandparents find so loveable suddenly demanded that they continually fawn over her delightfulness, they would likely find her something other than delightful. But what if she approached them with arms extended and the edict on her lips “love me”? The command to love would only further be intertwined with their delight of her. 

 How much more so might this be true of one who is worthy to receive glory, honor, and power?

 The first inquiry of the Westminster Catechism concludes that the chief end of humanity is to love God and enjoy God forever. As praise is the spontaneous by-product of delight, the command to love and the promise to enjoy are paired inseparably. It is this hopeful alliance that C.S. Lewis eventually came to see. Knowledge of God brims forth in us the overwhelming desire to praise God, while God’s worthiness stirs within us a longing for all to join in.  

 Similarly, it is not insignificant that the Father’s love and approval of the Son was a declaration He chose to share with the world. When Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River, the Spirit of God descended like a dove and God declared: “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.”(1) The Father shared with the world his love for the Son by the Spirit so that we might take notice and come to delight in him also. Christ’s worthiness is a truth God wanted all to hear and know—and subsequently, to praise along with Him. 

 Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

 (1) Matthew 3:17.

 Morning

“Sanctified by God the Father.”  Jude 1

 “Sanctified in Christ Jesus.”  1 Corinthians 1:2

 “Through sanctification of the Spirit.” 1 Peter 1:2

 Mark the union of the Three Divine Persons in all their gracious acts. How

unwisely do those believers talk who make preferences in the Persons of the

Trinity; who think of Jesus as if he were the embodiment of everything lovely

and gracious, while the Father they regard as severely just, but destitute of

kindness. Equally wrong are those who magnify the decree of the Father, and

the atonement of the Son, so as to depreciate the work of the Spirit. In deeds

of grace none of the Persons of the Trinity act apart from the rest. They are

as united in their deeds as in their essence. In their love towards the chosen

they are one, and in the actions which flow from that great central source

they are still undivided. Specially notice this in the matter of

sanctification. While we may without mistake speak of sanctification as the

work of the Spirit, yet we must take heed that we do not view it as if the

Father and the Son had no part therein. It is correct to speak of

sanctification as the work of the Father, of the Son, and of the Spirit. Still

doth Jehovah say, “Let us make man in our own image after our likeness,” and

thus we are “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which

God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” See the value which God

sets upon real holiness, since the Three Persons in the Trinity are

represented as co-working to produce a Church without “spot, or wrinkle, or

any such thing.” And you, believer, as the follower of Christ, must also set a

high value on holiness–upon purity of life and godliness of conversation.

Value the blood of Christ as the foundation of your hope, but never speak

disparagingly of the work of the Spirit which is your meetness for the

inheritance of the saints in light. This day let us so live as to manifest the

work of the Triune God in us.

Evening

“His heavenly kingdom.” / 2 Timothy 4:18

 Yonder city of the great King is a place of active service. Ransomed spirits

serve him day and night in his temple. They never cease to fulfil the good

pleasure of their King. They always “rest,” so far as ease and freedom from

care is concerned; and never “rest,” in the sense of indolence or inactivity.

Jerusalem the golden is the place of communion with all the people of God. We

shall sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in eternal fellowship. We shall hold

high converse with the noble host of the elect, all reigning with him who by

his love and his potent arm has brought them safely home. We shall not sing

solos, but in chorus shall we praise our King. Heaven is a place of victory

realized. Whenever, Christian, thou hast achieved a victory over thy

lusts–whenever after hard struggling, thou hast laid a temptation dead at thy

feet–thou hast in that hour a foretaste of the joy that awaits thee when the

Lord shall shortly tread Satan under thy feet, and thou shalt find thyself

more than conqueror through him who hath loved thee. Paradise is a place of

security. When you enjoy the full assurance of faith, you have the pledge of

that glorious security which shall be yours when you are a perfect citizen of

the heavenly Jerusalem. O my sweet home, Jerusalem, thou happy harbour of my

soul! Thanks, even now, to him whose love hath taught me to long for thee; but

louder thanks in eternity, when I shall possess thee.

 “My soul has tasted of the grapes,

 And now it longs to go

 Where my dear Lord his vineyard keeps

 And all the clusters grow.

 “Upon the true and living vine,

 My famish’d soul would feast,

 And banquet on the fruit divine,

 An everlasting guest.”

Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation.   Joel 1:3 

In this simple way, by God’s grace, a living testimony for truth is always to be kept alive in the land: The beloved of the Lord are to hand down their witness for the Gospel and the covenant to their heirs, and these again to their next descendants. This is our first duty; we are to begin at the family hearth: He is a bad preacher who does not commence his ministry at home. The heathen are to be sought by all means, and the highways and hedges are to be searched, but home has a prior claim, and woe to those who reverse the order of the Lord’s arrangements.

To teach our children is a personal duty; we cannot delegate it to Sunday school teachers or other friendly helpers. These can assist us but cannot deliver us from the sacred obligation; substitutes and sponsors are wicked devices in this case: Mothers and fathers must, like Abraham, command their households in the fear of God and talk with their offspring concerning the wondrous works of the Most High.

Parental teaching is a natural duty. Who is better fitted to look after the child’s well-being than those who are the authors of his actual being? To neglect the instruction of our children is worse than brutish. Family religion is necessary for the nation, for the family itself, and for the church of God. By a thousand plots empty religion is secretly advancing in our land, and one of the most effectual means for resisting its inroads is routinely neglected—namely, the instruction of our children in the faith. It is time for parents to awaken to a sense of the importance of this matter. It is a pleasant duty to talk of Jesus to our sons and daughters, and the more so because it has often proved to be an accepted work, for God has saved the children through the parents’ prayers and admonitions. May every house into which this volume shall come honor the Lord and receive His smile.

Family Reading Plan Jeremiah 7 Matthew 21

When we experience hardships, we usually wonder why God allows these painful situations to come our way. It just doesn’t seem to fit with His role as our loving heavenly Father. We struggle to reconcile our suffering with His love for us and His power to prevent or stop it. In order to understand what’s going on, we need to consider the possible sources of adversity.

A Fallen World: When sin entered the world, suffering came with it. God could have protected us from these harmful effects by making us like puppets who could not choose sin, but that would mean we’d also be unable to choose to love Him, because love must be voluntary.

Our Own Doing: Sometimes we get ourselves into trouble with our foolish or sinful choices. If the Lord stepped in and rescued us from every negative consequence, we’d never grow into mature believers.

Satanic Attack: The Devil is our enemy. To hinder anything the Lord wants to do in and through believers, Satan will never cease to harass us. His goal is to destroy our lives and our testimonies, thereby making us weak and useless for God’s purposes.

God’s Sovereignty: Ultimately, the Lord is in charge of all adversity that comes our way. To deny His involvement contradicts His power and sovereignty over creation.

For us to accept that God allows–or even sends–afflictions, we must see adversity from His perspective. Is your focus on the pain of your experience or on the Lord and His faithfulness? As believers, we’re assured that no adversity comes our way unless He can use it to achieve His good purposes.

 It is nearly impossible for me to keep a surprise. Perhaps I’ve bought a special gift, or have a surprise party or dinner planned for a friend or a loved one, and before you know it, I’m jumping up and down with a frantic enthusiasm spilling the beans and ending all possibility of surprise. I just cannot keep things a secret for long.

 Part of this inability comes from genuine enthusiasm in giving gifts to others. But, if I’m really honest, part of my enthusiasm is motivated by a strong desire to please. More importantly, I want to be known as that great friend, or spouse, or family member who always does such nice things for others. I don’t allow things to stay “under wraps,” as it were, because I want to be noticed. In this admission, I acknowledge that I have not learned well a discipline of secrecy.

 In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks a great deal about keeping things secret. “But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing…but when you pray, go into your inner room, and pray to your Father who is in secret… [B]ut you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that you may not be seen fasting by men, but by your Father who is in secret” (Matthew 6:3, 6, 17-18). In Jesus’s kingdom, there is something to be said for keeping secrets, especially when those secrets nurture humility and protect us from a certain kind of pride that often accompanies very public living.

 Dallas Willard, writing about the spiritual discipline of secrecy Jesus espouses in the Sermon on the Mount, says, “[O]ne of the greatest fallacies of Christian faith, and actually one of the greatest acts of unbelief, is the thought that spiritual acts and virtues need to be advertised to be known… [S]ecrecy, rightly practiced enables one to place the public relations department entirely in the hands of God… [W]e allow God to decide when deeds will be known and when light will be noticed.”(1)  When we desire the humility of secrecy, Willard goes on to suggest that love and humility before God will develop to the point that we’ll see our friends, family, and associates in a different light; developing the virtue of desiring their good above our own.(2)  The apostle Paul expressed this notion in his letter to the Philippian church. He told them to “do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

 Perhaps this practice of secrecy is why Jesus urged many who he healed not to tell anyone or to reveal his identity. Perhaps this practice of secrecy is why Jesus avoided the crowds and would often go off to “lonely places” to pray. Jesus placed his public relations department in the hands of God, even when he was misunderstood or mistreated. He never had the need to be well-liked.

 We can follow Jesus more closely by keeping our own acts of service, gifting, or care as secrets. We do not have to do things in order to gain the approval of others, when we believe that the things done in secret are seen by God. Like Jesus, we can practice secret piety, secret prayer, and secret giving. “And your Father who sees in secret will repay you” (Matthew 6:18).  

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

 (1) Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines, (HarperCollins: New York, 1988), 172-173.
(2) Ibid., 173-174.