Proverbs 2:1-22

Although the temptation to compromise threatens every believer, we don’t have to give in. If we’re aware of the danger and understand the downward progression and ultimate consequences, we can determine to be vigilant in obedience to the Lord.

The first step in learning how to avoid compromise is understanding why it is so tempting. When others pressure us to take part in in what we know God has forbidden, it’s easy to give in because we don’t want to feel rejected. But anyone who’s committed to living a godly life must be willing to stand alone and face ridicule or even persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). At other times, we consent to activities that violate our conscience just to avoid conflict, but peace at any price means we have to sacrifice obedience to God.

However, the temptation to compromise doesn’t always originate with others. In fact, James 1:14 says we are tempted when we’re carried away by our own lusts. How many Christians have fallen into sexual immorality or pornography by desiring a second look? Greed is another motivation that drives us to compromise. If you fudge on your income tax or take a few things home from the office, you’ve stepped over the line of obedience to God. Our choices should be based on scriptural truth, not on our feelings and desires.

In order to stand firm against compromise, we must make God’s Word the standard for our conduct. If you begin each day with the Lord in His Word, He will guide your way. Then when the Spirit gives a warning, obey immediately, because giving consideration to the temptation opens a door for Satan.

 The prolific author F.W. Boreham was once described as a man who went about his life “scattering benedictions.” The description colorfully puts an image of the beloved minister in my mind.

 For some, the word “benediction” signals the end of a church service, the parting words of a pastor with lifted hands sending forth the congregation in the grace and love of Jesus Christ. The word comes from two Latin words meaning literally “good speaking” and is most often translated “blessing.” Benediction is the act or pronouncement of divine blessing upon another person.

 To pronounce a person or group of people blessed was in fact given as a commandment to Aaron and his sons, the tribe chosen to serve as priests among the Israelites. The book of Numbers recounts that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenanceupon you and give you peace’” (6:22-26). It is a sublime utterance, blessing as much as it teaches. The hearer is lifted in the name of the Lord, the keeper of creation, the giver of peace, the one who longs to bless us such that it was given as a command. As a father looks at his son and delights to find his own smile, so the Lord’s face is lifted in kind to those made in God’s own image, shining upon those God has called the “apple of his eye.” God’s name is exalted, for it to be upon us is a great blessing, and in it, God is glorified.

 But herein lies the potency of benediction. At the end of God’s instructions for the Aaronic blessing, God adds distinctly, “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them” (v. 27). Whereas doxology is ascribing praise to God, and prayer is expressing oneself to God, a benediction is a word of blessing on behalf of God. The former rise from the heart of the saint, the other overflows from the heart of God. As author Samuel Chadwick writes, “[T]he benediction does not approach the subject from the standpoint of theology but of experience. It is not concerned with definition, nor does it contemplate the glory of God in the absoluteness of his deity.” Rather, notes Chadwick, it sets God forth as God is realized in the soul.

 Scattering benedictions, it seems then, is a high calling. And I would add, it is a mysterious gift given to all made in God’s image. The putting of God’s name upon another soul as we go about life is our tongue’s greatest utterance. It is a hopeful command, a most uplifted effort. As God’s name is set forth, not only is it God who does the blessing, it is God who is the fulfillment of the words we offer. God is the blessing.

 Therefore, may the blessing of the LORD be upon you, and may you know the joy of putting the name of God upon others. For indeed, whether hiding or curious or seeking in earnest, blessed are those who rest in the light of God’s face.

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

 Morning “I will love them freely.” / Hosea 14:4

 This sentence is a body of divinity in miniature. He who understands its

meaning is a theologian, and he who can dive into its fulness is a true master

in Israel. It is a condensation of the glorious message of salvation which was

delivered to us in Christ Jesus our Redeemer. The sense hinges upon the word

“freely.” This is the glorious, the suitable, the divine way by which love

streams from heaven to earth, a spontaneous love flowing forth to those who

neither deserved it, purchased it, nor sought after it. It is, indeed, the

only way in which God can love such as we are. The text is a death-blow to all

sorts of fitness: “I will love them freely.” Now, if there were any fitness

necessary in us, then he would not love us freely; at least, this would be a

mitigation and a drawback to the freeness of it. But it stands, “I will love

you freely.” We complain, “Lord, my heart is so hard.” “I will love you

freely.” “But I do not feel my need of Christ as I could wish.” “I will not

love you because you feel your need; I will love you freely.” “But I do not

feel that softening of spirit which I could desire.” Remember, the softening

of spirit is not a condition, for there are no conditions; the covenant of

grace has no conditionality whatever; so that we without any fitness may

venture upon the promise of God which was made to us in Christ Jesus, when he

said, “He that believeth on him is not condemned.” It is blessed to know that

the grace of God is free to us at all times, without preparation, without

fitness, without money, and without price! “I will love them freely.” These

words invite backsliders to return: indeed, the text was specially written for

such–“I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely.” Backslider!

surely the generosity of the promise will at once break your heart, and you

will return, and seek your injured Father’s face.

Evening “He shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.” / John 16:15

 There are times when all the promises and doctrines of the Bible are of no

avail, unless a gracious hand shall apply them to us. We are thirsty, but too

faint to crawl to the water-brook. When a soldier is wounded in battle it is

of little use for him to know that there are those at the hospital who can

bind up his wounds, and medicines there to ease all the pains which he now

suffers: what he needs is to be carried thither, and to have the remedies

applied. It is thus with our souls, and to meet this need there is one, even

the Spirit of truth, who takes of the things of Jesus, and applies them to us.

Think not that Christ hath placed his joys on heavenly shelves that we may

climb up to them for ourselves, but he draws near, and sheds his peace abroad

in our hearts. O Christian, if thou art tonight labouring under deep

distresses, thy Father does not give thee promises and then leave thee to draw

them up from the Word like buckets from a well, but the promises he has

written in the Word he will write anew on your heart. He will manifest his

love to you, and by his blessed Spirit, dispel your cares and troubles. Be it

known unto thee, O mourner, that it is God’s prerogative to wipe every tear

from the eye of his people. The good Samaritan did not say, “Here is the wine,

and here is the oil for you;” he actually poured in the oil and the wine. So

Jesus not only gives you the sweet wine of the promise, but holds the golden

chalice to your lips, and pours the life-blood into your mouth. The poor,

sick, way-worn pilgrim is not merely strengthened to walk, but he is borne on

eagles’ wings. Glorious gospel! which provides everything for the helpless,

which draws nigh to us when we cannot reach after it–brings us grace before

we seek for grace! Here is as much glory in the giving as in the gift. Happy

people who have the Holy Ghost to bring Jesus to them.

He will take what is mine and declare it to you.    John 16:15

 There are times when all the promises and doctrines of the Bible are of no help unless a gracious hand applies them to us. We are thirsty but too faint to crawl to the water-brook. When a soldier is wounded in battle, it is of little use for him to know that there are those at the hospital who can bind up his wounds and medicines to ease all the pains that he now suffers: What he needs is to be carried there and to have the remedies applied. It is the same with our souls, and to meet this need there is one, even the Spirit of truth, who takes the things of Jesus and applies them to us.

Do not think that Christ has placed His joys on heavenly shelves so we may climb up and retrieve them for ourselves; rather He draws near and sheds His peace abroad in our hearts. Christian, if you are tonight struggling under deep distress, your Father does not give you promises and then leave you to draw them up from the Word like buckets from a well. The promises He has written in the Word He will write afresh on your heart. He will display His love to you and by His blessed Spirit dispel your cares and troubles.

Let it be known to you, if you mourn, that it is God’s prerogative to wipe every tear from the eyes of His people. The good Samaritan did not say, “Here is the wine, and here is the oil for you”; he actually poured in the oil and the wine. So Jesus not only gives you the sweet wine of His promise, but He holds the golden cup to your lips and pours the lifeblood into your mouth. The poor, sick, worn-out pilgrim is not merely strengthened to walk, but he is lifted up on eagles’ wings. Glorious Gospel that provides everything for the helpless, that draws near to us when we cannot reach it ourselves—it brings us grace before we seek grace! There is as much glory in the giving as in the gift. Happy people who have the Holy Spirit to bring Jesus to them!

Family Reading Plan  Daniel 7  Psalm 115

Ephesians 5:14-17

Our lives are governed by time. That’s why we’re surrounded by clocks and calendars that dictate our activities. As the minutes tick by, we wonder where the day went. When responsibilities and pressures mount, we complain, “I just don’t have time to get it all done!” But the reality is that God has given us enough time to do exactly what He’s planned for our lives. Perhaps the bigger issue is whether we are using our time to do our will or the Lord’s.

Time is a gift from God, and He has allotted each of us a measure in which to live and accomplish His purposes. We have only two options—to spend it temporally on our own interests or invest it eternally. Since time can never be retrieved or reversed, it’s critical that we make the most of every opportunity the Lord provides.

The key to investing in eternity is following God’s plan for your life, not just filling your days with activities. Jesus was allocated just thirty-three years of life on earth, but only the last three were spent in fulfilling His Messianic ministry. To us that seems like a waste of time. Yet Christ accomplished everything His Father gave Him to do. That’s why on the cross He could say, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

Scripture compares earthly life to “a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14), but eternal life never ends. It’s foolish to spend your life on a vapor when you can reap everlasting benefits by following God’s will for your time here. Each day is an opportunity to choose.

Christianity is nothing more than a set of rules! Have you ever heard this before? The question or objection, depending on how it is phrased, comes from both Christians and skeptics. So what does Christianity have to say to this?

It is helpful first to acknowledge that the Bible is indeed full of commands and instructions. But the role that the rules play is often misunderstood. Rules, even going back to the Ten Commandments, were not meant simply to tell us what to do and what not to do. They were intended to be a means by which humanity could come close to God and relate to God. If we think of how rules are applied in other areas of life, it is quite easy to understand how this works. Discipline, guidelines or putting deadlines in place are not an end in themselves; they are the means by which we achieve what we want to accomplish.

While I was doing undergraduate studies in Toronto I worked for the Toronto Blue Jays ground crew. While working there I noticed that the elite players would always be the ones to arrive at the ballpark early and leave late. They would come in early for strength and conditioning purposes, then perhaps look over strategies or game plans. Then they would join the rest of the team once the normal daily routines began. This was hard work and made for long days. Here is the point: the discipline of getting to the stadium early, doing an extra work out, working over game plans were not the goal. These were the means by which this player would attain the ultimate goal: victory.

The rules set out in Scripture were never meant to inhibit pleasure or desire, but to do the exact opposite.  Desire gave birth to commands, but somehow we have understood it the other way around, as if the commands were meant to create desire.

There is actually a moment documented in the Old Testament in which the people of Israel say that they would like to follow God’s commandments. However, Joshua, their leader at the time, turns them down.  Effectively, he says, ‘You don’t have what it takes.  You will turn away from God.  So, please, don’t commit to it.’  They push back and insist that they truly want to follow God.  Joshua reluctantly gives in and grants them their desire to form a covenant binding them to follow God’s rules.

The rules and statutes implemented into the life of Israel stemmed from a desire to serve the Lord.  Rules were not put in place to prevent desire from finding its fulfillment.  Rather, the rules were put in place to fulfill desire and avoid destruction.

A question that we need to ask ourselves is, ‘Where do rules find their starting point?’ In the Christian sense, does obedience come from a sense of duty or from a desire for God? If the drive to live for God comes from a sense of duty, our faith will become one long arduous journey. But duty is not where the gospel asks us to begin. We begin with a love and desire for God.

Imagine that I have just been away from home on a long business trip. When I return home I decide to stop off at the florist’s near my home because I want to get flowers for my wife. I purchase the flowers, then walk up to the door with flowers behind my back and knock on the door. My wife opens the door and I reveal the flowers to her.  She says, ‘Nathan, you shouldn’t have done this!  Why did you get me these flowers?’  I reply, ‘Because it is my duty!’

What do you think her response will be after she hears this? What if I respond to her question by saying that I got her those flowers because I love her—that there is nothing more I love than the sweet fellowship I have with her.(1)

This gets at the heart of Christian discipleship. Christianity does not start with rules, but the rules do make sense. They are put in place to fulfill our desire for God; not to coerce us into loving God.

Nathan Betts is a member of the speaking team at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Toronto, Canada.

(1) Story as told by Michael Ramsden, director for the European office of RZIM.

Morning   “Thy paths drop fatness.” / Psalm 65:11

Many are “the paths of the Lord” which “drop fatness,” but an especial one is

the path of prayer. No believer, who is much in the closet, will have need to

cry, “My leanness, my leanness; woe unto me.” Starving souls live at a

distance from the mercy- seat, and become like the parched fields in times of

drought. Prevalence with God in wrestling prayer is sure to make the believer

strong–if not happy. The nearest place to the gate of heaven is the throne of

the heavenly grace. Much alone, and you will have much assurance; little alone

with Jesus, your religion will be shallow, polluted with many doubts and

fears, and not sparkling with the joy of the Lord. Since the soul-enriching

path of prayer is open to the very weakest saint; since no high attainments

are required; since you are not bidden to come because you are an advanced

saint, but freely invited if you be a saint at all; see to it, dear reader,

that you are often in the way of private devotion. Be much on your knees, for

so Elijah drew the rain upon famished Israel’s fields.

There is another especial path dropping with fatness to those who walk

therein, it is the secret walk of communion. Oh! the delights of fellowship

with Jesus! Earth hath no words which can set forth the holy calm of a soul

leaning on Jesus’ bosom. Few Christians understand it, they live in the

lowlands and seldom climb to the top of Nebo: they live in the outer court,

they enter not the holy place, they take not up the privilege of priesthood.

At a distance they see the sacrifice, but they sit not down with the priest to

eat thereof, and to enjoy the fat of the burnt offering. But, reader, sit thou

ever under the shadow of Jesus; come up to that palm tree, and take hold of

the branches thereof; let thy beloved be unto thee as the apple-tree among the

trees of the wood, and thou shalt be satisfied as with marrow and fatness. O

Jesus, visit us with thy salvation!

Evening  “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice.” / 1 Samuel 15:22

Saul had been commanded to slay utterly all the Amalekites and their cattle.

Instead of doing so, he preserved the king, and suffered his people to take

the best of the oxen and of the sheep. When called to account for this, he

declared that he did it with a view of offering sacrifice to God; but Samuel

met him at once with the assurance that sacrifices were no excuse for an act

of direct rebellion. The sentence before us is worthy to be printed in letters

of gold, and to be hung up before the eyes of the present idolatrous

generation, who are very fond of the fineries of will-worship, but utterly

neglect the laws of God. Be it ever in your remembrance, that to keep strictly

in the path of your Saviour’s command is better than any outward form of

religion; and to hearken to his precept with an attentive ear is better than

to bring the fat of rams, or any other precious thing to lay upon his altar.

If you are failing to keep the least of Christ’s commands to his disciples, I

pray you be disobedient no longer. All the pretensions you make of attachment

to your Master, and all the devout actions which you may perform, are no

recompense for disobedience. “To obey,” even in the slightest and smallest

thing, “is better than sacrifice,” however pompous. Talk not of Gregorian

chants, sumptuous robes, incense, and banners; the first thing which God

requires of his child is obedience; and though you should give your body to be

burned, and all your goods to feed the poor, yet if you do not hearken to the

Lord’s precepts, all your formalities shall profit you nothing. It is a

blessed thing to be teachable as a little child, but it is a much more blessed

thing when one has been taught the lesson, to carry it out to the letter. How

many adorn their temples and decorate their priests, but refuse to obey the

word of the Lord! My soul, come not thou into their secret.

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice.  1Samuel 15:22

Saul had been commanded to completely wipe out all the Amalekites and their cattle. Instead of doing so, he preserved the king and allowed his people to take the best of the oxen and of the sheep. When called to account for this, he declared that he did it with a view to offering sacrifice to God; but Samuel met him at once with the assurance that sacrifices were no excuse for an act of direct rebellion.

The sentence before us is worthy to be printed in letters of gold and to be displayed before the eyes of the present idolatrous generation, who are very fond of making a show of obedience but who utterly neglect the laws of God. Never forget that to keep strictly to the path of your Savior’s command is better than any outward form of religion; and to pay attention to His precept is better than to bring animals or other precious things to lay upon His altar.

If you are failing to keep the least of Christ’s commands to His disciples, I urge you to be disobedient no longer. All the pretensions you make of attachment to your Master and all the devout actions that you may perform are no substitute for disobedience. “To obey,” even in the slightest and smallest thing, “is better than sacrifice,” however pompous. Forget the Gregorian chants, sumptuous robes, incense, and banners; the first thing that God requires of His child is obedience; and even if you gave your body to be burned and all your goods to feed the poor, if you did not listen to the Lord’s commands, all your formalities would profit you nothing.

It is a blessed thing to be teachable as a little child, but it is a much more blessed thing, when one has been taught the lesson, to carry it out to the letter. How many adorn their temples and decorate their priests, but refuse to obey the word of the Lord! My soul, do not share in their deceit.

Family Reading Plan     Daniel 3     Psalm 107

Psalm 138:7-8

David was a man who walked through trouble on a regular basis. His psalms express the struggles and disappointments he faced, yet in the end, he always turned his focus back to God. The key to his victorious attitude was his strong faith in the Lord.

David was confident in God’s purpose. That’s why he could say, “The Lord will accomplish what concerns me” (v. 8). The only way we can walk through trouble and not be defeated is by keeping our focus on the Lord and His purpose. He has promised to do a good work in our lives, but sometimes the only way He can complete it is in valleys of hardship.

He relied on the Lord’s power. When troubles arise, we, too, can trust God to deliver us, but it may not be by escape. Sometimes He sustains us through the difficulty, walking with us every step of the way.

David believed the promises of God. Throughout these two verses, he repeatedly reminds himself what the Lord will do. We also need to have some specific promises from Scripture that will anchor us in times of trouble. The truths of the Bible are our most valuable possession when the storms of life assail us. Self-reliance or advice from others will never equal the help God’s Word offers us.

God assumes responsibility for accomplishing what concerns you in times of trouble. Your job is to believe that He will fulfill His purpose, His power is adequate, and He’ll keep every promise. When the trial has achieved His goal, He’ll remove it. Until then, keep walking with your eyes on Him.

With outstretched arms, Aaron blessed the people of Israel, putting the name of the Lord upon them: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”(1)

These were instructions from God, who told Moses to tell Aaron to bless the people of Israel. Benediction was to be an act of worship, a response of obedience to God’s instruction given to the priestly line. “Aaron was set apart,” we read. “He and his descendants forever, to consecrate the most holy things, to offer sacrifices before the LORD, to minister before him and to pronounce blessings in his name forever.”(2) The Aaronic benediction was a command, given in order that God’s name be placed upon God’s people.

So Aaron spoke the benediction over a people frustrated and wandering, and his words reached beyond him. There are moments often unknown to us with which God does the same. Like a river whose source does not know the far places it reaches, God’s name moves before the world; we don’t always know where it has come or where it is going. Yet we know that God’s hand is not too short to save. In the desert or on the mountaintop, God’s blessing reaches those who will receive and be filled. It is this God “who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land.”(3)

Aaron’s blessings on behalf of God were heard by the people, and honored by God. And this duty, done in obedience, acting in worship, was passed down amongst the descendents of Aaron. Under oath, the priestly line vowed to keep the covenant of God before his people and the hope of God’s saving name upon them. Of course, the vow of people is prone to breaking and the service of the priest short-lived.

The writer of Hebrews expounds, “Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completelythose who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”(4) Through Christ, a better hope was introduced, by which the Holy Spirit moves the world that we can draw near to God. For as it is written, “Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” Whereas the Aaronic blessing was intermittent, Christ’s blessing is continual.

It is significant here to note Luke’s retelling of the last hours with Jesus on earth, for Christ’s departure is marked with the gesture his life epitomized. Luke writes of Jesus, “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.  While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.  And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,and were continually in the temple blessing God.”(5) Near the place where he raised Lazarus from the dead, Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father where he remains forever the High Priest. Before he left, pointedly, he offered the benediction. Hands and arms that days before were outstretched upon the Cross were lifted once more to bless the world.

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

(1) Numbers 6:22-26.

(2) 1 Chronicles 23:13.

(3) Amos 5:8.

(4) Hebrews 7:23-25.

(5) Luke 24:50-53.

Morning   “And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul.”   / 1 Samuel 27:1

The thought of David’s heart at this time was a false thought, because he

certainly had no ground for thinking that God’s anointing him by Samuel was

intended to be left as an empty unmeaning act. On no one occasion had the Lord

deserted his servant; he had been placed in perilous positions very often, but

not one instance had occurred in which divine interposition had not delivered

him. The trials to which he had been exposed had been varied; they had not

assumed one form only, but many–yet in every case he who sent the trial had

also graciously ordained a way of escape. David could not put his finger upon

any entry in his diary, and say of it, “Here is evidence that the Lord will

forsake me,” for the entire tenor of his past life proved the very reverse. He

should have argued from what God had done for him, that God would be his

defender still. But is it not just in the same way that we doubt God’s help?

Is it not mistrust without a cause? Have we ever had the shadow of a reason to

doubt our Father’s goodness? Have not his lovingkindnesses been marvellous?

Has he once failed to justify our trust? Ah, no! our God has not left us at

any time. We have had dark nights, but the star of love has shone forth amid

the blackness; we have been in stern conflicts, but over our head he has held

aloft the shield of our defence. We have gone through many trials, but never

to our detriment, always to our advantage; and the conclusion from our past

experience is, that he who has been with us in six troubles, will not forsake

us in the seventh. What we have known of our faithful God, proves that he will

keep us to the end. Let us not, then, reason contrary to evidence. How can we

ever be so ungenerous as to doubt our God? Lord, throw down the Jezebel of our

unbelief, and let the dogs devour it.

Evening  “He shall gather the lambs with his arm.” / Isaiah 40:11

Our good Shepherd has in his flock a variety of experiences, some are strong

in the Lord, and others are weak in faith, but he is impartial in his care for

all his sheep, and the weakest lamb is as dear to him as the most advanced of

the flock. Lambs are wont to lag behind, prone to wander, and apt to grow

weary, but from all the danger of these infirmities the Shepherd protects them

with his arm of power. He finds new-born souls, like young lambs, ready to

perish–he nourishes them till life becomes vigorous; he finds weak minds

ready to faint and die–he consoles them and renews their strength. All the

little ones he gathers, for it is not the will of our heavenly Father that one

of them should perish. What a quick eye he must have to see them all! What a

tender heart to care for them all! What a far- reaching and potent arm, to

gather them all! In his lifetime on earth he was a great gatherer of the

weaker sort, and now that he dwells in heaven, his loving heart yearns towards

the meek and contrite, the timid and feeble, the fearful and fainting here

below. How gently did he gather me to himself, to his truth, to his blood, to

his love, to his church! With what effectual grace did he compel me to come to

himself! Since my first conversion, how frequently has he restored me from my

wanderings, and once again folded me within the circle of his everlasting arm!

The best of all is, that he does it all himself personally, not delegating the

task of love, but condescending himself to rescue and preserve his most

unworthy servant. How shall I love him enough or serve him worthily? I would

fain make his name great unto the ends of the earth, but what can my

feebleness do for him? Great Shepherd, add to thy mercies this one other, a

heart to love thee more truly as I ought.

He will gather the lambs in his arms.   Isaiah 40:11

Our Good Shepherd has in His flock a variety of experiences. Some are strong in the Lord, and others are weak in faith; but He is impartial in His care for all His sheep, and the weakest lamb is as dear to Him as the strongest in the flock. Lambs are prone to lag behind, to wander, and are apt to grow weary; but from all the danger of these infirmities the Shepherd protects them with His arm of power. He finds newborn souls, like young lambs, ready to perish—He nourishes them until life becomes vigorous. He finds weak minds ready to faint and die—He consoles them and renews their strength. All the little ones He gathers, for it is not the will of our heavenly Father that one of them should perish.

What a quick eye He must have to see them all! What a tender heart to care for them all! What a far-reaching and powerful arm, to gather them all! In His lifetime on earth He was a great gatherer of the weaker sort, and now that He dwells in heaven, His loving heart extends to the meek and contrite, the timid and feeble, the fearful and fainting here below. How gently He gathered me to Himself, to His truth, to His blood, to His love, to His Church! With what effectual grace did He compel me to come to Himself!

Since my conversion, He has frequently restored me from my wanderings and once again gathered me within the circle of His everlasting arms! The best of all is that He does it all Himself. He does not delegate the task of love but condescends Himself to rescue and preserve His most unworthy servant. How will I love or serve Him enough? I long to make His name great to the ends of the earth, but what can my feebleness do for Him? Great Shepherd, add to Your mercies this humble request: Grant me a heart to love You more truly as I ought.

Family Reading Plan      Daniel 2    Psalm 106

 Luke 15:11-24

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the younger brother asked to receive his inheritance early so he might live as he chose. Once the father gave him his share, he made many unwise choices that led to hunger and destitution. What happened next illustrates the principles of godly repentance.

After squandering all his money, the young man found work feeding pigs, a bottom-of-the-barrel kind of job. One day he came to his senses and recognized his terrible plight. His repentance began with an awareness of his wrong choices and the fact that his bad situation was due to them.

Knowing that his difficulties came from his sinful behavior, the prodigal grieved over his mistakes and acknowledged that he had sinned against the Lord (v. 18). He declared he was no longer worthy to be his father’s son. Godly sorrow and confession led the young man to leave that place and go home. His repentance was made complete when he turned away from his old ways and returned to his father. The Lord likewise calls us to repent and return to Him.

What a welcome the prodigal son received. Upon seeing him, the father was filled with compassion and ran to embrace him. Forgiveness and acceptance were extended to the son. Both are blessings that God freely offers to whoever asks Him.

The prodigal son did not clean himself up before returning home. He simply left his old life, turned toward home, and trusted in his father’s mercy. The heavenly Father calls us to repent and offers us forgiveness when we turn away from our self-centered ways and move toward godliness (1 John 1:9).

Most of us recognize that there are forces at work in our world that make communicating more akin to communicating across cultures—even within our home countries. Twitter, texting and other forms of modern short-hand must be learned just as one would learn a new language. TTYL, LOL, and other combinations of letters are indiscernible to the tweeting and texting uninitiated.

In a similar way, trying to find ways to talk about matters of faith often feels like trying to cross a broken bridge. Even more than that, anyone who claims to present a clear language of faith speaks into a cacophony of spiritual and cultural languages. Is it any wonder, then, that blank stares are the all too often response to the particulars of the unique vocabulary of faith?

And yet, those who speak what seems to them a clear message are also informed and shaped by their own cultures. Speech embodies a whole world of language, experience, and ways of understanding that experience, which in turn shapes the way in which individuals speak about their faith.

here are, therefore, particular difficulties inherent in translation from within one’s own culture. An ancient Chinese proverb highlights this difficult task: “If you want a definition of water, don’t ask a fish.”(1) In other words, on what platform does one stand in order to speak into one’s own culture? We are products of the very culture into which we seek to communicate, and we can never completely stand outside our own culture. We are, in the words of the proverb, like fish trying to define water.

Notably, Christians affirm that the heart of the gospel message transcends culture and language, just as surely as it was originally proclaimed within a particular culture and language. After all, the good news of the gospel is about “the Word made flesh.” Missiologist Lesslie Newbigin explains the dialogical nature of the gospel as a product of culture and yet as a trans-cultural communication when he suggests: “Every statement of the gospel in words is conditioned by the culture of which those words are part, and every style of life that claims to embody the truth of the gospel is a culturally conditioned style of life. There can never be a culture-free gospel. Yet the gospel, which is from the beginning to the end embodied in culturally conditioned forms, calls into question all cultures, including the one in which it was originally embodied.”(2)

Newbigin uses the conversion and transformation of Saul into the apostle Paul as a case in point. His trial before King Agrippa, as recorded in Acts 26, illuminates this cultural dialogue. As Paul shares the story of his conversion with King Agrippa, he speaks the language of the Empire, Greek, and not his native Hebrew. Yet earlier, when he was blinded by “a light from heaven, brighter than the sun” and he heard a voice from heaven, it was not in the predominant Greek language. Paul tells Agrippa: “I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’” Paul then asked who was speaking to him, and the voice answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” Newbigin suggests that this passage provides a means by which we can understand the challenges and the opportunities for gospel communication and translation from within a given culture.(3)

First, just as Paul hears the as yet unnamed voice from heaven in his native tongue, the “voice” of the gospel must be offered in the language of the culture into which it is spoken. The gospel must be communicated in a way in which it can truly be heard, and we must accept that the way in which we present it will on some level embody that which is understood and experienced in a particular culture.

Truly communicating the gospel, however, means it will also call into question the way of understanding that is inherent in our own culture. Saul truly believed his actions against the Christians were in keeping with the God-ordained desire to preserve and protect Jewish identity and purity of belief. Yet, the voice from heaven revealed that this devotion of Saul was a form of persecution against the very God he claimed to serve.

Finally, while Christians must be diligent to clearly translate and communicate the gospel, ultimately conversion is the work of God. No human persuasion, no lofty speculation ever accomplishes the work of conversion. This is God’s work alone accomplished by the Holy Spirit, and those who bear witness in multiple cultural contexts can depend on the work of the Spirit to accomplish what God desires. “[I]n the mysterious providence of God, a word spoken comes with the kind of power of the word that was spoken to Saul on the road to Damascus…it causes the hearer to stop, turn around, and go in a new direction, to accept Jesus as Lord, Guide, and Savior.”(4)

The communication of the gospel into every culture is filled with challenges and opportunities. Without the work of careful translation, Christians can sound as if they are babbling in a foreign tongue. On the other hand, they may immerse themselves so much in cultural study and experience that they only seek “relevance” and lose the prophetic power of gospel proclamation. Indeed, as culture-bound people, there is always a risk of proclaiming a version of the gospel that is more cultural than Christian. Christians must always be willing to hear the radical call to conversion in their own proclamations. Yet, making room in these proclamations for the transformational work of the Spirit, there is hope that the unique message of God’s deliverance in Christ will not be lost either on the one who hears or the one who speaks.

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

(1) Cited in Lesslie Newbigin, Foolishness to the Greeks (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986), 21

(2) Ibid., 4.

(3) Ibid., 5.

(4) Ibid., 7-8.

 Morning “Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine.” / John 21:12

 In these words the believer is invited to a holy nearness to Jesus. “Come and

dine,” implies the same table, the same meat; aye, and sometimes it means to

sit side by side, and lean our head upon the Saviour’s bosom. It is being

brought into the banqueting-house, where waves the banner of redeeming love.

“Come and dine,” gives us a vision of union with Jesus, because the only food

that we can feast upon when we dine with Jesus is himself. Oh, what union is

this! It is a depth which reason cannot fathom, that we thus feed upon Jesus.

“He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in

him.” It is also an invitation to enjoy fellowship with the saints. Christians

may differ on a variety of points, but they have all one spiritual appetite;

and if we cannot all feel alike, we can all feed alike on the bread of life

sent down from heaven. At the table of fellowship with Jesus we are one bread

and one cup. As the loving cup goes round we pledge one another heartily

therein. Get nearer to Jesus, and you will find yourself linked more and more

in spirit to all who are like yourself, supported by the same heavenly manna.

If we were more near to Jesus we should be more near to one another. We

likewise see in these words the source of strength for every Christian. To

look at Christ is to live, but for strength to serve him you must “come and

dine.” We labour under much unnecessary weakness on account of neglecting this

precept of the Master. We none of us need to put ourselves on low diet; on the

contrary, we should fatten on the marrow and fatness of the gospel that we may

accumulate strength therein, and urge every power to its full tension in the

Master’s service. Thus, then, if you would realize nearness to Jesus, union

with Jesus, love to his people and strength from Jesus, “come and dine” with

him by faith.

Evening “With thee is the fountain of life.” / Psalm 36:9

 There are times in our spiritual experience when human counsel or sympathy, or

religious ordinances, fail to comfort or help us. Why does our gracious God

permit this? Perhaps it is because we have been living too much without him,

and he therefore takes away everything upon which we have been in the habit of

depending, that he may drive us to himself. It is a blessed thing to live at

the fountain head. While our skin- bottles are full, we are content, like

Hagar and Ishmael, to go into the wilderness; but when those are dry, nothing

will serve us but “Thou God seest me.” We are like the prodigal, we love the

swine-troughs and forget our Father’s house. Remember, we can make

swine-troughs and husks even out of the forms of religion; they are blessed

things, but we may put them in God’s place, and then they are of no value.

Anything becomes an idol when it keeps us away from God: even the brazen

serpent is to be despised as “Nehushtan,” if we worship it instead of God. The

prodigal was never safer than when he was driven to his father’s bosom,

because he could find sustenance nowhere else. Our Lord favours us with a

famine in the land that it may make us seek after himself the more. The best

position for a Christian is living wholly and directly on God’s grace–still

abiding where he stood at first–“Having nothing, and yet possessing all

things.” Let us never for a moment think that our standing is in our

sanctification, our mortification, our graces, or our feelings, but know that

because Christ offered a full atonement, therefore we are saved; for we are

complete in him. Having nothing of our own to trust to, but resting upon the

merits of Jesus–his passion and holy life furnish us with the only sure

ground of confidence. Beloved, when we are brought to a thirsting condition,

we are sure to turn to the fountain of life with eagerness.

2 Corinthians 7:8-10

Because we desire to be more like Jesus, we make resolutions, ask Him to help us, and try to behave differently. Yet despite our best efforts to do things God’s way, we slide back into old habits. Frustrated, we may ask Him, “Why can’t I change?” The reason is, overcoming sinful attitudes and behaviors starts with genuine repentance, which has three aspects.

Conviction. The Holy Spirit will reveal the areas in which we’ve sinned and convict us of wrongdoing. Through Scripture, the Spirit shows us God’s standard and what needs to change. Repentance begins with understanding where we have gone astray.

Contrition. The next step–grieving over our iniquity–is followed by confession to the Lord. Genuine sorrow arises from the knowledge that we’ve sinned against Him. In contrast, human unhappiness often comes from being caught misbehaving. Other times we are miserable because of where our choices led us, or feel shame that people know about our sin. True contrition is followed by humble confession.

Commitment to act. Real repentance is complete when we wholeheartedly pledge to turn from our old behavior and move toward righteous ways. God knows we won’t live perfectly, but He looks for a surrendered heart that diligently seeks to obey Him.

Paul used strong language when telling us to turn from iniquity: “Put to death… whatever belongs to your earthly nature” (Col. 3:5 niv). What sin are you struggling to overcome? Have you genuinely repented, committing to turn from it permanently? Let the Holy Spirit empower you to change.

French philosopher Michel de Montaigne once said, “There are triumphant defeats that rival victories.” His words fit awkwardly into the battles that fill our days with sweat or worry. Whether battling anxiousness or bidding in an auction, defeat is far from our goal. It is a word that, presumably for most of us, carries with it tender recollections of loss and disappointment. Past defeats always with us, even the smallest of victories can offer a hopeful sweetness. And perhaps this is so, at least at first, even in those victories of which we should not be proud.

With his mother on his side, Jacob won the battle of wits over his brother and father. Posing as Esau before his blind and aging father, equipped with animal skin and stew, Jacob convinced his father of his status as the first born and lawful heir of the blessing. Shortly thereafter, a defeated Esau returned to find his younger brother promised all that was rightfully his own. Jacob won the battle, but then he was forced to live on the run.

The battles we win at the expense of honesty or at the expense of others have a way of staying with us. Years after the fight for firstborn, Jacob seemed to still be living in fear of that victorious scheme and the brother he defeated with lies. When word came that Esau (and the 400 men with him) were quickly approaching, Jacob suddenly stood at an impasse with no where else to run. Genesis 32 reports that in the silence of the night before Jacob would face the brother he cheated, he found himself in a battle once more: “So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak” (32:24).

Along the road to surrendering to God, for some of us a battle is unavoidable. In fact, there may be some truth in the notion that surrender is a fight that begins again every day as if nothing had yet been done. For Jacob, the battle over his life and will took place in that moment when he found himself completely alone. With no one else to come to his aid, no possessions to bribe or barter with, stripped of all his usual tools of combat, Jacob wrestled with his attacker and only to find he was wrestling with God—and losing.

Physically broken, the socket of his hip now dislocated, Jacob nonetheless continued in a battle with words: “I will not let you go unless you bless me,” he told his assailant. Yet this time it was Jacob who was outwitted. “What is your name?” asked the one he wrestled with, a question hastening back to the very lie that sealed Jacob’s deceptive victories of the past. This time, he answered correctly, and though limping, Jacob walked away blessed.

In the presence of the one who can move the mountains of shortfall and estrangement, we have reason to surrender as often as it is necessary. For we surrender to a fortress far mightier than our best days of battle. In the words of a fellow wrestler:

Did we in our own strength confide,

our striving would be losing;

Were not the right Man on our side,

the Man of God’s own choosing:

Dost ask who that may be?

Christ Jesus, it is He;

Lord Sabaoth, His Name,

from age to age the same,

And He must win the battle.

However often God must win, it is our most difficult but always most triumphant loss. For in this great surrendering we find, as Fredrick Buechner says, “the magnificent defeat of the human soul at the hands of God.”

Carrying the scars of a fresh wound, the humbled Jacob limped toward the brother he betrayed, on his way to becoming the father of a great nation. We, too, can be humbled by the God who refuses to leave despite the words we shout in protest and despite our constant refusal to surrender. We can be awed by the one who says, “Follow me!” and expects us to trust that he will neither leave us nor forsake us. And we can marvel at the God who, carrying in his own body the scars of defeat, invites us to the very nearness that is our victory.

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

Morning “But who may abide the day of his coming?” / Malachi 3:2

 His first coming was without external pomp or show of power, and yet in truth

there were few who could abide its testing might. Herod and all Jerusalem with

him were stirred at the news of the wondrous birth. Those who supposed

themselves to be waiting for him, showed the fallacy of their professions by

rejecting him when he came. His life on earth was a winnowing fan, which tried

the great heap of religious profession, and few enough could abide the

process. But what will his second advent be? What sinner can endure to think

of it? “He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the

breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.” When in his humiliation he did

but say to the soldiers, “I am he,” they fell backward; what will be the

terror of his enemies when he shall more fully reveal himself as the “I am?”

His death shook earth and darkened heaven, what shall be the dreadful

splendour of that day in which as the living Saviour, he shall summon the

quick and dead before him? O that the terrors of the Lord would persuade men

to forsake their sins and kiss the Son lest he be angry! Though a lamb, he is

yet the lion of the tribe of Judah, rending the prey in pieces; and though he

breaks not the bruised reed, yet will he break his enemies with a rod of iron,

and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. None of his foes shall bear up

before the tempest of his wrath, or hide themselves from the sweeping hail of

his indignation; but his beloved blood washed people look for his appearing

with joy, and hope to abide it without fear: to them he sits as a refiner even

now, and when he has tried them they shall come forth as gold. Let us search

ourselves this morning and make our calling and election sure, so that the

coming of the Lord may cause no dark forebodings in our mind. O for grace to

cast away all hypocrisy, and to be found of him sincere and without rebuke in

the day of his appearing.

Evening “But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem

him not, then shalt thou break his neck.” / Exodus 34:20

 Every firstborn creature must be the Lord’s, but since the ass was unclean, it

could not be presented in sacrifice. What then? Should it be allowed to go

free from the universal law? By no means. God admits of no exceptions. The ass

is his due, but he will not accept it; he will not abate the claim, but yet he

cannot be pleased with the victim. No way of escape remained but

redemption–the creature must be saved by the substitution of a lamb in its

place; or if not redeemed, it must die. My soul, here is a lesson for thee.

That unclean animal is thyself; thou art justly the property of the Lord who

made thee and preserves thee, but thou art so sinful that God will not,

cannot, accept thee; and it has come to this, the Lamb of God must stand in

thy stead, or thou must die eternally. Let all the world know of thy gratitude

to that spotless Lamb who has already bled for thee, and so redeemed thee from

the fatal curse of the law. Must it not sometimes have been a question with

the Israelite which should die, the ass or the lamb? Would not the good man

pause to estimate and compare? Assuredly there was no comparison between the

value of the soul of man and the life of the Lord Jesus, and yet the Lamb

dies, and man the ass is spared. My soul, admire the boundless love of God to

thee and others of the human race. Worms are bought with the blood of the Son

of the Highest! Dust and ashes redeemed with a price far above silver and

gold! What a doom had been mine had not plenteous redemption been found! The

breaking of the neck of the ass was but a momentary penalty, but who shall

measure the wrath to come to which no limit can be imagined? Inestimably dear

is the glorious Lamb who has redeemed us from such a doom.

The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck.  Exodus 34:20

Every firstborn creature must be the Lord’s; but since the donkey was unclean, it could not be presented in sacrifice. What then? Should it be allowed to go free from the universal law? By no means. God allows for no exceptions. The donkey is His due, but He will not accept it; He will not void the claim, but yet He cannot be pleased with the victim. As a result, no way of escape remained but redemption—the creature must be saved by the substitution of a lamb in its place; or if not redeemed, it must die.

My soul, here is a lesson for you. That unclean animal is you. You are justly the property of the Lord who made you and preserves you, but you are so sinful that God will not, cannot, accept you; and it has come to this—the Lamb of God must stand in your place or you must die eternally. Let all the world know of your gratitude to that spotless Lamb who has already bled for you and so redeemed you from the fatal curse of the law. Sometimes it must have been a question for the Israelite which should die: the donkey or the lamb. Surely a good man would pause to estimate and compare.

Without question there was no comparison between the value of the soul of man and the life of the Lord Jesus, and yet the Lamb dies, and man the donkey is spared. My soul, adore the boundless love of God to you and others of the human race. Worms are purchased with the blood of the Son of the Highest! Dust and ashes are redeemed with a price far above silver and gold! What a doom was mine if plentiful redemption had not been found! The breaking of the neck of the donkey was but a momentary penalty, but who will measure the wrath to come to which no limit can be imagined? Inestimably dear is the glorious Lamb who has redeemed us from such a doom.

Family Reading Plan   Ezekiel 48  Psalm 104

 1 Timothy 1:18-19

“Let your conscience be your guide” is a well-known expression, but one that isn’t necessarily good advice. That’s because your moral compass is only as reliable as the principles with which you program it. If you store up proper biblical instruction and training, it will be dependable to safeguard you through life. But using false ideologies from popular culture to program your conscience will set you up for moral failure.

Our heavenly Father has given each person a conscience as a gift intended to be a tool of the Holy Spirit–our one true Guide. As such, it is designed to protect you from going astray. You can trust it only when the following seven statements are true of you:

Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord.

The Bible is the basis for your conduct.

You have a strong desire to obey God.

You make decisions prayerfully.

Your conscience sounds the alarm when you consider a wrong direction in thought or action.

You feel guilty when you disobey.

You feel compelled to repent of your disobedience.

A trustworthy conscience reacts immediately to disobedience. There is no making excuses and no waffling over whether or not something may have been wrong.

To develop a reliable conscience, read and apply Scripture so God’s principles will override any prior bad programming. Then, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, it will sound protective alerts. Don’t put faith in your conscience alone, but trust God to make it an effective tool for leading you.