Romans 12:5-7

In God’s eyes, anyone who sins is rebellious. And Romans 3:23 tells us we all are guilty. Now, it makes sense that an unbeliever would choose to act apart from biblical teaching. But what about those of us who have committed our life to follow Christ–what would cause us to stray from our heavenly Father’s will?

There are two powerful human tendencies that lead to disobedience: doubt and pride. Both can be dangerously misleading.

Doubt is a mental struggle over whether or not to believe God’s promises. From our limited perspective, we cannot understand how God works. Sometimes His way does not feel like the right path, so in order to obey, we must step out in faith. Then it can feel as though we are jumping off a cliff and trusting God’s invisible rope to hold us. If we listen to our doubt, we will surely transgress.

Pride is the sin that caused Satan to fall from heaven, and it is a deceptive obstacle for believers as well. Pride has to do with thinking that our way is best, putting more faith in our ability than God’s promises, and desiring praise. Anything we do out of pride is rebellion against the Lord.

Whatever the cause, sin leads to death. God’s way is the only road resulting in fulfillment, peace, and life.

The Enemy wants to lure us with doubt and pride: both feel right and are easily justifiable from our human perspective. But believers should follow Joshua’s wisdom instead: “Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15).

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation,” wrote Henry David Thoreau.

I thought of these words as I was playing tourist one summer in my hometown near the shores of Lake Michigan. On a guided ride through the massive sand dunes of Silver Lake, we stopped at the highest point of the dunes. With lines he’d been using for years, our guide offered a few statistics as he pointed out the scenes around us. From the hill we could see Lake Michigan, a historic lighthouse, and the endless shifting dunes that slowly engulf the small forests around them. Most of his words were lost in the beauty of the scene itself, but I tuned in as he described the survival tactics of the trees beside us. “These trees,” he said, pointing to trees that were no more than 10 feet high, “are upwards of 35 feet tall.” They are trees assailed each year by shifting sands and changing hillsides. When their branches are enveloped by sand, leaves die from lack of sunlight, but the branches become roots.

I don’t know why Thoreau’s words hit me at that moment as I took in the clever tactics of a handful of scrappy trees. I was impressed with their display of life, their fight to survive in a world that kept smothering them year after year. Perhaps it was their quiet perseverance in shifting darkness that drew a sharp contrast to my own behavior in stifling moments. Looking out from that which overwhelms me, I am easily resigned to a world without light.

In 1845, Henry David Thoreau left his pencil-manufacturing business and moved to the woods of Massachusetts. Walden is the lyrical record of the 26 months he spent in withdrawal from society in a cabin on the shore of Walden Pond. Written 150 years ago, many of his words still meet us as he hoped them to: like a “chanticleer in the morning, standing on his roost, to wake my neighbors up.” One of Thoreau’s concerns was that the world was being dulled by the bombardment of an unending flow of news, and a fascination with trivial events. “We are in great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas” he wrote, “but Maine and Texas, it may be, have nothing important to communicate.”(1)

Standing atop the mountains of the information age, it doesn’t take much to see the relevance of this concern. Turning on the news each day or jumping on the Internet for the headlines, a task I do faithfully, I am ashamed at how easily I am taken in by stories that are less “news” and more gossip. But then, even the stories that are certainly newsworthy can all too easily become a weight that buries me in fear, or engulfs me in concern that, though real, is riddled with the possibility that I will miss the point. Though neither Thoreau nor I would contend that news consumption is bad, information abounds in overwhelming degrees. Each fact, each story, owns the potential to move our emotions like sand dunes, cutting us off from hope and light.

We live in a world of shifting ideas where the potential to resign ourselves to fear or hopelessness is real. The Christian story counters this imagination with a different one: The light of Christ is not overcome, no matter how dark the darkness. In Psalm 1 we are reminded that the one whose certainty is the Lord, whose hope is in God’s unchanging presence, is blessed. “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.” In this changing culture of disheartening headlines and distracting information, many lead lives of quiet desperation. Still many others grow roots where life buries branches, tapping into the living waters of one who does not change.

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

(1) Henry David Thoreau, Walden (New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1854), 84.

Morning   “So walk ye in him.” / Colossians 2:6

If we have received Christ himself in our inmost hearts, our new life will

manifest its intimate acquaintance with him by a walk of faith in him. Walking

implies action. Our religion is not to be confined to our closet; we must

carry out into practical effect that which we believe. If a man walks in

Christ, then he so acts as Christ would act; for Christ being in him, his

hope, his love, his joy, his life, he is the reflex of the image of Jesus; and

men say of that man, “He is like his Master; he lives like Jesus Christ.”

Walking signifies progress. “So walk ye in him”; proceed from grace to grace,

run forward until you reach the uttermost degree of knowledge that a man can

attain concerning our Beloved. Walking implies continuance. There must be a

perpetual abiding in Christ. How many Christians think that in the morning and

evening they ought to come into the company of Jesus, and may then give their

hearts to the world all the day: but this is poor living; we should always be

with him, treading in his steps and doing his will. Walking also implies

habit. When we speak of a man’s walk and conversation, we mean his habits, the

constant tenor of his life. Now, if we sometimes enjoy Christ, and then forget

him; sometimes call him ours, and anon lose our hold, that is not a habit; we

do not walk in him. We must keep to him, cling to him, never let him go, but

live and have our being in him. “As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so

walk ye in him”; persevere in the same way in which ye have begun, and, as at

the first Christ Jesus was the trust of your faith, the source of your life,

the principle of your action, and the joy of your spirit, so let him be the

same till life’s end; the same when you walk through the valley of the shadow

of death, and enter into the joy and the rest which remain for the people of

God. O Holy Spirit, enable us to obey this heavenly precept.

 

Evening  “His place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given

him; his waters shall be sure.” / Isaiah 33:16

Do you doubt, O Christian, do you doubt as to whether God will fulfil his

promise? Shall the munitions of rock be carried by storm? Shall the

storehouses of heaven fail? Do you think that your heavenly Father, though he

knoweth that you have need of food and raiment, will yet forget you? When not

a sparrow falls to the ground without your Father, and the very hairs of your

head are all numbered, will you mistrust and doubt him? Perhaps your

affliction will continue upon you till you dare to trust your God, and then it

shall end. Full many there be who have been tried and sore vexed till at last

they have been driven in sheer desperation to exercise faith in God, and the

moment of their faith has been the instant of their deliverance; they have

seen whether God would keep his promise or not. Oh, I pray you, doubt him no

longer! Please not Satan, and vex not yourself by indulging any more those

hard thoughts of God. Think it not a light matter to doubt Jehovah. Remember,

it is a sin; and not a little sin either, but in the highest degree criminal.

The angels never doubted him, nor the devils either: we alone, out of all the

beings that God has fashioned, dishonour him by unbelief, and tarnish his

honour by mistrust. Shame upon us for this! Our God does not deserve to be so

basely suspected; in our past life we have proved him to be true and faithful

to his word, and with so many instances of his love and of his kindness as we

have received, and are daily receiving, at his hands, it is base and

inexcusable that we suffer a doubt to sojourn within our heart. May we

henceforth wage constant war against doubts of our God–enemies to our peace

and to his honour; and with an unstaggering faith believe that what he has

promised he will also perform. “Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.”

His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.    Isaiah 33:16

Christian, do you doubt whether God will fulfill His promise? Will the fortresses of rock be swept away by a storm? Will the storehouses of heaven fail? Do you think that your heavenly Father, even though He knows that you need food and clothes, will forget you? When not a sparrow falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge, and the very hairs of your head are all numbered, will you mistrust and doubt Him? Perhaps your affliction will continue upon you until you dare to trust God, and then it will end.

There have been many who have been tried and troubled until at last they have been driven in sheer desperation to exercise faith in God, and the moment of their faith has been the instant of their deliverance; they have seen whether God would keep His promise or not. So I urge you, doubt Him no longer! Do not please Satan, and do not trouble yourself by indulging any more those hard thoughts of God. Do not imagine that it is a small matter to doubt Jehovah. Remember, it is a sin; and not a little sin either, but in the highest degree criminal. The angels never doubted Him, nor the devils either.

We alone, out of all the beings whom God has fashioned, dishonor Him by unbelief and tarnish His honor by mistrust. Shame on us for this! Our God does not deserve to be so poorly treated; in our past life we have proved Him to be true and faithful to His word, and with so many instances of His love and of His kindness as we have received and are daily receiving at His hands, it is base and inexcusable that we allow a doubt to lodge within our heart. From now on let us resolve to wage constant war against doubts of our God—enemies to our peace and to His honor—and with an unstaggering faith believe that what He has promised He will also perform. “I believe; help my unbelief!”1

1Mark 9:24

Family Reading Plan      Joel 1      Psalm 141

1 Samuel 15:1-23

God’s plan for each one of us has our best interest in mind. His way leads to fullness of life. Yet He did not create us to be robots that blindly and lifelessly live their godly life. No, the Lord grants us the choice of whether or not to obey Him. Our human nature tends to choose a self-centered path that turns away from God’s authority. But in doing so, we miss His best for us.

Consider the life of King Saul. God chose this man to be king and provided guidelines for him to follow. Though Saul knew the Lord’s instructions, he chose to do things his own way. At times his sin was unquestionably deliberate, such as his attempt to kill David out of jealousy. At other times, however, his rebellion seemed less clear-cut. For example, despite God’s order to “utterly destroy” the Amalekites and their animals, Saul spared the best of the herd, with the justification that they were “to sacrifice to the Lord” (1 Sam. 15:3, 21).

His disobedient choices cost him the throne and eventually led to his destruction. This man chose the road that satisfied his immediate fleshly desires, but as we know from history, the end result was hardly fulfilling. We can learn from Saul’s mistakes. Partial obedience is actually disobedience. And any disobedience falls in the category of rebellion, which is sin.

Each day, we face the same types of choices. Though the details are different, both large and small temptations lure us. We can live according to Christ’s will, following His lead and listening for His voice. Or we can refuse. Choose today to live God’s way–which leads to fullness of life.

A starting point for taking on the responsibility of the work of Christian apologetics is recognizing the role that living out a disciplined Christian life plays. Even a brief examination of the Scriptures reveals this striking imperative: one may not divorce the content of apologetics from the character of the apologist. Apologetics derives from the Greek word apologia, “to give an answer.” 1 Peter 3:15 gives us the defining statement: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer (apologia) to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

I have always found this to be such a fascinating verse because the apostle Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, knew the hazards and the risks of being an answer-bearer to the sincere questions that people would pose of the gospel. Indeed, when one contrasts the answers of Jesus to any of his detractors, it is not hard to see that their resistance is not of the mind but rather of the heart. Furthermore, I have little doubt that the single greatest obstacle to the impact of the gospel has not been its inability to provide answers, but the failure on our part to live it out. The Irish evangelist Gypsy Smith once said, “There are five Gospels: Matthew Mark, Luke, John, and the Christian, and some people will never read the first four.” In other words, apologetics is often first seen before it is heard.

For that very reason the Scriptures give us a clear picture of the apologetic Christian: one who has first set apart Christ in his or her heart as Lord, and then responds with answers to the questioner with gentleness and respect.  Therefore, one must not overlook the stark reality that the way one’s life is lived out will determine the impact.  There are few obstacles to faith as serious as expounding the unlived life. Too many simply see the quality of one’s life and firmly believe that it is all theory, bearing no supernatural component.

I remember well in the early days of my Christian faith talking to a Hindu. He was questioning the strident claims of the followers of Christ as being something supernatural. He absolutely insisted “conversion was nothing more than a decision to lead a more ethical life and that in most cases it was not any different to those claims of other ‘ethical’ religions.” So far, his argument was not anything new. But then he said something that I have never forgotten, and often reflect upon: “If this conversion is truly supernatural, why is it not more evident in the lives of so many Christians that I know?” His question is a troublesome one. After all, no Buddhist claims a supernatural life but frequently lives a more consistent one. The same pertains to many of other faiths. Yet, how often the so-called Christian, even while proclaiming some of the loftiest truths one could ever express, lives a life bereft of that beauty and character.

This call to a life reflecting the person of Christ is the ultimate calling upon the apologist. The skeptic is not slow to notice when there is a disparity, and because of that, may question the whole gospel in its supernatural claim. Yet when they are met with gentleness and respect, we will help meet the deepest longings of the heart and mind, and they will find where true discovery lies. Let us live so accordingly.

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

Morning “As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord.” / Colossians 2:6

The life of faith is represented as receiving–an act which implies the very

opposite of anything like merit. It is simply the acceptance of a gift. As the

earth drinks in the rain, as the sea receives the streams, as night accepts

light from the stars, so we, giving nothing, partake freely of the grace of

God. The saints are not, by nature, wells, or streams, they are but cisterns

into which the living water flows; they are empty vessels into which God pours

his salvation. The idea of receiving implies a sense of realization, making

the matter a reality. One cannot very well receive a shadow; we receive that

which is substantial: so is it in the life of faith, Christ becomes real to

us. While we are without faith, Jesus is a mere name to us–a person who lived

a long while ago, so long ago that his life is only a history to us now! By an

act of faith Jesus becomes a real person in the consciousness of our heart.

But receiving also means grasping or getting possession of. The thing which I

receive becomes my own: I appropriate to myself that which is given. When I

receive Jesus, he becomes my Saviour, so mine that neither life nor death

shall be able to rob me of him. All this is to receive Christ–to take him as

God’s free gift; to realize him in my heart, and to appropriate him as mine.

Salvation may be described as the blind receiving sight, the deaf receiving

hearing, the dead receiving life; but we have not only received these

blessings, we have received Christ Jesus himself. It is true that he gave us

life from the dead. He gave us pardon of sin; he gave us imputed

righteousness. These are all precious things, but we are not content with

them; we have received Christ himself. The Son of God has been poured into us,

and we have received him, and appropriated him. What a heartful Jesus must be,

for heaven itself cannot contain him!

 

Evening “The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover

with my disciples?” / Mark 14:14

Jerusalem at the time of the passover was one great inn; each householder had

invited his own friends, but no one had invited the Saviour, and he had no

dwelling of his own. It was by his own supernatural power that he found

himself an upper room in which to keep the feast. It is so even to this

day–Jesus is not received among the sons of men save only where by his

supernatural power and grace he makes the heart anew. All doors are open

enough to the prince of darkness, but Jesus must clear a way for himself or

lodge in the streets. It was through the mysterious power exerted by our Lord

that the householder raised no question, but at once cheerfully and joyfully

opened his guestchamber. Who he was, and what he was, we do not know, but he

readily accepted the honour which the Redeemer proposed to confer upon him. In

like manner it is still discovered who are the Lord’s chosen, and who are not;

for when the gospel comes to some, they fight against it, and will not have

it, but where men receive it, welcoming it, this is a sure indication that

there is a secret work going on in the soul, and that God has chosen them unto

eternal life. Are you willing, dear reader, to receive Christ? then there is

no difficulty in the way; Christ will be your guest; his own power is working

with you, making you willing. What an honour to entertain the Son of God! The

heaven of heavens cannot contain him, and yet he condescends to find a house

within our hearts! We are not worthy that he should come under our roof, but

what an unutterable privilege when he condescends to enter! for then he makes

a feast, and causes us to feast with him upon royal dainties, we sit at a

banquet where the viands are immortal, and give immortality to those who feed

thereon. Blessed among the sons of Adam is he who entertains the angels’ Lord.

The teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?   Mark 14:14

Jerusalem at the time of the Passover was one great inn; each householder had invited his own friends, but no one had invited the Savior, and He had no dwelling of His own. It was by His own supernatural power that He found Himself an upper room in which to keep the feast. This is still the case today—Jesus is not received among the sons of men except when by His supernatural power and grace He makes the heart anew. All doors are open enough to the prince of darkness, but Jesus must clear a way for Himself or lodge in the streets.

On account of the mysterious power exerted by our Lord, the householder raised no question but at once cheerfully and joyfully opened his guest room. Who he was and what he was we do not know, but he willingly accepted the honor that the Redeemer proposed to confer upon him. In similar fashion we can still discover who are the Lord’s chosen and who are not, for when the Gospel comes to some, they fight against it and will not have it; but where men receive it, welcoming it, this is a sure indication that there is a secret work going on in the soul and that God has appointed them to eternal life. Are you willing, dear reader, to receive Christ?

Then there is no difficulty in the way. Christ will be your guest; His own power is working with you, making you willing. What an honor to entertain the Son of God! The heaven of heavens cannot contain Him, and yet He condescends to find a house within our hearts! We are not worthy that He should come under our roof, but what an unutterable privilege when He condescends to enter! For then He makes a feast and causes us to feast with Him upon His royal provision; we sit at a banquet where the food is immortal and provides immortality to those who feed on it. Blessed among the sons of Adam is he who entertains the angels’ Lord.

Family Reading Plan       Hosea 14       Psalm 139