Hebrews 10:32-39
Do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. —Hebrews 10:35
There is an old adage that says, “Don’t bite off more than you can chew.” It’s wise not to take on more responsibilities than we can handle. At some time, however, we will likely feel overwhelmed by the size and difficulty of a task we have agreed to do.
This can happen even in our walk of faith in Christ when our commitment to God seems too much to bear. But the Lord has an encouraging word for us when our confidence wavers.
The writer of Hebrews urged his readers to recall the courage they demonstrated during the early days of their faith (10:32-33). Despite public insults and persecution, they aided believers in prison, and they joyfully accepted the confiscation of their own property (vv.33-34). With that in mind, he says, “Therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” (vv.35-36).
Our confidence is not in ourselves but in Jesus and His promise to return at just the right time (v.37).
It is God’s power that enables us to continue in our journey of faith. Recalling the Lord’s faithfulness in days past stirs our confidence in Him today. —David McCasland
When life becomes a heavy load,
An upward climb, a winding road,
In daily tasks, Lord, let me see
That with me You will always be. —D. DeHaan
Trusting God’s faithfulness stirs up our confidence.
Bible in a year: Psalms 107-109; 1 Corinthians 4
Insight
Severely opposed and persecuted, Jewish Christians were pressured to abandon Christianity and to revert to Judaism. The unnamed writer of Hebrews encouraged them to continue in the faith by affirming the preeminence, superiority, and sufficiency of Christ through His person and position (Heb. 1–4) and His work of propitiation (chs. 5–10). He also warned them against rejecting Christ (2:1-3; 3:7-15; 6:4-6). Here, in his final exhortation, he reminded them of their exemplary faithfulness in enduring the mistreatments thus far (10:32-34) and of the great reward that would be theirs if they persevered (vv.35-36). He was confident that they would succeed (v.39).
Monthly Archives: August 2014
Ravi Zacharias – Harmless Petty Sins
A familiar fable tells of the hunter who lost his life to the leopard he himself had saved as a pet for his children when the leopard was just a cub. The moral of the story can be deduced easily from the title, Little Leopards Become Big Leopards; or else, sin is easier to deal with before it becomes a habitual practice that eventually defines our lives.(1) Though the story as it stands is a beautiful illustration of a profound truth, there is a deeper lesson regarding the nature of sin that is easily concealed by this line of thinking and which, I believe, lies at the very essence of the Christian call to Christ-likeness. The problem is that the parallel between little harmless leopard cubs and little harmless sins can be dangerously deceptive.
Whereas leopard cubs are indeed harmless, there is no stage of development at which sin can be said to be harmless, for individual acts of sin are merely the symptoms of the true condition of our hearts. It is not accidental that the call to Christian growth in the Scriptures repeatedly zeros-in on such seemingly benign “human shortcomings” as bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, slander, and malicious behavior (Ephesians 4:31). In his watershed address, The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus placed a great deal of emphasis on lust, anger, and contempt—behaviors and attitudes that would probably not rank high on our lists of problems in need of urgent resolution. Armed with firm and sometimes unconscious categories of serious versus tolerable sins, we gloss over lists of vices in the Scriptures because they seem to be of little consequence to life as we experience it.
But when we fail to grasp the subtleties of sin, we run the risk of rendering much of biblical wisdom irrelevant to our daily life and practice. While we appreciate the uniqueness and necessity of the sacrificial death of Jesus on our behalf, his specific teachings can at times appear to be farfetched and the emphasis misplaced. Does it not seem incredible that the God who made this world would visit it in its brokenness, dwell among us for over thirty years, and then leave behind the command that we must be nice to each other? Can the problems of the world really be solved by having people “turn the other cheek” and “get rid of anger and malice”?
Unfortunately, those “little” sins are not only the mere symptoms of a much bigger problem; they are also effective means of alienating us from God and other human beings. How many careers have been ruined only because of jealousy? How many people have been deprived of genuine help as a result of the seemingly side-comment of someone who secretly despised them? How many relationships have been destroyed by bitterness? How many churches have split up because of selfish ambitions couched in pietistic terms? How much evil has resulted from misinformation, a little coloring around the edges of truth? And have you noticed how much we can control other people just through our body language? From the political arena to the basic family unit, the worst enemy of human harmony is not spectacular wickedness but those seemingly harmless petty sins routinely assumed to be part of what it means to be human.
According to a NASA scientist, a two-degree miscalculation when launching a spacecraft to the moon would send the spacecraft 11,121 miles away from the moon: all one has to do is take time and distance into account.(2) How perceptive then was George MacDonald when he uttered these chilling words, “A man may sink by such slow degrees that, long after he is a devil, he may go on being a good churchman or a good dissenter, and thinking himself a good Christian”!(3) Similarly, C.S. Lewis warned that cards are a welcome substitute for murder if the former will set the believer on a path away from God. “Indeed,” he wrote, “the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”(4)
Now the decisive path out of this quandary is not just a greater resolve to be obedient to God. Such a response is usually motivated by guilt, and the duration of our effort will be directly proportional to the amount of guilt we feel: we will be right back where we started from when the guilt is no longer as strong. The appropriate response must begin with a greater appreciation of the holiness of God and a clear vision of life in God. It is only along the path of Christ-likeness that the true nature of sin is revealed and its appeal blunted. Yes, brazen sinfulness is appallingly evil and destructive, but it only makes a louder growl in a forest populated by stealthier, deadly hunters masquerading as little leopards. It is no idle, perfunctory pastime to pray with King David:
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Test me and know my thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
And lead me along the path of everlasting life (Psalm 139:23-24).
J.M. Njoroge is a member of the speaking team at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.
(1) For example, Paul White’s, Little Leopards Become Big Leopards, published by African Christian Press.
(2) John Trent, Heartshift: The Two Degree Difference That Will Change Your Heart, Your Home, and Your Health (Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2004), 17.
(3)George MacDonald, in George MacDonald: An Anthology by C. S. Lewis (New York: Dolphin Books, 1962), 118.
(4) C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, in A C.S. Lewis Treasury: Three Classics in One Volume (New York: Harcourt & Company, 1988), 250.
Alistair Begg – What God Hasn’t Said
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ Isaiah 45:19
We can gain a great deal of comfort by considering what God has not said. What He has said is full of comfort and delight; but what He has not said is scarcely less rich in consolation. It was what God had not said that preserved the kingdom of Israel in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, for “the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven” (2 Kings 14:27). In our text we have an assurance that God will answer prayer because He “did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.'”
Those of you who are prone to self-condemnation should remember that, lest your doubts and fears say what they will, if God has not cut you off from mercy, there is no need for despair: Even the voice of conscience carries little weight if it is not seconded by the voice of God. We should tremble at what God has said! But do not allow your rambling thoughts to overwhelm you with despondency and sinful despair. Many timid persons have been vexed by the suspicion that there may be something in God’s decree that shuts them out from hope, but we have here a complete rebuttal of that troublesome fear, for no true seeker can be decreed to wrath. “I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say [even in the secret of my unsearchable decree] . . . , ‘Seek me in vain.'”
God has clearly revealed that He will hear the prayer of those who call upon Him, and that declaration cannot be contradicted. He has spoken so firmly, so truthfully, so righteously that there can be no room for doubt. He does not reveal His mind in unintelligible words, but He speaks plainly and positively. “Everyone who asks receives.”1 Doubter, believe this sure truth—that prayer must and will be heard, and that never, even in the secrets of eternity, has the Lord said to any living soul, “Seek me in vain.”
1) Matthew 7:8
The family reading plan for August 21, 2014 * Jeremiah 50 * Psalm 28, 29
Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg.
Charles Spurgeon – Faith illustrated
“For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12
Suggested Further Reading: Hebrews 6:13-20
Joab, when he fled from the sword of Solomon, laid hold on the horns of the altar, thinking that surely when he had laid hold on the altar he was safe. His was vain confidence, for he was dragged from the horns of the altar and slain. But if you can lay hold on the horns of the altar of God, even Christ, you are most surely safe, and no sword of vengeance can ever reach you. I saw the other day a remarkable picture, which I shall use as an illustration of the way of salvation by faith in Jesus. An offender had committed a crime for which he must die, but it was in the olden time when churches were considered to be sanctuaries in which criminals might hide themselves and so escape. See the transgressor—he rushes towards the church, the guards pursue him with their drawn swords, all athirst for his blood, they pursue him even to the church door. He rushes up the steps, and just as they are about to overtake him and hew him in pieces on the threshhold of the church, out comes the Bishop, and holding up the crucifix he cries, “Back, back! Stain not the precincts of God’s house with blood! Stand back!” and the guards at once respect the emblem and stand back, while the poor fugitive hides himself behind the robes of the priest. It is even so with Christ. The guilty sinner flies to the cross—flies straight away to Jesus, and though Justice pursues him, Christ lifts up his wounded hands and cries to Justice, “Stand back! Stand back! I shelter this sinner; in the secret place of my tabernacle do I hide him; I will not suffer him to perish, for he puts his trust in me.”
For meditation: We should never be ashamed to be seen hiding behind Jesus (Mark 8:38).
Sermon no. 271
21 August (1859)
John MacArthur – Forgiving Others
“[Love] does not take into account a wrong suffered” (1 Cor. 13:5).
If you love someone, you won’t keep a record of their offenses.
It is reported that when the Moravian missionaries first went to the Eskimos, they couldn’t find a word in their language for forgiveness. They had to combine a series of shorter words into one compound word: Issumagijoujungnainermik. Although the word appears formidable, its meaning is beautiful, being translated: “Not-being-able-to-think-about-it-anymore.”
You’ve probably noticed that unforgiving people usually have good memories. Some can hold a grudge for a lifetime. But love never keeps a record of wrongs committed against it. It forgives and is unable to think about them anymore.
That’s what Paul had in mind when he said that love “does not take into account a wrong suffered” (1 Cor. 13:5). The Greek word translated “take into account” was used of the entries in a bookkeeper’s ledger. Those entries helped the bookkeeper remember the nature of each financial transaction. In contrast, love never keeps a record or holds others accountable for the wrongs they’ve committed against it.
The greatest example of that kind of love is God Himself. Romans 4:8 says, “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.” Second Corinthians 5:19 adds, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them.”
Every sin we commit as believers is an offense against God, but He never charges them to our account. We are in Christ, who bore our penalty on the cross. When we sin, we are immediately forgiven.
If you love others, you’ll forgive them as God has forgiven you. Instead of holding them accountable for their offenses, you’ll look beyond their sin to their potential in Christ. You’ll heed Paul’s admonition to “be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32). That’s the character of true love.
Suggestions for Prayer; Is there someone from whom you’ve been withholding forgiveness? If so, recognize it as sin and confess it to the Lord. Then be reconciled to that person right away.
Thank God that He doesn’t keep an account of your sins (cf. Ps. 130:3).
For Further Study; What does Matthew 18:21-35 say about forgiving others?
Joyce Meyer – Stepping into the Unknown
And I said to you, You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God gives us. Behold, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has said to you. Fear not, neither be dismayed.—Deuteronomy 1:20–21
Parents, teachers, and other role models can teach children how to fear or they can teach them to be bold. A mother who is fearful herself will transmit that fear to her children. She will be overly cautious about many things, and a silent fear sinks into the heart of her children. We should not teach our children to live recklessly, but we should teach them to be bold, take action, and to never be so afraid of making mistakes that they won’t try things. I believe we should teach our children and those under our authority to take chances in life. If we never take a chance, we will never make progress. Progress always requires stepping into the unknown. Experience gives us confidence, but we never get experience unless we step out and try things we have not tried before.
I encourage you to teach others by word and example how to be bold and courageous. Tell people to try things, reminding them that making a mistake is not the worst thing that can happen.
Lord, help me both in word and deed to show others to be bold and courageous. I will gladly follow You into the unknown. Amen.
Campus Crusade – Bill Bright – His Ways Will Satisfy
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how His ways will really satisfy you” (Romans 12:2).
“The trouble with living sacrifices,” someone has well said, “is that they keep crawling off the altar.” That may be true. We “crawl off the altar” when we sin, and the only way to put ourselves back on the altar is to breathe spiritually – confess our known sins in accordance with the promise of 1 John 1:9 and appropriate the fullness of the Holy Spirit as we are commanded to do by faith (Ephesians 5:18).
When we do this, we will be living supernaturally and our lives will produce the fruit of the Spirit in great abundance.
Only by being filled with the Spirit, and thus realizing the fruit of the Spirit, can spiritual gifts be effectively utilized in witnessing and building up the Body of Christ.
We begin by totally yielding ourselves by faith to Christ in a full irrevocable surrender to His lordship.
“He died once for all to end sin’s power, but now He lives forever in unbroken fellowship with God. So look upon your old sin-nature as dead and unresponsive to sin, and instead be alive to God, alert to Him, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
“Do not let sin control your puny body any longer; do not give in to its sinful desires. Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give yourselves completely to God – every part of you -for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for His good purposes” (Romans 6:10-13).
Bible Reading: Romans 12:3-18
TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Knowing that God’s ways will really satisfy me, I will seek first His kingdom, resist the devil at his every appearance and watch with joy as he flees.
Presidential Prayer Team – G.C. – Let It Happen!
In today’s verse, Mary of Nazareth is a young Jewish girl encountering an angelic messenger. He announces that, although she’s a virgin, she is going to have a child who will occupy the ancient throne of King David, ruling the house of Judah forever. Young Mary responds to the incredible news by saying, “Yes, let it happen!”
And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Luke 1:38
As Mary’s life unfolds, she is entwined in her son’s dangerous world as His message challenges the corrupt religious and political leaders of the day. Things seem to go from bad to tragically worse when Mary finds herself at the foot of a Roman cross, a witness to His savage execution. Days later, her heartbreak was replaced by hope as the angel’s promise was confirmed by the impossible: His resurrection.
America’s leaders face challenges that seem impossible, too. Mary did not know in advance how God would fulfill His promises; she had to live out her faith a day at a time – and so do you. Today, pray for God’s faithful people serving and leading America. Ask that they will remain steadfast in their hope regardless of circumstances, and rest certain that God’s plan will indeed be confirmed.
Recommended Reading: Hebrews 11:1-6
Greg Laurie – Life in Two Dimensions
He raised us from the dead along with Christ, and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. —Ephesians 2:6
A Christian is someone who lives in two dimensions. The apostle Paul explained it this way: “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth” (Colossians 3:1-2, NLT).
These verses are saying that believers truly do live in a spiritual dimension — where we walk in the Spirit and know God in the Spirit. Yet as human beings, we also live and move in physical bodies here on earth. Our challenge as Christians, then, is to transfer what we have in the spiritual realm into the day-to-day ebb and flow of events in the earthly realm.
When I travel to another country and pass through its borders, I still maintain my U.S. citizenship. When I went to Israel a few years ago, although I had my passport that indicated I am an American, I had to live in their culture. As a result, there were a few things I needed to adapt to. When I needed currency, for example, I took funds from my bank in the U.S. and converted them into shekels to use in Israel. Of course, I didn’t know what the exchange rate was, so on my first day there, I may have tipped someone fifty dollars to carry my bags to my room. (He was really nice to me the rest of the day.)
As Christians, we have riches, treasures, real assets waiting for us in heaven. When the Bible speaks of the heavenlies, however, we need to recognize that it is not only talking about something waiting for us in heaven after we die. It is also talking about the supernatural realm. So before we can effectively walk as believers, much less engage in spiritual battle, we need to learn about the supernatural resources God has given to us. We also need to understand they are treasures God wants us to start tapping into in the here and now, as well as in the by and by. They are provisions available to any believer who is walking with God.
Max Lucado – By Grace Through Faith
The supreme force in salvation is God’s grace. Not our works. Not our talents. Not our feelings. Not our strength. Faith is not born at the negotiating table where we barter our gifts in exchange for God’s goodness. Faith is not an award given to the most learned. It’s not a prize given to the most disciplined.
Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.”
We, like Paul, are aware of two things. We are great sinners and we need a great Savior. Salvation is God’s sudden, calming presence during the stormy seas of our lives. Death is disarmed. Failures are forgiven. Life has real purpose. And God is not only within sight—He is within reach!
From In the Eye of the Storm
Charles Stanley – God Forgives Our Sin
Ephesians 1:3-8
The Bible is a guidebook mapping the route to our eternal home. But travelers must read and follow the directions. Some people claim they will get to heaven because of their morality, their religious observances, or even their belief that God exists. But those paths lead to death.
The only road that leads to the Lord’s eternal home is faith in Jesus (John 14:6). Scripture gives us three landmarks along the route—points when there is an awareness of Christ and our need for Him.
Landmark 1: I am a sinner. Everyone has done wrong (Isa. 53:6; Rom. 3:23). But only someone under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit recognizes that sin is what separates us from our holy God (John 9:31). When the spiritual seeker has this awareness about iniquity, he is accountable for his response.
Landmark 2: Jesus is perfect. Christ’s sinless sacrifice on the cross is what spans the chasm between the Father and His creation. Our Savior paid all past, present, and future sin debt.
Landmark 3: I need Jesus. The defining moment on the journey is the point when the traveler believes Jesus is who He claimed to be. Belief is accompanied by repentance—a turning away from old sins. The pilgrim is given a brand-new nature and is welcomed into God’s family (2 Cor. 5:17; John 1:12).
Are you on the road to discovering the Lord? Here is a peek at what is ahead if you stay the course: redemption (Rom. 3:24), eternal life (John 3:15), and a great adventure walking with Jesus. Trust in the Savior, and thank Him for His mercy and grace.
Our Daily Bread — Our Daily Bread — Our Foundation
1 Corinthians 3:1-11
For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. —1 Corinthians 3:11
The Bavarian city of Nördlingen is unique. It sits in the middle of the Ries Crater, a large circular depression caused by the impact of a huge meteorite a long time ago. The immense pressure of the impact resulted in unusual crystallized rock and millions of microscopic diamonds. In the 13th century, these speckled stones were used to build St. George’s Church. Visitors can see the beautiful crystal deposits in its foundation and walls. Some might say it has a heavenly foundation.
The Bible talks of a different kind of heavenly foundation. The Lord Jesus came to our world from heaven (John 3:13). When He went back into heaven after His death and resurrection, He left His followers who became the “living temple” of God, of which He is the foundation. The apostle Paul says, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11).
The church building in Bavaria is built on a foundation from pieces of rock from the physical heavens. But the spiritual church—all believers in Christ—is founded on the ultimate heavenly foundation, Christ Jesus (Isa. 28:16; 1 Cor. 10:3-4). Praise God that because of what Jesus has done our salvation is secure. —Dennis Fisher
On Christ salvation rests secure;
The Rock of Ages will endure;
Nor can that faith be overthrown
Which rests upon the “Living Stone.” —Anon.
Christ, the Rock, is our sure hope.
Bible in a year: Psalms 105-106; 1 Corinthians 3
Insight
In today’s passage, Paul uses both agricultural and architectural metaphors to warn of an overreliance and dependence on church leaders. Using an agricultural metaphor, he reminds us that while human leaders do the planting and watering, God alone can make the church grow (1 Cor. 3:1-9). And with the architectural metaphor of a building, Paul warns that no human leader is the founder of the church (vv.10-11). God alone is the founder and foundation.
Ravi Zacharias Ministry – This God
I cannot begin to estimate how many times I have attempted to encourage someone with the assurance of God’s nearness to their situation: God is with you. God is near. God is among us. As a Christian, it is an astonishing attribute of the God I profess, a comforting attribute which voices long before my own confessed: “God is our refuge and strength,” writes the psalmist, “an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). “The Lord is near,” the apostle tells the Philippians, “Do not be anxious” (4:5-6). That there is one who draws near is a vital part of the story of Christianity, one in which Christians understandably draw hope. But it is not automatically hopeful to everyone. I was reminded of this when my assurance of God’s presence in the life of a struggling friend was met with her honest rejoinder: “Is that supposed to encourage me?”
Nearness in and of itself is not assuring. I had forgotten this in my well-meaning, though knee-jerk truism. An essential ingredient in the assurance that comes from nearness is the person who is drawing near. The degree of comfort and assurance (or wisdom and conviction) we draw from those near us is wholly contingent on who it is that has drawn near. For some, that God is near resembles more a threat than a promise. My friend’s perception of God at that moment was closer to Julian Huxley’s than King David’s. For Huxley, God resembled “not a ruler, but the last fading smile of a cosmic Cheshire cat.” For David, God’s nearness was clearly thought his good.(1)
Who is it that Christians believe is near? And what does this even mean?
In Christian theology, the attributes of God are qualities which attempt to describe the God who has come near enough to reveal who God is. These self-revealed attributes cannot be taken individually, removed from one another like garments in a great wardrobe, or chosen preferentially like items in a buffet. They are not traits that exist independently but simultaneously, at times in paradoxical mystery to us. God is both near us and “among us” as Isaiah writes; God is also far from us and beyond us—in knowledge, in grandeur, in immensity, in position. “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?”
Christians further believe that the one who dwells both among us and in the highest heavens is also good and wise and holy. The God of whose nearness Christians speak is infinite in being, glory, blessedness and perfection; all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable, incomprehensible, everywhere present, almighty, knowing all things, most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.(1) Like this God there is no other. The God who draws near us is wholly other.
Yet after the candid response from my friend, I realized how important it is to attempt to clarify what I mean—and whom I speak of—when I say that this God is near; and my attempts will remind me that this is never a simple, casual knowledge understood. My friend needed not only to hold the knowledge that God is near but the relational trust that God is merciful. She needed more than a rational reminder that God is holding her and her situation, but the embodied promise that God is good. She needed to hear the “who” behind the promise, beyond the attribute. And I needed the candid reminder that the attributes we can study, the biblical promises we cling to, the words I count on to comfort or restore, are pale in comparison and meaningful only because of the one they describe. The promise that God is among us is only promising because it is this God who is among us.
Christians hold this notion most specifically in the mystery of the Incarnation, the divine drawing near to the human plight in human form. Who is this who comes near, who rends the heavens to stand beside humanity, who stands at the door and knocks? Who is this vicariously human, mediating Son of God among us?
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a man who attested to the nearness of God though confined to a jail cell, depicted the one beside whom he lived and before whom he prayed as a quiet companion, gentle and fierce, persuasive and patient on our behalf. He prayed:
“Lord Jesus, come yourself, and dwell with us, be human as we are, and overcome what overwhelms us. Come into the midst of my evil, come close to my unfaithfulness. Share my sin, which I hate and which I cannot leave. Be my brother, Thou Holy God. Be my brother in the kingdom of evil and suffering and death. Come with me in my death, come with me in my suffering, come with me as I struggle with evil. And make me holy and pure, despite my sin and death.”(2)
What if it is this God who hears our prayers, the humanity of one who walked and suffered in Jerusalem, the Christ who came among us only to die and rise again? What if it is this God who is near?
Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.
(1) cf. Psalm 73:28.
(2) As excerpted from the Westminster Larger Catechism.
(3) Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christmas Sermons, Ed. Edwin Robertson, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), 22-23.
Alistair Begg – A Key to the City
And they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. Nehemiah 3:8
Well-fortified cities have broad walls, and so did Jerusalem in her glory days. The New Jerusalem must, similarly, be surrounded and preserved by a broad wall of nonconformity to the world and separation from its patterns and ideas. There is a tendency today to break down this holy barrier and make the distinction between the Church and the world merely nominal. Believers are no longer fixed on godliness, questionable literature is widely read, frivolous pastimes are eagerly indulged, and a general laxity threatens to deprive the Lord’s special people of those sacred distinctives that separate them from sinners. It will be a bad day for the Church and the world when the proposed amalgamation is complete, and the sons of God and the daughters of men shall be united, and another deluge of wrath is ushered in. Beloved reader, make it your aim in heart, in word, in dress, in action to maintain the broad wall, remembering that the friendship of this world is enmity against God.
The Broad Wall provided a pleasant place of relaxation for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, from which they enjoyed sweeping views of the surrounding country. This reminds us of the Lord’s exceedingly broad commandments, which provide a pathway to freedom and communion with Jesus. From here we look upon the scenes of earth and gaze toward the glories of heaven. Separated from the world, and denying ourselves all ungodliness and fleshly lusts, we are not in prison nor restricted within narrow boundaries; no, we walk in freedom, because we keep His commands.
Come, reader; this evening walk with God in His statutes. As friend met friend upon the city wall, so meet your God on the path of holy prayer and meditation. You have every right to stand upon the walls of salvation, for you have been given the key to the King’s city—you are a citizen of the metropolis of the universe.
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The family reading plan for August 20, 2014 * Jeremiah 49 * Psalm 26, 27
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Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg.
Charles Spurgeon – Christ’s first and last subject
“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17. “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Luke 24:47
Suggested Further Reading: Philippians 3:1-14
If you are renewed by grace, and were to meet your old self, I am sure you would be very anxious to get out of his company. “No,” say you, “No, sir, I cannot accompany you.” “Why, you used to swear!” “I cannot now.” “Well, but,” says he, “You and I are very near companions.” “Yes, I know we are, and I wish we were not. You are a deal of trouble to me every day. I wish I could be rid of you for ever.” “But,” says Old Self, “you used to drink very well.” “Yes, I know it. I know you did, indeed, Old Self. You could sing a song as merrily as any one. You were ringleader in all sorts of vice, but I am no relation of yours now. You are of the old Adam, and I of the new Adam. You are of your old father, the devil; but I have another—my Father, who is in heaven.” I tell you, brethren, there is no man in the world you will hate so much as your old self, and there will be nothing you will so much long to get rid of as that old man who once was dragging you down to hell, and who will try his hand at it over and over again every day you live, and who will accomplish it yet, unless that divine grace which has made you a new man shall keep you a new man even to the end. Good Rowland Hill, in his “Village Dialogues,” gives the Christian, whom he describes in the first part of the book, the name of Thomas Newman. Every man who goes to heaven must have the name of new-man. We must not expect to enter there unless we are created anew in Christ Jesus.
For meditation: In our testimonies we should own up to what we used to be, but in such a way that we also disown the people we used to be. Don’t be like the biography of a Christian which seems to glory in the sin of the past—reserve all the glory for your Saviour (1 Corinthians 15:9,10; 1 Timothy 1:13-17).
Sermon no. 329
20 August (Preached 19 August 1860)
John MacArthur – Godly Anger Versus Selfish Anger
“[Love] is not provoked” (1 Cor. 13:5).
Self-centered anger cannot coexist with love.
The great eighteenth-century preacher and theologian Jonathan Edwards had a daughter with an uncontrollable temper. When a young man asked Dr. Edwards for his daughter’s hand in marriage, he said no. The young man was crushed. “But I love her and she loves me,” he pleaded. “That makes no difference,” Edwards replied, “she isn’t worthy of you.” “But she is a Christian, isn’t she,” the young man argued. “Yes,” said Edwards, “but the grace of God can live with some people with whom no one else could ever live.”
That may seem harsh, but Jonathan Edwards knew what his would-be son-in-law hadn’t yet learned: the presence of selfish anger indicates the absence of genuine love. “Love,” said Paul, “is not provoked.” It isn’t given to sudden outbursts of emotion or action. It doesn’t respond in anger to offenses committed against it.
Paul wasn’t talking about anger over sin and its terrible consequences. That’s righteous indignation, which Christians are expected to have. When Jesus drove the merchants and moneychangers out of the temple (John 2:14-15), He was genuinely angry because His Father’s house was being desecrated. But He never reacted that way when He was personally attacked or maligned. In the same way, it’s right for you to be angry when others are mistreated, when God is offended, or when His Word is misrepresented. But love always bears up under personal attacks.
Such graciousness is foreign to our society, which teaches us to fight for our personal rights and retaliate when we don’t get what we think we deserve. That has produced greedy and loveless people who want little more than personal success and comfort. Anyone who dares to stand in their way is in danger of incurring their wrath.
As a Christian, you must resist such influences by focusing on your spiritual duty rather than your rights. If you expect nothing from the world, you won’t be angered or disappointed when nothing comes. Remember, God is the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). So humble yourself before Him and He will exalt you at the proper time (James 4:10).
Suggestions for Prayer; Ask God for the grace to forgive those who wrong you.
For Further Study; According to Ephesians 4:26-27, how should you deal with anger?
Joyce Meyer – Growing into Maturity
We consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and -everlasting. —2 Corinthians 4:18
Even though Paul went through tremendous trials and tribulations, he did not become discouraged because he looked not to what was seen, but to what was unseen. We need to follow his example. Instead of looking at what we see around us, we need to look at what the Holy Spirit is doing. He will lead us to focus on God’s answers instead of our problems.
Two people can read the Word and the person with carnal, fleshly ears will hear it differently than a person with spiritual ears. For example, 3 John 2 says, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.”
Less mature, carnal Christians (still lured by physical pleasures and appetites) may get excited about the promise of prosperity and healing, because that is all they hear in this verse. They think, Wow! Praise God! He wants us to prosper and be in health! But mature believers who are sensitive to God’s holy intent for their lives will also hear the part of the verse that says, “even as … your soul keeps well and prospers.” They hear with understanding that God is going to give them prosperity and healing in correlation with how their souls are prospering.
Pray that you will have ears to truly hear what God is saying and that you will grow progressively into maturity as you continue to walk with God.
God’s word for you today: Ask God to open your spiritual ears so you will hear the full meaning of what He wants to say to you in His Word.
Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – A New Creature
“As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Romans 3:10-12, KJV).
At the conclusion of one of my messages at a pastor’s conference, a pastor stood to take issue with me concerning a statement that I had made. I had said that there is a great hunger for God throughout the world, and that more people are now hearing the gospel and receiving Christ than at any time since the Great Commission was given almost 2,000 years ago.
“How can you say that,” he objected, “when the Scripture clearly teaches that no man seeketh after God?”
“That is exactly what the Bible teaches,” I responded, “and I agree with the Word of God 100 percent, but do not forget that – though in his natural inclination man does not have a hunger for God – the Holy Spirit sends conviction and creates within the human heart a desire for the Savior.”
As Jesus put it, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me, draws him” (John 6:44, NAS). There are three things that we can learn about the human race from this passage. First, no one is righteous. Second, no one understands the things of God; and third, no one seeks God. What a contrast between what man is like in his natural state and what man becomes at spiritual birth when he is liberated from the darkness and gloom of Satan’s kingdom and ushered into the light of God’s glorious kingdom through Jesus Christ. That man becomes a new creature. Old things are passed away and behold all things become new.
What a contrast between the natural and the supernatural. The natural man must depend upon his own resources, his own wisdom, to find meaning and purpose in his life, inevitably resulting in a life of conflict, discord and frustration. But the one who trusts in God has the privilege of drawing upon the supernatural resources of God daily; resources of joy, peace, love; resources that provide meaning and purpose, assurance of eternal life.
Most people live lives of quiet desperation in self- imposed poverty because those of us who know the truth of the supernatural are strangely silent. God forgive us.
Bible Reading: Romans 3:13-20
TODAY’S ACTION POINT: With God’s help I refuse to remain silent any longer, but will seek to proclaim “the most joyful news ever announced” (Luke 2:10-11), to all who will listen in order that others may join me in living the supernatural life.
Presidential Prayer Team; C.H. – Flight by Night
The Wise Men had just departed, leaving gold, frankincense and myrrh. Mary, Joseph and young Jesus must have been in awe of the scholars who followed the star and appeared at their door. The gifts alone were worth more than Joseph had probably ever seen in one place.
And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt.
Matthew 2:14
But that night as they slept, an angel awakened Joseph, telling him to go to Egypt. Egypt – the land where his forefathers had spent so many years in captivity. The Bible doesn’t tell how Joseph packed the next morning and left, or even how he questioned the angel. Today’s verse simply states his response. Joseph got up from his bed, took Mary and Jesus, and left that night. The man chosen to be Christ’s earthly father exhibited the characteristic of immediate obedience.
When was the last time God spoke to you and you obeyed without question? Not many can claim such a feat. But that’s what your Heavenly Father longs to see in your life. Ask God to create a desire in you to follow His lead in an instant. Then pray the president and his cabinet would be able to hear and follow Him as well.
Recommended Reading: Matthew 2:13-23 Click to Read or Listen
Greg Laurie – Setting Sail
What shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far. —Philippians 1:22–23
The word the apostle Paul used for depart in the above verse could be translated several different ways. One definition means “to strike the tent.” In other words, to break camp. To be honest with you, my favorite part of the whole tent-camping experience is when we’re getting ready to break camp and leave. I can hardly wait to get home and get into that hot shower. In this passage, Paul is saying, “I’m ready to break camp, leave this place, and move on, and let me tell you friends. . . I can’t wait.”
The word depart also could be used to describe a prisoner’s being released from shackles. Ironically, when Paul made this statement, he was actually chained up in a dungeon in Rome. His chains were made of iron, but perhaps you’re dealing with chains of a different sort: an addiction to drugs, alcohol, or pornography. Whatever it is, Paul was saying there is a coming a day when we will be released from these shackles.
There is one additional way depart could be translated. The word also was used to describe untying a boat from its moorings, prior to setting sail.
We understandably feel great sadness when a loved one leaves us, and sometimes we feel sorry for that person. But stop and think about it. Think about the port they have left and the port they’re heading for. If you stood on the wharf and said good-bye to someone sailing off in a leaky, rusty old freighter bound for outer Siberia, well, that would be pretty sad. But if you went down to the dock and saw that they were boarding a beautiful new cruise ship destined for Tahiti, you might be more inclined to feel sorry for yourself instead. After all, you would be the one left standing on the shore, and your loved one would be on his or her way to great adventure and a beautiful destination.
And heaven, in the presence of Jesus Christ, is exactly as Paul described it: “better by far” — infinitely better than life on earth.
Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013
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