All posts by broboinhawaii

Bible believing christian worshiping God in Hawaii and Pennsylvania
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Your Need: God’s Opportunity

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2 Kings 5:1-10

Every time we follow God’s leading, our obedience opens the door for Him to do great things in our lives. Yet we often resist obeying because His directions appear impractical and unreasonable–and so we doubt His intentions toward us.

Naaman couldn’t understand why the Lord would tell him to go wash seven times in the Jordan River. He thought he’d already exercised faith in coming to the prophet Elisha. He’d hoped for a spectacular supernatural healing of his disease–not to be sent on what seemed an irrational fool’s mission. After all, the great Syrian commander didn’t see anyone else dipping in the muddy waters and being healed. But God’s instructions were specifically for him, and no one else.

If you decide you’ll do what God says only on the basis of what you see others doing, you’ll miss out on His best for you. Suppose Naaman decided he just couldn’t do something that appeared so crazy. He would have died a leper. Likewise, when you hold out on completely obeying God, you’ll never know what He would have done in your life had you only trusted Him.

Our needs are opportunities for God to transform the lives of His children. He knows that for us to become everything He created us to be, we must learn to believe in His trustworthiness–and act on it.

When facing a challenge, you have two choices. You can focus on what you lack and how God doesn’t appear to be responding the way you wanted. Or, you can recognize that your need indicates His desire to teach you something–and rejoice over all He plans to accomplish.

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Unforgettable

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It is tempting to look at the ancients of Israel, particularly as they wandered and grumbled in a desert for forty years, and wonder at their behavior. After being participants in the mouth-dropping events at the Red Sea, how could they doubt God’s presence among them, God’s power, God’s concern, God’s plan for their lives? Did they really believe they could be as moved and cared for by a golden ornament, molded at their own hands, as they were with the God who split open the Red Sea? It is tempting to keep their behavior at a healthy distance, as if in its ancient context, it is wholly un-relatable to my own. But imagining that Israel’s actions are in complete contrast with mine, I repeatedly discover, is a stretch by any imagination. The behavior of the Israelites is still among us; at times, is it frustratingly close to home.

Though the events of Egypt could have similarly been held at a distance by the psalmist, the writer stood poised to remember the events of Israel’s past so as to see his present situation more clearly. As if forging it in his memory, the psalmist speaks bluntly of Israel’s experience in the desert: “Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise” (106:24).

What does it take to come to despise what once seemed promising? What would it take for you to refuse to believe the one thing you want to believe most? When hopes are dashed in trying places, I don’t believe their reaction to the desert is so far removed from our own. The Israelites were not unusually slow in understanding; they were no more stubborn than you or I am. But they were entirely disappointed; all they longed for seemed altogether unreachable. They could not believe that the wilderness was the way to Canaan. They could not see how their current trouble was consistent with God’s love or could possibly work for good in the end. Who among us cannot at some point relate?

Whether people of faith or not, we long for someone or something or some place that can make right what is wrong in this world, what is wrong in our lives. And yet, carrying ideas of what that someone or something will look like, and not finding it, we end up doubting the promising thought we once held on to with hope. When the route we see in front of us seems irreconcilable with the place we thought we were going, we come to despise what once seemed hopeful, holding in its place shattered expectations, fear, and anger.

When Jesus healed a man who was called Legion because he was possessed with so many demons, the townspeople had a peculiar response. Mark describes the scene and its aftermath as a crowd began to gather. “When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid” (5:15).

This man was someone they were familiar with; the crowd actually recognized him. He was the one they saw dodging in and out of nearby caves, living as a total recluse, cast out of society, an outcast even of his own mind. Yet, seeing the one they were used to avoiding suddenly dressed and in his right mind evoked within them, not delight or amazement, not thanks or hopefulness, but fear. No one suspected that this was a shadow of all they longed for themselves. Seeing Jesus, the instrument of healing—the one who set right what was wrong—they were simply afraid. And they begged him to leave.

As the Israelites beheld the desert and the townspeople beheld Legion, both missed what God was doing because they were troubled by the failures of their imagination. It brings quiet inquiries to mind. Do we not still oscillate between being too uncomfortable to trust and too comfortable to believe? How do we guard against missing our deepest hope, though we fear? And how do we not come to despise what once seemed promising, though we stand broken or disappointed in the wilderness?

Like the psalmist, we might stand poised to remember, seeing God in history, seeing ourselves, seeing today—with imagination, with thanksgiving. Though I am tempted to keep the behavior of those who have gone before me at a distance, I am comforted by the proximity of God throughout their story, continually drawing them nearer, even in the desert. Though they grumbled and failed and begged God to leave, God continued to lead them, in mercy breaking each idol they would have settled for, prying from their hands the things that blocked their view of the promise God would not forget.

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

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Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

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Morning   “Avoid foolish questions.” / Titus 3:9

Our days are few, and are far better spent in doing good, than in disputing

over matters which are, at best, of minor importance. The old schoolmen did a

world of mischief by their incessant discussion of subjects of no practical

importance; and our Churches suffer much from petty wars over abstruse points

and unimportant questions. After everything has been said that can be said,

neither party is any the wiser, and therefore the discussion no more promotes

knowledge than love, and it is foolish to sow in so barren a field. Questions

upon points wherein Scripture is silent; upon mysteries which belong to God

alone; upon prophecies of doubtful interpretation; and upon mere modes of

observing human ceremonials, are all foolish, and wise men avoid them. Our

business is neither to ask nor answer foolish questions, but to avoid them

altogether; and if we observe the apostle’s precept (Titus 3:8) to be careful

to maintain good works, we shall find ourselves far too much occupied with

profitable business to take much interest in unworthy, contentious, and

needless strivings.

There are, however, some questions which are the reverse of foolish, which we

must not avoid, but fairly and honestly meet, such as these: Do I believe in

the Lord Jesus Christ? Am I renewed in the spirit of my mind? Am I walking not

after the flesh, but after the Spirit? Am I growing in grace? Does my

conversation adorn the doctrine of God my Saviour? Am I looking for the coming

of the Lord, and watching as a servant should do who expects his master? What

more can I do for Jesus? Such enquiries as these urgently demand our

attention; and if we have been at all given to cavilling, let us now turn our

critical abilities to a service so much more profitable. Let us be

peace-makers, and endeavour to lead others both by our precept and example, to

“avoid foolish questions.”

 

Evening  “O that I knew where I might find him!” / Job 23:3

In Job’s uttermost extremity he cried after the Lord. The longing desire of an

afflicted child of God is once more to see his Father’s face. His first prayer

is not “O that I might be healed of the disease which now festers in every

part of my body!” nor even “O that I might see my children restored from the

jaws of the grave, and my property once more brought from the hand of the

spoiler!” but the first and uppermost cry is, “O that I knew where I might

find Him, who is my God! that I might come even to his seat!” God’s children

run home when the storm comes on. It is the heaven-born instinct of a gracious

soul to seek shelter from all ills beneath the wings of Jehovah. “He that hath

made his refuge God,” might serve as the title of a true believer. A

hypocrite, when afflicted by God, resents the infliction, and, like a slave,

would run from the Master who has scourged him; but not so the true heir of

heaven, he kisses the hand which smote him, and seeks shelter from the rod in

the bosom of the God who frowned upon him. Job’s desire to commune with God

was intensified by the failure of all other sources of consolation. The

patriarch turned away from his sorry friends, and looked up to the celestial

throne, just as a traveller turns from his empty skin bottle, and betakes

himself with all speed to the well. He bids farewell to earth-born hopes, and

cries, “O that I knew where I might find my God!” Nothing teaches us so much

the preciousness of the Creator, as when we learn the emptiness of all

besides. Turning away with bitter scorn from earth’s hives, where we find no

honey, but many sharp stings, we rejoice in him whose faithful word is sweeter

than honey or the honeycomb. In every trouble we should first seek to realize

God’s presence with us. Only let us enjoy his smile, and we can bear our daily

cross with a willing heart for his dear sake.

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Living a Satisfied Life

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“All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. “And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them” (Heb. 11:13-16).

I remember watching in horror and disgust as angry mobs swept through Los Angeles, killing people and setting thousands of buildings on fire. Under the cover of chaos, countless people ransacked and looted every store in sight. I saw entire families- -moms, dads, and little children– loading their cars and trucks with anything they could steal.

That was the most graphic demonstration of lawlessness I’ve ever seen. It was as if they were saying, “I’m not satisfied with the way life’s treating me, so I’m entitled to grab everything I can–no matter who gets hurt in the process.”

Perhaps we don’t realize how selfish and restless the human heart can be until the restraints of law and order are lifted and people can do whatever they want without apparent consequences. Then suddenly the results of our godless “me first” society are seen for what they are. Instant gratification at any cost has become the motto of the day.

That’s in stark contrast to people of faith like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who trusted in God even when their circumstances were less than they might have expected. God promised them a magnificent land but they never possessed it. They were, in fact, strangers and refugees in their own land. But that didn’t bother them because they looked forward to a better place–a heavenly city.

Their faith pleased God and He was not ashamed to be called their God. What a wonderful testimonial! I pray that’s true of you. Don’t let earthbound hopes and dreams make you dissatisfied. Trust in God’s promises and set your sights on your heavenly home.

Suggestions for Prayer: Thank God for the blessing of a satisfied heart.

For Further Study: Memorize Psalm 27:4

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Giving Thanks in Everything

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Giving thanks  – Why would God command us to thank Him regardless of the circumstances? The idea defies human logic. But then, the Lord rarely binds Himself to man-made rules. Scriptural principles serve specific purposes in the Christian’s life. Gratitude keeps us aware of God’s presence, which builds our trust and ultimately strengthens our witness.

We must realize that thankfulness is not based on emotions or a situation’s outcome. We can be grateful, even during trials, because the Lord has promised to work everything for our good (Romans 8:28). That means He has a purpose for every experience, pleasant or difficult. A big problem stacked against our small resources sends us running to Him, thankful He has committed to work it to our benefit.

The believer’s part is to trust God will bring good from trials and to discover His plan, which gives further reason for thanking Him. Understanding His intentions renews our strength for facing difficult trials. Expressing gratefulness changes our attitude about God, ourselves, and our situations. Most people allow hurt and stress to form a pessimistic mindset, which negatively impacts every facet of their life. But believers have God’s Spirit working within to provide courage and a flow of thanksgiving.

When we demonstrate thankfulness in harsh circumstances, other people pay attention. Our coworkers, family, and friends will want for themselves the peace and energy we derive from a grateful relationship with the Lord. So whatever you experience today, go ahead and defy logic—praise God.

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Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

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Morning  “A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.” / Song of Solomon 4:12

In this metaphor, which has reference to the inner life of a believer, we have

very plainly the idea of secrecy. It is a spring shut up: just as there were

springs in the East, over which an edifice was built, so that none could reach

them save those who knew the secret entrance; so is the heart of a believer

when it is renewed by grace: there is a mysterious life within which no human

skill can touch. It is a secret which no other man knoweth; nay, which the

very man who is the possessor of it cannot tell to his neighbour. The text

includes not only secrecy, but separation. It is not the common spring, of

which every passer-by may drink, it is one kept and preserved from all others;

it is a fountain bearing a particular mark–a king’s royal seal, so that all

can perceive that it is not a common fountain, but a fountain owned by a

proprietor, and placed specially by itself alone. So is it with the spiritual

life. The chosen of God were separated in the eternal decree; they were

separated by God in the day of redemption; and they are separated by the

possession of a life which others have not; and it is impossible for them to

feel at home with the world, or to delight in its pleasures. There is also the

idea of sacredness. The spring shut up is preserved for the use of some

special person: and such is the Christian’s heart. It is a spring kept for

Jesus. Every Christian should feel that he has God’s seal upon him–and he

should be able to say with Paul, “From henceforth let no man trouble me, for I

bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Another idea is prominent–it is

that of security. Oh! how sure and safe is the inner life of the believer! If

all the powers of earth and hell could combine against it, that immortal

principle must still exist, for he who gave it pledged his life for its

preservation. And who “is he that shall harm you,” when God is your protector?

 

Evening  “Thou art from everlasting.” / Psalm 93:2

Christ is Everlasting. Of him we may sing with David, “Thy throne, O God, is

forever and ever.” Rejoice, believer, in Jesus Christ, the same yesterday,

today, and forever. Jesus always was. The Babe born in Bethlehem was united to

the Word, which was in the beginning, by whom all things were made. The title

by which Christ revealed himself to John in Patmos was, “Him which is, and

which was, and which is to come.” If he were not God from everlasting, we

could not so devoutly love him; we could not feel that he had any share in the

eternal love which is the fountain of all covenant blessings; but since he was

from all eternity with the Father, we trace the stream of divine love to

himself equally with his Father and the blessed Spirit. As our Lord always

was, so also he is for evermore. Jesus is not dead; “He ever liveth to make

intercession for us.” Resort to him in all your times of need, for he is

waiting to bless you still. Moreover, Jesus our Lord ever shall be. If God

should spare your life to fulfil your full day of threescore years and ten,

you will find that his cleansing fountain is still opened, and his precious

blood has not lost its power; you shall find that the Priest who filled the

healing fount with his own blood, lives to purge you from all iniquity. When

only your last battle remains to be fought, you shall find that the hand of

your conquering Captain has not grown feeble–the living Saviour shall cheer

the dying saint. When you enter heaven you shall find him there bearing the

dew of his youth; and through eternity the Lord Jesus shall still remain the

perennial spring of joy, and life, and glory to his people. Living waters may

you draw from this sacred well! Jesus always was, he always is, he always

shall be. He is eternal in all his attributes, in all his offices, in all his

might, and willingness to bless, comfort, guard, and crown his chosen people.

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The Problem of Unmet Needs

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Psalm 84:11-12

If the Lord has promised to provide and is able, why doesn’t He always meet our needs when we ask? Since He’s completely faithful to His Word, the problem is obviously with us, not Him. In today’s passage, His promise of provision has a condition–it’s given to “those who walk uprightly” (v. 11). So if God isn’t providing for our needs as we think He should, He may have a different plan for us. But we should also examine our lives for possible hindrances.

Sin. One reason our prayers may not be answered is because we’ve allowed sin in our lives and are not walking uprightly. If the Lord ignored disobedience and granted our requests, He’d be affirming a sinful lifestyle.

Laziness. Another possible explanation for unmet needs is that we haven’t done our part. Although God is the ultimate source of all we have, He’s given us the responsibility to work in order to provide basic necessities (2 Thess. 3:10-11). If you’re an able-bodied person who’s unwilling to work and wants something for nothing, the Lord is not going to reinforce your laziness.

Desires. Perhaps God hasn’t provided as you expected because your “needs” are really desires. If He knows that what you want won’t fulfill His plans for your life, He will withhold it in order to provide something better.

To avoid disappointment with God, understand that His actions and character always align. He won’t reward rebellion or laziness, and His answers to prayer fit with His goal of conforming us to Christ’s image. If He’s withholding something you deem essential, He’s working something even better for you.

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Moravian Daily Texts

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Saturday, November 17 — Psalm 127

1 Kings 11:1-25; John 15:18-16:4

 

God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. Psalm 69:5

 

God forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14

 

Redemptive Savior, forgive us this day our sins as we try so hard to forgive those who have hurt and wronged us. Remind us that we are not perfect. Just as you show us grace and understanding, so should we do the same to others. Amen.

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Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

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Morning    To whom be glory forever. Amen” / Romans 11:36

“To whom be glory forever.” This should be the single desire of the Christian.

All other wishes must be subservient and tributary to this one. The Christian

may wish for prosperity in his business, but only so far as it may help him to

promote this–“To him be glory forever.” He may desire to attain more gifts

and more graces, but it should only be that “To him may be glory forever.” You

are not acting as you ought to do when you are moved by any other motive than

a single eye to your Lord’s glory. As a Christian, you are “of God, and

through God,” then live “to God.” Let nothing ever set your heart beating so

mightily as love to him. Let this ambition fire your soul; be this the

foundation of every enterprise upon which you enter, and this your sustaining

motive whenever your zeal would grow chill; make God your only object. Depend

upon it, where self begins sorrow begins; but if God be my supreme delight and

only object,

“To me ’tis equal whether love ordain

My life or death–appoint me ease or pain.”

Let your desire for God’s glory be a growing desire. You blessed him in your

youth, do not be content with such praises as you gave him then. Has God

prospered you in business? Give him more as he has given you more. Has God

given you experience? Praise him by stronger faith than you exercised at

first. Does your knowledge grow? Then sing more sweetly. Do you enjoy happier

times than you once had? Have you been restored from sickness, and has your

sorrow been turned into peace and joy? Then give him more music; put more

coals and more sweet frankincense into the censer of your praise. Practically

in your life give him honour, putting the “Amen” to this doxology to your

great and gracious Lord, by your own individual service and increasing

holiness.

 

Evening  “He that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.” / Ecclesiastes 10:9

Oppressors may get their will of poor and needy men as easily as they can

split logs of wood, but they had better mind, for it is a dangerous business,

and a splinter from a tree has often killed the woodman. Jesus is persecuted

in every injured saint, and he is mighty to avenge his beloved ones. Success

in treading down the poor and needy is a thing to be trembled at: if there be

no danger to persecutors here there will be great danger hereafter.

To cleave wood is a common every-day business, and yet it has its dangers; so

then, reader, there are dangers connected with your calling and daily life

which it will be well for you to be aware of. We refer not to hazards by flood

and field, or by disease and sudden death, but to perils of a spiritual sort.

Your occupation may be as humble as log splitting, and yet the devil can tempt

you in it. You may be a domestic servant, a farm labourer, or a mechanic, and

you may be greatly screened from temptations to the grosser vices, and yet

some secret sin may do you damage. Those who dwell at home, and mingle not

with the rough world, may yet be endangered by their very seclusion. Nowhere

is he safe who thinks himself so. Pride may enter a poor man’s heart; avarice

may reign in a cottager’s bosom; uncleanness may venture into the quietest

home; and anger, and envy, and malice may insinuate themselves into the most

rural abode. Even in speaking a few words to a servant we may sin; a little

purchase at a shop may be the first link in a chain of temptations; the mere

looking out of a window may be the beginning of evil. O Lord, how exposed we

are! How shall we be secured! To keep ourselves is work too hard for us: only

thou thyself art able to preserve us in such a world of evils. Spread thy

wings over us, and we, like little chickens, will cower down beneath thee, and

feel ourselves safe!

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Everyday Dangers

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He who splits logs is endangered by them.   Ecclesiastes 10:9

Oppressors may enforce their will on poor and needy men just as easily as they can split logs of wood, but they better be careful, for it is a dangerous business, and a splinter from a tree has often killed the woodsman. Jesus is persecuted in every injured saint, and He is strong to avenge His loved ones. Success in treading down the poor and needy is a thing to be trembled at: If the persecutors do not face immediate danger, they will face great danger in the end.

To split logs is a common everyday business, and yet it has its dangers. So then, reader, there are dangers connected with your calling and daily life that it will be good for you to be aware of. We do not refer to hazards by flood and field or by disease and sudden death, but to perils of a spiritual sort. Your occupation may be as humble as log splitting, and yet the devil can tempt you in it. You may be a domestic servant, a farm laborer, or a mechanic, and you may be greatly shielded from temptations to the bigger vices, and yet some secret sin may undo you. Those who live at home and do not mingle with the rough world may still be endangered by their very seclusion. The one who thinks himself safe is safe nowhere! Pride may enter a poor man’s heart; greed may reign in a cottager’s bosom; uncleanness may venture into the quietest home; and anger and envy and malice may insert themselves into the most rural dwelling.

Even in speaking a few words to a doorman we may sin; a small purchase at a shop may be the first link in a chain of temptations; the mere looking out of a window may be the beginning of evil. Lord, how exposed we are! How shall we be saved! To keep ourselves is a work too hard for us: Only You Yourself are able to preserve us in such an evil world. Spread Your protection over us, and we, like little chickens, will cower down beneath You and feel ourselves safe!

Family Reading Plan     Amos 6       Luke 1:39-80

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The Value of Discernment

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Proverbs 2:1-11

If you made a list of the things you want most in life, would a discerning spirit be one of them? The Lord places a high value on this attribute and wants all of us to have it. If we don’t, we’ll make wrong choices because we won’t understand situations clearly.

Discernment is the ability to make sound judgments by perceiving what is not readily obvious. For example, can you tell the difference between legalism and liberty? God calls each of us to live according to our personal convictions, but not all of them are moral mandates for every believer. We should be able to determine the difference between the two.

Another area that requires discernment is distinguishing good from best. God has the perfect plan for each of us; however, there are a multitude of good options before us. For instance, suppose you’re offered two different jobs. They both look promising, but only one of them is God’s best for you. Do you know how to determine His will?

It’s obvious from these two examples that our most basic need for discernment involves being able to understand what God is saying to us. When you’re faced with a decision, how do you know if you’re hearing from the Lord or simply listening to your own desires or reasoning?

The time to develop discernment is now. Don’t wait until a critical decision comes. Begin today to fill your mind with God’s Word so you can think His thoughts and understand His ways. Spend time with Him in intimate fellowship. The more you know Him, the better you can discern His voice.

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Stepping out in Faith

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“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Heb. 11:8).

Abraham is the classic example of the life of faith. As the father of the Jewish nation, he was the most strategic example of faith available to the writer of Hebrews. But the people to whom Hebrews was written needed to understand that Abraham was more than the father of their race; he also was, by example, the father of everyone who lives by faith in God (Rom. 4:11).

Contrary to popular first-century Jewish thought, God didn’t choose Abraham because he was righteous in himself. When called by God, Abraham was a sinful man living in an idolatrous society. His home was in the Chaldean city of Ur, which was located in ancient Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

God’s call to Abraham is recorded in Genesis 12:1-3: “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Note Abraham’s response: “So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him” (v. 4). He listened, trusted, and obeyed. His pilgrimage of faith began when he separated himself from the pleasures of a pagan land to pursue God’s plan for his life.

So it is with you if you’re a man or woman of true faith. You’ve forsaken sinful pleasures to follow Christ. And as your love for Christ increases, there’s a corresponding decrease in worldly desires.

I pray your focus will continually be on fulfilling God’s will for your life, and that you’ll always know the joy and assurance that comes from following Him.

Suggestions for Prayer:  Ask God for the grace and spiritual fortitude to walk by faith today.

For Further Study: Memorize 1 John 2:15 as a reminder to remain separate from the world.

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Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

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Morning “The Lord is my portion, saith my soul.” / Lamentations 3:24

It is not “The Lord is partly my portion,” nor “The Lord is in my portion”;

but he himself makes up the sum total of my soul’s inheritance. Within the

circumference of that circle lies all that we possess or desire. The Lord is

my portion. Not his grace merely, nor his love, nor his covenant, but Jehovah

himself. He has chosen us for his portion, and we have chosen him for ours. It

is true that the Lord must first choose our inheritance for us, or else we

shall never choose it for ourselves; but if we are really called according to

the purpose of electing love, we can sing–

 

“Lov’d of my God for him again

With love intense I burn;

Chosen of him ere time began,

I choose him in return.”

 

The Lord is our all-sufficient portion. God fills himself; and if God is

all-sufficient in himself, he must be all- sufficient for us. It is not easy

to satisfy man’s desires. When he dreams that he is satisfied, anon he wakes

to the perception that there is somewhat yet beyond, and straightway the

horse-leech in his heart cries, “Give, give.” But all that we can wish for is

to be found in our divine portion, so that we ask, “Whom have I in heaven but

thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.” Well may we

“delight ourselves in the Lord” who makes us to drink of the river of his

pleasures. Our faith stretches her wings and mounts like an eagle into the

heaven of divine love as to her proper dwelling-place. “The lines have fallen

to us in pleasant places; yea, we have a goodly heritage.” Let us rejoice in

the Lord always; let us show to the world that we are a happy and a blessed

people, and thus induce them to exclaim, “We will go with you, for we have

heard that God is with you.”

 

Evening   “Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty.” / Isaiah 33:17

The more you know about Christ the less will you be satisfied with superficial

views of him; and the more deeply you study his transactions in the eternal

covenant, his engagements on your behalf as the eternal Surety, and the

fulness of his grace which shines in all his offices, the more truly will you

see the King in his beauty. Be much in such outlooks. Long more and more to

see Jesus. Meditation and contemplation are often like windows of agate, and

gates of carbuncle, through which we behold the Redeemer. Meditation puts the

telescope to the eye, and enables us to see Jesus after a better sort than we

could have seen him if we had lived in the days of his flesh. Would that our

conversation were more in heaven, and that we were more taken up with the

person, the work, the beauty of our incarnate Lord. More meditation, and the

beauty of the King would flash upon us with more resplendence. Beloved, it is

very probable that we shall have such a sight of our glorious King as we never

had before, when we come to die. Many saints in dying have looked up from

amidst the stormy waters, and have seen Jesus walking on the waves of the sea,

and heard him say, “It is I, be not afraid.” Ah, yes! when the tenement begins

to shake, and the clay falls away, we see Christ through the rifts, and

between the rafters the sunlight of heaven comes streaming in. But if we want

to see face to face the “King in his beauty” we must go to heaven for the

sight, or the King must come here in person. O that he would come on the wings

of the wind! He is our Husband, and we are widowed by his absence; he is our

Brother dear and fair, and we are lonely without him. Thick veils and clouds

hang between our souls and their true life: when shall the day break and the

shadows flee away? Oh, long-expected day, begin!

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That Long-Expected Day

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Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty.    Isaiah 33:17

The more you know about Christ, the less will you be satisfied with superficial views of Him; and the more deeply you study His transactions in the eternal covenant, His engagements on your behalf as the eternal Security, and the fullness of His grace that shines in all His offices, the more truly will you see the King in His beauty. Learn to look at Him this way. Long increasingly to see Jesus.

Meditation and contemplation are often like windows of gold and gates of silver through which we behold the Redeemer. Meditation puts the telescope to the eye and enables us to see Jesus in a better fashion than we could have seen Him if we had lived in the days of His earthly sojourn. Our conversation ought to be more in heaven, and we should be more taken up with the person, the work, the beauty of our incarnate Lord. More meditation, and the beauty of the King would flash upon us with more splendor.

Beloved, it is very probable that we will have such a sight of our glorious King as we never had before when we come to die. Many saints in dying have looked up from amidst the stormy waters and have seen Jesus walking on the waves of the sea and heard Him say, “It is I—do not be afraid.” Yes, when the building begins to shake, and the mortar falls away, we will see Christ through the studs, and between the rafters the sunlight of heaven will come streaming in. But if we want to see the King face to face in all His beauty, we must go to heaven for the sight or the King must come here in person.

If only He would come on the wings of the wind! He is our Husband, and we are widowed by His absence; He is our fair and faithful Brother, and we are lonely without Him. Thick veils and clouds hang between our souls and their true life: When will the day break and the shadows run away? Let the long-expected day begin!

Family Reading Plan       Amos 5        Luke 1:1-38

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The Power of a Discerning Spirit

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Hebrews 5:11-14

In a world filled with endless sources of information and opinions, believers need to develop a discerning spirit. Otherwise, how will we know what is true? Much of what we see and hear is based on a worldly perspective that is influenced by Satan, the Father of Lies. Deception is found even in the religious realm: cults mix lies with enough truth to make some people consider them legitimate Christian institutions.

The only way believers can guard against deception is to ground themselves in God’s Word. The more time you spend filling your mind with the Lord’s thoughts, the more discerning you will be. However, just knowing biblical truth isn’t enough. You must put what you learn into practice so that it becomes more than head knowledge.

The goal is to let God’s Word become such an integral part of your thinking that it guides all your decisions. Even if the situation you’re facing isn’t specifically addressed in the Bible, scriptural principles provide the needed wisdom for every choice. In addition, the Holy Spirit was given to each believer as a Helper, whose job is to guide you into all the truth (John 14:26; 16:13). However, your responsibility is to put God’s Word into your mind so that He can bring it to your remembrance. If you neglect the Word, you’ll lack discernment.

What are you allowing into your mind? Is Scripture high in your priorities? Unless you’re careful, worldly thinking will overpower spiritual discernment. It’s difficult to keep God’s perspective in the forefront if you spend two or three hours in front of the television and only ten minutes in the Bible.

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Return to What?

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The moment was electric with emotion. Before this group of two to three million people lay the waters of the Red Sea. Behind them rose the spiraling dust from the hoofs and chariots of their former slave-masters, the Egyptians.(1) There was no way to go forward. No way to slip out into oblivion. As they faced their moment of challenge, they discovered there was room to go in one only direction—backwards!

Have you lately been tempted to go backwards? Perhaps to the “good ole days” when the prices were lower, the journeys were shorter, the trousers were longer, the weather was better, the pressure was lesser, the currency was stronger, the youth were kinder, the music was softer, and the world was safer? The human mind has this amazing ability to forget what we are meant to remember and remember what we are meant to forget. The Israelites were no exception. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians?  It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” (Exodus 14:11-12). As someone rightly said, “It took one night for God to take Israel out of Egypt, but it took forty years to take Egypt out of Israel!”

Some years ago, my wife Miriam and I met with a young person who came from a home that was not Christian. She had made her commitment to following Christ and was facing pressure from her loved ones to give up that faith. One day while under much pressure, she said, “I even considered their persuasions for a while in my mind, but the question I could not answer was this one: ‘To whom else can I go after knowing the Lord Jesus?’ Go back, yes, but to whom or to what?” In her reflection lies a very critical point of uniqueness. To this young person, no other love-claim would be as real as the one Jesus makes. No other truth as reliable and no other offer of meaning comparable.

Return. Go back. But “to whom or to what?” reads the telltale sign on that dead-end road!

In fact, the key word in the book of Hosea is “return.” The prophet uses the word 22 times in his prophecy. The people of Israel were to seriously consider the admonition, “Come let us return to the Lord” (Hosea 6:1).

Likewise, as the Israelites stood at the edge of the Red Sea one must not forget that they were a generation that had witnessed the ten powerful plagues that befell Egypt. They were the very people to whom the Lord had spoken in the words of Moses:  ”I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people and I will be your God” (Exodus 6:6-7). They were also the very people whose firstborns were spared on the night of the Passover and who were being led in the wilderness by the Lord himself who had revealed himself in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

Isn’t it strange how memory works! They stood between the waters of the Red Sea and the approaching army with so rich a faith experience and yet conceded that life in Egypt was a better deal. One wonders how they could forget the long years of captivity and the burdens of being bonded laborers under the Egyptians.

Yet by contrast, isn’t it strange how God works? God took no offence. God did not disappear. God did not pour down judgment. Instead, God stood by an ungrateful people. All because it is not in God’s nature to forget a promise. And wonderfully, there was one man who believed as he raised his staff over the waters of the mighty sea.

Did Moses know how God would deal with the laws of the physical world when he raised his staff over the sea? Did Joshua know how God would work beyond the imaginings of architecture when they marched around Jericho? Did Daniel know how God would deal with the natural instincts of lions as he was lowered into the den? No they didn’t. All they knew was their God. Today also, those who know God live not by explanations, but by promises.

Arun Andrews is a member of the speak team at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Bangalore, India.

(1) Although there is no record of the precise number that left Egypt in the Exodus, a military census taken not long after listed the number of men twenty years of age and older who could serve in the army as 603,550 (Exodus 38:26). From that number, the total Israelite population of that time has been estimated at approximately two to three million.

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Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

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Morning  “The Lord’s portion is his people.” / Deuteronomy 32:9

How are they his? By his own sovereign choice. He chose them, and set his love

upon them. This he did altogether apart from any goodness in them at the time,

or any goodness which he foresaw in them. He had mercy on whom he would have

mercy, and ordained a chosen company unto eternal life; thus, therefore, are

they his by his unconstrained election.

They are not only his by choice, but by purchase. He has bought and paid for

them to the utmost farthing, hence about his title there can be no dispute.

Not with corruptible things, as with silver and gold, but with the precious

blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord’s portion has been fully redeemed.

There is no mortgage on his estate; no suits can be raised by opposing

claimants, the price was paid in open court, and the Church is the Lord’s

freehold forever. See the blood-mark upon all the chosen, invisible to human

eye, but known to Christ, for “the Lord knoweth them that are his”; he

forgetteth none of those whom he has redeemed from among men; he counts the

sheep for whom he laid down his life, and remembers well the Church for which

he gave himself.

They are also his by conquest. What a battle he had in us before we would be

won! How long he laid siege to our hearts! How often he sent us terms of

capitulation! but we barred our gates, and fenced our walls against him. Do we

not remember that glorious hour when he carried our hearts by storm? When he

placed his cross against the wall, and scaled our ramparts, planting on our

strongholds the blood-red flag of his omnipotent mercy? Yes, we are, indeed,

the conquered captives of his omnipotent love. Thus chosen, purchased, and

subdued, the rights of our divine possessor are inalienable: we rejoice that

we never can be our own; and we desire, day by day, to do his will, and to

show forth his glory.

 

Evening  “Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.” / Psalm 68:28

It is our wisdom, as well as our necessity, to beseech God continually to

strengthen that which he has wrought in us. It is because of their neglect in

this, that many Christians may blame themselves for those trials and

afflictions of spirit which arise from unbelief. It is true that Satan seeks

to flood the fair garden of the heart and make it a scene of desolation, but

it is also true that many Christians leave open the sluice-gates themselves,

and let in the dreadful deluge through carelessness and want of prayer to

their strong Helper. We often forget that the Author of our faith must be the

Preserver of it also. The lamp which was burning in the temple was never

allowed to go out, but it had to be daily replenished with fresh oil; in like

manner, our faith can only live by being sustained with the oil of grace, and

we can only obtain this from God himself. Foolish virgins we shall prove, if

we do not secure the needed sustenance for our lamps. He who built the world

upholds it, or it would fall in one tremendous crash; he who made us

Christians must maintain us by his Spirit, or our ruin will be speedy and

final. Let us, then, evening by evening, go to our Lord for the grace and

strength we need. We have a strong argument to plead, for it is his own work

of grace which we ask him to strengthen–“that which thou hast wrought for

us.” Think you he will fail to protect and sustain that? Only let your faith

take hold of his strength, and all the powers of darkness, led on by the

master fiend of hell, cannot cast a cloud or shadow over your joy and peace.

Why faint when you may be strong? Why suffer defeat when you may conquer? Oh!

take your wavering faith and drooping graces to him who can revive and

replenish them, and earnestly pray, “Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast

wrought for us.”

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God’s Power on Our Behalf

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Summon your power, O God, the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.

Psalm 68:28

It is wise, as well as necessary, to beseech God continually to strengthen what He has worked in us. Failure to do so finds many Christians blaming themselves for those trials and afflictions of spirit that arise from unbelief. It is true that Satan seeks to flood the fair garden of the heart and make it a scene of desolation, but it is also true that many Christians leave open the floodgates themselves and let in the dreadful deluge as a result of carelessness and lack of prayer to their strong Helper.

We often forget that the Author of our faith must be the Preserver of it also. The lamp that was burning in the temple was never allowed to go out, but it had to be replenished every day with fresh oil; in the same way, our faith can only live by being sustained with the oil of grace, and we can only obtain this from God Himself. We will fail if we do not secure the needed sustenance for our lamps. He who built the world upholds it, or it would fall in one tremendous crash. He who made us Christians must maintain us by His Spirit, or our ruin will be speedy and final.

So let us, then, evening by evening, go to our Lord for the grace and strength we need. We have a strong argument to plead, for it is His own work of grace that we ask Him to strengthen—”the power . . . by which you have worked for us.” Do you think He will fail to protect and provide that? Let your faith simply take hold of His strength, and all the powers of darkness, led by the master fiend of hell, cannot cast a cloud or shadow over your joy and peace. Why faint when you can be strong? Why suffer defeat when you may conquer? Take your wavering faith and faltering graces to Him who can revive and replenish them, and earnestly pray, “Summon your power, O God . . . by which you have worked for us.”

Family Reading Plan     Amos 4       Psalm 150

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Victory Over Guilt

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John 3:16-17

At times, people are bound by guilt long after the feeling should have been resolved. Some rightly live with it because they refuse to give up the sin that brought it on. Meanwhile, others suffer the weight of false guilt because they harbor shame that doesn’t belong to them. Whatever the root cause of your condemnation, the battle plan remains the same.

Victory over guilt begins with understanding that Jesus took our shame to the cross and paid our penalty. There is no way that we can pay for our own sin. But we do need to honestly identify the source of our guilt and confess before God. That means we agree with His perspective on what we’ve done. In other words, we admit when we’re wrong. Repentance goes a step further: we turn away from the wrong and choose to do right.

Confronting guilt in this way replaces the weight of shame in our heart with peace and joy, which are far lighter and more freeing. And an amazing side effect is that we have wisdom to share. Openness about our past mistakes, resulting consequences, guilt burdens, and forgiveness can reveal the Lord to those in our sphere of influence. Through our witness, God may reach others who need their guilt chains broken.

The battle to overcome guilt is one that should not be delayed. The feeling won’t just go away. Whether your condemnation is true or false, it needs to be dealt with quickly. Stop running, and face the source of your guilt. It’s time to end your captivity and start walking in the joy of God’s blessing.

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Reflections on X

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There are two ways to look at a mirror. This fairly unoriginal thought crossed my mind as I stood before my bathroom mirror focused on the spots I was wiping away, when my gaze suddenly shifted to a dark smudge under my eye. With one hand still cleaning the spots on the mirror, I tried to remove the spot under my eye with the other. It didn’t work; or at least, as I attempted to do both, I didn’t do either job well. You can’t look in a mirror and at a mirror at the same time.

Because the Christian scriptures are compared (among other striking images) to a mirror, the illustration seemed to be one worth contemplating. But instead of being stirred with thoughts and theology, I was caught off guard by the stirring of my own conscience.

Earlier that day, as I was reading a passage I can’t remember now, I thought to myself with a self-assured sigh:  “If only [so-and-so] were reading these verses, they would see their situation more clearly, and the thing they’re completely overlooking.” It is little wonder why I can’t remember the verses; I wasn’t looking in the mirror. My eyes had shifted elsewhere.

Jesus once asked, “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?” His question at once uncovers a familiar behavior, exposing our tendency to focus on the faults of others while remaining blind to our own. Jesus isolates the motive we disguise as concern—like a sword dividing bone and marrow. It obviously made an impression on the ones who first heard him say it; all four gospel writers make note of Jesus’s words.

In an essay titled “The Trouble With ‘X’”, C.S. Lewis writes candidly of this all too common human trait: the ability to see clearly “X” and “X’s” flaws while having a harder time with our own. “X” is whomever we find in our lives with characteristics that annoy or even grieve us. Each of us can readily name people with traits that keep them in the miserable state they’re in, even as they claim they want out. Or we can easily describe a person who is just generally difficult or moody or dishonest. Lewis’s rejoinder to our ability to state clearly the trouble with the many “X’s” in our lives is similar to Christ’s:  Realize that there are similar flaws in you. There is most certainly something that gives others the same feeling of despair that their flaws give you. Writes Lewis, “You see clearly enough that nothing […] can make ‘X’ really happy as long as ‘X’ remains envious, self-centred, and spiteful.” Be sure, he warns, that there is something also inside of you that, unless given to God to be altered, will remain similarly unscathed and unmoved.

The unique promise of a God who speaks into the world is that chaos is moved to order. Of course, this may mean first that chaos is simply revealed. God speaks and shows us our reflections, exposing the areas we are blind to and piercing our hearts with truth only a mirror can reveal.  But like a mirror, God’s words can also be looked at in more than one way. As I read the Bible that morning, my intentions were good—or at least nearly good—I thought. The verses made me think of someone important to me; a common occurrence, I suspect, amongst us all. Nonetheless, it was a moment like my experience at the bathroom mirror. I had shifted my eyes to someone else’s spots. I was looking to see something other than me. And examining God’s words for someone else is like looking at a mirror and seeing in all the spots a reflection other than your own.

To approach a speaking God with eyes searching and ears listening for everyone but ourselves is to cease to hear and see as God intended. “Anyone who listens to the word,” writes James, “but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like” (1:23-24). The choice is crucial. Of all the spotted reflections around us, there is only one you can really examine and see changed. Putting ourselves, and our spots, in God’s able hands is the most urgent use of the mirror.

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