Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16

 Recommended Reading: Luke 11:9-13

Jesus commended little children to His disciples, saying they should be like them (Matthew 18:3). In what way? Perhaps in their shamelessness—their willingness to ask for what they want or need without feeling guilty or embarrassed.

When Jesus taught His disciples about prayer, He used the example of a child who asked his father for bread, fish, or an egg (Matthew 7:9-11; Luke 11:11-13). He said that no child would expect to receive a stone, serpent, or scorpion instead! What father would treat a child that way? Jesus’ point: If imperfect human fathers will grant their children’s requests, how much more will a perfect Heavenly Father do the same for His children? The problem, Jesus said, is that we fail to ask, seek, and knock on heaven’s door; we give up too soon. He wanted the disciples to learn not to give up when it came to prayer (Luke 18:1). The original language says we are to keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking (Luke 11:9-10).

Go boldly today to God’s throne of grace. He is ready to meet your needs.

Believing prayer takes its stand upon the faithfulness of God.
D. Edmond Hiebert

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

But when you pray, go away by yourself, all alone, and shut the door behind you and pray to your Father secretly.
Matthew 6:6, TLB

 Recommended Reading: Matthew 6:5-8

The renowned Scottish minister Andrew Bonar wrote, “I should count the days, not by what I have of new instances of usefulness, but by the times I have been enabled to pray in faith, and to take hold upon God…. Prayer should make time for itself.”

Every part of modern life thwarts the needed habit of secret prayer. Our schedules are too busy, our phones are too engaging, our world is too noisy, and our fatigue is too great. Yet without prayer—systematic, secret, sacred prayer—we cannot manage our schedules, control our phones, quiet our world, or counteract our fatigue. Secret prayer brings us into the presence of the energizing God who stills and strengthens us, who teaches us the way to Himself and the paths to avoid, and who fills us with the confidence of His own infinite power.

Make time for daily secret prayer. If we live with an attitude of prayer, we’re always in His presence. Pray today that your whole life might be a prayer as you walk day by day with Him.

The Lord…made me feel that I must be as much with Him alone as with souls in public.
Andrew Bonar

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath.
Romans 12:19, NIV

 Recommended Reading: Romans 12:14-21

Revenge is such an ugly word that perhaps you think you’re removed from it. But even as children, we schemed to “get even” when we thought someone did us wrong. As adults, we often have trouble knowing the difference between being hurt, becoming bitter, and evening the score. It’s human nature to defend our honor and seek vindication when attacked.

In facing conflict or oppression from the wicked, we must never let our hearts grow hardened. There may be just ways of solving the problem, but in the end it comes back to trusting God to vindicate us. Our Lord Jesus was abused, but He answered His critics, not with ten legions of angels, but with the most shocking event in history—His resurrection.

Pray that when times of conflict come, you will turn to Him and to His Word. Let Him give you wisdom to respond well, and trust Him to be your Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.

May the gospel keep me humble and patient…. I don’t want to waste one more self-absorbed moment rehearsing things that hurt me and relishing personal revenge.
Scotty Smith

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith.
Philippians 1:25, NLT

 Recommended Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10

In 1991, NBA Lakers player Magic Johnson announced he had AIDS. In the years since, Magic and his wife, Cookie, have given their lives to Jesus Christ. In a social media post a couple of years ago, Magic said, “Today marks 30 years living with HIV…. Through it all I learned to trust in Jesus and I learned to trust in God!”¹

Notice the verb he used: learned.

Songwriter Andraé Crouch said the same thing: “Through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God.” Trusting the Lord is a learning experience as we grow in faith. When we trust the Lord with today’s load, we see His faithfulness and learn to trust Him even more for tomorrow’s uncertainties. Paul told the Thessalonians, “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly” (2 Thessalonians 1:3).

Whenever you face a crisis, turn to the Lord and find the needed promises in His Word. Pray today that God will help you trust Him more and more with every passing day.

Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, O for grace to trust Him more!
Louisa Stead

1. Nicole Alcindor, “ ‘I Learned to Trust in Jesus,’” The Christian Post, November 21, 2021.

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 107:19-20

In the famous and epic movie The Ten Commandments, whenever Pharaoh would make a decision or issue an edict, he would say authoritatively, “So let it be written; so let it be done!” The royal scribes would dutifully record the Pharaoh’s words for posterity. The message was clear: Pharaoh’s words were powerful; they were the guiding force in Egypt.

In an even more authoritative way, the words of God are alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12). By His words, God spoke into existence the earth and everything in it. Jesus is called the Word of God—the incarnation of the will and words of God (John 1:1-2). And Peter says that by God’s words—His “great and precious promises”—we become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). And Paul writes that our faith comes by hearing “the word of God” (Romans 10:17).

We gain power and maturity in our spiritual life as the Spirit of God illuminates the Word of God on a daily basis. Make God’s Word a priority in your life.

I hold one single sentence out of God’s word to be of more certainty, and of more power, than all the discoveries of all the learned men of all the ages.
Charles Spurgeon

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.
2 Peter 1:3

 Recommended Reading: Acts 1:8

Perhaps it happened to someone you know: a radical transformation after meeting Jesus Christ. Every life changes, but sometimes the change is so dramatic that it’s like the person was, well, born again—like the apostle Paul who went from murderous persecutor to missionary apostle. Nowhere was that change more evident than in the band of Christ’s disciples. Before Pentecost they were fearful; after Pentecost they were fearless.

What happened at Pentecost? The fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to them: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me…to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit filled the disciples and empowered them to live as bold witnesses for Christ. One of those disciples, Peter, later wrote that God’s “divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” through Christ.

If you are Christ’s today, you have power by the Spirit. You can do all things through Him (Philippians 4:13).

Christianity is not merely a program of conduct; it is the power of a new life.
Benjamin B. Warfield

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.”
1 Samuel 15:22

 Recommended Reading: Jeremiah 7:22-23

Sovereign authority is not an easy concept to grasp immediately. From a young age, children find creative ways not to obey a parent’s instructions, complete with rationalizations. Adults can do the same—like explaining to a police officer why we were exceeding the speed limit. But sovereign means sovereign, even when we don’t agree or understand.

Israel’s first king, Saul, learned obedience the hard way—twice. Once he performed sacrificial offerings instead of waiting for Samuel as he had been instructed and lost the promise of his kingship as a result (1 Samuel 13:8-14). Then he failed to totally destroy the Amalekites as he had been instructed and was removed as king (1 Samuel 15:12-34). In both cases, Saul had excuses and reasons for his disobedience. He learned that “to obey is better” when it comes to honoring God. Sadly, Saul learned that man’s ways are not God’s ways. He learned that God desires obedience above all.

Settle in your heart today that you will obey our sovereign God in all things, big or small.

Let us beware of being wiser than God.
John Blanchard

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.
Psalm 103:19

 Recommended Reading: Revelation 5:13

Sovereign of the Seas, a seventeenth-century British warship, was ordered by Charles I of England in 1634 and launched in 1637. Not only was Sovereign the most beautiful ship in the British navy, but she was also the most powerful, boasting 102 cannons. The goal for Sovereign was to manifest her name: to rule the oceans. She did that until 1696 when she caught fire and burned down to the waterline.

Temporary, partial sovereignty is not really sovereignty at all; one is either sovereign or not. When the Bible speaks of God’s sovereignty, it makes clear that He is sovereign over all. “Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:14). God’s sovereignty is complete and never-ending.

Never let the troubles of this world, or your life, cause you to worry. Put your faith in the One who has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).

If God is not sovereign, then God is not God.
R.  C. Sproul

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5

 Recommended Reading: Deuteronomy 31:7-8

It’s easy to say to a lonely person: “But remember, you have the Lord with you all the time!” That’s true, but it’s not what God said to Adam in the Garden of Eden: “It is not good that man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). We’re created with an intense need for fellowship with both our Lord and with other people. We need both! Psalm 68:6 says, “God sets the solitary in families.”

If you feel alone, work specifically on cultivating your daily walk with the Lord and enjoy His fellowship. Then, in that context, ask Him to bring into your life a person or group of people who can be a family for you. Of course, we can’t be passive in the process. We need to find someone to whom we can minister and a church in which we can become involved.

The Lord knows all our needs, and He has promised to meet them. Don’t give up and don’t despair. Lean on Him who will never leave or forsake you.

God [is] at work, ready to transform our loneliness into a positive experience that…draws us into the very thing we long for: a closer, deeper, more satisfying relationship with Him and others.
Ruth Graham

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

I cry out to the Lord with my voice; with my voice to the Lord I make my supplication.
Psalm 142:1

 Recommended Reading: John 15:14-15

Those who have a best friend are blessed with a relationship of transparency and acceptance. For some, it is a sibling, for others, a non-family member. That may be what Proverbs 18:24 refers to as “a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

A friend is a person to whom you can pour out your heart, a person who will not judge you for the feelings you express. For David the psalmist that friend was God Himself. When David found himself alone and oppressed by those who opposed him, he cried out to the Lord. That is, he used his voice to tell God what he was experiencing and how he was feeling (Psalm 142). He didn’t hold back; he trusted his covenant friendship with God was strong enough to withstand his flood of words and emotions. In John 15, Jesus introduced a new relationship with His disciples: He called them His friends (John 15:14-15). Their relationship changed from Master/servant to Friend/friend. And so it is with us.

When you are lonely, discouraged, or confused, tell Jesus. He invites you as a friend to come unto Him (Matthew 11:28-30).

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
Joseph M. Scriven

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage
Deuteronomy 6:12

 Recommended Reading: Joshua 4:19-24

Philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That usually refers to remembering the mistakes of the past—if we don’t remember them, we are likely to make them again. But the same could be said about blessings. If we fail to remember the blessings of the past, we are more likely to fear the future.

When Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land, he had a stone memorial built after they crossed the Jordan River. It was to remind future generations that God not only dried up the Jordan so they could cross, but He also parted the Red Sea so they could escape the Egyptian army (Joshua 4:19-24). Before Jesus returned to heaven, He instituted a memorial meal by which, when celebrated, future generations of believers could remember His death for them. Remembering the blessings of the past is a powerful motivation for facing the future.

Do you keep a journal or diary in which you record what God has done in your life? It is a helpful way never to forget.

How worthy it is to remember former benefits when we come to beg for new.
Stephen Charnock

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.
Psalm 61:3

 Recommended Reading: 2 Samuel 22:2-3

In ancient walled cities a tower was often erected at a corner of the walls or over a city gate. It served as a refuge—a place from which to defend the city from attacks and to protect inhabitants. (See Judges 9:50-55.) A strong tower became a metaphor for God as a place of refuge and protection: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10).

Today, our cities don’t have walls or towers. Our enemies are spiritual and circumstantial more than physical. So where do we run when we feel we are under attack or experiencing trouble? We do spiritually what people did physically in the Old Testament—we flee to our spiritual tower which is God Himself. In due course, the Israelites began to refer to God as their “strong tower” and “fortress.” His covenant promises and love were what they depended on for protection and comfort. The same is true for us today.

The strength and protection of God are found in His promises to us. Embrace God and His Word; put your faith in Him by trusting His promises.

A sovereign Protector I have, unseen, yet forever at hand.
Augustus M. Toplady

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
2 Timothy 2:13

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 136

Perhaps the most challenging idea in biblical Christianity for new believers to grasp is the dual concept of God’s grace and mercy. The ideas that God always loves us and always forgives us are hard to embrace at first.

The grace of God means He blesses us when we don’t deserve it, and the mercy of God means He doesn’t punish us when we do deserve it. The mercy of God is a dominant theme in the Old Testament. The phrase, “His mercy endures forever,” occurs 41 times—26 times in Psalm 136 alone. God’s grace and mercy are reflections of His character, specifically His faithfulness. It is impossible for God to be unfaithful. Even when we are unfaithful, “He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” Therefore, God can never be ungracious or unmerciful. His grace and mercy flow continually from His character, regardless of our behavior. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s faithfulness, nor is there anything we can do to lose it (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The next time you are less than faithful, don’t spend a second doubting God’s love or forgiveness. He has made you the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Measure your growth in grace by your sensitiveness to sin.
Oswald Chambers

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

JANUARY 8, 2024

And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke.
Joshua 23:14

 Recommended Reading: Joshua 23:14-16

In 1971, the James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever was released, and actor Sean Connery promised it was his last Bond film. He retired from the role, and others were cast as the suave British agent. But after suffering a series of movie flops and an empty bank account, Connery broke his promise and filmed another Bond movie, ironically titled Never Say Never Again.

It’s easy for us to make promises only to change our mind as time passes or circumstances change. But our Lord doesn’t change His mind or shift with the circumstances. Every promise He issues is perfectly good a thousand years later. His unchangeable commitment to His promises is called faithfulness.

God’s faithfulness allows us to have total confidence in every promise He’s written. It frees us from the grip of anxious worry. When we harbor fears and needless vexations, it’s not because God isn’t faithful but because we are doubting His ability to keep His promises. Don’t do that! Find a fresh promise for today—and trust Him!

God never overpromises or underdelivers. He always delivers on His promises, but He does it on His timeline!
Mark Batterson

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. For I know that this [imprisonment] will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:18-19

 Recommended Reading: Romans 8:28-29

Growing up in school, we learn that 1+1=2. But does it always? If one cloud merges with another, how many clouds are there? Not two, but one. Sometimes, from a different perspective, we see new things.

Nobody enjoys going through difficult times. (Take Job in the Old Testament as an example.) But if we step back and look at our situation from a different perspective, we might see it differently. That’s what Paul did when he was imprisoned in Rome. In spite of his difficulties, he found reasons to rejoice. And what were his reasons? That with the Holy Spirit’s help, he would be delivered from his chains. He didn’t know when or how, but he trusted that God was at work to bring good things out of bad and cause him to become more like Christ (Romans 8:28-29).

In times of trouble, ask God to broaden your perspective, to give you spiritual eyes to see the new growth that can result in your life.

There is a certain kind of maturity that can be attained only through the discipline of suffering.
D.A. Carson

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So that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ.
Philippians 1:13

 Recommended Reading: Acts 28:30-31

Being a witness for God originated in the Old Testament, not the New. Three times (Isaiah 43:10, 12; 44:8) God told the Jews that they were to be “My witnesses” among the nations. Witnesses to what? To the fact that their God was the only true God among the impotent idols worshiped by others. Wherever they went—especially in captivity in Babylon—they were to be witnesses for God.

Jesus gave the same responsibility to the Spirit-empowered Church: “You shall be witnesses to Me…to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Like the captive Jews in Babylon, the apostle Paul found himself in captivity more than once. But even in his difficulties, he never failed to be a witness for Christ. In his first Roman imprisonment, it became known to everyone that he was an ambassador in chains (Acts 28:30-31). The responsibility to witness for Christ is not only for when it is convenient but also for wherever God leads us.

Think afresh today about your life as a witness for Christ; ask God to make you mindful of opportunities to speak for Him.

Every believer is a witness whether he wants to be or not.
Donald Grey Barnhouse

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
Isaiah 55:8

 Recommended Reading: Deuteronomy 29:29

Some things in life require a quick response—with others, we can wait. A sudden banging noise in your car or a bodily ailment that won’t go away may require an urgent answer. Other situations may not be urgent but are nonetheless puzzling. Our first thought is likely, “What does this mean, God?” In such cases, it pays to wait on the Lord.

The Babylonian exile of the Jews was, no doubt, a confusing time. The prophet Isaiah encouraged them to “seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6). Then God spoke: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways” (verse 8). He also said that He never sends forth His word (His will) without it accomplishing its purpose (verse 11). Whatever His will is, “you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace” (verse 12).

If you are in a situation you don’t understand, trust that God is accomplishing His will in your life. And rest in His joy and peace as you wait upon Him.

To wait on God is to live a life of desire toward Him, delight in Him, dependence on Him, and devotedness to Him.
Matthew Henry

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.
Ecclesiastes 3:13

 Recommended Reading: Numbers 4:31-33

God gave Moses detailed instructions for building a tabernacle (Exodus 25–40). The materials and furnishings for the tabernacle were numerous, all gathered and fashioned by the people in the wilderness—right down to things like tent pegs and cords for securing the curtain around the perimeter of the tabernacle. The Levites were given charge of transporting all these items as Moses led the people from camp to camp in the wilderness.

Moses went so far as to assign certain Levite clans to carry certain parts of the tabernacle. The Kohathite clan was to carry the most holy parts of the tabernacle (Numbers 4:1-20), but the Merarite clan was given charge of things like “sockets, pegs, and cords” (Numbers 4:32). Which assignment seems more important and prestigious? It doesn’t matter because both assignments were necessary for the glory of God (Exodus 40:34).

If God assigns you to carry the tent pegs for Him, do it with joy—it is the gift of God.

There is no work…that does not glisten before God.
John Calvin

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

A person’s steps are directed by the Lord.
Proverbs 20:24, NIV

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 32:8-11

Let’s start 2024 with Proverbs 20:24—one of the Bible’s great verses about God’s guidance. Sometimes we fret when a new year dawns because we don’t know what’s coming our way—either personally or globally. But our fretting is banished by our faith. The Bible promises that as we acknowledge God over all our ways and days, He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). Psalm 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.”

Our days belong to the Lord—every hour, every second, every moment. And moment by moment we’re kept in His care. Our gracious Heavenly Father knows the way He takes. He goes before us as an ever-caring God, and underneath are His everlasting arms.

As 2024 dawns, claim Proverbs 20:24, and know that God will direct your steps as you yield them to Him in believing obedience. There’s no telling what blessings He has in store for you, and only the unfolding of the year will show you His great plan for the months ahead.

Moment by moment I’m kept in His love. Moment by moment I’ve life from above. Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine; moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.
Daniel Whittle
 

Daniel Whittle

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
Luke 1:32

 Recommended Reading: Luke 20:41-47

In 2 Samuel 7:8-16, Almighty God promised an everlasting legacy to the dynasty of King David saying, “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (verse 16, NIV). This is similar to the covenant God made with Abraham that through his seed all the world would be blessed (Genesis 22:18).

The opening verse of the New Testament says, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). The story of the Old Testament isn’t simply the story of the Jewish nation; it’s the story of one family—one ribbon of lineages—that leads to the Messiah!

Jesus is the rightful heir of the kingship of Israel who comes through the lineage of David. He is the ultimate fulfillment of the covenant God made with David, a descendant of Abraham.

God keeps His promises, even over hundreds and thousands of years. He will keep all His promises to you too!

When God makes a promise, you can take it to the bank…. His promises never fail.
Michael Lawrence

https://www.davidjeremiah.org