‘Behold the man!’   1 John 1:7 

 “Cleanses,” says the text—not “shall cleanse.” There are multitudes who think that as a dying hope they may look forward to pardon. Oh, how infinitely better to have cleansing now than to depend on the bare possibility of forgiveness when I come to die.

Some imagine that a sense of pardon is an attainment only obtainable after many years of Christian experience. But forgiveness of sin is a present reality—a privilege for this day, a joy for this very hour. The moment a sinner trusts Jesus he is fully forgiven. The text, being written in the present tense, also indicates continuance; it was “cleanses” yesterday, it is “cleanses” today, it will be “cleanses” tomorrow. This is the way it will always be with you, Christian, until you cross the river; every hour you may come to this fountain, for it cleanses still.

Notice, likewise, the completeness of the cleansing: “The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin”—not only from sin, but “from all sin.” Reader, I cannot convey the exceeding sweetness of this word, but I pray that God the Holy Ghost will give you a taste of it. Manifold are our sins against God. Whether the bill be little or great, the same receipt can discharge one as the other. The blood of Jesus Christ is as blessed and divine a payment for the transgressions of blaspheming Peter as for the shortcomings of loving John.

Our iniquity is gone, all gone at once, and all gone forever. Blessed completeness! What a sweet theme to dwell upon as one gives himself to sleep.

Sins against a holy God;

Sins against His righteous laws;

Sins against His love, His blood;

Sins against His name and cause;

Sins immense as is the sea—

From them all He cleanseth me.

Family Reading Plan   Jeremiah 19   Mark 5

John 15:12-15

In all of God’s creation, just one thing did not meet with His approval. He looked upon Adam, who was the only being of his kind, and said, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18). The Creator designed people for emotional, mental, and physical intimacy so they’d be able to share their innermost selves with one another.

Jesus explained this to His disciples, saying they should love each other as He had loved them. In a God-honoring friendship, two people build each other up and spur one another toward Christlikeness. Many people, however, fall far short of making and maintaining relationships that sharpen their faith (Prov. 27:17). They instead welcome the trivial talk of casual acquaintances: the weather, tough bosses, and world affairs are safe topics. Sadly, believers often shy away from the penetrating conversations about sin, accountability, and biblical living that would serve to enrich their faith.

Strong relationships begin with men and women who decide to risk their pride and comfort in order to love as Jesus does. They recognize that friends are meant to motivate one another toward holiness. In a friendship of mutual trust and submission, two people will confess sin, offer gentle reproof, and share burdens.

The walls we build to keep people at a distance are often defenses against God as well: we don’t want Him too close to our most personal business. But as believers learn to share openly and freely with a brother or sister in Christ, they develop the capacity to be more honest with God.

 “The most important thing to be said about awards,” an anonymous voice once uttered, “is that Mozart never got one.” The statement draws into sharp distinction the often-troublesome quality about recognition: sometimes the most deserving candidates for praise are overlooked. (And the victim we notice most often is usually ourselves!) 

 By the age of six, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an accomplished performer and a promising composer.  In his lifetime he was commissioned to compose an opera, made a member of an honorary knightly order by the Pope, and was given membership by the Accademia Filarmonica despite their policy requiring candidates to be 20 years old. But he was not rewarded with the pomp and circumstance we might imagine for someone of his rare giftedness. He was not given a lifetime achievement award or presented with anything remotely comparable to a Grammy. Close to destitute at the time of his death, Mozart was given a third-class funeral. 

 Throughout the gospels Jesus can be heard reminding disciples, crowds, and Pharisees that the most important thing to remember about the things we do is that there is almost always a motive for recognition behind it. “When you give to the needy,” he told them, “do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets.”(1) Significantly, he makes the same comment regarding prayer, and also about fasting.  

 In each example Jesus offers, he doesn’t tell us that the human hope for recognition is wrong. On the contrary, he explains that within our hope, we can seek to be honored by humanity or seek something more lasting. Regarding those who make certain their actions are known and admired by the right people, Jesus explains that they have essentially received their reward in full. But if when giving to the needy, being the bigger person, putting another before yourself, he notes, you “do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret, then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”(2) Where the motive is the honor of God and not personal recognition or gain, we store up something that can neither be destroyed nor stolen, something far more weighty than notoriety, wealth, or praise.

 And yet, as the thought of an award-less Mozart reminds us, labor unnoticed, hard work unappreciated, and fruit unseen are sometimes disturbing realities. The promising rewards of the wisdom of Jesus seem to promise an uncomfortably delayed response. 

 Here, the weariness that might come from not seeing the fruit of our laboring, the results of our fervent prayer, or our life’s greatest efforts is a reality we must wrestle with—and not alone. The prophet Isaiah once lamented, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the LORD’s hand, and my reward is with my God.” Isaiah was further comforted by God’s response to this recognition of reward in the hands of a greater giver: “Yes, kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”(3)

 In Isaiah’s efforts to serve God and people, though he struggled with a nation that did not honor him, he was reminded that God was the one delving out the better gifts. Though it seemed his efforts were in vain, there was yet a purpose, whether he would see it in the time and fashion he hoped for or not. Fruit would come; a different hope would unexpectedly surface; and God would be glorified in his decision to labor for heaven. So it is with those who choose to follow after lesser titles for the sake of a greater bestower. Thus as another laborer warns, “Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.”(4) Perhaps the most important thing to be said about awards is that we are looking to things unseen—great and unsearchable gifts from one who knows you better than any Grammy can attest.

 Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.
 (1) Matthew 6:2. 
(2) Matthew 6:2-4.
(3) Isaiah 49:4, 7.
(4) 2 John 1:8

 Morning “The daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.” / Isaiah 37:22

Reassured by the Word of the Lord, the poor trembling citizens of Zion grew

bold, and shook their heads at Sennacherib’s boastful threats. Strong faith

enables the servants of God to look with calm contempt upon their most haughty

foes. We know that our enemies are attempting impossibilities. They seek to

destroy the eternal life, which cannot die while Jesus lives; to overthrow the

citadel, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail. They kick against

the pricks to their own wounding, and rush upon the bosses of Jehovah’s

buckler to their own hurt.

 We know their weakness. What are they but men? And what is man but a worm?

They roar and swell like waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame. When

the Lord ariseth, they shall fly as chaff before the wind, and be consumed as

crackling thorns. Their utter powerlessness to do damage to the cause of God

and his truth, may make the weakest soldiers in Zion’s ranks laugh them to

scorn.

 Above all, we know that the Most High is with us, and when he dresses himself

in arms, where are his enemies? If he cometh forth from his place, the

potsherds of the earth will not long contend with their Maker. His rod of iron

shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel, and their very remembrance

shall perish from the earth. Away, then, all fears, the kingdom is safe in the

King’s hands. Let us shout for joy, for the Lord reigneth, and his foes shall

be as straw for the dunghill.

 “As true as God’s own word is true;

 Nor earth, nor hell, with all their crew,

 Against us shall prevail.

 A jest, and by-word, are they grown;

 God is with us, we are his own,

 Our victory cannot fail.”

Evening “Why go I mourning?” / Psalm 42:9

 Canst thou answer this, believer? Canst thou find any reason why thou art so

often mourning instead of rejoicing? Why yield to gloomy anticipations? Who

told thee that the night would never end in day? Who told thee that the sea of

circumstances would ebb out till there should be nothing left but long leagues

of the mud of horrible poverty? Who told thee that the winter of thy

discontent would proceed from frost to frost, from snow, and ice, and hail, to

deeper snow, and yet more heavy tempest of despair? Knowest thou not that day

follows night, that flood comes after ebb, that spring and summer succeed

winter? Hope thou then! Hope thou ever! For God fails thee not. Dost thou not

know that thy God loves thee in the midst of all this? Mountains, when in

darkness hidden, are as real as in day, and God’s love is as true to thee now

as it was in thy brightest moments. No father chastens always: thy Lord hates

the rod as much as thou dost; he only cares to use it for that reason which

should make thee willing to receive it, namely, that it works thy lasting

good. Thou shalt yet climb Jacob’s ladder with the angels, and behold him who

sits at the top of it–thy covenant God. Thou shalt yet, amidst the splendours

of eternity, forget the trials of time, or only remember them to bless the God

who led thee through them, and wrought thy lasting good by them. Come, sing in

the midst of tribulation. Rejoice even while passing through the furnace. Make

the wilderness to blossom like the rose! Cause the desert to ring with thine

exulting joys, for these light afflictions will soon be over, and then

“forever with the Lord,” thy bliss shall never wane.

 “Faint not nor fear, his arms are near,

 He changeth not, and thou art dear;

 Only believe and thou shalt see,

 That Christ is all in all to thee.”

And now what do you gain by going to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile?   Jeremiah 2:18 

By different miracles, by various mercies, by strange deliverances Jehovah had proved Himself to be worthy of Israel’s trust. Yet they broke down the hedges with which God had enclosed them as a sacred garden; they forsook their own true and living God and followed after false gods. Constantly the Lord reproved them for this infatuation, and our text displays God’s remonstrating with them, “And now what do you gain by going to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile?” “Why are you wandering and leaving your own cool stream? Why do you forsake Jerusalem and turn aside to the wasteland? Why are you so strangely set on mischief that you cannot be content with what is good and healthy, but instead chase after what is evil and deceitful?” Is there not here a word of exposition and warning to the Christian?

O true believer, called by grace and washed in the precious blood of Jesus, you have tasted a better drink than the muddy river of this world’s pleasure. You have fellowship with Christ; you have obtained the joy of seeing Jesus and resting in His loving embrace. Do the trifles, the songs, the honors, the merriment of this earth content you after that? Have you eaten the bread of angels, and can you live on scraps?

Good Rutherford once said, “I have tasted of Christ’s own manna, and it has put my mouth out of taste for the brown bread of this world’s joys.” I think it should be so with you. If you are wandering after the waters of Egypt, O return quickly to the one living fountain: The waters of the Nile may be sweet to the Egyptians, but they will prove only bitterness to you. What have you to do with them? Jesus asks you this question this evening—what will you answer Him?

Family Reading Plan Jeremiah 16   Mark 2

 It would be hard to underestimate the significance of Jesus. No other person has had a greater historical impact. Even those who aren’t Christians acknowledge this: Muslims revere Jesus as a prophet. Hindus consider him a holy teacher. Even many atheists are very willing to say they admire Jesus; for example, Christopher Hitchens once said he respects “the virtue of his teachings.”

 Yet a common skeptical remark you hear is that we can’t really know anything about who Jesus actually was. He was probably a great guy, but the early Christians invented so many stories about him that we have no way of separating what’s true in the Bible from what’s false. Most skeptics don’t realize, however, that academic historians take Jesus very seriously. We’re talking historians, not theologians; not least, because we have so many historical sources for Jesus. Many people don’t realize the New Testament is a collection of books, for example, and represents multiple sources about Jesus. Many are very early—for example, Paul’s letters date to the 40s and 50s AD and some of the material he quotes is dated even earlier, to within months of Jesus’s death.

 Literary studies of the gospels have also shown that their authors were intentionally setting out to write biography—not fiction or hagiography. Where we can test them against archaeology or other historians of the period, they’re shown to be reliable. Thus, historians take Jesus seriously. No credentialed academic historian in a university ancient history department would suggest that Jesus never existed, for instance. Throw out Jesus and you would have to throw out a wealth of other historical figures for whom less evidence exists, such as Julius Caesar.

 In recent decades, there has been a renewed interest in the study of the “historical Jesus,” by which we mean what we can say about Jesus using the methods and tools of the historian. There are a wide number of facts upon which historians agree. To list just a few, it is generally agreed that Jesus was raised in Nazareth. That he was baptized by John. That he had twelve disciples. That he had a reputation as a healer and miracle worker. That he taught in parables and stories. That he clashed with the religious authorities of his day. That he spent time with social outcasts. That he had an extremely high view of his own identity and his relationship to God. That at the end of his ministry he rode into Jerusalem, was hailed by many as the Messiah, performed some kind of prophetic action in the Temple for which he was arrested, tried, and executed. It’s simply not the case, in other words, that Jesus’s life was invented decades after his death by well meaning Christians. And that means we are forced to take the life of Jesus very seriously—at the very least, we need to read the gospels as we would other ancient literature and weigh them accordingly.

 And that brings us face to face with Jesus himself: a Jesus who made astonishing claims about himself. C S Lewis once famously said that Jesus left us only three options. Either he was mad—utterly insane. Or he was bad—a cynical liar. Or else Jesus was who he claimed to be. Whilst this threefold choice may slightly over simplify things, the broad thrust is right. Jesus forces all of us to answer the same question he asked Peter in the Gospels: “Who do you say I am?” One thing is certain: Jesus has left a powerful footprint on history, too great to ignore. “Who do you say that I am?” The answer each of us gives to that question matters profoundly.

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

 Morning “The earnest of our inheritance.” / Ephesians 1:14

 Oh! what enlightenment, what joys, what consolation, what delight of heart is

experienced by that man who has learned to feed on Jesus, and on Jesus alone.

Yet the realization which we have of Christ’s preciousness is, in this life,

imperfect at the best. As an old writer says, “‘Tis but a taste!” We have

tasted “that the Lord is gracious,” but we do not yet know how good and

gracious he is, although what we know of his sweetness makes us long for more.

We have enjoyed the firstfruits of the Spirit, and they have set us hungering

and thirsting for the fulness of the heavenly vintage. We groan within

ourselves, waiting for the adoption. Here we are like Israel in the

wilderness, who had but one cluster from Eshcol, there we shall be in the

vineyard. Here we see the manna falling small, like coriander seed, but there

shall we eat the bread of heaven and the old corn of the kingdom. We are but

beginners now in spiritual education; for although we have learned the first

letters of the alphabet, we cannot read words yet, much less can we put

sentences together; but as one says, “He that has been in heaven but five

minutes, knows more than the general assembly of divines on earth.” We have

many ungratified desires at present, but soon every wish shall be satisfied;

and all our powers shall find the sweetest employment in that eternal world of

joy. O Christian, antedate heaven for a few years. Within a very little time

thou shalt be rid of all thy trials and thy troubles. Thine eyes now suffused

with tears shall weep no longer. Thou shalt gaze in ineffable rapture upon the

splendour of him who sits upon the throne. Nay, more, upon his throne shalt

thou sit. The triumph of his glory shall be shared by thee; his crown, his

joy, his paradise, these shall be thine, and thou shalt be co-heir with him

who is the heir of all things.

Evening “And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of

Sihor?” / Jeremiah 2:18

 By sundry miracles, by divers mercies, by strange deliverances Jehovah had

proved himself to be worthy of Israel’s trust. Yet they broke down the hedges

with which God had enclosed them as a sacred garden; they forsook their own

true and living God, and followed after false gods. Constantly did the Lord

reprove them for this infatuation, and our text contains one instance of God’s

expostulating with them, “What hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink

the waters of the muddy river?”–for so it may be translated. “Why dost thou

wander afar and leave thine own cool stream from Lebanon? Why dost thou

forsake Jerusalem to turn aside to Noph and to Tahapanes? Why art thou so

strangely set on mischief, that thou canst not be content with the good and

healthful, but wouldst follow after that which is evil and deceitful?” Is

there not here a word of expostulation and warning to the Christian? O true

believer, called by grace and washed in the precious blood of Jesus, thou hast

tasted of better drink than the muddy river of this world’s pleasure can give

thee; thou hast had fellowship with Christ; thou hast obtained the joy of

seeing Jesus, and leaning thine head upon his bosom. Do the trifles, the

songs, the honours, the merriment of this earth content thee after that? Hast

thou eaten the bread of angels, and canst thou live on husks? Good Rutherford

once said, “I have tasted of Christ’s own manna, and it hath put my mouth out

of taste for the brown bread of this world’s joys.” Methinks it should be so

with thee. If thou art wandering after the waters of Egypt, O return quickly

to the one living fountain: the waters of Sihor may be sweet to the Egyptians,

but they will prove only bitterness to thee. What hast thou to do with them?

Jesus asks thee this question this evening–what wilt thou answer him?

 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench. Matthew 12:20 

What is weaker than the bruised reed or the smoldering wick? A reed that grows in the marshland—let a wild duck land on it, and it snaps; let but the foot of man brush against it, and it is bruised and broken; every wind that flits across the river moves it to and fro. You can conceive of nothing more frail or brittle or whose existence is more in jeopardy than a bruised reed. Then look at the smoldering wick—what is it? It has a spark within it, it is true, but it is almost smothered; an infant’s breath might blow it out; nothing has a more precarious existence than its flame.

Weak things are here described; yet Jesus says of them, “The smoldering wick I will not quench; the bruised reed I will not break.” Some of God’s children are made strong to do mighty works for Him; God has His Samsons here and there who can pull up Gaza’s gates and carry them to the top of the hill. He has a few mighties who are lionlike men, but the majority of His people are a timid, trembling race. They are like starlings, frightened at every passerby, a little fearful flock. If temptation comes, they are taken like birds in a snare; if trial threatens, they are ready to faint. Their frail craft is tossed up and down by every wave; they drift along like a seabird on the crest of the billows—weak things, without strength, without wisdom, without foresight. Yet, weak as they are, and because they are so weak, they have this promise made especially to them.

Herein is grace and graciousness! Herein is love and loving-kindness! How it opens to us the compassion of Jesus—so gentle, tender, considerate! We need never shrink back from His touch. We need never fear a harsh word from Him; though He might well chide us for our weakness, He rebukes not. Bruised reeds shall have no blows from Him, and the smoldering wick no damping frowns.

Family Reading Plan  Jeremiah 15   Mark 1

 2 Peter 3:17-18

No matter how far away from God you have drifted, you’re always welcome back. That’s the lesson from Jesus’ parable about the prodigal son–the foolish boy who followed a pleasure-filled path to ruin before returning to his father and finding redemption (Luke 15:11-32). Perhaps ruin has not yet come to you, but you know that your heart has grown cool to the things of God. Whatever your drifting story, make this the day that you point yourself back to the Lord.

As with any sin, the first motion toward getting back on course is to acknowledge that you have slipped away from the Lord. Then you confess and repent, which is like turning your boat in the opposite direction and paddling toward God with all your strength. If you’re wondering exactly how to do that, I suggest a strategy I use every morning. Before I step out of bed, I give myself to God by acknowledging, I surrender my entire life to You for this day. When something comes up that runs counter to His plan and I consider pursuing it, the Holy Spirit reminds me that I am not my own. Only God’s way will do for me.

Every day we choose whether to row or drift. As for me, I choose to vigorously pursue God.

Peter gives a warning to be on guard against attitudes and ideologies that would carry you away from truth (2 Peter 3:17). Instead, choose to paddle your lifeboat toward the Lord by meditating on Scripture, praying, and living obediently. Practicing the spiritual disciplines keeps a heart warm toward God.

 The emergence of the Church, the emergence of followers even after Christ’s death, despite intense opposition and even brutal persecution, is an enigma. Or, in the words of professor C.F.D. Moule of Cambridge University, it “rips a great hole in history, a hole of the size and shape of the Resurrection.” The book of Acts offers the first glimpses of that great hole. 

 In it, we find a high priest filled with rage. Jesus was no longer among them, but the disciples continued to fill Jerusalem with his teaching. The high priest had strictly charged the apostles not to teach of Jesus, yet they continued preaching to the crowds and healing the sick, and multitudes were professing belief in Christ. So the high priest had them all arrested, and setting them before the council, he questioned them harshly. Peter answered exactly as he preached: “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus… exalting him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”(1)

 At his words, the council was enraged, and some wanted to kill them.  But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up to speak, first instructing that the apostles be led out of the room.  And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men.” 

 Gamaliel’s words introduce a logic often overlooked; he reminded them that this had happened before. He reminded them to look at history. “Before these days, Theudas rose up,” he countered, “claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men even joined him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.” And after Theudas, Gamaliel warned, there were similar stories. “So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail;but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!”(2)

 Though the growth of the Church alone is not enough to conclude the veracity of Christ’s resurrection, it is evidence that would be irresponsible to ignore. The apostles were aware that the message of the Cross is foolishness. They made choices to continue preaching despite the orders of the high priest and the often-severe persecution they faced. They changed social and religious practices that had been followed for centuries. They refused to give in; they would not be overthrown.    

 The birth and rapid rise of Christ’s followers after the offensive death of their leader fails to make sense outside of the explanation the Church itself offers: they were witnesses of these altogether unfathomable events. The message they were teaching was true. Christ was raised and death was stopped, while the disciples looked on. They were witnesses of God’s power, and they went to their deaths proclaiming it, choosing to obey God rather than man. 

 Christ left in history a hole the size and shape of the Resurrection. With what explanation will you attempt to fill it? 

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

 (1) Acts 5:29-32.
(2) Acts 5:38, 39.

 Morning “The Lord our God hath shewed us his glory.” / Deuteronomy 5:24

 God’s great design in all his works is the manifestation of his own glory. Any

aim less than this were unworthy of himself. But how shall the glory of God be

manifested to such fallen creatures as we are? Man’s eye is not single, he has

ever a side glance towards his own honour, has too high an estimate of his own

powers, and so is not qualified to behold the glory of the Lord. It is clear,

then, that self must stand out of the way, that there may be room for God to

be exalted; and this is the reason why he bringeth his people ofttimes into

straits and difficulties, that, being made conscious of their own folly and

weakness, they may be fitted to behold the majesty of God when he comes forth

to work their deliverance. He whose life is one even and smooth path, will see

but little of the glory of the Lord, for he has few occasions of

self-emptying, and hence, but little fitness for being filled with the

revelation of God. They who navigate little streams and shallow creeks, know

but little of the God of tempests; but they who “do business in great waters,”

these see his “wonders in the deep.” Among the huge Atlantic-waves of

bereavement, poverty, temptation, and reproach, we learn the power of Jehovah,

because we feel the littleness of man. Thank God, then, if you have been led

by a rough road: it is this which has given you your experience of God’s

greatness and lovingkindness. Your troubles have enriched you with a wealth of

knowledge to be gained by no other means: your trials have been the cleft of

the rock in which Jehovah has set you, as he did his servant Moses, that you

might behold his glory as it passed by. Praise God that you have not been left

to the darkness and ignorance which continued prosperity might have involved,

but that in the great fight of affliction, you have been capacitated for the

outshinings of his glory in his wonderful dealings with you.

Evening “A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench.” / Matthew 12:20

 What is weaker than the bruised reed or the smoking flax? A reed that groweth

in the fen or marsh, let but the wild duck light upon it, and it snaps; let

but the foot of man brush against it, and it is bruised and broken; every wind

that flits across the river moves it to and fro. You can conceive of nothing

more frail or brittle, or whose existence is more in jeopardy, than a bruised

reed. Then look at the smoking flax–what is it? It has a spark within it, it

is true, but it is almost smothered; an infant’s breath might blow it out;

nothing has a more precarious existence than its flame. Weak things are here

described, yet Jesus says of them, “The smoking flax I will not quench; the

bruised reed I will not break.” Some of God’s children are made strong to do

mighty works for him; God has his Samsons here and there who can pull up

Gaza’s gates, and carry them to the top of the hill; he has a few mighties who

are lion-like men, but the majority of his people are a timid, trembling race.

They are like starlings, frightened at every passer by; a little fearful

flock. If temptation comes, they are taken like birds in a snare; if trial

threatens, they are ready to faint; their frail skiff is tossed up and down by

every wave, they are drifted along like a sea bird on the crest of the

billows–weak things, without strength, without wisdom, without foresight.

Yet, weak as they are, and because they are so weak, they have this promise

made specially to them. Herein is grace and graciousness! Herein is love and

lovingkindness! How it opens to us the compassion of Jesus–so gentle, tender,

considerate! We need never shrink back from his touch. We need never fear a

harsh word from him; though he might well chide us for our weakness, he

rebuketh not. Bruised reeds shall have no blows from him, and the smoking flax

no damping frowns.

They [locusts] do not jostle one another; each marches in his path.   Joel 2:8 

 Locusts always keep their rank, and although their number is legion, they do not crowd upon each other, so as to throw their columns into confusion. This remarkable fact in natural history shows how thoroughly the Lord has infused the spirit of order into His universe, since the smallest animate creatures are as much controlled by it as are the rolling spheres or the angelic throng. It would be wise for believers to be ruled by the same influence in all their spiritual life.

In their Christian graces no one virtue should usurp the sphere of another or feed off the rest for its own support. Affection must not smother honesty, courage must not elbow weakness out of the field, modesty must not jostle energy, and patience must not slaughter resolution. So also with our duties. One must not interfere with another; public usefulness must not injure private piety; church work must not push family worship into a corner. It is wrong to offer God one duty stained with the blood of another. Each thing is beautiful in its season, but not otherwise.

The same rule applies to our personal position. We must take care to know our place, take it, and keep to it. We must minister as the Spirit has given us ability, and not intrude upon our fellow servant’s domain. Our Lord Jesus taught us not to covet the high places, but to be willing to be the least among our brothers and sisters. Let us say no to an envious, ambitious spirit; let us feel the force of the Master’s command and do as He bids us, keeping in step with the rest of the company. Tonight let us see whether we are keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace, and let our prayer be that in all the churches of the Lord Jesus peace and order may prevail.

Family Reading Plan  Jeremiah 14 Matthew 28

 Why Won’t God Heal Amputees? is a popular website and one-time viral YouTube video. The basic premise of the content is that God doesn’t answer prayer since God has never healed an amputee, and by extension doesn’t heal every person of every infirmity. God, therefore, does not really exist.

 While there are obvious false assumptions made about God, prayer, and healing (how does one know that in the whole world God has not healed an amputee, for starters) many who do pray for healing often fail to experience it in the way they expect. Healing rarely parallels a conventional or traditional sense of that word. Loved ones die of cancer, friends are killed in car accidents, economic catastrophe befalls even the most frugal, and people in much of the developing world die from diseases long cured in the West. Beyond the realm of physical healing, many experience emotional and psychological trauma that leave open and festering wounds. Or, there are those perpetual personality ticks and quirks that seem beyond the reach of the supernatural. Given all of this contrary experience, what does it mean to receive healing, and should one hold out hope that healing can come in this world? Specifically, for those who pray, and for those who believe that God does heal, how might the persistence of wounds—psychological, emotional and physical—be understood?    

 In a recent New York Times article, Marcia Mount Shoop writes of her horrific rape as a fifteen year-old girl.(1) A descendant of three generations of ministers, she ran to the safest place she knew—the church. Yet as she stood amid the congregants singing hymns and reciting creeds, she felt no relief. Even her favorite verse from Romans—”And we know that in all things God works for good with those who love him”—sounded hollow and brought little comfort. How could she ever be healed of this horrific act of violence perpetrated against her will?   

Once at home, alone with the secret of her rape, Marcia Shoop found something that enabled her to survive. “I felt Jesus so close,” she recalled in an interview. “It wasn’t the same Jesus I experienced at church. It was this tiny, audible whisper that said, ‘I know what happened. I understand.’ And it kept me alive, that frayed little thread.” (2)

 The hope that Jesus was physically close to her in her pain led Ms. Shoop to become a minister herself more than a quarter century after her horrific rape. It also led her to more deeply connect her body with her soul and mind. This reconnection of the body with soul and with mind is where she experienced what she would call “healing.” God was with her in the living, breathing, physical reality of Jesus who likewise continued to bear the wounds of his own crucifixion and torture after the gospel writers testify to him having been raised from the dead. 

The gospel of John records the risen Jesus as inviting Thomas to “reach your finger and see my hands; and reach your hand, and put it into my side.”(3) Jesus was not a disembodied spirit without flesh and blood as a result of his resurrection from the dead. He was a body, and a body that was wounded. Even the resurrection did not take away his bodily scars! This reality can bring great hope to those who follow Jesus and to those who wonder about how they might find healing at all. For healing did equate a lack of wounding, or physical perfection—being untouched by the sorrow and suffering of a world gone horribly wrong—even for Jesus.

 For Ms. Shoop, healing didn’t mean the total erasure of the pain and horror of her rape, as difficult as it was to bear that wound. But it meant that she encountered the wounded God in the person of Jesus who continued to bear the scars and wounds of his crucifixion. As she recalled, “What happened to me wasn’t “for the good,” referring again to her favorite passage in Romans. But God took the garbage, the stench [of that horrible event] and gently, tenderly, indignantly wove it into this moment of redemption. What a gift.”(4)

 Healing is not a gift that comes instantly, nor does it always look like what we expect. It is often a slow, painful journey through the void and desolation of suffering. It will not erase our wounds. Yet, the promise of resurrection, of new life that comes even with wounded hands and sides, offers another picture of healing where our humanity is honored and redeemed.

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

 (1) Samuel G. Freedman, “A Rape Survivor Now Ministers Body and Soul,” The New York Times Online, June 29, 2012, accessed June 29, 2012.
(2) Ibid.
(3) John 20:27.
(4) Samuel G. Freedman, “A Rape Survivor Now Ministers Body and Soul,” The New York Times Online, June 29, 2012, accessed June 29, 2012.

Morning “They shall go hindmost with their standards.” / Numbers 2:31

 The camp of Dan brought up the rear when the armies of Israel were on the

march. The Danites occupied the hindmost place, but what mattered the

position, since they were as truly part of the host as were the foremost

tribes; they followed the same fiery cloudy pillar, they ate of the same

manna, drank of the same spiritual rock, and journeyed to the same

inheritance. Come, my heart, cheer up, though last and least; it is thy

privilege to be in the army, and to fare as they fare who lead the van. Some

one must be hindmost in honour and esteem, some one must do menial work for

Jesus, and why should not I? In a poor village, among an ignorant peasantry;

or in a back street, among degraded sinners, I will work on, and “go hindmost

with my standard.”

 The Danites occupied a very useful place. Stragglers have to be picked up upon

the march, and lost property has to be gathered from the field. Fiery spirits

may dash forward over untrodden paths to learn fresh truth, and win more souls

to Jesus; but some of a more conservative spirit may be well engaged in

reminding the church of her ancient faith, and restoring her fainting sons.

Every position has its duties, and the slowly moving children of God will find

their peculiar state one in which they may be eminently a blessing to the

whole host.

 The rear guard is a place of danger. There are foes behind us as well as

before us. Attacks may come from any quarter. We read that Amalek fell upon

Israel, and slew some of the hindmost of them. The experienced Christian will

find much work for his weapons in aiding those poor doubting, desponding,

wavering, souls, who are hindmost in faith, knowledge, and joy. These must not

be left unaided, and therefore be it the business of well-taught saints to

bear their standards among the hindmost. My soul, do thou tenderly watch to

help the hindmost this day.

Evening “Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path.” / Joel 2:8

 Locusts always keep their rank, and although their number is legion, they do

not crowd upon each other, so as to throw their columns into confusion. This

remarkable fact in natural history shows how thoroughly the Lord has infused

the spirit of order into his universe, since the smallest animate creatures

are as much controlled by it as are the rolling spheres or the seraphic

messengers. It would be wise for believers to be ruled by the same influence

in all their spiritual life. In their Christian graces no one virtue should

usurp the sphere of another, or eat out the vitals of the rest for its own

support. Affection must not smother honesty, courage must not elbow weakness

out of the field, modesty must not jostle energy, and patience must not

slaughter resolution. So also with our duties, one must not interfere with

another; public usefulness must not injure private piety; church work must not

push family worship into a corner. It is ill to offer God one duty stained

with the blood of another. Each thing is beautiful in its season, but not

otherwise. It was to the Pharisee that Jesus said, “This ought ye to have

done, and not to have left the other undone.” The same rule applies to our

personal position, we must take care to know our place, take it, and keep to

it. We must minister as the Spirit has given us ability, and not intrude upon

our fellow servant’s domain. Our Lord Jesus taught us not to covet the high

places, but to be willing to be the least among the brethren. Far from us be

an envious, ambitious spirit, let us feel the force of the Master’s command,

and do as he bids us, keeping rank with the rest of the host. To-night let us

see whether we are keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace, and

let our prayer be that, in all the churches of the Lord Jesus, peace and order

may prevail.

Let not one of them escape. 1 Kings 18:40 

When the prophet Elijah had received the answer to his prayer, and the fire from heaven had consumed the sacrifice in the presence of all the people, he called upon the assembled Israelites to take the priests of Baal and sternly cried, “Let not one of them escape.” He took them all down to the brook Kishon and slew them there. So must it be with our sins—they are all doomed; not one must be preserved.

Our darling sin must die. Do not spare it because it cries. Strike though it be as dear as a beloved son. Strike, for God struck at sin when it was laid upon His own Son. With stern unflinching purpose you must condemn to death that sin that was once the idol of your heart. Do you ask how you are to accomplish this? Jesus will be your power. You have grace to overcome sin, given you in the covenant of grace; you have strength to win the victory in the crusade against inward lusts because Christ Jesus has promised to be with you even unto the end.

If you would triumph over darkness, set yourself in the presence of the Sun of Righteousness. There is no place so well adapted for the discovery of sin and recovery from its power and guilt as the immediate presence of God. Job never knew how to get rid of sin half as well as he did when his eye of faith rested upon God, and then he abhorred himself and repented in dust and ashes.

The fine gold of the Christian is often becoming dim. We need the sacred fire to consume the dross. Let us fly to our God. He is a consuming fire; He will not consume our spirit, but our sins. Let the goodness of God excite us to a sacred jealousy and to a holy revenge against those iniquities that are hateful in His sight. Go forth to battle in His strength and utterly destroy the accursed crew: “Let not one of them escape.”

Family Reading Plan Jeremiah 13 Matthew 27

Proverbs 14:15-16

One fine afternoon, my best friend and I came upon an abandoned boat floating in the river. The paddles were broken, but that wasn’t much deterrent for a pair of teenage boys. We shoved off and drifted down the river talking, joking, and carrying on. I’m not sure how much time passed as we floated aimlessly along, but we knew we were in trouble when a loud roar reached our ears. Up ahead, water was rushing over the dam. Panicked, we grabbed the broken paddles and pulled hard against the current. We managed to get close enough to the shore to safely jump out into shallow water, but the boat went over the edge. What started out as pure fun nearly ended in disaster.

That’s exactly what is happening to a lot of people today. What begins as fun and pleasure ends in shipwreck because people drift along, neglecting to think ahead or notice how fast they’re moving away from the safety of the Lord’s plan. According to the prevailing attitude of modern society, God’s not needed as long as the stream runs smoothly. In other words, when income is good, family is safe, and health is stable, going with the flow seems fine. But in reality, a drifting man is being swept along on dangerous anti-Christ and anti-church currents.

Today’s passage reveals that the wise look to the future to avoid ruin. Let me put it another way: Drifting is foolish. In countless arenas of life–marriage, family, vocation, finances, etc.–we need a clear destination and navigation plan if we expect to be successful. God provides both (Prov. 3:6).

 Obedience is not a popular word. It conjures thoughts of condescending authorities, power imbalances and struggles, the uncomfortable choice of compliance or correction. Disobedience carries thoughts of being punished, the risk of reprimand. Yet whether we see ourselves as generally obedient or disobedient, living courageously or cowardly, dutifully or defiantly, in all of life there is always risk. Christian author John Piper refers to “the enchantment of security” as a potent myth that pollutes our lives. He describes risk as a reality for all of us—whether living obediently or otherwise—because we don’t know how things will turn out. Risk is built into the framework of our finite lives. That is to say, our plans for the future always carry the risk of being shattered by a thousand unknowns. Our declarations of love always carry with it the risk of dismissal. And for the Christian, though risk might be associated with disobedience, vows to follow after God carry with them the risk of obedience. As Jesus once illustrated to an agrarian audience, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
 In the Old Testament book of Joshua, which recounts the battles Israel fought after crossing the Jordan, “possession” and “promise” are key words in this notion of risk. The people of Israel were commanded by God to go and take possession of the land God had promised them, to seize what had been given. But there is a distinction between the promise itself and the possessing of that promise. The land was not just given to them; they were called to fight and seize hold of what was promised. To take possession of the Promised Land required risk, and yet God imparts that it was indeed given to them. He declares through Joshua, “I gave [your enemies] into your hands…. You did not do it with your own sword and bow” (24:11b, 12b). 

 In pursuit of God’s promise, the Israelites had to proceed courageously; many grew weary and some may have given their lives. The risk was certainly real. But each obstacle that blocked the Israelites’ ability to possess what God promised was an illustration that God was among them. Though the risk was certain, over each trial they faced, God declared the promise of risk and the assurance of God’s presence. 

 Thankfully our relationship with God does not hold risks the same way that our relationships with others pose risks.  The risk is not with God; it is with you and me. When the covenant was made with Israel that they would be God’s people and God would be their God, it was not God’s ability to keep the covenant that worried anyone. Standing on the Promised Land in the excitement of victory and the confidence of possession, the Israelites declared that they would faithfully serve and follow God. Joshua responded flatly, “You are not able to serve the LORD” (24:19).  Our promises to God certainly carry the risk that they will be broken. But as the Israelites encountered combat and conflict, risking their lives in obedience to the LORD, they were repeatedly reminded that the greatest of all possessions is the promise of God Himself. God not only kept God’s vow but acted on their behalf knowing that they could not.

 There is a risk to following God, a risk to obedience. But as God declared to Joshua, it was declared again by his Son, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” The Christian is invited to seize God’s promises knowing that she won’t know the outcome of her days, but that God himself is more certain than anything else. In risk and in suffering, uncertainty and disappointment we are assured and instructed by the same words given to Joshua. As he weighed the risk involved in seizing God’s promise, Joshua was told: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” God asks us to boldly follow and then carries us through the risk.

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

 Morning “Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.” / 1 Thessalonians 1:4

 Many persons want to know their election before they look to Christ, but they

cannot learn it thus, it is only to be discovered by “looking unto Jesus.” If

you desire to ascertain your own election;–after the following manner, shall

you assure your heart before God. Do you feel yourself to be a lost, guilty

sinner? go straightway to the cross of Christ, and tell Jesus so, and tell him

that you have read in the Bible, “Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise

cast out.” Tell him that he has said, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy

of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

Look to Jesus and believe on him, and you shall make proof of your election

directly, for so surely as thou believest, thou art elect. If you will give

yourself wholly up to Christ and trust him, then you are one of God’s chosen

ones; but if you stop and say, “I want to know first whether I am elect,” you

ask you know not what. Go to Jesus, be you never so guilty, just as you are.

Leave all curious inquiry about election alone. Go straight to Christ and hide

in his wounds, and you shall know your election. The assurance of the Holy

Spirit shall be given to you, so that you shall be able to say, “I know whom I

have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have

committed to him.” Christ was at the everlasting council: he can tell you

whether you were chosen or not; but you cannot find it out in any other way.

Go and put your trust in him, and his answer will be–“I have loved thee with

an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” There

will be no doubt about his having chosen you, when you have chosen him.

 “Sons we are through God’s election,

 Who in Jesus Christ believe.”

Evening  “Let not one of them escape.” / 1 Kings 18:40

 When the prophet Elijah had received the answer to his prayer, and the fire

from heaven had consumed the sacrifice in the presence of all the people, he

called upon the assembled Israelites to take the priests of Baal, and sternly

cried, “Let not one of them escape.” He took them all down to the brook

Kishon, and slew them there. So must it be with our sins–they are all doomed,

not one must be preserved. Our darling sin must die. Spare it not for its much

crying. Strike, though it be as dear as an Isaac. Strike, for God struck at

sin when it was laid upon his own Son. With stern unflinching purpose must you

condemn to death that sin which was once the idol of your heart. Do you ask

how you are to accomplish this? Jesus will be your power. You have grace to

overcome sin given you in the covenant of grace; you have strength to win the

victory in the crusade against inward lusts, because Christ Jesus has promised

to be with you even unto the end. If you would triumph over darkness, set

yourself in the presence of the Sun of Righteousness. There is no place so

well adapted for the discovery of sin, and recovery from its power and guilt,

as the immediate presence of God. Job never knew how to get rid of sin half so

well as he did when his eye of faith rested upon God, and then he abhorred

himself, and repented in dust and ashes. The fine gold of the Christian is oft

becoming dim. We need the sacred fire to consume the dross. Let us fly to our

God, he is a consuming fire; he will not consume our spirit, but our sins. Let

the goodness of God excite us to a sacred jealousy, and to a holy revenge

against those iniquities which are hateful in his sight. Go forth to battle

with Amalek, in his strength, and utterly destroy the accursed crew: let not

one of them escape.

You will arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come. For your servants hold her stones dear and have pity on her dust.  Psalms 102:13-14 

A selfish man in trouble is exceedingly hard to comfort, because the springs of his comfort are entirely within himself, and when he is sad all his springs are dry. But a large-hearted man full of Christian generosity has other springs from which to supply himself with comfort beside those that lie within. He can go to his God first of all and there find abundant help; and he can discover arguments for consolation in things relating to the world at large, to his country, and, above all, to the Church. David in this Psalm was exceedingly sorrowful; he wrote, “I am like an owl of the waste places; I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.”1 The only way in which he could comfort himself was in the reflection that God would arise and have mercy upon Zion. Though he was sad, yet Zion should prosper; however low his own estate, yet Zion would arise.

Christian man, learn to comfort yourself in God’s gracious dealing toward the Church. That which is so dear to your Master, should it not also be supremely precious to you? Although your path be dark, can you not cheer your heart with the triumphs of His cross and the spread of His truth? Our own personal troubles are forgotten while we look not only upon what God has done and is doing for Zion, but on the glorious things He will yet do for His Church.

Try this approach, O believer, whenever you are sad of heart and in heaviness of spirit: Forget yourself and your little concerns, and seek the welfare and prosperity of Zion. When you kneel in prayer to God, limit not your petition to the narrow circle of your own life, tried though it be, but send out your longing prayers for the church’s prosperity. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,”2 and your own soul shall be refreshed.

1Psalm 102:6-7 2 Psalm 122:6

Family Reading Plan Jeremiah 12 Matthew 26

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

One of God’s reasons for sending adversity into our lives is to conquer pride. Paul experienced this kind of divine intervention through the presence of what he called “a thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7). The Lord used pain in Paul’s life to guard his effectiveness as a servant of Christ.

We don’t usually realize what’s at stake when we allow pride to take root in our lives. It affects how God interacts with us because He “is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). If a Christian lets pride take root and grow, the Lord will set him on a shelf. Then the believer will never realize the potential of all that God wanted to do in and through him. In essence, he will miss his calling and become useless in the kingdom. Even if the world still sees him as a success, in the Lord’s eyes, his ministry is worthless because it’s self-motivated and self-empowered.

Can you see how much was at stake for Paul–and for believers throughout history? The apostle was God’s chosen instrument to establish churches and write letters that would become a major portion of our New Testament. When he understood the reason for his “thorn,” Paul reacted with complete trust and gratitude for the Lord’s wise and loving protection.

Perhaps you can see why adversity was essential for Paul–but it’s also vital for you. Each of us has been given areas of influence and opportunities to serve, but pride hinders the fulfillment of the Lord’s goals for our lives. If trouble comes, humble yourself immediately so God can use you greatly.