1 Timothy 4:12-16

Every Christian is given at least one spiritual gift with which to serve the Lord and build up the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:7). But many believers neglect this special empowerment of the Spirit. Although Timothy had some good reasons to forsake his calling from God, Paul advised him to “take pains with these things” and “be absorbed in them” (v. 15). As you look at Timothy, ask yourself if either of the following situations are hindering you from fully serving the Lord.

Age: No matter how old we are, the Lord wants us to use our spiritual gifts. Because Timothy was young, he could easily have been intimidated by those with more experience. However, youth isn’t our only excuse. Some believers think they’re too old to serve the Lord. Even though our areas of ministry may change over the years, we’re never called into spiritual retirement.

Inadequacy: Have you ever avoided a service opportunity simply because you felt totally unqualified? That’s probably how Timothy felt about leading the church at Ephesus. Our spiritual gifts rarely come to us fully developed. God often requires that we step out in faith and trust Him to work in and through us. Over time, as we obey and serve Him in our areas of giftedness, He increases the effectiveness of our ministry.

Is anything keeping you from using your spiritual gifts? Though given to us, these abilities aren’t for us; they’re for the church. To neglect them would not only deprive fellow believers but also rob ourselves: there is joy and blessing in serving others and doing the work God has designated for us.

There is an immense difference between a worldview that is not able to answer every question to complete satisfaction and one whose answers are consistently contradictory. There is an even greater difference between answers that contain paradoxes and those that are systemically irreconcilable.

Once again, the Christian faith stands out as unique in this test, both as a system of thought and in the answers it gives. Christianity does not promise that you will have every question fully answered to your satisfaction before you die, but the answers it gives are consistently consistent. There may be paradoxes within Christian teaching and belief, but they are not irreconcilable. To those who feel that Christianity has failed them because of prayers that went unanswered, it is important to realize what I am saying here.

I sat with a man in my car, talking about a series of heartbreaks he had experienced. “There were just a few things I had wanted in life,” he said. “None of them have turned out the way I had prayed. I wanted my parents to live until I was at least able to stand on my own and they could watch my children grow up. It didn’t happen. I wanted my marriage to succeed, and it didn’t. I wanted my children to grow up grateful for what God had given them. That didn’t happen. I wanted my business to prosper, and it didn’t. Not only have my prayers amounted to nothing; the exact opposite has happened. Don’t even ask me if you can pray for me. I am left with no trust of any kind in such things.”

I felt two emotions rising up within me as I listened. The first was one of genuine sorrow. He felt that he had tried, that he had done his part, but that God hadn’t lived up to his end of the deal. The second emotion was one of helplessness, as I wondered where to begin trying to help him.

These are the sharp edges of faith in a transcendent, all-powerful, personal God. Most of us have a tendency to react with anger or withdrawal when we feel God has let us down by not giving us things we felt were legitimate to ask him for. We may feel guilty that our expectations toward God were too great. We may feel that God has not answered our prayers because of something lacking in ourselves. We may compare ourselves with others whose every wish seems to be granted by God, and wonder why he hasn’t come through for us in the way he does for others. And sometimes we allow this disappointment in God to fester and eat away at our faith in him until the years go by and we find ourselves bereft of belief.

G. K. Chesterton surmised that when belief in God becomes difficult, the tendency is to turn away from him—but, in heaven’s name, to what?  To the skeptic or the one who has been disappointed in his faith, the obvious answer to Chesterton’s question may be to give up believing that there’s somebody out there, take charge of your own life, and live it out to the best of your own ability.

But Chesterton also wrote, “The real trouble with the world of ours is not that it is an unreasonable world, nor even that it is a reasonable one. The commonest kind of trouble is that it is nearly reasonable, but not quite.”(2)  He is right. Only so much about life can be understood by reason; so much falls far short of any reasonable explanation. Prayer then becomes the irrepressible cry of the heart at the times we most need it. For every person who feels that prayer has not “worked” for them and has therefore abandoned God, there is someone else for whom prayer remains a vital part of her life, sustaining her even when her prayers have gone unanswered, because her belief and trust is not only in the power of prayer but in the character and wisdom of God. God is the focus of such prayer, and that is what sustains such people and preserves their faith.

Prayer is far more complex than some make it out to be. There is much more involved than merely asking for something and receiving it. In this, as in other contexts, we too often succumb to believing that something is what it never was, even when we know it cannot be as simple as we would like to think it is.

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

(1) Excerpted from Has Christianity Failed You? by RAVI ZACHARIAS. Copyright © 2010 by Ravi Zacharias. Used by permission of Zondervan. http://www.zondervan.com
(2) G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1995), 87.

Morning    “Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods.”    Jeremiah 16:20

One great besetting sin of ancient Israel was idolatry, and the spiritual Israel

are vexed with a tendency to the same folly. Remphan’s star shines no longer,

and the women weep no more for Tammuz, but Mammon still intrudes his golden

calf, and the shrines of pride are not forsaken. Self in various forms struggles

to subdue the chosen ones under its dominion, and the flesh sets up its altars

wherever it can find space for them. Favourite children are often the cause of

much sin in believers; the Lord is grieved when he sees us doting upon them

above measure; they will live to be as great a curse to us as Absalom was to

David, or they will be taken from us to leave our homes desolate. If

Christians desire to grow thorns to stuff their sleepless pillows, let them

dote on their dear ones.

It is truly said that “they are no gods,” for the objects of our foolish love

are very doubtful blessings, the solace which they yield us now is dangerous,

and the help which they can give us in the hour of trouble is little indeed.

Why, then, are we so bewitched with vanities? We pity the poor heathen who adore

a god of stone, and yet worship a god of gold. Where is the vast superiority

between a god of flesh and one of wood? The principle, the sin, the folly is the

same in either case, only that in ours the crime is more aggravated because we

have more light, and sin in the face of it. The heathen bows to a false deity,

but the true God he has never known; we commit two evils, inasmuch as

we forsake the living God and turn unto idols. May the Lord purge us all from

this grievous iniquity!

“The dearest idol I have known,

Whate’er that idol be;

Help me to tear it from thy throne,

And worship only thee.”

Evening    “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible.”   1 Peter 1:23

Peter most earnestly exhorted the scattered saints to love each other “with a

pure heart fervently” and he wisely fetched his argument, not from the law, from

nature, or from philosophy, but from that high and divine nature which God hath

implanted in his people. Just as some judicious tutor of princes might labour to

beget and foster in them a kingly spirit and dignified behaviour, finding

arguments in their position and descent, so, looking upon God’s people as heirs

of glory, princes of the blood royal, descendants of the King of kings, earth’s

truest and oldest aristocracy, Peter saith to them, “See that ye love one

another, because of your noble birth, being born of incorruptible seed;

because of your pedigree, being descended from God, the Creator of all things;

and because of your immortal destiny, for you shall never pass away, though the

glory of the flesh shall fade, and even its existence shall cease.” It would be

well if, in the spirit of humility, we recognized the true dignity of our

regenerated nature, and lived up to it. What is a Christian? If you compare him

with a king, he adds priestly sanctity to royal dignity. The king’s royalty

often lieth only in his crown, but with a Christian it is infused into his

inmost nature. He is as much above his fellows through his new birth, as a man

is above the beast that perisheth. Surely he ought to carry himself, in all

his dealings, as one who is not of the multitude, but chosen out of the world,

distinguished by sovereign grace, written among “the peculiar people” and who

therefore cannot grovel in the dust as others, nor live after the manner of the

world’s citizens. Let the dignity of your nature, and the brightness of your

prospects, O believers in Christ, constrain you to cleave unto holiness, and to

avoid the very appearance of evil.

A very present help.   Psalms 46:1

Covenant blessings are not meant only to be observed but to be appropriated. Even our Lord Jesus is given to us for our present use. Believer, you do not make use of Christ as you ought to do. When you are in trouble, why do you not tell Him all your grief? Does He not have a sympathizing heart, and can He not comfort and relieve you? No, you are going to all your friends, except your best Friend, and telling your story everywhere, except into the heart of your Lord.

Are you burdened with this day’s sins? Here is a fountain filled with blood: Use it, saint, use it. Has a sense of guilt returned upon you? The pardoning grace of Jesus may be proved again and again. Come to Him at once for cleansing. Do you deplore your weakness? He is your strength: Why not lean upon Him? Do you feel naked? Come here, soul; put on the robe of Jesus’ righteousness. Do not stand looking at it, but wear it. Strip off your own righteousness, and your own fears too: Put on the fair white linen, for it was meant to be worn.

Do you feel yourself sick? Call upon the Beloved Physician, and He will give the medicine that will revive you. You are poor, but remember you have a kinsman, who is incredibly wealthy. What! Will you not go to Him and ask Him to give you from His abundance when He has promised that you will be joint heir with Him and has credited all that He is and all that He has to your account? There is nothing Christ dislikes more than for His people to make a show of coming to Him and yet not to use Him. He loves to be employed by us. The more burdens we put on His shoulders, the more precious He will be to us.

Let us be simple with Him, then,

Not backward, stiff, or cold,

As though our Bethlehem could be

What Sinai was of old.

The family reading plan for May 3, 2012

Song 8 | Hebrews 8

 Hebrews 10:23-25

When you hear the word “church,” do you picture a little white building full of smiling people in fancy clothes? As lovely as that image may be, God’s design for church is unrelated to it. He created the church to be a unified fellowship of believers who encourage each other and carry out His ministry to the world.

The Bible clearly defines the following as ministries of the church: worshiping the living God, instructing and edifying believers, making disciples of all nations, and serving the needy. Unless the leadership is careful, however, these purposes can all too easily get out of balance, with the unfortunate result that the body ends up malnourished. For example, a church with too heavy an emphasis on praise might become introverted. Congregations that overemphasize teaching could lose their joy, and those that evangelize to the neglect of the other areas could miss out on great faith.

Because of sin and human imperfection, we do not experience church as it was originally intended. Instead, there’s a tendency to overstress certain ministry areas. What’s more, divisive arguments–many of which concern minor issues, such as music preferences–too often destroy unity. Greed, pride, selfishness, and gossip can also tear a congregation apart.

Since they’re composed of imperfect people, churches will be imperfect too. Though expecting anything else leads to disappointment, we should nonetheless strive for God’s original design, continually measuring ourselves against Scripture and correcting course to realign with His purpose.

For one family in Venezuela, the space between death and life was filled with more shock than usual. After a serious car accident, Carlos Camejo was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials released the body to the morgue and a routine autopsy was ordered. But as soon as examiners began the autopsy, they realized something was gravely amiss: the body was bleeding. They quickly stitched up the wounds to stop the bleeding, a procedure without anesthesia which, in turn, jarred the man to consciousness. “I woke up because the pain was unbearable,” said Camejo. Equally jarred awake was Camejo’s wife, who came to the morgue to identify her husband’s body and instead found him in the hallway—alive.

Enlivened with images from countless forensic television shows, the scene comes vividly to life. Equally vivid is the scientific principle utilized by the doctors in the morgue. Sure, blood is ubiquitous with work in a morgue; but the dead do not bleed. This is a sign of the living.

Thought and practice in Old Testament times revolved around a similar understanding—namely, the life is in the blood. It is this notion that informs the expression that “blood is  on one’s hands” when life has wrongfully been taken. When Cain killed his brother Abel, God confronted him in the field, “Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.” There is a general understanding for the ancient Hebrew that blood is the very substance of our createdness, that in our blood is the essence of what it means to be alive. There is life in the blood; there is energy and power.

This notion of blood and its power can also be seen in the language of sacrifice and offering found throughout Near Eastern culture. “And you shall provide a lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering to the LORD daily; morning by morning you shall provide it” (Ezekiel 46:13). Just as it was understood that the force of life exists in the blood, there was a general understanding of human need for the power of perfect blood, a need in our lives for atoning and cleansing. But the blood of Israel’s sacrifices was different in this sense than the blood shed by those attempting to appease and approach the gods they feared and followed. The prophets sent throughout Israel’s history were forever insisting that the God of Israel wanted more than the empty performance of sacrifice. God desired these offerings to exemplify the heart of a worshiper, one who yearns to be fully alive in the presence of the creator. The blood of a living sacrifice made this possible temporarily, but God would provide a better way.

When Christianity speaks of Christ as the Lamb of God, it is meant to be a description that moves well beyond symbolism. Christ is the Lamb whose blood cries out with enough life and power to reach every sin, every shortfall, every tear, every evil. He is the Lamb who comes to the slaughter alive and aware, on his own accord, and with his blood covers our deep need, moving us forever into the presence of God by the Spirit. There is life in the blood of Christ, whose entire life is self-giving; there is power, and he has freely sacrificed all to bring it near. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to a crowd that would understand the concept, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53).

Mr. Camejo bled because he was living. His pain was equally a sign of life. And our own pain is similar. The many ways in which we have bled, fragile and mortal, are signs of life, something shared with one who suffered in every way. Considering Christ’s body and blood, the elements of the Lord’s Supper, or the story of Jesus being led to the cross, do you see someone very much alive, bleeding, and conscious? “When they hurled their insults at him,” writes Peter, “he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he…bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.” The Christian story tells of a time when we will bow before the slain Lamb who stands very much alive, though bearing the scars of our atonement. The Lamb of God is not dead and buried, but alive, beckoning a broken world to his wounded side, offering the life and power of his blood. For indeed, the dead don’t bleed.

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

Morning    “In the world ye shall have tribulation.”     John 16:33

Art thou asking the reason of this, believer? Look upward to thy heavenly

Father, and behold him pure and holy. Dost thou know that thou art one day to be

like him? Wilt thou easily be conformed to his image? Wilt thou not require much

refining in the furnace of affliction to purify thee? Will it be an easy thing

to get rid of thy corruptions, and make thee perfect even as thy Father which is

in heaven is perfect? Next, Christian, turn thine eye downward. Dost thou know

what foes thou hast beneath thy feet? Thou wast once a servant of Satan, and no

king will willingly lose his subjects. Dost thou think that Satan will let thee

alone? No, he will be always at thee, for he “goeth about like a

roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Expect trouble, therefore,

Christian, when thou lookest beneath thee. Then look around thee. Where art

thou? Thou art in an enemy’s country, a stranger and a sojourner. The world is

not thy friend. If it be, then thou art not God’s friend, for he who is the

friend of the world is the enemy of God. Be assured that thou shalt find foe-men

everywhere. When thou sleepest, think that thou art resting on the battlefield;

when thou walkest, suspect an ambush in every hedge. As mosquitoes are said to

bite strangers more than natives, so will the trials of earth be sharpest to

you. Lastly, look within thee, into thine own heart and observe what is there.

Sin and self are still within. Ah! if thou hadst no devil to tempt thee, no

enemies to fight thee, and no world to ensnare thee, thou wouldst still find in

thyself evil enough to be a sore trouble to thee, for “the heart is deceitful

above all things, and desperately wicked.” Expect trouble then, but despond not

on account of it, for God is with thee to help and to strengthen thee. He hath

said, “I will be with thee in trouble; I will deliver thee and honour thee.”

Evening  “A very present help.”   Psalm 46:1

Covenant blessings are not meant to be looked at only, but to be appropriated.

Even our Lord Jesus is given to us for our present use. Believer, thou dost not

make use of Christ as thou oughtest to do. When thou art in trouble, why dost

thou not tell him all thy grief? Has he not a sympathizing heart, and can he not

comfort and relieve thee? No, thou art going about to all thy friends, save thy

best Friend, and telling thy tale everywhere except into the bosom of thy Lord.

Art thou burdened with this day’s sins? Here is a fountain filled with blood:

use it, saint, use it. Has a sense of guilt returned upon thee? The pardoning

grace of Jesus may be proved again and again. Come to him at once

for cleansing. Dost thou deplore thy weakness? He is thy strength: why not lean

upon him? Dost thou feel naked? Come hither, soul; put on the robe of Jesus’

righteousness. Stand not looking at it, but wear it. Strip off thine own

righteousness, and thine own fears too: put on the fair white linen, for it was

meant to wear. Dost thou feel thyself sick? Pull the night-bell of prayer, and

call up the Beloved Physician! He will give the cordial that will revive thee.

Thou art poor, but then thou hast “a kinsman, a mighty man of wealth.” What!

wilt thou not go to him, and ask him to give thee of his abundance, when he has

given thee this promise, that thou shalt be joint heir with him, and has

made over all that he is and all that he has to be thine? There is nothing

Christ dislikes more than for his people to make a show-thing of him, and not to

use him. He loves to be employed by us. The more burdens we put on his

shoulders, the more precious will he be to us.

“Let us be simple with him, then,

Not backward, stiff, or cold,

As though our Bethlehem could be

What Sinai was of old.”

These all died in faith.   Hebrews 11:13

Consider the epitaph of all those blessed saints who fell asleep before the coming of our Lord! The issue is not how they died—whether of old age or by violent means—but that whatever their diverse experiences, they are united in Him: “These all died in faith.” In faith they lived—it was their comfort, their guide, their motive, and their support; and in the same spiritual grace they died, ending their life-song in the sweet melody that had followed them through life. They did not die trusting in the flesh or their own attainments; they never wavered from their first way of acceptance with God but held to the way of faith to the end. Faith is as precious to die by as to live by.

Dying in faith has distinct reference to the past. They believed the promises that had gone before and were assured that their sins were blotted out through the mercy of God. Dying in faith has to do with the present. These saints were confident of their acceptance with God; they enjoyed the benefits of His love and rested in His faithfulness. Dying in faith looks into the future. They fell asleep, affirming that the Messiah would surely come and that when He in the last days appeared upon the earth, they would rise from their graves to behold Him. To them the pains of death were but the birth-pangs of a better state.

Take courage, my soul, as you read this epitaph. Your journey, through grace, is one of faith, not sight, and this has always been the pathway of the brightest and the best. Faith was the orbit in which these stars of the first magnitude shone in their day; and happy are you to be in their company. Look again tonight to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of your faith, and thank Him for giving you like precious faith with souls now in glory.

The family reading plan for May 2, 2012

Song 7 | Hebrews 7

Colossians 1:18, 24

Church buildings are plentiful in our country. Locating one may be easy, but wisely deciding which to join involves more effort. God’s Word gives us some specific instructions in this matter.

First, let’s explore the original biblical meaning of the word “church.” The term ecclesia meant a group of people who are called out of the world’s system by God’s grace for the purpose of assembling to worship and serve Christ. Ephesians 5:29-30 further specifies that believers are the body and Jesus is the head of such a fellowship. Under His leadership, we can enjoy the unity and purpose that He intended.

God’s design for this sacred gathering involves worship, instruction, encouragement, evangelism, and ministry to those in need, both within the fellowship and outside its walls. A healthy, vibrant congregation is possible only when members rely fully on the Holy Spirit’s guidance. The work of the church is to be done in His power, in humble, prayerful submission to the Lord.

To help you determine whether a church is following the design laid out in Scripture, here are some important questions to ask: Do they believe God’s Word is infallible and inerrant? Is the church disciplining her people? Does the fellowship have some kind of missionary or evangelistic program?

Joining a congregation is an important decision, as a fellowship of believers is one tool God uses to mature and encourage His children. Those three questions can be helpful in discerning God’s will. Listen for His Spirit to warn or direct as you prayerfully investigate your options.

Recently, I attended a writers’ conference in which the beauty, glory, and power of the written word was celebrated and extolled. Once again, I was reminded of the way in which a carefully crafted story communicates far more than we often imagine. One of my favorite seminars involved a reading from the author’s work, hearing her written words wash over me and sweep me up into another time and another place. My imagination fully engaged, I was able to hear her story, place myself in her narrative more than if I had simply read her story for myself.

I often think about reading the gospel narratives in this same way; reading them aloud in order to hear the narrative flow and to be swept up into the world of the first century. It is not difficult to do with the parables of Jesus. Yet, how often do we do this kind of reading with the descriptions of events in this life of Jesus and his disciples? It might be helpful to try.

They both trod along the dusty streets of ancient Jerusalem: one as an outcast and traitor and the other as a would-be hero. One used his position to cheat and extort his own people. The other carried a dagger under his cloak to swiftly exact vengeance on agents of government extortion. Neither man would have hoped to meet the other. Yet, a stranger from a backwater town would bring the two of them together. In fact, this most unlikely pair would not only meet, but serve alongside each other. All that had previously defined them would give way to a new understanding and a new path of life.

On that most unexpected day, Matthew was collecting taxes from the people. He made sure to extract more than what was necessary to fill his coffers with unlawful profits. The stranger who came by the tax office that day looked like any other man, so it likely came as quite a shock to Matthew when the stranger called out to him, “Follow me.” No one from among the people of Israel would even desire to speak with Matthew—yet this stranger called after him and invited him to follow. To where, he did not know, but his welcoming invitation was irresistible. That very night, Matthew invited the stranger to his home for dinner and they reclined at the same table. Even to Matthew, it would have been a radical sight. Seated among the most despised members of society, didn’t the stranger know how deeply this company was hated? How was it that he had come to Matthew’s house, a man hated in all Israel for being a sellout to the Roman government? Yet, here was this intriguing stranger eating and drinking with outsiders and sellouts.(1)

The day that Simon the Zealot was approached would be no less surprising. The Zealots sought any and all means to overthrow their Roman oppressors. As revolutionaries, Simon’s political affiliates hated all that Matthew’s kind represented. For Simon, Matthew was nothing but a colluder with those who sought to oppress the people of Israel. Yet this stranger from Nazareth called both of these men to his side. “Follow me,” he asked. So along with a group of fisherman—Simon Peter, the sons of Zebedee, James and John—and this wretched tax collector, Simon the Zealot was invited to follow this stranger who gathered a most unexpected group of followers.(2)

Why would anyone call such an eclectic collection of people to become his followers? What kind of leader brings together people who for all practical purposes are at opposing ends of the spectrum with regards to their views of the world?

The man was Jesus of Nazareth. And his call to “follow” would upend all their expectations, replace all previous affiliations, and transform their views of the world. This unlikely group would follow Jesus beyond personal expectations and goals, as well as their expectations of him as their leader. The nature of his teachings and his form of radical hospitality would not only change their own lives and views, but transform the world. Jesus called Matthew as well as Simon, sellouts and revolutionaries alike. And the power of Christ’s message is displayed in the fact that a tax collector authored one of the four gospels, and the Zealot most likely gave his life, not as a revolutionary hero, but as a martyr for the gospel.(3)

Jesus proclaimed good news good enough to bring together a tax collector and a zealot, men from entirely opposing camps, the poor and the rich, the outcast and the sellouts. Indeed, he declared that anyone who does the will of God is his brother and sister and mother. The good news was also given to a former blasphemer, persecutor, and violent aggressor. But this is not what we remember the apostle Paul for either. We remember him for his efforts to take the good news throughout the Roman world.

The gospel story has a way of reaching out and adopting into the family of Jesus a most unlikely group of characters. But Jesus continues to call them to follow him—together—as the gospel goes forth into the utmost parts of the earth.

This, then, is both the challenge and the opportunity of entering into the gospel narrative. As I place myself in the narrative, I hear an invitation broad enough, wide enough, and good enough to include even me; it also reaches out and welcomes those I might not expect and bids me to serve alongside. It challenges me to leave my preconceptions behind, as the door to the kingdom of God swings open to fellow sinners who will become saints. And it ushers us in a community of new allegiances, a body only God could create and a story too good and too true.

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

(1) See Mark 2:13-17.
(2) See Mark 3:13-19.
(3) Many later church traditions suggest that Simon joined Jude in apostolic ministry.  Later tradition suggests that Simon was martyred by being sawn in two.  See for example, The Golden Legend (Aurea Legenda) compiled by Jacobus de Voragine, 1275.

Morning   “I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world.”     John 17:15

It is a sweet and blessed event which will occur to all believers in God’s own

time–the going home to be with Jesus. In a few more years the Lord’s soldiers,

who are now fighting “the good fight of faith” will have done with conflict, and

have entered into the joy of their Lord. But although Christ prays that his

people may eventually be with him where he is, he does not ask that they may be

taken at once away from this world to heaven. He wishes them to stay here. Yet

how frequently does the wearied pilgrim put up the prayer, “O that I had wings

like a dove! for then would I fly away and be at rest;” but Christ does not pray

like that, he leaves us in his Father’s hands, until, like

shocks of corn fully ripe, we shall each be gathered into our Master’s garner.

Jesus does not plead for our instant removal by death, for to abide in the flesh

is needful for others if not profitable for ourselves. He asks that we may be

kept from evil, but he never asks for us to be admitted to the inheritance in

glory till we are of full age. Christians often want to die when they have any

trouble. Ask them why, and they tell you, “Because we would be with the Lord.”

We fear it is not so much because they are longing to be with the Lord, as

because they desire to get rid of their troubles; else they would feel the same

wish to die at other times when not under the pressure of trial. They

want to go home, not so much for the Saviour’s company, as to be at rest. Now

it is quite right to desire to depart if we can do it in the same spirit that

Paul did, because to be with Christ is far better, but the wish to escape from

trouble is a selfish one. Rather let your care and wish be to glorify God by

your life here as long as he pleases, even though it be in the midst of toil,

and conflict, and suffering, and leave him to say when “it is enough.”

Evening   “These all died in faith.”  Hebrews 11:13

Behold the epitaph of all those blessed saints who fell asleep before the coming

of our Lord! It matters nothing how else they died, whether of old age, or by

violent means; this one point, in which they all agree, is the most worthy of

record, “they all died in faith.” In faith they lived–it was their comfort,

their guide, their motive and their support; and in the same spiritual grace

they died, ending their life-song in the sweet strain in which they had so long

continued. They did not die resting in the flesh or upon their own attainments;

they made no advance from their first way of acceptance with God, but held to

the way of faith to the end. Faith is as precious to die by as to live

by.

Dying in faith has distinct reference to the past. They believed the promises

which had gone before, and were assured that their sins were blotted out through

the mercy of God. Dying in faith has to do with the present. These saints were

confident of their acceptance with God, they enjoyed the beams of his love, and

rested in his faithfulness. Dying in faith looks into the future. They fell

asleep, affirming that the Messiah would surely come, and that when he would in

the last days appear upon the earth, they would rise from their graves to behold

him. To them the pains of death were but the birth-pangs of a better state. Take

courage, my soul, as thou readest this epitaph. Thy course,

through grace, is one of faith, and sight seldom cheers thee; this has also

been the pathway of the brightest and the best. Faith was the orbit in which

these stars of the first magnitude moved all the time of their shining here; and

happy art thou that it is thine. Look anew tonight to Jesus, the author and

finisher of thy faith, and thank Him for giving thee like precious faith with

souls now in glory.

I am a rose of Sharon.   Song of Songs 2:1

Whatever beauty there may be in the material world, Jesus Christ possesses all of that in the spiritual world to the nth degree. Among flowers the rose is regarded as the sweetest, but Jesus is infinitely more beautiful in the garden of the soul than a rose in the gardens of earth. He takes the first place as the fairest among ten thousand. He is the sun, and all others are the stars; the heavens and the day are dark in comparison with Him, for the King in His beauty transcends all.

“I am a rose of Sharon.” This was the best and rarest of roses. Jesus simply is not “a rose”; He is “a rose of Sharon,” just as He calls His righteousness “gold,” and then adds, “the gold of Ophir”1—the best of the best. He is positively lovely, and superlatively the loveliest.

There is variety in His beauty. The rose is delightful to the eye, and its scent is pleasant and refreshing; so each of the senses of the soul, whether it be the taste or feeling, the hearing, the sight, or the spiritual smell, finds appropriate gratification in Jesus. Even the recollection of His love is sweet. Take a rose of Sharon, pull it leaf from leaf, and place the leaves in the jar of memory, and you will find each leaf retains its fragrance, filling the house with perfume. Christ satisfies the highest taste of the most educated spirit to the full. The greatest amateur in perfumes is quite satisfied with a rose: And when the soul has arrived at her highest pitch of true taste, she will still be content with Christ; indeed, she shall be more able to appreciate Him.

Heaven itself possesses nothing that excels a rose of Sharon. What emblem can fully set forth His beauty? Human speech and earthborn things fail to tell of Him. Earth’s choicest beauties combine to provide ultimately a feeble picture of His glory. Blessed rose, bloom in my heart forever!

11 Chronicles 29:4

The family reading plan for May 1, 2012

Song 6 | Hebrews 6

Jesus made it clear that we would endure hardship in this life. But God gave His children amazing tools to keep trials from overwhelming us. For instance, He placed His Spirit inside each believer to guide and empower. In addition, He gave us prayer so we could not only communicate and stay connected with our Father but also bring Him our requests.

Today I want to focus on yet another one of His marvelous gifts: the Bible. Scripture is the actual Word of God Almighty. It is truth. It never changes. It enables us in all circumstances, so we have a sure foundation on which to base our lives and decisions.

There are thousands of promises in the Bible–countless assurances that we can rely on with perfect confidence. God wants us to learn them so we won’t miss out on blessings He wants to give. And wise believers will turn His promises into prayers and the cries of their hearts.

Let me give you an example that relates to difficult decisions. Psalms 32:8 states, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” We can pray God’s words back to Him, saying that we believe He will teach us and reveal His path, while remaining by our side as our caregiver through the entire situation.

When hardships arise, we need a solid foundation on which to stand. Otherwise, our emotions could easily lead us astray through faulty thinking. God is faithful and unchanging, so we can trust in His promises, which enable us to rest confidently and act boldly.

We typically fill our parties with people similar to ourselves. We invite into our homes those we work with, play with, or otherwise have something in common with. We celebrate with fellow graduates, entertain people from our neighborhoods, and open our doors to four year-olds when our own is turning four. Psychologists concur: we socialize with those in our circles because we have some ring of similarity that connects us.

The man in the parable of the great banquet is no different. The story is told in Luke chapter 14 of an affluent master of ceremonies who had invited a great number of people like himself to a meal. The list was likely distinguished; the guests were no doubt as prosperous socially as they were financially. Jesus sets the story at a critical time for all involved. The invitations had long been sent out and accepted. Places were now set; the table was now prepared. All was ready. Accordingly, the owner of the house sent his servant to bring in the guests. But none would come.

Anthropologists characterize the culture of Jesus’s day as an “honor/shame” society, where one’s quality of life was directly affected by the amount of honor or shame socially attributed to him or her. The public eye was paramount; every interaction either furthered or diminished one’s standing, honor, and regard in the eyes of the world.

Thus, in this parable, the master of the banquet had just been deliberately and publicly shamed. He was pushed to the margins of society and treated with the force of contempt. Hearers of this parable would have been waiting with baited breath to hear how this man would attempt to reclaim his honor. But scandalously, in fact, the master of the feast did not attempt to reverse his public shame. Altogether curiously, he embraced it.

Turning to the slave, the owner of the house appointed the servant with a new task. “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and the poor and maimed and lame and blind bring in here” (Luke 14:21). Returning, the servant reported, “Lord it has all occurred as you ordered, and still there is room.” So the owner of the house responded again, “Go out into the waves and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”

The slave is told to do what he must to compel the masses to come, liberating the blind, the lame, and the excluded of their social status and stigma with an invitation to dine with none other than the master. It is a staggering portrayal of a God who is shamed by the rejection of his people, and yet continues to respond with unfathomable grace and profound invitation into his presence. The owner of the house has opened wide the doors. The feast is ready—and there is yet room.

The longing to belong in the right circles is a desire that touches us all. Even so, one only has to watch a group of kids on playground to see how easily our desire to belong is corrupted by our need to exclude. The inner circle is not inner if there are no outsiders. Lines of honor and shame are futile if the majority is not on the wrong side. But in this story, God scandalously breaks these lines of demarcation and stratification. The Father forever challenges the notion that his house will be filled only with the rich or the righteous or those without shame.

The banquet is ready and there is a call to fill the house with the lost and unworthy, the homeless, the blind, the outsiders and the out-of-place. The invitation Jesus presents is wide enough to scour the darkest of hedges and the depths of the city streets. Whether we find ourselves outside of the circle because we have rejected him or at the table communing with his guests, it is a thought to digest: the kingdom of God is like a great banquet. God’s compulsion is our nourishment. The feast is ready and there is still room.

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

Morning    “His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers.”     Song of Solomon 5:13

Lo, the flowery month is come! March winds and April showers have done their

work, and the earth is all bedecked with beauty. Come my soul, put on thine

holiday attire and go forth to gather garlands of heavenly thoughts. Thou

knowest whither to betake thyself, for to thee “the beds of spices” are well

known, and thou hast so often smelt the perfume of “the sweet flowers,” that

thou wilt go at once to thy well-beloved and find all loveliness, all joy in

him. That cheek once so rudely smitten with a rod, oft bedewed with tears of

sympathy and then defiled with spittle–that cheek as it smiles with mercy is as

fragrant aromatic to my heart. Thou didst not hide thy face from shame and

spitting, O Lord Jesus, and therefore I will find my dearest delight in

praising thee. Those cheeks were furrowed by the plough of grief, and crimsoned

with red lines of blood from thy thorn-crowned temples; such marks of love

unbounded cannot but charm my soul far more than “pillars of perfume.” If I may

not see the whole of his face I would behold his cheeks, for the least glimpse

of him is exceedingly refreshing to my spiritual sense and yields a variety of

delights. In Jesus I find not only fragrance, but a bed of spices; not one

flower, but all manner of sweet flowers. He is to me my rose and my lily, my

heartsease and my cluster of camphire. When he is with me it is May all the year

round, and my soul goes forth to wash her happy face in the morning-dew of his

grace, and to solace herself with the singing of the birds of his promises.

Precious Lord Jesus, let me in very deed know the blessedness which dwells in

abiding, unbroken fellowship with thee. I am a poor worthless one, whose cheek

thou hast deigned to kiss! O let me kiss thee in return with the kisses of my

lips.

Evening   “I am the rose of Sharon.”    Song of Solomon 2:1

Whatever there may be of beauty in the material world, Jesus Christ possesses

all that in the spiritual world in a tenfold degree. Amongst flowers the rose is

deemed the sweetest, but Jesus is infinitely more beautiful in the garden of the

soul than the rose can be in the gardens of earth. He takes the first place as

the fairest among ten thousand. He is the sun, and all others are the stars; the

heavens and the day are dark in comparison with him, for the King in his beauty

transcends all. “I am the rose of Sharon.” This was the best and rarest of

roses. Jesus is not “the rose” alone, he is “the rose of Sharon,” just as he

calls his righteousness “gold,” and then adds, “the gold of

Ophir”–the best of the best. He is positively lovely, and superlatively the

loveliest. There is variety in his charms. The rose is delightful to the eye,

and its scent is pleasant and refreshing; so each of the senses of the soul,

whether it be the taste or feeling, the hearing, the sight, or the spiritual

smell, finds appropriate gratification in Jesus. Even the recollection of his

love is sweet. Take the rose of Sharon, and pull it leaf from leaf, and lay by

the leaves in the jar of memory, and you shall find each leaf fragrant long

afterwards, filling the house with perfume. Christ satisfies the highest taste

of the most educated spirit to the very full. The greatest amateur in

perfumes is quite satisfied with the rose: and when the soul has arrived at her

highest pitch of true taste, she shall still be content with Christ, nay, she

shall be the better able to appreciate him. Heaven itself possesses nothing

which excels the rose of Sharon. What emblem can fully set forth his beauty?

Human speech and earth-born things fail to tell of him. Earth’s choicest charms

commingled, feebly picture his abounding preciousness. Blessed rose, bloom in my

heart forever!

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!    Psalms 139:17

Divine omniscience provides no comfort to the ungodly mind, but to the child of God it overflows with consolation. God is always thinking about us, never turns His mind from us, always has us before His eyes; and this is precisely how we would want it, because it would be dreadful to exist for a moment outside the observation of our heavenly Father. His thoughts are always tender, loving, wise, prudent, far-reaching, and they bring countless benefits to us: It is consequently a supreme delight to remember them. The Lord always thought about His people: hence their election and the covenant of grace by which their salvation is secured. He will always think upon them: hence their final perseverance by which they shall be brought safely to their final rest.

In all our wanderings the watchful glance of the Eternal Watcher is constantly fixed upon us—we never roam beyond the Shepherd’s eye. In our sorrows He observes us incessantly, and not a painful emotion escapes Him; in our toils He notices all our weariness, and He writes all the struggles of His faithful ones in His book. These thoughts of the Lord encompass us in all our paths and penetrate the innermost region of our being. Not a nerve or tissue, valve or vessel of our bodily frame is uncared for; all the details of our little world are thought upon by the great God.

Dear reader, is this precious to you? Then hold to it. Do not be led astray by those philosophical fools who preach an impersonal God and talk of self-existent, self-governing matter. The Lord lives and thinks upon us; this is a far too precious truth for us to be easily robbed of it. To be noticed by a nobleman is valued so highly that he who has it counts his fortune made; but how much greater is it to be thought of by the King of kings! If the Lord thinks upon us, all is well, and we may rejoice evermore.

The family reading plan for April 30, 2012

Song 5 | Hebrews 5

Romans 5:1-4

The list called “fruit of the Spirit” includes “patience” (Gal. 5:22-23), but that doesn’t mean the Holy Spirit wills it into the believer’s life. Instead, He acts as our ever-dependable teacher and the one who enables our growth. Spiritual fruit matures over time as we obey the Lord and surrender to His will.

Patience with both God and our fellow man is an outgrowth of deepening faith. The Holy Spirit urges believers to take note of the Lord’s handiwork on the journey through life. Our confidence in Him is nurtured by answered prayer, the rich blessings that arise unexpectedly from difficult circumstances, and every trace of good that God salvages from a bad situation. As our trust in His goodness and sovereignty grows, we find ourselves more willing to wait for God’s solutions and outcomes.

In fact, I believe that recognizing God’s sovereignty is key to developing patience. A significant part of surrendering to His absolute control is waiting upon Him to do what He will. We are wise to realize that our lives unfold according to His master plan–exasperated toe tapping doesn’t bother Him a bit. God expects His children to step into His timeline and practice patience no matter what pace He sets.

Patience doesn’t come naturally. That’s why we have the Holy Spirit. He strengthens our resolve to endure without complaint when progress seems sluggish. After all, God is slow only from a human standpoint. From a divine, eternal perspective, He’s always working at the perfect speed

While many industries continue to struggle from economic downturn, the identity management industry, a trade emerging from the realities of the Internet Age, continues to gain business steadily. As one company notes in its mission statement, they began with the realization that “the line dividing people’s ‘online’ lives from their ‘offline’ personal and professional lives was eroding, and quickly.”(1) While the notion of anonymity or the felt safety of a social network lures users into online disinhibition, reputations are forged in a very public domain. And, as many have discovered, this can come back to haunt them—long after posted pictures are distant memories. In a survey taken in 2006, one in ten hiring managers admitted rejecting candidates because of things they discovered about them on the Internet. With the increasing popularity of social networks, personal video sites, and blogs, today that ratio is now one in two. Hence the need for identity managers—who scour the Internet with an individual’s reputation in mind and scrub websites of image-damaging material—grows almost as quickly as a high-schooler’s Facebook page.

With the boom of the reputation business in mind, I wonder how identity managers might have attempted to deal with the social repute of Jesus. Among officials, politicians, and soldiers, his reputation as a political nightmare and agitator of the people preceded him. Among the religious leaders, his reputation was securely forged by the scandal and outrage of his messianic claims. Beyond these reputations, the most common accusations of his personal depravity had to do with the company he kept, the Sabbath he broke, and the food and drink he enjoyed. In two different gospels, Jesus remarks on his reputation as a glutton. “[T]he Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!'”(2) In fact, if you were to remove the accounts of his meals or conversations with members of society’s worst, or his parables that incorporated these untouchables, there would be very little left of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. According to etiquette books and accepted social norms, both from the first century and the twenty-first, the reputation of Jesus leaves much to be desired.

Ironically, the reputation of those Jesus left behind does not resemble his reputation much at all. Writing in 1949 with both humor and lament, Dorothy Sayers describes the differences: “For nineteen and a half centuries, the Christian churches have labored, not without success, to remove this unfortunate impression made by their Lord and Master. They have hustled the Magdalens from the communion table, founded total abstinence societies in the name of him who made the water wine, and added improvements of their own, such as various bans and anathemas upon dancing and theatergoing….[F]eeling that the original commandment ‘thou shalt not work’ was rather half hearted, [they] have added to it a new commandment, ‘thou shalt not play.”(3)  Her observations have a ring of both comedy and tragedy. The impression Christians often give the world is that Christianity comes with an oddly restricted understanding of words such as “virtue,” “morality,” “faithfulness,” and “goodness.” Curiously, this reputation is far more similar to the law-abiding religion of which Jesus had nothing nice to say. “Woe to you, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 23:23).

When the apostle Paul described the kind of fruit that will flourish in the life of one who follows Jesus, he was not giving the church a checklist or a rigid code like the religious law from which he himself was freed.(4) He was describing the kinds of reputations that emerge precisely when following the friend of tax-collectors and sinners, the drunkard, the Sabbath-breaker, the Son of God. Jesus loved the broken, discarded people around him to a social fault. He was patient and kind, joyful and peaceful in ways that made the world completely uncomfortable. His faithfulness was not a badge that made it seem permissible to exclude others for their lack of virtue. His self-control did not lead him to condemn the world around him or to isolate himself in disgust of their immorality; rather, it allowed him to walk to his death for the sake of all.

There are no doubt pockets of the world where the reputation of the church lines up with that of its founder. The prophets and identity managers of the church today pray for many more. Until then, in a world deciphering, critically or otherwise, the question of reputation, “What does it mean to be Christian?” perhaps we might ask instead, “What did it mean to be Christ?”

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

(1) From the website ReputationDefender.com/company, accessed Jan 15, 2009.
(2) Luke 7:34, Matthew 11:19.
(3) Dorothy Sayers, “Christian morality” in The Whimsical Christian (New York: Macmillan, 1987), 151-152.
(4) “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

Morning    “Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.”  Psalm 119:49

Whatever your especial need may be, you may readily find some promise in the

Bible suited to it. Are you faint and feeble because your way is rough and you

are weary? Here is the promise–“He giveth power to the faint.” When you read

such a promise, take it back to the great Promiser, and ask him to fulfil his

own word. Are you seeking after Christ, and thirsting for closer communion with

him? This promise shines like a star upon you–“Blessed are they that hunger and

thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Take that promise to the

throne continually; do not plead anything else, but go to God over and over

again with this–“Lord, thou hast said it, do as thou hast said.” Are

you distressed because of sin, and burdened with the heavy load of your

iniquities? Listen to these words–“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy

transgressions, and will no more remember thy sins.” You have no merit of your

own to plead why he should pardon you, but plead his written engagements and he

will perform them. Are you afraid lest you should not be able to hold on to the

end, lest, after having thought yourself a child of God, you should prove a

castaway? If that is your state, take this word of grace to the throne and plead

it: “The mountains may depart, and the hills may be removed, but the covenant of

my love shall not depart from thee.” If you have lost the sweet sense of

the Saviour’s presence, and are seeking him with a sorrowful heart, remember

the promises: “Return unto me, and I will return unto you;” “For a small moment

have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee.” Banquet your

faith upon God’s own word, and whatever your fears or wants, repair to the Bank

of Faith with your Father’s note of hand, saying, “Remember the word unto thy

servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.”

Evening  “All the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.”   Ezekiel 3:7

Are there no exceptions? No, not one. Even the favoured race are thus described.

Are the best so bad?–then what must the worst be? Come, my heart, consider how

far thou hast a share in this universal accusation, and while considering, be

ready to take shame unto thyself wherein thou mayst have been guilty. The first

charge is impudence, or hardness of forehead, a want of holy shame, an

unhallowed boldness in evil. Before my conversion, I could sin and feel no

compunction, hear of my guilt and yet remain unhumbled, and even confess my

iniquity and manifest no inward humiliation on account of it. For a sinner to go

to God’s house and pretend to pray to him and praise him argues a

brazen-facedness of the worst kind! Alas! since the day of my new birth I have

doubted my Lord to his face, murmured unblushingly in his presence, worshipped

before him in a slovenly manner, and sinned without bewailing myself concerning

it. If my forehead were not as an adamant, harder than flint, I should have far

more holy fear, and a far deeper contrition of spirit. Woe is me, I am one of

the impudent house of Israel. The second charge is hardheartedness, and I must

not venture to plead innocent here. Once I had nothing but a heart of stone, and

although through grace I now have a new and fleshy heart, much of my former

obduracy remains. I am not affected by the death of Jesus as I

ought to be; neither am I moved by the ruin of my fellow men, the wickedness of

the times, the chastisement of my heavenly Father, and my own failures, as I

should be. O that my heart would melt at the recital of my Saviour’s sufferings

and death. Would to God I were rid of this nether millstone within me, this

hateful body of death. Blessed be the name of the Lord, the disease is not

incurable, the Saviour’s precious blood is the universal solvent, and me, even

me, it will effectually soften, till my heart melts as wax before the fire.

The Lord is king forever and ever.   Psalms 10:16

Jesus Christ is not a tyrant claiming divine right, but He is really and truly the Lord’s anointed! “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”1 God has given to Him all power and all authority.

As the Son of man, He is now head over all things in His church, and He reigns over heaven and earth and hell with the keys of life and death at His belt. Certain princes have been glad to call themselves kings by the popular will, and certainly our Lord Jesus Christ is such in His church. If it could be put to the vote whether He should be King in the church, every believing heart would crown Him. We ought to crown Him more gloriously than we do! We would regard no expense too great if we could glorify Christ. Suffering would be pleasure, and loss would be gain, if through that we could surround His brow with brighter crowns and make Him more glorious in the eyes of men and angels. Yes, He shall reign. Long live the King! All hail to You, King Jesus! Go on, you virgin souls who love your Lord. Bow at His feet; cover His path with the lilies of your love and the roses of your gratitude: “Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.”

Our Lord Jesus is King in Zion by right of conquest: He has taken the hearts of His people by storm and has defeated their enemies who held them in cruel bondage. In the Red Sea of His own blood, our Redeemer has drowned the Pharaoh of our sins: Shall He not be Lord and King? He has delivered us from sin’s dominion and from the heavy curse of the law: Shall not the Liberator be crowned? We are His portion, whom He has taken out of the hand of the enemy with His sword and with His bow: Who will snatch His conquest from His hand? All hail, King Jesus! We gladly own Your gentle sway! Rule in our hearts forever, You lovely Prince of Peace.

1Colossians 1:19

The family reading plan for April 27, 2012

Song 2 | Hebrews 2